Mike Dillon, the peripatetic musician who has long shuttled between Kansas City and New Orleans, released four albums during last year’s lockdown. His hushed instrumental effort Rosebud was Plastic Sax’s #3 Kansas City Jazz Album of 2020. The other albums- Shoot the Moon, 1918 and Suitcase Man- are substantially rowdier.
The incoherently political and decidedly druggy Shoot the Moon is credited to Mike Dillon and Punkadelic. The musicians channel an unfiltered id component of Tom Waits’ brain. “Apocalyptic Daydreams” sounds like a doomsday collaboration between Isaac Hayes and Steve Reich. The heretical “Open Up” is a grown-up version of the controversial Lil Nas X hit “Montero (Call Me by Your Name).” The accomplished trumpeter Nicholas Payton contributes astringent textures to “What Tony Says.”
1918 is tailored to fans favoring the jam-band side of Dillon’s repertoire. He often shares stages with the likes of Galactic, Karl Denson and Garage A Trois. “Pelagic” is a dance floor groove for end times. “Quarantine Booty Call” reflects the album’s pervading sense of pent-up frustration while “Super Spreader” sounds like a meth-era version of Bobby Hutcherson.
Dillon’s gruff vocals on Suitcase Man dominate the nine concise and economical tracks he crafted with the Bad Decisions. He growls about childhood trauma on “Tiny Pink Asses” and laments life on the road on “989 Miles” and the title track. The late-night, bad-trip atmosphere of Suitcase Man is recommended to fans of outsider art-rock artists like Captain Beefheart, Roky Erickson and Elliott Smith.
Recordings can’t capture the whirlwind aspect of Dillon’s performances. The manic energy, extreme volume and incorrigible personality he exhibits on stage makes the serene Rosebud all the more remarkable. Rosebud may be the superior album, but all four projects affirm Dillon’s standing as one of Kansas City’s most audaciously distinctive artists.