November 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for English National Opera’s production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of November 2025
1. Rosalía- Lux
A beautiful dark twisted fantasy.

2. SML- How You Been
Real good.

3. Camila Nebbia, Marilyn Crispell and Lesley Mok- A Reflection Distorts Over Water
Ripples.

4. Thomas Morgan- Around You Is a Forest
Duets with Ambrose Akinmusire, Bill Frisell, Henry Threadgill and more.

5. Young Miko- Do Not Disturb
Ring the alarm.

6. Juana Molina- DOGA
Buen perro.

7. Víkingur Ólafsson- Opus 109
Bach, Beethoven and Schubert.

8. Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones- New Monuments: Live in Vilnius
Volcanic eruption in Lithuania.

9. De La Soul- Cabin in the Sky
Just shy of heaven.

10. John Scofield and Dave Holland- Memories of Home
A bit too domesticated.

The Top Reimaginings and Reissues of November 2025
1. Rufus Wainwright and the Pacific Jazz Orchestra- I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Wainwright Does Weill
An excellent concept executed to perfection.

2. Willie Nelson- Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle
Silver wings.

3. Chet Baker- Swimming by Moonlight: New Music from the Documentary ‘Let’s Get Lost’
Crossed off everybody’s list.

The Top Ten Songs of November 2025
1. Charlie xcx featuring John Cale- "House"
A sensational shock.

2. Danny Brown featuring Quadeca- “Book of Daniel”
Old Testament.

3. Navy Blue featuring Earl Sweatshirt- "24 Gospel"
New Testament.

4. Boldy James, Nicholas Craven, 50 Gwuap, Taj and Dave Hill- "Trifecta"
Jackpot.

5. Maria Becerra, El Alfa and Xross- “Hace Calor”
Fiery.

6. RNB.FOEMOB featuring That Mexican OT- “Let Go of My Cup”
Lean.

7. By.Alexander featuring Hawa, Ghostface Killah and Rapsody- “The Decoupling of the Nuclear Family”
Tomorrow’s sounds today.

8. Sharp Pins- “Popafangout”
A trip to Itchycoo Park.

9. Colter Wall- "Memories and Empties"
Set ‘em up, Joe.

10. Julian Lage- "Opal"
Bejeweled.

The Top Ten Performances of November 2025
1. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
My review.

2. OHMA at the 1905 (Portland)
My review.

3.  Hayden Pedigo and Jens Kuross at the Ship
My review.

4. David Chael, Danny Embrey, Gerald Spaits and Brian Steever at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

5. Claire Rousay and Gretchen Korsmo at Holocene (Portland)
My review.

6. Cory Weeds, Chris Hazelton, David Rourke and Rudy Petschauer at Westport Coffee House
My review.

7. Adam Galblum and Matt Villinger at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

8. Lena Khalaf Tuffaha at Arrupe Auditorium
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Matt Otto, Aaron Sizemore, DeAndre Manning and Mike Warren at the Music House
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Luke Tartar at Portland International Airport
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Concert Review: Samara Joy at the Folly Theater

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

A pastor implored me to write about the glorious experience when he spotted me at the conclusion of Samara Joy’s concert at the Folly Theater on Saturday, November 22. Funny he should ask.

“Come Sunday,” the first selection of Joy’s performance, begins with the plea “God above, please look down and see my people through.” I might have fallen to my knees in a posture of grateful prayer had my seat in the upper balcony allowed room for the gesture. 

Hearing Duke Ellington’s powerful hymn rendered by Joy’s magnificent instrument was a manifestly religious experience. Even the most contemptuous disbeliever amid the giddy audience of 1,000 must have sensed a divine presence.

I paid $30 for my uncomfortable perch. The face value of good tickets was $156, considerably more than the $60 I spent on a front row seat for Joy’s Kansas City debut in 2023. As one of the best vocalists alive, Joy deserves her success.

Joy’s band occasionally impedes on her God-given talent. Like a condensed version of Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the septet can be fusty. An extended Albert Ayler-esque duet featuring tenor saxophonist Kendric MacAllister and drummer Evan Sherman was a welcome exception.

The elevated exhibition of spiritual jazz further confirmed the concert’s sacrosanct tone. Even Joy’s approach to secular standards like “Lush Life” and “‘Round Midnight” were imbued with devotional intent that blessed listeners with heavenly grace.

