Monday, November 12, 2012

Review: UMKC Conservatory's Brass Chamber Ensembles Concert at White Recital Hall


The floor of White Recital Hall's stage may have been the most revolting spot in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon.  Spit valves unloaded the slimy contents of trumpets, tubas, French horns, trombones and euphoniums during an otherwise lovely recital.

A few members of the audience of about 100 slept through the 80-minute showcase of students enrolled in the The Conservatory of Music and Dance.  I was riveted by the variety of  textures featured in the lively presentation.  Six student ensembles and one "graduate fellowship" group performed.  Here are a handful of observations:
  • The combination of two French horns and bassoon is absolutely splendid.  I need more of that in my life.
  • The ensemble with the best name was clearly Heavy Metal Task Force. 
  • After performing The Nebraska Plains, a composition by "geometric khemist" Kerwin Young, the members of a quintet acknowledged Young's presence.  
  • I won't divulge names or places, but I witnessed one participant sitting in with a jazz band on Saturday night. 
  • A portion of the prodigious belly of a musician was exposed every time he took a breath.  I was mesmerized by the sight.
I intend to return to White Recital Hall tonight (Monday) to take in the Conservatory's "Jazz Combos" recital.  I'll be the guy who's making certain his stomach flab isn't inadvertently exposed.


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I reviewed Deborah Brown's All Too Soon at Plastic Sax.

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Cherokee Rock Rifle issued an apropos video for "Dead City Girl".

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Pig Destoyer's "The Diplomat" might be the best music video of 2012.

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Eivind Aarset's Dream Logic is enchanting.

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Riff Raff and Lil' Debbie are hilarious in "Michelle Obama".  They are trolling, arent they?

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Kansas City Click: Clint Ashlock leads the Monday jam session at the Blue Room.

Avery*Sunshine sings Tuesday at the Blue Room.

"Last Child" is on the setlist of Aerosmith current tour!  I may have to splurge on a ticket for Wednesday's concert at the Sprint Center. 

The Twilight Sad perform Thursday at the RecordBar.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

3 comments:

Gary said...

I wish it was Cheap Trick as the closer. When I saw Aerosmith on the Pump tour in Wichita it had to have been the loudest (or worst mixed) show ever.

Happy In Bag said...

Yeah, tonight's big show could go either way, Gary.

Incidentally, do you have a Kansas jean jacket? I almost asked a guy at the Lindsey Buckingham concert if his name was Gary.

Gary said...

No, I'm from Oklahoma. I would have loved to hear him play "Trouble" though.