José James characterized himself as “the black Mel Tormé” at Old Church Concert Hall in Portland on Thursday, December 2. He was kidding, but the flippant characterization is apt. James’ interpretation of Tormé’s “The Christmas Song” during the holiday-themed concert echoed the Velvet Fog’s sensibility while adding intimations of contemporary R&B.

The stylish update of conventional crooning delighted the well-heeled audience of about 250. (I paid $36 for a general admission ticket at the door). James’ considerable charisma, compelling stories and honeyed voice elicited several standing ovations. Astonishingly, the f-bombs James dropped while promoting the new album Merry Christmas from José James served to further charm his admirers.

Even so, Christian Sands was the evening’s real star. A former protegé of Christian McBride, Sands is one of the most notable young mainstream jazz pianists. His unflaggingly elegant and thrillingly quick-witted playing revives the swinging sound of Erroll Garner and Ahmad Jamal. The suggestion that Sands plays like an old man is intended as a compliment.

Bassist Daniel Winshall and drummer Jharis Yokley patiently held their own until they were unleashed on a monumental rendition of “My Favorite Things.” The wooly reading applied to the Rodgers and Hammerstein composition was the loudest portion of the evening. The encore was the quietest selection. James and Sands’ hushed duet on “White Christmas” was four sublime minutes of perfection.

William Brownlee

November 28, 2021

Concert Review: Oleta Adams with Isaac Cates & Ordained at Old Mission United Methodist Church

William Brownlee

November 28, 2021

One of my uncles died on Black Friday. Adding insult to grievous injury, news of the Omicron variant spread global panic, the stock market responded accordingly and my injured foot ached something awful. I was less than enthused about the prospect of spending Friday night in a church.

Yet ten minutes into the sublime collaboration of Oleta Adams and Isaac Cates & Ordained, wild gesticulations, involuntary shouts and uninhibited dances broke out- and that was just my response. Other congregants among the audience of about 400 at the fundraising event for the Lupus Foundation of America shared my passion for the sanctified music.

Several members of Ordained possess voices as glorious as Adams’. The fervency they invested into the sacred, secular and seasonal songs was infectious. Cates’ splashy solo piano segment heightened the devout intensity. I left church refreshed, inspired and hopeful. But my foot still hurt.

William Brownlee

November 27, 2021

November 2021 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

William Brownlee

November 27, 2021

Screenshot of the trailer for Valerie a týden divů by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums (released in November)

1. Irreversible Entanglements- Open the Gates

My review.

2. Summer Walker- Still Over It

Number one with a bitterness.

3. Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O- Umdali

Valiant South African jazz.

4. Brian Wilson- At My Piano

Tragic beauty.

5. Attacca Quartet- Of All Joys

Partly Pärt.

6. Terrace Martin- Drones

Flying high above Silk Sonic.

7. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss- Raise the Roof

An old-fashioned barn burner.

8. Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian- Welcome Party

Knock knock.

9. Anna Netrebko- Amata dalle tenebre

Aching arias.

10. Anuel AA- Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren

Legends never die.

Top Ten Songs (released in November)

1. Willie Nelson- "Too Sick to Pray"

On bended knee.

2. Del McCoury Band- "Once Again"

That high, lonesome sound.

3. Earl Sweatshirt- "2010"

Don’t call it a comeback.

4. City Girls- "Scared"

“Ain’t no way I’m stopping.”

5. The Bug featuring Jason Williamson- "Treetop"

Out on a limb.

6. Idles- "Stockholm Syndrome"

Brainwashed.

7. Frogpond- "I Really Don't Care"

Meat-and potatoes heartland rock.

8. NRBQ- "I Like Her So Much"

Still ticking.

9. Adele with Erroll Garner- "All Night Parking"

The best song on 30.

10. Cécile McLorin Salvant- "Ghost Song"

Spectral.

Top Ten Concerts of November

1. J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits- Blue Room

My review.

2. Oleta Adams with Isaac Cates & Ordained- Old Mission United Methodist Church

My review.

3. Mary Gauthier- Knuckleheads

4. UMKC Opera’s “Acis and Galatea”- White Recital Hall

My review.

5. Dare- 7th Heaven

My Instagram clip.

6. Rod Fleeman Trio- Green Lady Lounge

7. The Kansas City Symphony’s “Coming to America”- Helzberg Hall

8. Renée Fleming- Helzberg Hall

9. Richard Thompson- Folly Theater

My review.

10. Sentenced 2 Die- 7th Heaven

My Instagram clip.

Top Ten Movies (viewed for the first time in November)

1. Popiół i diament/Ashes and Diamonds (1958)

Bloody Polish power grab.

2. La Strada/The Road (1954)

Giulietta Masina and Anthony Quinn convey crippling sadness.

3. Der junge Törless/Young Törless (1966)

Unflinching teen brutality.

4. Sparrows (1926)

Mary Pickford leads escape from foul baby farm.

5. De Slag om de Schelde/The Forgotten Battle (2020)

World War II in Holland is hell.

6. Valerie a týden divů/Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)

Frightfully freaky fairy tale.

7. Taking Tiger Mountain (1983)

A very bad trip.

8. The Harder They Fall (2021)

Wild, wild west(ern).

9. La bestia debe morir/The Beast Must Die (1952)

Argentinian noir.

10. Arsène Lupin (1932)

Sexy criminal caper.

October’s recap and links to previous monthly surveys are here.

William Brownlee

November 22, 2021

Concert Review: Richard Thompson at the Folly Theater

William Brownlee

November 22, 2021

I wasn’t feeling it, and I don’t think Richard Thompson was either. A concert by the notoriously bleak British troubadour at the Folly Theater on Sunday, November 21, was even drearier than anticipated. Renowned for his doom and gloom sensibility, Thompson’s attempts to connect with the audience of about 600 repeatedly failed.