Concert Review: Hayden Pedigo at The Ship

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I told the young Hayden Pedigo enthusiast seated next to me at the Ship that I suspected the guitarist from Amarillo was no more or less than the Leo Kottke of his generation. While I’m fond of Kottke, my comment was meant to be contentious.

Pedigo is one of the most fashionable musicians of 2025. His first headlining performance in Kansas City attracted about 200 hipsters on Wednesday, November 19. I paid $25 for a general admission ticket at the venue Pedigo said “reminds me of Season 1 of Spongebob.”

Kottke, an octogenarian acoustic guitar master who released his first album in 1969, is yesterday’s news. Pedigo currently dominates that space in the music press and social media. Sure enough, my new friend hadn’t heard of Kottke.

Pedigo’s 65-minute performance was a music nerd’s dream. He mentioned Blag Flag, John Fahey, Genesis, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell and Yes in a mid-show question-and-answer session or while introducing his songs.

I was charmed. Furthermore, my disputatious assertion was validated. Incredibly, Kottke still performs in mid-size theaters around the world. Pedigo would almost certainly be thrilled at the prospect of entertaining 500 fans in Kansas City fifty years from now.

Setlist: Smoked, Long Pond Lily, Elsewhere/Theme from Brokeback Mountain, Q-and-A session, Rained Like Hell, The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored, I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away

The Top Kansas City Albums and EPs of 2025

The Top Kansas City Albums of 2025

1. Mister Water Wet- Things Gone and Things Here Still
Astounding.

2. Carl Allen- Tippin’
Plastic Sax review.

3. Brittany Davis- Black Thunder
Plastic Sax review.

4. Emily D’Angelo, Ben Bliss, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Metropolitan Opera- Tesori: Grounded
Ben Bliss’ breakout performance.

5. Joyce DiDonato and Il Pomo d’Oro- Purcell: Dido & Aeneas
Rapturous.

6. Hermon Mehari and Tony Tixier- Soul Song
Plastic Sax review.

7. Pete Fucinaro- Little Window
Plastic Sax review.

8. Snocaps- Snocaps
Jangly.

9. Idle Heirs- Life is Violence and Life is Violence: The Instrumentals
Metallic crunch.

10. Tech N9ne- 5816 Forest
There Stands the Glass review.

11. Sandbox Percussion- Cerrone: Don’t Look Down
The only way is up.

12. Seth Andrew Davis and Krista Kopper- Popular Mechanics
Plastic Sax review.

13. Stik Figa- A Small Fortune
Buried treasure.

14. Henry Scamurra- Urban Forum
Plastic Sax review.

15. Kansas City Chorale- The Mirage Calls
Stellar suite.

16. Drew Williams- Demons Hate Fresh Air
Dank.

17. Samantha Fish- Paper Doll
Tougher than leather.

18. RMW- The King of Kansas City
There Stands the Glass review.

19. TheBabeGabe- Honeypop and Honeypop: Reloaded 
Delicious.

20. Jackie Myers- What About the Butterfly
In full flight.

21. Gerald Spaits- Sunday Night Live at Green Lady Lounge
Plastic Sax review.

22. Shiner- Beliveyoume
Truth.

23. Eddie Moore- What Makes Us
Plastic Sax review.

24. Shawn Edward Hansen- Radio Price Tower
Bartlesville ambience.

25. The Freedom Affair- The Freedom Affair
Elite retro-soul.

26. Ty Faizon- Until the War Is Won…
Rap battles.

27. Jake Wesley Rogers- In the Key of Love
In tune.

28. Brian Baggett Trio- Nothing Left to Lose; Live at Green Lady Lounge, Volume 2
Plastic Sax review.

29. Nathan Granner and the Barbary Coast Orchestra - Gordon Getty: Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Nathan Granner shines.

30. Drifter- Grigori
Doom.

The Top Kansas City EPs of 2025

1. Prism Quartet- El Eco de un Tambor
Plastic Sax review.

2. Stakes Is High- Stakes Is High
Frenetic.

3. Matt Pryor- The Salton Sea and The Salton Sea Demos
Middle-aged emo.

4. Flooding- object 1
Slowcore.

5. Lorna Kay- Lorna Kay
Burn another honky tonk down.

6. Rich the Factor- NFT Scritch 3
KC currency.

7. Greg LaFollette- Liturgical Songs, Volume One
Holy, holy, holy.

8. Flora From Kansas- Homesick
There’s no place like home.

9. The Almighty Trouble Brothers- A History of Poor Decisions
Up to no good.

10. Radkey- Victory
For the win.

Explanatory note: Each artist was limited to one release to prevent multiple recordings by the prolific Seth Davis, Greg LaFollette, Hermon Mehari, Rich Tha Factor, RMW, Stik Figa and Drew Williams from dominating the rankings. Last year’s tabulation is here.

