Screenshot of KCUR feature by There Stands the Glass.
Just three of the 17 performances I enjoyed in March were among my concert recommendations for KCUR last month. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend more than $150 for concerts by Bad Bunny and Drake. Yet I’ve invested that much for an impossibly refined event in another continent in three weeks. That’s why I’ll be in attendance at just a few of my April concert recommendations.
Original image of Yujia Shen at the Diastole Scholars Center by There Stands the Glass.
The accompanying image of Yujia Shen at Diastole Scholars’ Center encapsulates my year. Classical violin (and piano) provided default ambience throughout 2023. By arriving early and through financial outlays, I claimed spots up front at dozens of concerts. The books in the room are also meaningful. My evenings were devoted to reading when I wasn’t attending performances.
1. Hilary Hahn at the Folly Theater
My review.
2. The Smile and Robert Stillman at the Midland Theatre
My review.
3. Kassa Overall and Omari Jazz at Mississippi Studios (Portland)
My Instagram clip.
4. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
My review.
5. The Metropolitan Opera’s Tannhäuser at Lincoln Center (New York City)
My review.
6. András Schiff at Helzberg Hall
My review.
7. Mike Dillon and Brian Haas at the Brick
My review.
8. Yujia Shen at Diastole Scholars’ Center
My review.
9. Jake Blount at the Folk Alliance International Conference
My review.
10. RP Boo, DJ Alphabeta and Whorxata at the Encore Room
My review.
11. Pretty Yende at the Folly Theater
My review.
12. Adam Larson, Matt Clohesy and Jimmy Macbride at Westport Coffee House
My Instagram clip.
13. Tim Bernardes at Mississippi Studios (Portland)
My review.
14. UMKC Opera’s Proving Up at Spencer Theatre
My review.
15. Bill Frisell, Greg Tardy, Gerald Clayton and Johnathan Blake at the 1900 Building
My review.
16. Boston Camerata’s Dido & Aeneas at Community Christian Church
My Instagram photo.
17. Hermon Mehari Quartet at the Folly Theater
My review.
18. Off!, Upchuck and Weaponize Chomsky at the recordBar
My Instagram clip.
19. Thomas Rosenkranz at White Recital Hall
My review.
20. Juan Diego Flórez at the Folly Theater
My review.
21. Devin Gray, Maria Elena Silva and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at Firehouse Gallery
My review.
22. DJ Lucas, Papo2oo4 and Subjxct 5, Lil Heavn, Paris Williams and N1n4 Freakqncy at Farewell
My review.
23. Thee Sinseers, the Altons and Alanna Royale at Lemonade Park
My review.
24. Willi Carlisle and Betse & Clarke at Knuckleheads
My Instagram snapshot.
25. CRAG Quartet, Joshua Gerowitz and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at the Bunker
My review.
26. Artemis at the Gem Theater
My review.
27. Queens of the Stone Age, Viagra Boys and Jehnny Beth at Starlight Theatre
My review.
28. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Listening Forest at Crystal Bridges (Bentonville)
My Instagram clip.
29. Miguel Zenón Quartet at the Folly Theater
My review.
30. Bob Weir at Louisville Palace (Louisville)
My review.
31. Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Michael Hurley at the Aladdin Theater (Portland)
My review.
32. Christian McBride, Benny Green and Gregory Hutchinson at the Village Vanguard (New York City)
My review.
33. Rod Fleeman Trio at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.
34. Nickel Creek and Gaby Moreno at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.
35. Alien Nosejob, Citric Dummies and CKrit at Howdy
My review.
36. Danielle Nicole and Katy Guillen and the Drive at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram snapshot.
37. Pat Metheny’s SideEye at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.
38. Janet Jackson and Ludacris at the T-Mobile Center
My Instagram snapshot.
39. Big Freedia at Boulevardia
My Instagram clip.
40. Jean-Yves Thibaudet at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.
41. Parker Quartet at Polsky Theatre
My review.
42. Eugene Friesen and Henrique Eisenmann at the 1900 Building
My review.
43. Chalis O’Neal at the Blue Room
My Instagram clip.
44. Booker T. Jones at the Folly Theater
My Instagram clip.
45. Rob Magill and Marshall Trammell, the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society and Alber at Farewell
My review.
46. The Salvation Choir at Theis Park
My Instagram clip.
47. Hot Chip and Cadence Weapon at Wonder Ballroom (Portland)
My Instagram clip.
48. Randy Porter, Tom Wakeling and Todd Strait at the 1905 (Portland)
My review.
49. John Mellencamp at the Midland Theatre
My Instagram clip.