Alternately icy and awkward, the 100-minute outing was adequate rather than transcendent. The set list wasn’t the problem. Most of Thompson’s new compositions were solid and hearing his classics from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s remains thrilling. I suppose I’ll never understand the astonishing popularity of the 1991 story song “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.”

Reading excerpts from his new autobiography was a good idea, but the execution was weirdly clumsy. Yet the off night for the musical giant was nonetheless rewarding. My seat in the third row allowed for careful scrutiny of Thompson’s seemingly magical guitar work. He doesn’t require accompanists. His guitar often simulated the sound of a full band.

Even so, I longed for a bit of noise. A ten-minute burst of instrumental electric guitar would have enlivened the show. Backing vocalist Zara Phillips was fine, but Thompson deserves- and last night truly needed- the presence of a similarly accomplished peer. A collaboration with a notable figure from the British folk scene such as June Tabor might have made the uncertain night unforgettable.

William Brownlee

November 20, 2021

Album Review: Hasaan Ibn Ali- Retrospect In Retirement Of Delay: The Solo Recordings

William Brownlee

November 20, 2021

I like Adele as much as the next romance-minded person. I’m also a day-one Snoop Dogg fan. And the latest batch of songs from the sublime collaboration of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss thrills me. But of all the music released on November 19, the artistic standout is Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: The Solo Recordings.

Where are the throngs of music lovers around the world singing the praises of Hasaan Ibn Ali’s excavated recordings from the rooftops? I’m doing my part by hailing one of the most profound sonic discoveries of 2021 in this humble forum.

Hasaan Ibn Ali sounds like Thelonious Monk’s evil twin on the 151 minutes of solo piano recorded from 1962 through 1965. The Philadelphian vigorously advances the avant-garde implications of Monk’s innovations. Some listeners will find the sketchy sound quality and an occasionally poorly tuned piano problematic. The off-kilter murk and incidental chatter actually compliment the heedless gusto of Ibn Ali’s approach.

Prior to this year, the 1965 album The Max Roach Trio featuring the Legendary Hasaan was the pianist’s only official recording. His violent muscularity is heard to good effect on "Almost Like Me" on that date. Yet Retrospect in Retirement of Delay, along with the similarly astounding April release Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album, necessitates a dramatic revision to the annals of American music.

William Brownlee

November 18, 2021

Album Review: William Parker and Patricia Nicholson- No Joke!

William Brownlee

November 18, 2021

The pleasures provided by year-end music lists are manifold. I relish the opportunity to display my (obviously superior) taste and disparage the (clearly inferior) selections of others. Yet the most rewarding aspect of combing through entries is encountering undiscovered sounds. Even though I listen to about two dozen new albums in their entirety every week, I only learned of No Joke! when I peeked at a rough draft of a colleague’s best-of 2021 list. Released three weeks ago by the illustrious ESP-Disk record label, the date led by the prolific bassist William Parker and his wife, the poet, choreographer and activist Patricia Nicholson, is a spiritual and musical companion to Irresistible Entanglements’ free jazz tour de force Open the Gates. Indignant and cacophonous, No Joke! is a dead serious call to action.

William Brownlee

November 15, 2021

Album Review: Irreversible Entanglements- Open the Gates

William Brownlee

November 15, 2021

Driving to Columbia, Missouri, to catch Irreversible Entanglements in June was my first meaningful post-quarantine pleasure trip. In spite of the brevity of the avant-garde ensemble’s appearance, the experience was my first brush with normality in more than a year. At 73 minutes, Irreversible Entanglements’ new album Open the Gates is twice the length of the concert at Stephens Lake Park Amphitheatre. Open the Gates solidifies Moor Mother’s status near the top of the jazz poet pantheon and the group’s expression of rage is more cogent than the output of any contemporary punk band. "It's energy time!"

William Brownlee

November 10, 2021

Escape Plan

William Brownlee

November 10, 2021

I grieve with the families and friends of the people killed at the Astroworld Festival. But no, I don’t have a hot take based on my attendance at concerts like Travis Scott’s 2019 show at the Sprint Center. Events with thousands of giddy teens tend to be a little dicey. Experience allows me to know where to position myself to avoid danger. Only two live music environments continue to frighten me. I’ve long been afraid an incapacitated person will unintentionally take out my fragile knees at a rock festival. And at outdoor country shows, I have to be on guard for the angry drunk men who are invariably offended by my ostensibly unmasculine presence.

William Brownlee

November 6, 2021

Opera Review: George Frideric Handel’s “Acis and Galatea” at White Recital Hall

William Brownlee

November 6, 2021

“Oh, the pleasure of the plains!” The exuberance of the opening line of George Frideric Handel’s “Acis and Galatea” possessed special resonance for me at White Recital Hall on Thursday, November 4. The UMKC Conservatory presentation was my first in-person post-Covid opera experience. I loved every minute of the amusingly frisky and refreshingly irreverent production.

Two unfortunate elements failed to derail the integrity of the performance. Rather than the sumptuous orchestral accompaniment that helps make “Acis and Galatea” delightful, the vocalists were supported solely by piano. The performers also wore masks. While commendable, the hindrance obscured their voices. The same couldn’t be said for the dullards in the audience of about 100 who pulled down their masks when the house lights were dimmed.

Forgiving the inappropriate applause that followed several energetic arias was easier. In spite of the minimalist set, the outstanding stage direction of Mo Zhou resembled a series of Spike Jonze pop music videos more than the conventional operatic stagings associated with Franco Zeffirelli. The cast’s vocals were good; their acting was even better. Single-camera footage of the pleasure of the plains has already been uploaded to YouTube.