Album Review: Wings’ Wings and Hüsker Dü’s 1985: The Miracle Year

Paul McCartney and Wings’ Band on the Run and Venus and Mars were among my favorite albums when I was a child. Lamentably, I hadn’t matured much when I became obsessed with Hüsker Dü’s Zen Arcade and New Day Rising a decade later.

I was displeased upon discovering Wings’ self-titled compilation and Hüsker Dü’s 1985: The Miracle Year were released on November 7. As much as I loathe revisiting my formative years, I felt obligated to evaluate the collections.

By all accounts, McCartney’s current American tour is triumphant. I’m pleased that hundreds of thousands of fans are having rapturous experiences. Listening to Wings, however, just made me sad. Rockers including “Junior’s Farm” now seem tame. Nonsense like “With a Little Luck” sounds worse than ever.

I’m less embarrassed by Hüsker Dü’s live set. Raw and ferocious, the forty-year-old recordings mirror my disheveled mindset at the time. The individual songs hold less appeal than Bob Mould’s frenetic howls and ragged guitar bashing. After investing four exhausting hours on the two releases, I needed a nap.

Concert Review: claire rousay and Gretchen Korsmo at Holocene

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I wondered how even the most enthusiastic fans of ambient music would manage to remain standing for two or three hours at a concert by claire rousay and Gretchen Korsmo at Holocene on Thursday, November 6. Light attendance and exceedingly brief performances made my concerns a mute point.

Folding chairs surrounding the dimly-lit makeshift stage accommodated the approximately 60 people who paid a $25 cover. Korso played 20 minutes. rousay played 45 minutes. The brevity of the sets made the evening seem like a glorified meet-and-greet. Dozens of devotees lined up to interact with rousay after the show.

The little music that was heard was excellent. In addition to fiddling with laptops and pushing buttons, both artists applied live instrumentation to pre-recorded sounds.

I was pleased when Rousay launched into the self-diss track "somehow" from her excellent new album a little death. Yet an explanation of the mysterious track wasn’t offered. I regret not joining the post-show queue to demand rousay dissect the song for me.

Concert Review: Militarie Gun, Liquid Mike and Public Opinion at the Bottleneck

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Where was everyone? Only about 150 people attended Militarie Gun’s performance at the Bottleneck on Wednesday, October 30. I haven’t been able to stop wondering why one of the best American rock bands to emerge in the last five years isn’t more popular.

Militarie Gun’s sold-out show at recordBar last year was my favorite performance of 2024. Bolstered by an underground hit, Militarie Gun seemed like the next big thing. I initially felt lucky to buy a $25 ticket in advance of the band’s first appearance in Lawrence, Kansas. Shows what I know.

What went wrong? The crossover moves on the new album God Save the Gun may have repelled day-one fans while failing to attract new listeners. It’s also possible the band’s primary themes of addiction, anxiety and isolation are too dark for most people. Furthermore, true punks may refuse to pay a $25 cover.

The most probable interpretation is that there’s simply a miniscule audience for non-nostalgic, punk-rooted rock in 2025. Less than half-capacity at a small club on a Wednesday night in a Midwestern college town is the apparent ceiling for what may be the world’s best rock band.

The discovery has to be incredibly disheartening to the members of Militarie Gun and absolutely devastating to its hand-picked opening acts Liquid Mike and Public Opinion. Divine intervention may be necessary to right this wrong. God save the gun.

October 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Vincenzo Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of October 2025*
1. Clarice Jensen- In holiday clothing, out of the great darkness
Bach-based drones.

2. Patricia Brennan- Of the Near and Far
Infinite.

3. Laura Jurd- Rites & Revelations
New rituals.

4. Charles Lloyd- Figure in Blue
Rapturous sketches.

5. Jakob Bro, Wadada Leo Smith and Marcus Gilmore- Murasaki
Wadada #1.

6. Sylvie Courvoisier and Wadada Leo Smith- Angel Falls
Wadada #2.

7. Militarie Gun- God Save the Gun
Firepower.

8. Yazmin Lacey- Teal Dreams
Think Jill Scott, not KC Current.

9. Meredith Monk- Cellular Songs
Primordial.

10. The Necks- Disquiet
Unsettling.

*October 31 releases excluded.

