My friend and colleague Aaron Rhodes gently poked fun at my recent focus on avant-garde jazz, opera and classical music at There Stands the Glass in the new episode of our In My Headache podcast. He characterized my recent rotation as “old man music.” I failed to properly defend my inclinations, mumbling something about the value in bringing attention to neglected sounds. I’m sure Aaron hoped I’d respond with more vitriol.

I’m not ashamed of my age but I look askance at my peers. The listening habits of most people of my generation are calcified. It’s embarrassing. The graying people immersed exclusively in disposable pop are only slightly less mortifying. As I recently noted in this space, I embrace the present even as I acknowledge my years.

I reject the conventional wisdom that jazz, opera and classical music should be of interest only to old folks even though the audiences for the forms are disproportionately elderly. And to be sure, the music is frequently stale and corny. Yet there’s nothing inherently decrepit about the most exemplary representatives of the forms.

The pretensions closely associated with opera are particularly egregious. I’m committed to helping dismantle the unhealthy affiliation. I implore There Stands the Glass readers to take a look at the Dutch National Opera’s stylish new production of Alexander Zemlinsky’s forgotten 1922 opera Der Zwerg. The tide is slowly turning.

On the jazz tip, I stand by my recent endorsements of imaginative albums by the European artists Mathias Eick and Nala Sinephro. The underground rebellion on Kansas City’s improvised music scene is no less encouraging. Nonetheless, Aaron and other advocates of popular music needn’t worry about me. I’m going to get my kicks at Marc Anthony’s arena concert tonight.

William Brownlee

September 28, 2021

September 2021 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

William Brownlee

September 28, 2021

Screenshot of the trailer of 奇跡 by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums (released in September)

1. Mathias Eick- When We Leave

My review.

2. Borderlands Trio- Wandersphere

My review.

3. Nala Sinephro- Space 1.8

My review.

4. Drake- Certified Lover Boy

Infuriatingly undeniable.

5. Roscoe Mitchell- Dots: Pieces for Percussion and Woodwinds

Solemn incantations from the auspicious octogenarian.

6. Moor Mother- Black Encyclopedia of the Air

Urgent poetry.

7. Pat Metheny- Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)

My review.

8. Lea Desandre- Amazone

Sensual baroque chamber music.

9. RP Boo- Established!

Zany Chicago footwork.

10. The Count Basie Orchestra- Live at Birdland

My review.

Top Ten Songs (released in September)

1. Tokischa and Rosalía- "Linda"

Besos.

2. Priya Ragu- "Lockdown"

Not so solitary.

3. Chlöe- "Have Mercy"

Oh Lord.

4. Lauren Alaina- "On Top of the World"

My album review.

5. Lydia Loveless- "Let's Make Out"

“The maid won’t be here until nine or ten.”

6. Amyl and the Sniffers- “Don’t Need a **** (Like You to Love Me)”

Rock’s not dead.

7. Paul Wall and Rich The Factor- "Countin' Paper"

Stacks.

8. Kirby- "Coconut Oil"

Silky.

9. Lady Blackbird- "Fix It"

Peace piece.

10. Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch- “Im Rhein, im schönen Strome”

I’ve contracted a nasty case of Lisztomania.

Live Music

The books I read outnumbered the shows I attended in September. I intend to venture out a lot more in October. I’ve even timed a trip to Detroit to catch a concert by an artist listed above who has conspicuously bypassed Kansas City for years.

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

1. Lawrence of Arabia: Director’s Cut (1962)

T.E. Lawrence as white savior.

2. Body and Soul (1925)

Paul Robeson’s first film.

3. Hoří, má panenko/The Firemen’s Ball (1967)

Shameful Czech corruption.

4. The Golden Ring: The Making of Solti’s Ring (1965)

My notes.

5. Street Girl (1929)

Betty Compson stars in a racy Jazz Age musical.

6. 奇跡/I Wish (2011)

Japan is now at the top of my travel wish list.

7. Cairo (1942)

Loopy wartime musical with Ethel Waters.

8. Take a Giant Step (1959)

Johnny Nash plays a beleaguered teen.

9. The Outhouse: The Film, 1985-1987 (2019)

“My” version of the Kansas venue- Tupelo Chain Sex, Sonic Youth, the Georgia Satellites, etc.- receives short shrift in the documentary.

10. The Courier (2021)

By-the-numbers cold war spy thriller.

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

William Brownlee

September 27, 2021

Album Review: Mathias Eick- When We Leave

William Brownlee

September 27, 2021

The 18-year-old sensation Olivia Rodrigo is the most popular star in the latest wave of prodigiously talented hitmakers specializing in giddy odes of heartbreak geared to sensitive young women. Believe it or not, I’m not a member of the target audience. What would a bespoke album catering to my current sensibilities sound like? My wish list would include:

wordless jazz based on European chamber music and America’s improvised avant-garde tradition
the earthy shadings of a pedal steel guitar
an expansive sound field
an intimation of spirituality with a tacit acknowledgement of mortality

When We Leave, Mathias Eick latest release on ECM Records, meets each of my specifications. I’m deeply indebted to the Norwegian and his collaborators for obliging my persnickety inclinations.