October 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Osvaldo Golijo’s Ainadamar by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of October

1. Caroline Shaw- Leonardo da Vinci: Original Score
The ideal contemporary classical primer.

2. JD Allen- The Dark, the Light, the Grey and the Colorful
Merciless spiritual jazz.

3. The Necks- Bleed
Minimalist slow-core.

4. Anja Lechner- Bach Abel Hume
Solo cello.

5. Blackstarkids- Heaven on Urf
The conclusion of an ambitious concept album.

6. Anna Butterss- Mighty Vertebrate
Slinky post-jazz.

7. Drug Church- Prude
Mouthy hardcore.

8. Tord Gustavsen Trio- Seeing
My review.

9. Samara Joy- Portrait
Enchanted swing.

10. Marie Krüttli Trio- Scoria
My review.

Top Ten Songs of October

1. Tyler, The Creator- "Noid"
Distrust.

2. 070 Shake- "Winter Baby/New Jersey Blues"
Remembering the Ronettes.

3. Mike- "Pieces of a Dream"
Foggy.

4. Danny Brown- "Cheaters"
No rules.

5. Leikeli47- "450"
Mask off.

6. Shredders- “Shred Dogs 4 Lyfe”
Doomtree.

7. Maren Morris- “People Still Show Up”
Knock knock.

8. Sofía Valdés- "Already Yours"
Possessed.

9. Major Lazer and Vybz Kartel- "Nobody Move"
Frozen.

10. Geordie Greep- "Blues"
Art-rock absurdity.

Top Ten Performances of October

1. Dwight Frizzell’s Heliophonie at Charlotte Street Foundation
My review.

2. Drug Church at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

3. Rick Bartlett at Ricky B’s (Louisville)
My Instagram clip.

4. The Psychedelic Furs, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Frankie Rose at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Chelsea Guo, Joseph Parrish and Francesco Barfoed at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

6. Wayne Graham at Zanzabar (Louisville)
My Instagram clip.

7. Gil Shaham with the Kansas City Symphony at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Jackie Myers, Rich Wheeler and Jeff Harshbarger at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snaphot.

9. Nola Richardson’s masterclass at Atonement Lutheran Church.
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Gerald Trimble & Jambaroque, Bayati Ensemble and Soundz of Africa at Unity on the Plaza
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

September 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of a preview of San Francisco Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of September (as of 9/23)

1. Sarah Davachi- The Head as Form’d in the Crier’s Choir
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth.

2. Nala Sinephro- Endlessness
Limitless.

3. Masayoshi Fujita- Migratory
Flight paths.

4. Colin Stetson- The Love It Took to Leave You
My review.

5. Blackstarkids- Saturn Dayz
Interplanetary pop.

6. Caroline Davis- Portals, Volume 2: Returning
Passages.

7. Future- Mixtape Pluto
Slime.

8. Alice Zawadzki- Za Górami
Euro folk a la ECM.

9. Jason Stein- Anchors
With Joshua Abrams and Gerald Cleaver.

10. Max Richter- In a Landscape
Stunning vistas.

Top Ten Songs of September (as of 9/23)

1. Midland- “Barely Blue”
Honky tonk masquerade.

2. Dwight Yoakam and Post Malone- “I Don’t Know How to Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)”
Heartaches by the number.

3. Bad Bunny- “Una Velita”
Burning.

4. A$AP Rocky and J. Cole- “Ruby Rosary”
Unholy.

5. SleazyWorld Go- “Olé Olé”
Made it.

6. Dom Salvador with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad- "Os Ancestrais"
Brazilian bounceback.

6. Amaria- “Finer Things”
Luxurious.

8. Jerry Douglas and Aoife O’Donovan- “What Might Have Been”
Possibilities.

9. Regional Justice Center- "Moral Death Sentence"
Here comes the judge.

10. Foxing- “Kentucky McDonald’s”
Art is hard.

Top Ten Performances of September (as of 9/23)

1. Khatia Buniatishvili at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

2. Dwight Frizzell’s “Bridge” at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram clip.

3. Reverie Road at Washington Square Park (Kansas City Irish Fest)
My Instagram clip.

4. Negativland at recordBar (Outer Reaches Festival)
My Instagram clip.

5. The Kansas City Symphony conducted by Matthias Pintscher with cellist Alisa Weilerstein at Helzberg Hall
My review.

6. Damon Smith, Jeff Harshbarger, Krista Kopper and Aaron Osborne at Westport Coffee House
My Instagram snapshot.

7. Jackie Myers, Rich Wheeler and Jeff Harshbarger at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Abraham Olivo at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

9. The Mighty Mo Jazz Orchestra at Second Presbyterian Church
My Instagram clip.

10. The Sons of Brasil at Harmon Park (Prairie Village Jazz Festival)
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Concert Review: Bobby Watson at Yardley Hall

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Introducing his interpretation of a John Coltrane composition at Yardley Hall on Sunday, January 15, Bobby Watson said “this is entitled ‘Dear Lord’- I really need Him tonight.”  He wasn’t kidding. Watson visibly and audibly struggled throughout the 70-minute performance.  He repeatedly suggested his alto saxophone was malfunctioning. 

His tone was off and Watson was able to realize only a fraction of the notes he usually plays. Pianist Roger Wilder, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Mike Warren supported Watson with admirable sympathy, but the duress of the hometown hero was unmistakable.  Acknowledging the calamity, he suggested “I do not make excuses… I play from my heart, that’s all I can do.”

