Angela Winbush

The Top Fifty Performances of 2022

Original image of Blackstarkids by There Stands the Glass.

I’ve gone out to hear live music 123 times in 2022. I’m not done yet- I plan to hit a couple gigs this evening. Even without attending a single festival, I’ve taken in more than 225 performances this year. And yes, wise guys, I’ve been the oldest person in the room at a third of the shows listed below. You can’t blame a person for trying to make up for lost time. Unless indicated otherwise, the events took place in the Kansas City area.

1. Nduduzo Makhathini at the Blue Room

Review.

2. Joyce DiDonato at the Folly Theater

Review.

3. Little Joe y La Famalia at the Guadalupe Center

Review.

4. Logan Richardson + Blues People at the Ship

Review.

5. Blackstarkids at recordBar

Review.

6. Angela Winbush, Men at Large and Levelle at Juneteenth KC

Review.

7. Godspeed You! Black Emperor at the Roseland Theater (Portland)

Review.

8. Samantha Ege at the Folly Theater

Review.

9. Sparks at the Crystal Ballroom (Portland)

Review.

10. Flatland Cavalry at the Truman

Review.


11. Daniil Trifonov at the Folly Theater

Review.

12. Lucibela at Old Church Concert Hall (Portland)

Review.

13. Show Me the Body, Soul Glo, Wifi Gawd, Ebony Tusks and Piss Kinks at recordBar

Review.

14. FKJ and Ohma at the Midland theater

Review.

15. Livia Nestrovski and Henrique Eisenmann at the 1900 Building

Review.

16. Salvation Choir at Theis Park

Review.

17. Algara, P.S.Y.W.A.R. and New Obsessions at Farewell

Review.

18. Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Isata Kanneh-Mason at the Folly Theater

Instagram photo.

19. Animal Collective and Spirit of the Beehive at the Truman

Review.

20. Adam Larson, Clark Sommers and Dana Hall at Westport Coffee House

Review.

21. Porridge Radio and Blondshell at Doug Fir Lounge (Portland)

Instagram clip.

22. Black Crack Revue at Westport Coffee House

Review.

23. High Pulp at recordBar

Review.

24. Escuela Grind at Farewell

Review.

25. Phillip Greenlief, Midwestern and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at Bushranger Records

Review.

26. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at recordBar

Review.

27. Terence Blanchard with Turtle Island Quartet at Atkins Auditorium

Review.

28. Arnold Young and the RoughTet at the Ship

Instagram clip.

29. Marin Alsop and Orchestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo at Helzberg Hall

Review.

30. John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett at the Uptown Theater

Review.


31. Bob Bowman and Peter Schlamb at Second Presbyterian Church

Review.

32. Mspaint at Nightjar

Instagram clip.

33. Babehoven at Farewell KC

Instagram clip.

34. UMKC’s Conservatory’s “Cosi Fan Tutte” at White Recital Hall

Instagram photo.

35. Live Skull and Still Ill at recordBar

Review.

36. Crystal Gayle at Ameristar Casino

Review.

37. Evan Verploegh and Ben Baker at World Culture

Review.

38. Keefe Jackson, Jakob Heinemann and Adam Shead at Black Dolphin

Instagram photo.

39. Cuong Vu and Ted Poor at Jack London Revue (Portland)

Review.

40. Ozomatli at KC Live

Instagram clip.


41. Gorillaz and EarthGang at the Moda Center (Portland)

Review.

42. Escher String Quartet at Polsky Theatre

Review.

43. Damien Sneed at the Folly Theater

Review.

44. John Waite at Ranch Mart Shopping Center

Instagram clip.

45. William Baker Singers at Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral

Review.

46. Raven Chacon at Agnes Arts

Review.

47. Rod Fleeman at Green Lady Lounge

48. Ducks Ltd. at the Green House

Instagram clip.

49. Billy Cobham at Dolores Winningstad Theatre (Portland)

Review.

50. Roger Waters at the T-Mobile Center

Review.

June 2022 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of Craig Colclough in the trailer of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2022 production of Rigoletto by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums (Released in June)

1. Carolin Widmann- L’Aurore

A new day for old music.

2. Tim Bernardes- Mil Coisas Invisíveis

Brazilian beauty.

3. Elizabeth King- I Got a Love

How I got over.

4. Chris Brown- Breezy

Bad man. Good R&B.

5. Bennie Maupin and Adam Rudolph- Symphonic Tone Poem for Brother Yusef

My review.

6. Matthew Shipp Trio- World Construct

Sturdy foundation.

7. Ensemble Intercontemporain- Reich/Richter

A minimalist marvel.

8. Lisa Moore- Frederic Rzewski: No Place to Go But Around

A loving tribute to the late composer.

9. Drake- Honestly, Nevermind

Gloriously ridiculous.

10. Lívia Nestrovski and Henrique Eisenmann- Nação

My review.


Top Ten Songs (Released in June)

1. Jimetta Rose & The Voices of Creation- "Let the Sunshine In"

Glowing.

2. Twïns- "Something about Alice Coltrane"

Spiritual eternal.

3. Katalyst, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammed- "Juneteenth"

Deep groove.

4. Sudan Archives and Neneh Cherry- "Heart"

Analog remix.

5. Jungle- "Good Times"

Aptly titled.

6. DJ Snake- "Disco Maghreb"

The sound of young Hamtramck.

7. Cazzu- "Nena Trampa"

Cheat sheet.

8. Beyoncé- "Break My Soul"

“Release your wiggle!”

9. Pharrell Williams, 21 Savage and Tyler, The Creator- "Cash In Cash Out"

Paid in full.

10. SleazyWorld Go featuring Offset- "Step 1"

Kansas City star.


Top Ten Performances of June

1. Nduduzo Makhathini at the Blue Room

My review.

2. Angela Winbush at the Juneteenth KC festival

My review.

3. Bill Summers and Forward Back at Dunbar Park

My review.

4. John Waite at Ranch Mart Shopping Center

My Instagram clip.

5. Blind Mississippi Morris at the Gladstone Summertime Bluesfest

My Instagram clip.

6. Tre Mutava at Overland Park’s Clock Tower Plaza

My Instagram clip.

7. The Kansas City Symphony’s Mobile Music Box at Meadowbrook Park

My Instagram clip.

8. Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats at Theis Park

My Instagram clip.

9. Brian Scarborough Quintet at Sar-Ko-Par Park

My Instagram clip.

10. Mark Farina at Westwood Park

My Instagram clip.


Last month’s survey is here.

Concert Review: Angela Winbush at Juneteenth KC

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

My 40-year appreciation of Angela Winbush came full circle at the Juneteenth KC festival on Saturday, June 18. Hits including "I'll Be Good" and "Angel" were among my favorite songs of the ‘80s. I was reminded of my abiding affection for the R&B of that era when the sound was regularly repurposed by rap artists two decades later. While I had reservations about going to the Jazz District on Saturday- would it be appropriate for me to join thousands of people at the free celebration?- my endorsement of the federal holiday and my love of the music won out. I’m so glad. Winbush’s outing was the first oldies concert I’ve attended at which I didn’t feel the slightest bit of ironic detachment. The 67-year-old cancer survivor executed low squats and high kicks. And she still sings circles around musical heirs like Mariah Carey. Nostalgia was a secondary factor in the joy I felt on Saturday.