October 2021 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of The Fugitive Kind by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums (released in October)

1. Fire-Toolz- Eternal Home

A noise supreme.

2. Lana Del Rey- Blue Banisters

Now That’s What I Call Adult Contemporary!

3. Craig Taborn- Shadow Plays

Standing on the shoulders of Keith Jarrett.

4. Daniil Trifonov- Bach: The Art of Life

Living large.

5. Maxo Kream- Weight of the World

“Record deal off a pill!”

6. Charlotte Greve- Sediments We Move

My review.

7. Artifacts Trio- ...And Then There's This

Chicago’s finest.

8. Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson- Searching for the Disappeared Hour

The pianist and guitarist clear the room.

9. Jpegmafia- LP!

A firehose of mutinous ideas.

10. Steddy P- SOS: Toxic

KC’s rapper’s convincing comeback.

Top Ten Songs (released in October)

1. Céu- “Chega Mais”

Come closer.

2. Tainy, Bad Bunny and Julieta Venegas- "Lo Siento"

Dream collaboration.

3. Orquesta Akokán- “Guajira Del Mar”

Havana.

4. Badbadnotgood- "City of Mirrors"

Deep reflections.

5. Adele- "Easy On Me"

Drowning.

6. Harriet Krijgh and Magda Amara- “Les chemins de l'amour”

The paths of love.

7. Emily D’Angelo- "A Thousand Tongues"

“Nine and ninety-nine lie.”

8. Angel Du$t with Tim Armstrong- "Dancing on the Radio"

“Like there’s no tomorrow.”

9. Conway the Machine- "Piano Love"

Tuned.

10. Remi Wolf- "wyd"

Preposterous pop.

Top Ten Concerts of October

1. Pat Metheny, James Francies and Joe Dyson- Orchestra Hall (Detroit)

My review.

2. St. Vincent- Grinders KC

My review.

3. Erykah Badu- Midland theater

My review.

4. Marc Anthony- T-Mobile Arena

My review.

5. Asleep at the Wheel- Muriel Kauffman Theatre

My review.

6. Joshua Bell and Alessio Bax- Helzberg Hall

My review.

7. Rod Fleeman- Green Lady Lounge

The guitarist’s weekly matinee is among my favorite things in Kansas City.

8. Flooding- Vinyl Underground

My review.

9. Jeff Kaiser, Kevin Cheli and Seth Davis- Charlotte Street Foundation

My review.

10. Everyday Strangers- Gem Theater

My Instagram clip.

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

1. The Fugitive Kind (1960)

My new favorite movie.

2. Höstsonaten/Autumn Sonata (1978)

Excruciating generational trauma.

3. The Emperor Jones (1933)

Paul Robeson in an adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s play.

4. Where East is East (1929)

Lon Chaney, Estelle Taylor and Lupe Vélez don't need sound.

5. Mamma Roma (1962)

The continuation of the decline and fall.

6. Flesh and the Devil (1927)

Greta Garbo as femme fatale.

7. Hollywood Barn Dance (1947)

Walkin’ the floor with Ernest Tubb.

8. SAS: Red Notice (2021)

Precisely what I want from a big, dumb action flick.

9. The Seventh Victim (1943)

Kim Hunter confronts a satanic cult in Greenwich Village.

10. The 100-Foot Journey (2004)

Amuse-bouche.

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

Concert Review: Asleep at the Wheel at Muriel Kauffman Theatre

An elated man hailed me on Broadway Boulevard following Asleep at the Wheel’s sensational performance at Muriel Kauffman Theatre on Saturday, October 30.  “What a concert!” he exclaimed. “Country music!”  While I shared his enthusiasm, I questioned the categorization.

Asleep at the Wheel is a country band like the Alamo is a stone building.  The inadequate characterization doesn’t recognize the band’s historical importance, cultural significance or stylistic breadth.

Formed in West Virginia in 1970 and relocated to Texas in 1974, the band is belatedly marking its fiftieth anniversary with a two-leg reunion tour in support of the star-studded Half a Hundred Years album.  Asleep at the Wheel alumni Floyd Domino, Chris O’Connell and LeRoy Preston joined the current eight-piece group at the shockingly vital two-hour Kansas City show.

Although the audience of about 1,000 heard a generous batch of songs associated with Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Asleep at the Wheel is far more than a tribute band dedicated to Western swing.  

The setlist included selections by the Kansas City icon Count Basie, the proto-rocker Louis Jordan, the Texas troubadour Guy Clark and the R&B artist Toussaint McCall.  Renderings of Preston compositions including the 1975 novelty hit “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read,” the wry “Dead Man” and the rip-roaring “My Baby Thinks She’s a Train” were also highlights.

Dual fiddlers and the impeccably impressionistic steel guitar of Cindy Cashdollar were anchored by a hard-swinging rhythm section bound to mainstream jazz.  Floyd Domino channeled Kansas City pianist Pete Johnson while bandleader Ray Benson played Chuck Berry-esque guitar.  

The stylistic range made the reconvened ensemble seem absolutely essential.  In fact, Asleep at the Wheel possesses almost all the attributes aficionados of the Grateful Dead erroneously claim for their favorite group.  Persuasive interpretations of vintage songs and original material made a convincing case for Asleep at the Wheel as the quintessential American roots band.

Original images by There Stands the Glass.