50 Kentucky Opera’s Cinderella at W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre (Louisville)
My Instagram snapshot.
There Stands the Glass’ top albums and songs of 2023 are listed here.
Last year’s concert rankings are here.
The Top 25 Kansas City Albums of 2023
1. Matt Otto- Umbra*
2. Mike Dillon and Punkadelick- Inflorescence
3. Adam Larson- With Love, From New York City*
4. Ampichino and Rich the Factor- Midwest Tygoons*
Real orcas.
5. Stik Figa and The Expert- Ritual*
“It’s Stik Figa, mayne!”
6. Enzo Carniel, Hermon Mehari, Stéphane Adsuar and Damien Varaillon- No(w) Beauty
7. Pat Metheny- Dream Box
8. Janelle Monaé- The Age of Pleasure
Decadent.
9. Torches Mauve- Volume Two*
10. Flooding- Silhouette Machine
Dark shadows.
11. Mireya Ramos & the Poor Choices- Sin Fronteras
Cantinas and honky tonks.
12. Sweeping Promises- Good Living Is Coming For You
Look out below.
13. Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton- Death Wish Blues
A blaze of glory.
14. The Floozies- Porty Hord
Gort dorn.
15. Kansas Virtuosi- Luis Humberto Salgado
Ecuadorian expedition.
16. Tech N9ne- Bliss*
Bliss-ish.
17. The Whiffs- Scratch n' Sniff
Pub rock.
18. Krista Kopper- Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
There Stands the Glass review.
19. The Count Basie Orchestra- Swings the Blues*
20. LaVelle- Promise to Love
Between the sheets.
21. Danny Embrey- Orion Room
22. Bach Aria Soloists- Le dolce sirene
Siren songs.
23. Nick Schnebelen- What Key Is Trouble In?
There Stands the Glass review.
24. Heidi Lynne Gluck- Migrate or Die
Rumours.
25. Kelly Hunt- Ozark Symphony
Polished folk.
The Top 10 Kansas City EPs of 2023
1. Midwestern- Cartoon Network
There Stands the Glass review.
2. Missouri Executive Order 44- Seventeen Dead in Caldwell County
Savage.
3. SleazyWorld Baghdad- Debo Baghdad*
Shooter.
4. Weaponize Chomsky- Time Destroys Everything
Dialectical materialism.
5. Conductor Williams- Conductor We Have a Problem
The preferred sound of 2023.
6. Kevin Morby- Music From Montana Story
Big skies.
7. Spine- Raîces
Furia.
8. Alyssa Murray- Scrollin'
9. The Bitter Lake Association- My Life Inside a Movie Scene
A one-person greeting committee.
10. Eggs on Mars- Warm Breakfast
Tasty.
The Top 5 Kansas City Reissues of 2023
1. SleazyWorld Go- Where the Shooters Be 2
Star light, star bright.
2. Charlie Parker- Hot House: The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Recordings
Refreshed sound for the storied 1953 date.
3. Fred Davis- Cleveland Blues
Buried treasure.
4. Basie All Stars- Live at Fabrik Hamburg 1981, Vol. 1
Shiny stockings.
5. The Noise FM- Deleted Scenes: Unreleased Hits 2013-2023
Appropriately titled.
*One or more of the musician’s additional 2023 recordings were excluded from these listings to make room for titles by other artists.
Last year’s rankings are here.
Screenshot of the trailer of Detroit Opera’s production of Charles Gounod’s “Faust” by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums of February
1. Young Fathers- Heavy Heavy
Crushed.
2. Christian McBride’s New Jawn- Prime
A1.
3. James Brandon Lewis- Eye of I
All seeing.
4. Ten City- Love Is Love
Disco revival, part one.
5. Karol G- Mañana Será Bonito
Tomorrow will be pretty.
6. Don Toliver- Love Sick
Grown and sexy.
7. Lisel- Patterns for Auto-Tuned Voices and Delay
A.I. soundtrack.
8. Gorillaz- Cracker Island
Stranded.
9. Kelela- Raven
In flight.
10. The Necks- Travel
Hear the world.
Top Ten Songs of February
1. Kelsea Ballerini- "Leave Me Again"
Alone.
2. Fuerza Regida and Becky G- "Te Quiero Besar"
Kisses.
3. Joe Louis Walker- "Don’t Walk Out That Door"
Let’s stay together.
4. Jessie Ware- "Pearls"
Disco revival, part two.
5. Hitkidd featuring Aleza, Gloss Up, Slimeroni and K Carbon- "You the Type"
Old-school fun.
