October 2020 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of Galatea Ranzi in Zoroaster, Io, Giacomo Casanova.

Top Five Albums

1. Anja Lechner and François Couturier- Lontano

My review.

2. Sturgill Simpson- Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 (The Butcher Shoppe Sessions)

The first trustworthy album from the stylistic chameleon.

3. Marilyn Crispell and Angelica Sanchez- How to Turn the Moon

My review.

4. Blackstarkids- Whatever, Man

My review.

5. Sa-Roc- The Sharecropper’s Daughter

Old-school raps and throwback R&B.

Top Five Songs

1. Bruce Springsteen- “Janey Needs a Shooter”

Tramps like us.

2. Channel Tres- "Skate Depot"

Before I let go.

3. Blackpink- "Pretty Savage"

Green light.

4. Charlie Wilson featuring Smokey Robinson- "All of My Love"

Cruisin’.

5. Metz- "Pulse"

My review.

Top Five Livestreams

1. Bang on a Can Marathon #4 (George Crumb, Tyshawn Sorey, Anna Webber, etc.)

2. Danny Embrey, Bob Bowman and Brian Steever- Black Dolphin

3. James Francies, Matt Brewer, Jeremy Dutton and Ben Heim- Yamaha Artist Services

4. Veronica Swift with Emmet Cohen, Javier Nero, Julius Rodriguez, Philip Norris and Kush Abadey- Smalls

5. Beethoven 250th Anniversary Celebration- UMKC Conservatory

I conducted the same exercise in September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February and January.

Album Review: Anja Lechner and François Couturier- Lontano

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I wondered if I was on my deathbed four hours after receiving a seasonal flu shot three days ago.  Thankfully, the alarming diminishment of my lifeblood quickly dissipated.  The tone of Lontano, the new album by German cellist Anja Lechner and French pianist François Couturier, matches the weary sense of resignation I experienced.  Fluttering between planes of existence, I was overcome by bittersweet reflections of my time on Earth.  A recent 82-minute concert by the duo exudes a similar otherworldliness even without the signature ethereal ECM Records ambiance enhancing Lontano.