An unassuming recital on the patio of a church acted as a gratifying consolation prize on Wednesday, August 24. I wasn’t provided a pass to area appearances by Alicia Keys and $uicideboy$ that night. My budget didn’t allow me to spring for a ticket to either amphitheater concert.

I would have relished being in the presence of one of the most likable pop stars of the new millennium at Keys’ appearance. And being surrounded by $uicideboy$ fans would have helped keep tabs on recent developments in pop culture.

Yet nothing at either show would have been as sublime as the flash-free duo of bassist Bob Bowman and vibraphonist Peter Schlamb at Second Presbyterian Church. Having dedicated thousands of words to both Kansas City musicians at Plastic Sax during the past 15 years, I concur with the praise they heaped upon one another.

Schlamb asserted Bowman is “truly a legend.” Bowman called Schlamb “one of the greatest musicians on the planet.” Their 50-minute set attended by about 30 people corroborated the assessments. The elite improvisations rewarded aspects of my soul that the music of Keys and $uicideboy$ could never reach.

William Brownlee

August 24, 2021

August 2021 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

William Brownlee

August 24, 2021

(Screenshot of Bye Bye Braverman by There Stands the Glass.)

Top Ten Albums (released in August, not including August 27 titles)

1. Jana Rush- Painful Enlightenment

The art of noise.

2. Abstract Mindstate- Dreams Still Inspire

My review.

3. Pink Siifu- Gumbo'!

Hey ya!

4. Shannon and the Clams- Year of the Spider

My review.

5. Tinashe- 333

Lucky numbers.

6. Max Richter- Exiles

Luminous.

7. Isaiah Rashad- The House Is Burning

Fire!

8. Bleachers- Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night

My review.

9. Boldy James and The Alchemist- Bo Jackson

Another hit.

10. Angelika Niescier and Alexander Hawkins- Soul in Plain Sight

European birds of a feather.

Top Ten Songs (Released in August)

1. Injury Reserve- "Knees"

“A tough pill to swallow.”

2. Jungle- "No Rules"

Anarchy on the dance floor.

3. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss- "Can't Let Go"

Ooby dooby.

4. Connie Smith- "I'm Not Over You"

Going under.

5. Rachika Nayar- "Memory as Miniatures"

What if Pat Metheny signed to Windham Hill instead of ECM?

6. Benny the Butcher- "The Iron Curtain"

Imposing.

7. Irreversible Entanglements- "Open the Gates"

“It’s energy time.”

8. Blackstarkids- “Juno”

Summertime blues.

9. Christina Bell featuring Fred Hammond- "Still Faithful"

Conviction.

10. $uicideboy$- “If Self-Destruction Was an Olympic Event, I’d Be Tanya Harding”

Going for gold.

Top Ten Films (viewed for the first time in August)

1. あん/Sweet Bean (2015)

Deliciously transcendent.

2. Moonlight (2016)

Hello stranger.

3. Blue Jasmine (2013)

Family feud.

4. The Wild Bunch (1969)

Desperados waiting for a train.

5. Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot/Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953)

French slapstick.

6. Bye Bye Braverman (1968)

Funeral for a friend.

7. La Collectionneuse/The Collector (1967)

Attractive people do ugly things in beautiful places.

8. CODA (2021)

High school musical.

9. The Falcon in San Francisco (1945)

Conventional potboiler.

10. The Tomorrow War (2021)

Goofy sci-fi romp.

Live Music

I swore off electing to place myself amid crowds in Kansas City after a disheartening experience at the airport as August began. The abhorrent behavior of halfwits and lunatics temporarily eradicated any possibility of enjoying myself at musical performances.

July’s recap and links to previous monthly surveys are here.