6. Yeat featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again- "Shmunk"
Kids these days.
7. Lonnie Holley featuring Moor Mother- "I Am a Part of the Wonder"
Old souls.
8. Dierks Bentley- “Heartbreak Drinking Tour”
The night life ain’t no good life.
9. The Men- “Peace of Mind”
Stooges stew.
10. Talibando featuring BabyTron- "Make the Money"
Paid in full.
Top Ten Performances of February
1. UMKC Conservatory’s “Proving Up” at Spencer Theater
2. Hermon Mehari Quartet at the Folly Theater
3. Jake Blount at the Folk Alliance International Conference:
4. Bobby Weir and the Wolf Bros at Louisville Palace
5. Verónica Valerio at the Folk Alliance International Conference
6. Kentucky Opera’s “Cinderella” at W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre
7. Voices of Mississippi at Polsky Theatre
8. Jack Wright with Ron Stabinsky at Charlotte Street Foundation
9. Talibah Safiya at the Folk Alliance International Conference:
10. NAVO Trio at Polsky Theatre
The previous monthly survey is here.
The Top 25 Kansas City Albums of 2022
1. Joyce DiDonato- Eden
2. Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City
3. Hermon Mehari- Asmara
4. Steve Cardenas- Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley
5. SleazyWorld Go- Where the Shooters Be
6. Adam Larson Trio- With Love, From Chicago
7. Mister Water Wet- Significant Soil
8. Kevin Morby- This Is a Photograph
9. Blackstarkids- Cyberkiss
10. Making Movies- Xopa
11. LeVelle- My Journey Continues
12. Krista Kopper and Evan Verploegh- For the Trees
12. Matt McBane and Sandbox Percussion- Bathymetry
13. Daniel Velasco and Ellen Sommer- Flauta Andina - 20th Century Andean Music for Flute and Piano
15. Huerco S.- Plonk
16. Arnold Young and the Roughtet- Fear Is the Mind Killer
17. Mister Water Wet- Top Natural Drum
18. Rod Fleeman Trio- Saturday Afternoon: Live at Green Lady Lounge
19. Matt Villinger’s All Night Trio- All Faded
20. Dutch Newman- This Too Shall Pass, Pt. 2
21. Poor Bishop Hooper- Psalm 119
22. Katy Guillen & The Drive- Another One Gained
23. Isaac Cates & Ordained- Amazed
24. The Creepy Jingles- Take Me at My Wordplay
25. The Greeting Committee- Dandelion
The Top 10 Kansas City EPs of 2022
1. Adam Larson Trio- With Love, From Kansas City
2. Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton- The Stardust Sessions
3. Jackoffs- Prime Specimen
4. Flora- Emerald City
5. Stik Figa and Conductor Williams- Valley of Dry Bones
6. Eddie Moore- Intuition
7. Atticus vonHolten- A Highway Tore Through Me
8. Blob Castle and Daniel Lima- Contempoétnico
9. Piss Kinks- A Tisket, A Tasket
10. Jake Wesley Rogers- Love
Links to previous annual surveys begin here.
Screenshot of the trailer of Dutch National Opera’s production of Steef de Jong’s “Operetta Land” by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums of November
1. Hermon Mehari- Asmara
2. Sault- (God)
Universal gospel.
3. Tyshawn Sorey- The Off-Off Broadway Guide to Synergism
With Greg Osby, Aaron Diehl and Russell Hall.
4. Sault- 11
Exalted soul.
5. SleazyWorld Go- Where the Shooters Be
The new king of Kansas City.
6. Charles Lloyd- Trios: Trios: Sacred Thread
With Julian Lage and Zakir Hussain.
7. Sault- Earth
Global grooving.
8. Sault- Today & Tomorrow
Holistic psych-rock.
9. Julie Campiche Quartet- You Matter
The Swiss harpist’s post-Logan Richardson improvisations.
10. Nicholas Payton- The Couch Sessions
With Buster Williams and Lenny White.
Top Ten Songs of November
1. Drake and 21 Savage- “Major Distribution”
Middlemen.
2. SpotemGottem- "Block Got Hot"
Tunechi 2.0.
3. Tiwa Savage and Asake- "Loaded"
Rich.
4. E-40- "In the Air Where It's Fair"
Flying high.
5. Brockhampton- “Big P—y”
The unseemly implosion of the boy band is disheartening.
6. Okay Kaya- “Jazzercise”
Workout.
7. Randy Houser- “Out and Down”
Neon tears.
8. Gorillaz- "Baby Queen"
Aging princess.