It’s the last thing I expected when I purchased a $25 ticket. I’ve seen the hard bop icon generate fire at dozens of gigs since the 1980s.  Watson mustered only a few sparks on Sunday.  Yet the audience of more than 400 gave him a standing ovation at the conclusion of the desultory concert.  

The cheers were presumably attributable to Watson’s grace under adversity as well as for his impeccable track record.  Watson has been the face of jazz in Kansas City for more than three decades.  His musical and societal contributions have earned him a lifetime of goodwill.

Setlist: Sweet Dreams, Mind Wind, Love Remains, No Greater Love, Wheel Within a Wheel, Condition Blue, Dear Lord, Bird-ish

October 2022 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer of Opera North’s reworking of Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of October

1. Natalia Lafourcade- De Todas las Flores

Rapturous beauty.

2. Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City

My review.

3. Brian Harnetty- Words and Silences

My review.

4. Dave Douglas- Songs of Ascent: Book 1- Degrees

Advanced harmolodics.

5. Boston Modern Orchestra Project- Anthony Davis: X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X

A new rendering of the neglected opera.

6. Anat Cohen- Quartetinho

Exquisite chamber jazz.

7. Evgueni Galperine- Theory of Becoming

A Ukrainian Morricone.

8. Armani Caesar- The Liz 2

The month’s best Griselda album.

9. Babyface- Girl’s Night Out

Sultry collaborations.

10. Caroline Shaw and I Giardini- The Wheel

I prefer this hushed recording to the widely praised The Blue Hour.

Top Ten Songs of October

1. Plains- "Hurricane"

Leveled.

2. Grupo Marca Registrada and Luis R. Conriquez- "Puro Campeón"

A true champion.

3. iLe- "Lo Que Yo Quería"

Celestial pop.

4. Ozuna featuring El Cherry Scom- "Perreo y Dembow"

Dizzying.

5. Quavo and Takeoff- "Two Infinity Links"

I’m 250 pages into Joe Coscarelli’s Rap Capital.

6. Jamila Woods- "Boundaries"

Blurred lines.

7. LF System- "Hungry (For Love)"

Famished on the dance floor.

8. SleazyWorld Go featuring G Herbo- “Glitches”

Shots fired.

9. Nardo Wick featuring Polo G- "G Nikes"

If the shoe fits…

10. Hardy- "Truck Bed"

Hick-hop goes pop-punk.

Top Ten Performances of October

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

My review.

2. Ohma and FKJ at the Midland Theater

My review.

3. Raven Chacon’s “American Ledger no. 1” at Agnes Arts

My review.

4. Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt at the Uptown Theater

My review.

5. Terence Blanchard with Turtle Island Quartet at Atkins Auditorium

My review.

6. Alter Destiny at Charlotte Street Foundation

My review.

7. Karen Hsiao Savage, Hyeyung Sol Yoon and Gregory Beaver at White Recital Hall

My review.

8. Stan Kessler, Rod Fleeman and Bob Bowman at a driveway concert

Three of Kansas City’s best on a glorious fall afternoon.

9. Esthesis Quartet at the Blue Room

My Instagram clip.

10. Alex Mallett and Jeff Harshbarger at Market at Meadowbrook

Folklore.

Last month’s survey is here.

April 2022 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot from the trailer of the Metropolitan Opera’s staging of Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” by There Stands the Glass. PBS broadcast the opera on April 1.

Top Ten Albums (Released in April, excluding 4/29 titles)

1. Pusha T- It’s Almost Dry

The trio of Kanye, Pharrell and King Push is an unbeatable dream team.

2. Gerald Clayton- Bells on Sand

My review.

3. Billy Woods- Aethiopes

Highbrow hip-hop.

4. Tord Gustavsen Trio- Opening

My review.

5. Myra Melford- For the Love of Fire and Water

The pianist leads a free jazz supergroup.

6. Joel Ross- The Parable of the Poet

Palpably spiritual jazz.

7. Mitsuko Uchida- Beethoven: Diabelli Variations

My review.

8. Sault- Air

My review.

9. Cole Swindell- Stereotype

My review.

10. Vince Staples- Ramona Park Broke My Heart

Understated excellence.

Top Ten Songs (Released in April)

1. Miranda Lambert- "Actin' Up"

Call the cops.

2. Kaitlin Butts- "She's Using"

Codeine dreams.

3. Christian Nodal- "Aguardiente"

Poison.

4. Bonnie Raitt- "Love So Strong"

Kombucha for the soul.

5. Horace Andy- "Watch Over Them"

Reggae lion in winter.

6. Anitta featuring Chencho Corleone- "Gata"

The cat’s pajamas.

7. Young M.A.- “Tip the Surgeon”

Bloody.

8. Doechii- "Crazy"

Time to get right with God.

9. Lele Pons and Kim Loaiza- "Piketona"

Clubbed.

10. Making Movies- "Sala de los Pecadores"

Den of sin.

Top Ten Performances of April

1. Joyce DiDonato at the Folly Theater

My review.

2. Daniil Trifonov at the Folly Theater

My review.

3. Drew Williams, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House

My review.

4. Babehoven at Farewell

My Instagram clip.

5. Kwan Leung Ling, Evan Verploegh and Ben Baker at Charlotte Street Foundation

My Instagram clip.

6. Ducks Ltd. at the Green House

My Instagram clip.

7. Maul at Vivo

My Instagram clip.

8. Tyrone Clark, Charles Gatschet and Taylor Babb- Green Lady Lounge

The venue’s all-originals policy is paying off.

9. Jeff Harshbarger Quartet at the Blue Room

Standards deviations.

10. A Pile of Dead Horses at 7th Heaven

Fargo noise.

Last month’s survey is here.