July 2023 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Bayerische Staatsorchester’s production of George Frideric Handel’s Semele by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of July (as of July 25)

1. Anohni and the Johnsons- My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross

Sacral.

2. Zoh Amba, Chris Corsano and Bill Orcutt- The Flower School

Superlative skronk.

3. Hilary Hahn- Eugène Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for Solo Violin

Sublime scraping.

4. African Head Charge- A Trip to Bolgatanga

Positive vibration.

5. Immy Owusu- LO-LIFE!

Goofball Afrobeat.

6. Mahalia- IRL

Back to life, back to reality.

7. Shapednoise- Absurd Matter

Dank discord.

8. Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band- Kings Highway

Scenic.

9. Black Milk- Everybody Good?

It remains to be seen.

10. Charif Megarbane- Marzipan

Lebanese lounge.

Top Ten Songs of July (as of July 25)

1. Joshua Redman with Gabrielle Cavassa- “Chicago Blues”

All things go.

2. Jamila Woods- "Tiny Garden"

Watered and weeded.

3. Robert Glasper featuring SiR and Alex Isley- "Back to Love"

Slow jam.

4. claire rousay- "Sigh In My Ear"

I hear a symphony.

5. Ryan Castro and Peso Pluma- "Quema"

Fiery.

6. Aluna featuring Tchami and Kareen Lomax- "Running Blind"

Rhythm is gonna get you.

7. JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown- "Guess What B*tch, We Back H*e!"

Knock knock.

8. PJ Harvey- "Seem an I"

Might a you.

9. Colter Wall- "Honky Tonk Nighthawk"

Swinging doors.

10. That Mexican OT featuring Lefty sm- "Barrio"

Still tippin’.

Top Performances of July (as of July 25)

1. The Smile and Robert Stillman at the Midland Theater

My review.

2. The Salvation Choir at Theis Park

My Instagram clip.

3. Henrique Eisenmann and Eugene Friesen at the 1900 Building

My review.

4. Rob Magill with Marshall Trammell, Alber with Alex Mallett, and Krista Kopper, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verplough at Farewell

My review.

5. Final Gasp, Persona and New Obsessions at Howdy

My Instagram clips are here, here and here.

6. Eli Wallace with Ben Baker, Seth Andrew Davis, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at Stray Cat Film Center

My Instagram clip.

7. The American Legion Band of Greater Kansas City at American Legion Post 370

My Instagram snapshot.

8. Mike Horan and Scott Tichenor at the Market at Meadowbrook

My Instagram snapshot.

9. Natalie Prauser and Marty Bush at Mike Kelly’s Westsider

My Instagram clip.

10. Lee Walter Redding at Volker Park

My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly survey is here.

Album Review: Dopolarians- The Bond

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

The extended quarantine, along with the savage relentlessness of time, enhances my appreciation of past experiences.  While it didn’t seem significant 20 years ago, I’m immensely gratified I had the foresight to catch a set led by the esteemed saxophonist Kidd Jordan at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2001.  And joining an audience of a few dozen for a set by the Brian Blade Fellowship during the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2017 now seems like an impossibly glorious dream.

Jordan, 85, didn’t participate in the recording of The Bond, the new album led by his band Dopolarians.  And following the passing of the eminent drummer Alvin Fielder, Jr. in 2019, Blade joined saxophonist Chad Fowler, trumpeter Marc Franklin, pianist Christopher Parker, bassist William Parker and vocalist Kelley Hurt for the deeply spiritual free jazz date.

Blade and Parker are renowned masters, but their lesser known band mates in the latest version of Dopolarians are worthy collaborators.  Unlike similar recordings in which free-form vocalizing is a distracting hindrance, Hurt’s contributions enhance the sacrosanct tone.  The six culturally cognizant musicians strive for- and repeatedly attain- spiritual epiphanies.  There’s almost no chance Dopolarians will ever make an appearance in Kansas City, but I’m confident the stars will align to provide me with another unforgettable experience in a more hospitable environment.

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I catch up with three Mike Dillon albums at Plastic Sax.