THENEWYORKER, SEPTEMBER 2, 2019 7
ILLUSTRATION BY WELD WILLIAMS
Lil Nas X is having the best year ever. His viral hit “Old Town Road”—
the contentious country-rap single that’s commandeered speakers
everywhere from elementary schools to night clubs—made history
when it became the longest-running No. 1 on the Hot 100. The rapper,
who is a fireball of charisma, fundamentally understands how music
lives and breathes within the attention economy of the Internet. In
harnessing the meme power of the video app TikTok, maintaining
a steady and comical presence on social media, and releasing a slew
of “Old Town Road” remixes with such varied characters as Young
Thug, the boy band BTS’s RM, and, of course, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lil
Nas X has transformed what many pegged as a novelty record into a
fruitful career. His début EP landed two more tracks in the Top Forty,
further dispelling any notions that he’s just another one-hit wonder.
On Aug. 29, at the Rooftop at Pier 17, he takes the stage for the Z
Summer Bash.—Briana Younger
COUNTRY RAP
1
NIGHT LIFE
Musicians and night-club proprietors lead
complicated lives; it’s advisable to check in
advance to confirm engagements.
Pangea Jazz Festival
Pangea
The eclectic nature of the current jazz scene
renders attempts at strictly defining it a fool’s
errand, and the loopy lineup of this downtown
festival only makes its borders that much
fuzzier. The event’s final days feature such
between-the-cracks artists as the Brazilian tap
dancer Felipe Galganni, the off-center piano
trio the Theory Conspiracy, and the Jazz Bas-
tards, a cheeky sextet whose members haven’t
forgotten that jazz and levity aren’t mutually
exclusive.—Steve Futterman (Aug. 27-31.)
MC
Le Poisson Rouge
Although the MC5’s hot-blooded début album,
“Kick Out the Jams,” has long been hailed for
its foresight—a glimpse of punk unleashed
in the Woodstock era—it doubles as a period
piece of groovy sixties radicalism. Both sides
are endearing. In the newly configured spinoff
act MC50, the surviving guitarist, Wayne
Kramer (that’s Brother Wayne Kramer in
MC5 argot), leads a tribute to the LP at its
half-century mark. He’s accompanied by his
earsplitting disciples, including veterans of
Fugazi, Soundgarden, and Faith No More.—Jay
Ruttenberg (Aug. 29.)
Charlie Parker’s Birthday
Smoke
Charlie Parker, the once and future sovereign
of bebop, would have turned ninety-nine on
Aug. 29. Gary Bartz, Vincent Herring, and
summer outside of Woodstock, New York,
the chamber ensemble sets its artistic mind
on a genial and spirited program that in-
cludes Haydn’s Trio in E-flat, Schubert’s Trio
No. 1 in B-flat, and Schumann’s Trio No. 1 in
D Minor.—O.Z. (Sept. 1 at 4.)
Du Yun
The Stone at the New School
At a glance, the one predictable thing about
Du Yun, the Pulitzer Prize-winning com-
poser, performer, and multimedia artist, is
her unpredictability. Dig deeper, though,
and you can sense the conjoined strands of
curiosity and compassion that run through
everything she makes. On the first two nights
of her Stone residency, her art-pop band, OK
Miss, previews songs from its forthcoming
album, venturing through breathy Chinese
pop, seductive trip-hop, and metallic skronk.
The group returns on the final night to relay
impressions from the composer’s recent trek
to Tibet; in between, two intimate evenings
of electro-acoustic experimentation provide
fodder for future innovations.—S.S. (Sept.
3-7 at 8:30.)
Bobby Watson—three biting Parker aco-
lytes who, like the Master did, focus on alto
saxophone—fête this still towering figure at
Smoke. Farther downtown and days before,
Aug. 27-31, the fellow-altoist Greg Osby
joins the trumpeter Jeremy Pelt in another
deserved celebration of Parker, at Birdland,
the club named in his honor.—S.F. (Aug. 29-
Sept. 1.)
Flying Lotus in 3-D
Brooklyn Mirage
It’s no surprise that the Los Angeles hip-
hop-electronic-jazz alchemist Flying Lotus
would come up with a stage show as absurdly
opulent as his music. When he toured the
U.S. a couple of years ago, the set featured
the artiste center stage at a podium-cum-
controller while, through red-framed 3-D
lenses, fans saw such imagery as a floating
pale-blue goblin and cartoon Paul Bunyans
beheading one another with axes, all to a
soundtrack of FlyLo’s greatest hits. The low
end’s convulsions become especially acute in
such a setting.—Michaelangelo Matos (Aug. 30.)
Soulfrito Music Fest
Barclays Center
For urbano—the catchall term for varied styles
of Spanish-language urban music—fleeting
moments of visibility in the Anglo spotlight
haven’t fully captured its multiple rich, com-
plex evolutions during the past few decades.
Soulfrito Music Fest serves as a portrait of the
many artists who have catapulted the genre
forward and, recently, into the global main-
stream. This edition’s parade of stars includes
the syrupy-voiced singer Ozuna, the longtime
reggaetón vanguard Arcangel, and the fresh-
faced, razor-tongued rapper Melii.—Julyssa
Lopez (Aug. 30.)
Electric Zoo
Randall’s Island Park
Labor Day weekend in New York means cook-
outs and parties to see the summer off, and
there is no party more epic than Electric Zoo.
The big-ticket E.D.M. festival calls on some of
the genre’s most recognizable names—Armin
van Buuren, Afrojack, Diplo, and Skrillex, who
