There Stands the Glass

The Top Ten Albums of July 2025
1. Clipse- Let God Sort Em Out
Culturally inappropriate.

2. Tyler, The Creator- Don’t Tap the Glass
Provocative.

3. Dom Salvador, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad- JID024
Miraculous samba.

4. Charlie Hunter and Ella Feingold- Different Strokes for Different Folks
My kind of party.

5. Dino Saluzzi- El Viejo Caminante
Heartbreaking bandoneon.

6. Teddy Abrams- Preludes
A new form of pianism.

7. Myke Towers- Island Boyz
Endless summer.

8. Burna Boy- No Sign of Weakness
Muscular pop.

9. Theon Cross- Affirmations (Live at Blue Note New York)
Hilariously loud.

10. Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist- Alfredo 2
Old school.

The Top Three Reissues and Reimaginings of July 2025
1. Nick Drake- The Making of Five Leaves Left
Deep in the weeds.

2. Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley- Flashing Spirits
Live in 1988.

3. Paul Weller- Find El Dorado
Covers of premium obscurities.

The Top Ten Songs of July 2025
1. MC Yallah- “Tunyedde”
Straight outta Kampala.

2. John Glacier- “Fly With Me”
Moonshot.

3. Cécile McLorin Salvant- "Oh Snap"
Kitchen sink.

4. Syd- “Die for This”
Alive.

5. Olivia Dean- “Lady Lady”
Groovy groovy.

6. Jorja Smith- "With You"
Bliss.

7. Che- “Ba$$”
Molly anthem.

8. DJ Snake featuring J Balvin- “Noventa”
Siren song.

9. Pino Palladino and Blake Mills featuring Chris Dave- "Taka"
A-team.

10. Trio of Bloom- "Queen King"
Nels Cline, Craig Taborn and Marcus Gilmore.

The Top Ten Performances of July 2025
1. Woody Guthrie Folk Festival (Okemah)
My notes.

2. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
My Instagram clip.

3. Elvis Costello & The Imposters at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram clip.

4. Crystal Gayle at Ameristar Casino
My review.

5. Nick Hmeljak, Henry Scamurra, Isaiah Petrie, Jordan Faught and Jaylen Ward at Westport Coffee House
My review.

6. Made in France at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.

7. Summerfest at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
My notes.

8. Stan Kessler, Aaron Sizemore, Craig Akin and Taylor Babb at the Music House
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Michael August and Nell Levin at the Woody Guthrie Center (Tulsa)
Instagram snapshot.

10. Matt Hopper, Gerald Spaits and Todd Strait at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram snapshot.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Original image of Butch Hancock by There Stands the Glass.

My ramblin’ jones led me to Oklahoma last week. People who aren’t obsessive about music may find the concept of music tourism in a state sandwiched between Kansas and Texas laughable. Yet Oklahoma made a huge impact on American music in the 20th century. It’s still a hub for a distinctive, commercially viable sound.

Here’s a partial roll call of prominent Oklahomans: Garth Brooks, J.J. Cale, Charlie Christian, the Flaming Lips, the Gap Band, Woody Guthrie, Jay McShann, Jimmy Rushing, Leon Russell and Bob Wills. Today, hordes of homegrown red dirt country bands like Turnpike Troubadours play to big crowds across the country.

I wheeled my road trip around Butch Hancock’s 80th birthday celebration at Woody Fest in Okemah, Oklahoma. I hadn’t previously patronized the folk festival in Woody Guthrie’s hometown. Furthermore, I couldn’t recall attending a Hancock performance, although I surely did in the late ‘80s and/or early ‘90s.

If The Flatlanders were more a legend than a band, Hancock is more a rumor than a man. His music isn’t available on DSPs and he’s certainly not the social media type. Fortunately for me, plenty of Hancock’s music is available in the Museum of Dead People and Outmoded Formats located in my basement.

Even if I was disappointed that the songwriter remained seated as his colleagues performed their favorite Hancock compositions for most of the show, I was glad to have been present at the heartwarming event that concluded with Hancock’s reading of “If You Were a Bluebird.”

I was dismayed to discover the Guthrie homestead is a vacant lot while in Okemah. I also became a Bonnie Whitmore fan, finally “got” Aaron Lee Tasjan and was reduced to a puddle of tears upon hearing My Politic’s “Buzzards on a Powerline” for the first time. I’m still reeling.

Tulsa’s bustling earthiness reminds me of Austin, Texas, circa 1995. I became intimate with the streets in and around the pretty campus of the University of Tulsa and spent quality time at the verdant Gathering Place. The Bob Dylan Center and The Woody Guthrie Center are located on Reconciliation Way at the site of one of the United State’s most horrific atrocities.

The Dylan Center is filled with the sort of crucial relics that are curiously missing at the Guthrie Center. Yet the Okie’s museum is currently hosting the touring Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit. It also featured a strident poetry reading and a separate performance of union songs associated with Joe Hill on the day of my visit. I miss the town already. Take me back to Tulsa.

July 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Take Me Back to Tulsa