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September 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of a preview of San Francisco Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of September (as of 9/23)

1. Sarah Davachi- The Head as Form’d in the Crier’s Choir
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth.

2. Nala Sinephro- Endlessness
Limitless.

3. Masayoshi Fujita- Migratory
Flight paths.

4. Colin Stetson- The Love It Took to Leave You
My review.

5. Blackstarkids- Saturn Dayz
Interplanetary pop.

6. Caroline Davis- Portals, Volume 2: Returning
Passages.

7. Future- Mixtape Pluto
Slime.

8. Alice Zawadzki- Za Górami
Euro folk a la ECM.

9. Jason Stein- Anchors
With Joshua Abrams and Gerald Cleaver.

10. Max Richter- In a Landscape
Stunning vistas.


Top Ten Songs of September (as of 9/23)

1. Midland- “Barely Blue”
Honky tonk masquerade.

2. Dwight Yoakam and Post Malone- “I Don’t Know How to Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)”
Heartaches by the number.

3. Bad Bunny- “Una Velita”
Burning.

4. A$AP Rocky and J. Cole- “Ruby Rosary”
Unholy.

5. SleazyWorld Go- “Olé Olé”
Made it.

6. Dom Salvador with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad- "Os Ancestrais"
Brazilian bounceback.

6. Amaria- “Finer Things”
Luxurious.

8. Jerry Douglas and Aoife O’Donovan- “What Might Have Been”
Possibilities.

9. Regional Justice Center- "Moral Death Sentence"
Here comes the judge.

10. Foxing- “Kentucky McDonald’s”
Art is hard.


Top Ten Performances of September (as of 9/23)

1. Khatia Buniatishvili at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

2. Dwight Frizzell’s “Bridge” at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram clip.

3. Reverie Road at Washington Square Park (Kansas City Irish Fest)
My Instagram clip.

4. Negativland at recordBar (Outer Reaches Festival)
My Instagram clip.

5. The Kansas City Symphony conducted by Matthias Pintscher with cellist Alisa Weilerstein at Helzberg Hall
My review.

6. Damon Smith, Jeff Harshbarger, Krista Kopper and Aaron Osborne at Westport Coffee House
My Instagram snapshot.

7. Jackie Myers, Rich Wheeler and Jeff Harshbarger at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Abraham Olivo at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

9. The Mighty Mo Jazz Orchestra at Second Presbyterian Church
My Instagram clip.

10. The Sons of Brasil at Harmon Park (Prairie Village Jazz Festival)
My Instagram clip.


The previous monthly recap is here.

August 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Wiener Staatsoper’s production of Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of August

1. Ryuichi Sakamoto- Opus
Staring down death.

2. JPEGMAFIA- I Lay Down My Life for You
Sonic sacrifice.

3. Jack White- No Name
He’s back in Wichita.

4. Lux Quartet- Tomorrow Land
Future now.

5. Joana Mallwitz- The Kurt Weill Album
Revelations.

6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Wild God
Zeus.

7. Grigory Sokolov- Purcell and Mozart
Elite recitals.

8. Shelby Lynne- Consequences of the Crown
My review.

9. ​​Thee Marloes- Perak
Little bit o’ soul.

10. Nikka Costa- Dirty Disco
Party like it’s 1999.


Top Ten Songs of August

1. Meshell Ndegeocello- "Travel"
Pack your bags.

2. Yolanda Adams- "Church Doors"
Wide open.

3. A$AP Rocky featuring Jessica Pratt- “Highjack”
I miss the old Kanye.

4. Tank and The Bangas featuring Samara Joy and Robert Glasper- “Remember”
Ribbon in the sky.

5. Jhéne Aiko- “guidance”
That little light of hers.

6. Melt-Banana- “Seeds”
Planted.

7. Gel- "Shame"
Hardcore.

8. Willie Nelson- "Last Leaf"
Holding on.

9. Lainey Wilson- "Keep Up With Jones"
The race is on.

10. Post Malone and Luke Combs- “Missin’ You Like This”
Long gone.


Top Ten Performances of August

1. Nick Shoulders and Chris Acker at Knuckleheads
My Instagram video.

2. Childish Gambino and Willow at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

3. Mike Baggetta with Peter DiStefano at the Ship
My review.

4. Aaron Sizemore, Forest Stewart and Mike Warren at the Music House
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Brian Baggett Trio at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram video.

6. Síomha at the Kansas City Irish Festival
My Instagram video.

7. Smith and Jessen at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram video.

8. Treanne at 90.9 The Bridge
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Clay Kirkland at Theis Park
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Dan Thomas, Harold O’Neal, Forest Stewart and Zach Morrow at the Blue Room
My Instagram video.


The previous monthly recap is here.

February 2022 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of Abbey Lincoln in the trailer of Nothing But a Man by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums (Released in February)

1. Joyce DiDonato- Eden

Serpent repellent.

2. The Kahil El'Zabar Quartet- A Time for Healing

My review.

3. Binker and Moses- Feeding the Machine

England swings.

4. Sofía Reyes- Mal de Amores

A Mexican mélange of Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande.

5. Big K.R.I.T.- Digital Roses Don't Die

The graying of the Dirty South.

6. Del McCoury- Almost Proud

My related essay.

7. Gidon Kremer- Weinberg: Sonatas for Violin Solo

Eastern European angst.

8. The Adam Larson Trio- With Love, From Chicago

My album and concert reviews.

9. Rokia Koné- Bamanan

Metropolitan Malian music.

10. Bad Boy Chiller Crew- Disrespectful

Cretin hop.


Top Ten Songs (Released in February)

1. Jana Rush featuring DJ Paypal- ​​“Lonely”

Ornette Coleman gets the Chicago footwork treatment.

2. Claire Rousay and More Eaze- “floor Pt. 2”

Android dreams of electric sheep.

3. Rosalía- “Saoko”

Transformation.

4. Cécile McLorin Salvant- "Until"

Time stands still.

5. Pusha T- “Diet Coke”

“That’s a joke, right?”

6. $not and A$AP Rocky- “Doja”

Wildcatting.

7. Maren Morris- “Background Music”

Nashville existentialism.

8. Robert Glasper featuring Yebba- "Over"

My favorite Black Radio III track.

9. Willie Nelson- “I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die”

Backatcha, Willie.

10. Lívia Nestrovski and Henrique Eisenmann- "Sete Estrelas"

My concert review.


Top Ten Movies, Television Broadcasts and Streaming Programming (viewed for the first time in February, in lieu of a full resumption of live music)

1. Jeen-yuhs (2022)

My notes.

2. Donda Experience Performance (2022)

“Do I look happy to you?”

3. Nothing but a Man (1964)

Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln star in an excruciating study.

4. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

Hypnotic.

5. Cathie Wood interview on CNBC

A robust defense of poor performance.

6. Houston at Wichita State

Bruising double-overtime men’s basketball thriller.

7. Puccini's Madama Butterfly

Timeless heartbreak at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia.

8. Rosita (1923)

Mary Pickford as a Spanish street singer.

10. Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show (2022)

Forgot about Dre.


Last month’s survey is here.