9. Young Dolph- "Get Away"
“Hell right here on earth.”
10. Nas- "Once a Man, Twice a Child"
The wisdom of elders.
Top Ten Performances of November
1. Mspaint at Nightjar
2. Keefe Jackson, Jakob Heinemann and Adam Shead at Black Dolphin
3. Crystal Gayle at Ameristar Casino
4. Rod Fleeman at Green Lady Lounge
The guitarist is Plastic Sax's 2021 Person of the Year.
5. Damien Snead’s “Our Song, Our Story: The New Generation of Black Voices” at the Folly Theater
6. UMKC Conservatory’s production of Jules Massenet’s Chérubin at White Recital Hall
7. Harmony Zhu at the Folly Theater
8. Ulysses Quartet at Keystone United Methodist Church
9. Aryana Nemati at the Blue Room
10. Jazz Disciples at the Blue Room
Last month’s survey is here.
Original image by There Stands the Glass.
Kansas City is a small town. Even so, my version of Kansas City is vastly different from the place many of my music-minded peers call home. Rankings of 55 of my favorite recordings released by artists from the Kansas City area during the first 42 weeks of 2021 follow. A handful of highly praised albums didn’t make the cut. The omissions aren't personal. I simply prefer the titles listed below. Additionally, several albums by prominent locally based musicians are slated for release in the final weeks of 2021.
The Top 25 Kansas City Albums of 2021
1. Behzod Abduraimov- Debussy Chopin Mussorgsky
2. Pat Metheny- Road to the Sun
3. Steddy P- SOS: Toxic
4. Mac Lethal- Winter Heartbreak II
5. Pat Metheny- Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)
6. Blackstarkids- Puppies Forever
7. Flooding- Flooding
8. Hermon Mehari and Alessandro Lanzoni- Arc Fiction
9. Verploegh and Baker- Singles
10. Samantha Fish- Faster
11. The Count Basie Orchestra- Live at Birdland
12. Liam Kazer- Due North
13. Hxxs- Channeler
14. Steve Million- What I Meant to Say
15. Tech N9ne- Asin9ne
16. Silicone Prairie- My Life on the Silicone Prairie
17. GI Gizzle and Rich the Factor- Don't Take This Personal 2
18. John Armato- The Drummer Loves Ballads
19. Melissa Etheridge- One Way Out
20. Riley Downing- Start It Over
21. Cheli Davis Smith Trio- Composite
22. Florian Arbenz, Hermon Mehari and Nelson Veras- Conversation #1: Condensed
23. Lucy Wijnands- Sings the David Heckendorn Song Book
24. Sara Morgan- Another Nail
25. Milkdrop- Thirty Eight
The Top 20 Kansas City EPs of 2021
1. Bummer- Dead Horse
2. Blob Castle- Music for Art Show
3. Big Water- ...And I’m All Out of Sh*t to F**k Up
4. The Greeting Committee- Dandelion
5. Baby and the Brain- BrainBaby
6. Rachel Cion - Wanted!
7. Rich the Factor- Mobbligated
8. Alber- Journey
9. Stik Figa- East of MacVicar Ave
10. Quiet Takes- San Fidel
11. Alyssa Murray- Half & Half
12. Sarin Reaper- Demo
13. Maal and Tom Richman- Grass
14. Cuee- Gospel
15. Lauren Anderson- Love on the Rocks
16. Connor Leimer- Like My Mind
17. Andy McKee- Symbol
18. Rory Fresco- Born Hero
19. Edison Lights- Shake This
20. Such Lovely People- Great Distinction
The Top Ten Kansas City Reissues, Reimaginings and Compilations of 2021
1. Kevin Morby- A Night at the Little Los Angeles
2. Mike Dillon- Shoot the Moon
3. Mike Dillon- 1918
4. Merlin- Electric Children: The Final Cut
5. Rich the Factor- Streets vs. Commercial: 100 Song Collection, Part 1
6. The Wild Women of Kansas City- Live at Pilgrim Chapel
7. Kansas- Point of Know Return: Live & Beyond
8. Danny Cox- Young and Hot: Live at Cowtown Ballroom
9. Whiskey Boots- #1
10. Vitreous Humor- Posthumous
Last year’s rankings of Kansas City releases are here.
Screenshot of the trailer for King of Jazz by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums (released in April, excluding April 30 titles)
1. Damon Locks and Black Monument Ensemble- Now
Another urgent missive from Chicago.
2. Dopolarians- The Bond
3. Brockhampton- Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine
The worst album by the world’s best boy band.
