Nonesuch Records didn’t do Ambrose Akinmusire any favors by releasing Owl Song on December 15. I didn’t hear the trumpeter’s collaboration with guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley until last week. Serene but never insipid, Owl Song is the finest form of chamber jazz. Akinmusire’s exquisite Beauty Is Enough is #43 on my Top Albums of 2023 list. Given time to fully absorb the recording, Owl Song would likely have placed between #5 and #15 in my rankings.
June 2023 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency
Screenshot of the trailer of Deutsche Oper Berlin’s production of Turandot by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums of June
1. Aja Monet- When the Poems Do What They Do
2. Young Thug- Business is Business
Money.
3. Jonny Greenwood and Dudu Tassa- Jarak Qaribak
Old country.
4. Orrin Evans- The Red Door
Unlocked.
5. Tanya Tucker- Sweet Western Sound
Blood red and goin’ down.
6. Deer Tick- Emotional Contracts
Exile on Mean Street.
7. Ambrose Akinmusire- Beauty is Enough
Perhaps.
8. Pat Metheny- Dream Box
9. Meshell Ndegeocello- The Omnichord Real Book
Post-genre.
10. Killer Mike- Michael
Deadly.
Top Ten Songs of June
1. Joshua Ray Walker- "Cuz I Love You"
What a time to be alive.
2. Big Freedia- "Gin In My System"
Bounce.
3. Don Omar- "Carcelero"
Jailhouse rock.
4. Rufus Wainwright and Chaka Khan- “Cotton Eyed Joe”
Where did you come from?
5. Kelly Clarkson- “rock hudson”
Pillow talk.
6. Militarie Gun- “My Friends Are Having a Hard Time”
Time tough.
7. Joanna Sternberg- "I Will Be with You"
Hi, how are you?
8. Bettye LaVette featuring Anthony Hamilton, Ray Parker Jr. and Rev. Charles Hodges- “Sooner or Later”
The time is now.
9. Peso Pluma- "BZRP #55"
Wise guy.
10. Lil Uzi Vert- "Rehab"
No no no.
Top Ten Performances of June
1. Boulevardia, day one (Cimafunk, Steddy P, the Beths)
2. Nickel Creek and Gaby Moreno at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
3. Devin Gray, Maria Elena Silva and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at Firehouse Gallery #8
4. Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
5. Donald Harrison’s “The Jazz of Physics: Quantum Improvisation” at the Folly Theater
6. Boulevardia day two (Big Freedia, the Salvation Choir, Peter Schlamb)
7. Chalis O’Neal at the Blue Room
8. Danielle Nicole Band at Town Center Plaza
9. Frederick Hodges’ “Music Will Win the War” at the National WWI Museum and Memorial
10. Sarah Tannehill Anderson and Elizabeth Suh Lane at Loose Park
The previous monthly survey is here.