The Top Three Reissues, Reimaginings and Compilations of October 2025
1. Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska ‘82: Expanded Edition
Reasons to believe.

2. Peggy Lee- Mirrors: Expanded Edition
Existentialism courtesy of Leiber and Stoller.

3. JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown- Scaring the Hoes: Director's Cut
Refreshed version of the disruptive 2023 classic.

The Top Ten Songs of October 2025
1. Nathy Peluso featuring Rawayana- “Malportada”
Bad behavior.

2. Gabito Ballesteros and Fuerza Regida- “Chrome Hearts”
Shiny.

3. Amadou & Mariam- “Bienvenue à la maison”
A fond farewell.

4. SML- “Chicago Four”
Big shoulders.

5. Say She She- “Shop Boy”
C’est chic.

6. Robert Glasper featuring Norah Jones- “Prototype”
Two of a kind.

7. СОЮЗ featuring Tim Bernardes- “Lingua Do Mundo”
Belarus meets Brazil.

8. Silvana Estrada- “El Alma Mia”
Ooh! My soul.

9. Mobb Deep featuring Clipse- “Look at Me”
Seen.

10. Dave- “My 27th Birthday”
The party’s over.

The Top Ten Performances of October 2025
1. Brad Mehldau and Christian McBride at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

2. Terence Blanchard at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

3. Angela Hewitt at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

4. Militarie Gun, Liquid Mike and Public Opinion at the Bottleneck
My Instagram clip.

5. Destroyer and Jennifer Castle at Warehouse on Broadway
My review.

6. Matt Villinger, Peter Schlamb, Sebastian Arias and Matt Robertson at the Blue Room
My Instagram clip.

7. Pete Escovedo at the Folly Theater
My notes.

8. Michael Shults, Dan Velicer, Dawson Coleman and Andrew Ouellette at Polsky Theatre
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Angela Hewitt’s masterclass at White Recital Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Susan and William Goldenberg at Asbury United Methodist Church
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Jack DeJohnette, 1942-2025

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Falling inextricably down the jazz rabbit hole is often caused by the realization that an individual musician often appears on dozens, if not hundreds, of sessions. Jack DeJohnette was one such artist for me. DeJohnette died yesterday.

As impressionable kids in the early 1970s, my friend Rob and I were sold on the era’s simultaneous prog-rock and jazz-fusion booms. Bright Size Life, the 1976 debut album of hometown hero Pat Metheny, further blurred the boundary between the forms.

Taking the small step from Kansas’ Song for America and King Crimson’s  Lark’s Tongues in Aspic to investigating records like DeJohnette’s gonzo 1974 release Sorcery and his delectably "fantastic" 1976 album Untitled opened the floodgates. By the time Metheny featured DeJohnette on the live recording 80/81, I was already all-in.

After tracing the drummer’s discography backwards hipped me to releases by giants including Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter. I relished a string of DeJohnette’s strong solo albums as new releases in the early 1980s. (In memory of Rob and Jack, I’m revisiting the 1979 collaboration of DeJohnette with Miroslav Vitous and Terje Rypdal today.)

Just as significantly for me, DeJohnette flaunted jazz convention. His frequent forays into new music, rock, folk, and classical forms- often as a keyboardist- allowed me to understand that the majority of jazz’s prominent gatekeepers are hidebound ninnies.

Buying a ticket to see DeJohnette’s touring band in 1983 made me giddy. I was shocked to discover that my hero looked and acted like a normal guy. DeJohnette may not have walked on water, but he was a superhero to me.

Album Review: RMW- The King of Kansas City

I neglected to sync my phone to my car’s bluetooth before running an errand last week. My misfortune became a godsend when I heard a terrestrial oldies radio station air Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen.” I hadn’t thought about the 2014 hit in years.

RMW, aka Ryan Woltkamp, almost certainly hasn’t forgotten “Trap Queen.” The artist who rose to underground fame with Midwestern lifts many of his best ideas from discarded components of hip-hop culture. He and his production partner alternately repurpose R&B dusties and invoke the unhinged no wave punk sensibility of bands like Black Eyes. The resulting sounds on The King of Kansas City are distressed and caustic.

The hazy sound field is in the tradition of the Kansas City legend Rich That Factor. The title of The King of Kansas City is a cheeky reference to Tech N9ne. RMW doesn’t seem to harbor commercial aspirations. Even so, he’s just an accidental “Hey, what’s up, hello!”-style hook from a left-field hit in the tradition of those locally based heroes.