4. Max Richter- Voices 2
5. John Pizzarelli- Better Days Ahead: Solo Guitar Takes on Pat Metheny
6. Bryce Dessner and the Australian String Quartet- Impermanence/Disintegration
Street hassle.
7. Toumani Diabaté and the London Symphony Orchestra- Kôrôlén
Stunning 2008 concert.
8. Arooj Aftab- Vulture Prince
Secular adhan.
9. Florian Arbenz, Hermon Mehari and Nelson Veras- Conversation #1: Condensed
10. Field Music- Flat White Moon
Top Ten Songs (released in April, excluding April 30 titles)
1. Cupcakke- "Mosh Pit"
Watch your step.
2. Georgia Anne Muldrow- "Unforgettable"
That’s what she is.
3. Trineice Robinson and Cyrus Chestnut- "Come Sunday"
Blessed balm.
4. Cello Octet Amsterdam- "8"
Circular strings.
5. Bree Runway- “Hot Hot”
Sizzling.
6. Tierra Whack- "Link"
Connected.
7. Rubén Blades and the Roberto Delgado Orchestra- "Paula C."
Swing-infused salsa.
8. Sons of Kemet with Kojey Radical- “Hustle”
Show you something.
9. Sonder featuring Jorja Smith- “Nobody But You”
Quiet storm.
10. Bill MacKay and Nathan Bowles- "Truth"
Gimme some.
Top Ten Movies (viewed for the first time in April, in lieu of live music)
1. Journal d'un curé de campagne/Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
Tristesse existentielle.
2. Captain Salvation (1927)
Gospel ship.
3. Agnes of God (1985)
Montréal miracle denied.
4. Bianco, rosso e…/Red, White and... (1972)
Sophia Loren plays an emancipated nun.
5. Imitation of Life (1959)
Annie isn’t okay.
6. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Que sera, sera.
7. Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Let’s go to war!
8. King of Jazz (1930)
9. Castle in the Air (1952)
Cheerio.
10. Honeysuckle Rose (1980)
Righteous music. Wretched movie.
March’s recap and links to previous monthly surveys are here.
Original image by There Stands the Glass.
As part of an ongoing effort to preserve my sanity in a preposterously challenging year, I choose to believe Ty of Blackstarkids was joking when he recently told a journalist he was unable to secure the interest of a single Kansas City based record label. I fell in love with his trio in February after hearing just 30 seconds of “Sounds Like Fun,” the first song on Blackstarkids’ self-released debut EP. Ty’s group subsequently signed a pact with the prestigious London based Dirty Hit consortium. Blackstarkids is the most exciting act to emerge from Kansas City in years.
Top 25 Kansas City Albums of 2020
1. Blackstarkids- Whatever, Man (My review.)
2. Bobby Watson- Keepin' It Real (My review.)
3. Molly Hammer- I'm Feeling Mellow (My review.)
4. Mike Dillon- Rosewood (My review.)
5. Ebony Tusks- Heal Thyself
6. Steve Cardenas- Blue Has a Range (My review.)
7. Shiner- Schadenfreude
8. Pat Metheny- From This Place (My review.)
9. Rich the Factor- Blaccfish (My review.)
10. The Freedom Affair- Freedom Is Love
11. Brian Scarborough- Sunflower Song (My review.)
12. Guitar Elation- Double Live at Green Lady Lounge (My review.)
13. Kevin Morby- Sundowner
14. Matt Otto- Alliance (My review.)
15. Shy Boys- Talk Loud
16. Flutienastiness- This Is Me (My review.)
17. Krizz Kaliko- Legend (My review.)
18. Black Light Animals- Playboys of the Western World
19. Ashley Ray- Pauline
20. The Casket Lottery- Short Songs for End Times
21. Rich the Factor- Rose Out the Concrete 2
22. Howard Iceberg & the Titanics- Kansas City Songs, Vol. 3
23. Orphans of Doom- II
24. Purna Loka Ensemble- Metaraga
25. The Black Creatures- Wild Echoes
Top Ten Kansas City EPs of 2020
1. Blackstarkids- Surf
2. We The People- Misunderstood (My review.)
3. Una Walkenhorst- Woman of the Year
4. Blackstarkids- Surf (Basement Demos)
5. Hermon Mehari- A Change For the Dreamlike (My review.)
6. Stik Figa- ...If It's the Last Thing I Do
7. The Cur3- The Anecdote (My review.)
8. Tech N9ne- Fear Exodus
9. Jo MacKenzie- Let Me Give You What I Wish I Had
10. Dylan Pyles- Solo Acoustic Guitar, Vol. 1
