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.

August 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Wiener Staatsoper’s production of Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of August

1. Ryuichi Sakamoto- Opus
Staring down death.

2. JPEGMAFIA- I Lay Down My Life for You
Sonic sacrifice.

3. Jack White- No Name
He’s back in Wichita.

4. Lux Quartet- Tomorrow Land
Future now.

5. Joana Mallwitz- The Kurt Weill Album
Revelations.

6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Wild God
Zeus.

7. Grigory Sokolov- Purcell and Mozart
Elite recitals.

8. Shelby Lynne- Consequences of the Crown
My review.

9. ​​Thee Marloes- Perak
Little bit o’ soul.

10. Nikka Costa- Dirty Disco
Party like it’s 1999.

Top Ten Songs of August

1. Meshell Ndegeocello- "Travel"
Pack your bags.

2. Yolanda Adams- "Church Doors"
Wide open.

3. A$AP Rocky featuring Jessica Pratt- “Highjack”
I miss the old Kanye.

4. Tank and The Bangas featuring Samara Joy and Robert Glasper- “Remember”
Ribbon in the sky.

5. Jhéne Aiko- “guidance”
That little light of hers.

6. Melt-Banana- “Seeds”
Planted.

7. Gel- "Shame"
Hardcore.

8. Willie Nelson- "Last Leaf"
Holding on.

9. Lainey Wilson- "Keep Up With Jones"
The race is on.

10. Post Malone and Luke Combs- “Missin’ You Like This”
Long gone.

Top Ten Performances of August

1. Nick Shoulders and Chris Acker at Knuckleheads
My Instagram video.

2. Childish Gambino and Willow at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

3. Mike Baggetta with Peter DiStefano at the Ship
My review.

4. Aaron Sizemore, Forest Stewart and Mike Warren at the Music House
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Brian Baggett Trio at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram video.

6. Síomha at the Kansas City Irish Festival
My Instagram video.

7. Smith and Jessen at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram video.

8. Treanne at 90.9 The Bridge
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Clay Kirkland at Theis Park
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Dan Thomas, Harold O’Neal, Forest Stewart and Zach Morrow at the Blue Room
My Instagram video.

The previous monthly recap is here.

The Top Fifty Performances of 2023

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.

October 2023 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Garsington Opera’s production of Gioachino Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of October

1. Bad Bunny- Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana

Carpe diem.

2. Sylvie Courvoisier- Chimaera

Spectral.

3. Gucci Mane- Breath of Fresh Air

Rap redemption.

4. John Scofield- Uncle John’s Band

How does the song go?

5. Fuerza Regida- Pa las Baby’s y Belikeada

Party central.

6. Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra- 

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, 12 & 13

The ponderous soul of Russia.

7. Ava Mendoza- Echolocation

My review.

8. Allison Miller- Rivers in Our Veins

Freewheeling jazz.

9. Nathan Davis- Neutral Buoyant

Psaltery.

10. Daniel Villarreal- Lados B

Raw grooves with Jeff Parker and Anna Butterss.

Top Ten Songs of October

1. Kali Uchis- "Te Mata"

Wayback machine #1.

2. Esperanza Spalding- "Não Ao Marco Temporal"

Wayback machine #2.

3. Holly Macve and Lana Del Rey- “Suburban House”

Cul-de-sac.

4. The Streets- “Gonna Hurt When This Is Over”

Such sublime sadness.

5. Danny Brown- "Tantor"

Chaos agent.

6. Ken Carson- "Jennifer's Body"

Tomorrow’s sounds today.

7. Tainy with J Balvin, Young Miko and Jowell & Randy- "Colmillo"

Everything at once.

8. Yebba- "Waterfall (I Adore You)"

Chasing.

9. Flatland Cavalry- "Spinnin'"

Heartsick honky tonk.

10. Drake- “IDGAF”

An extended ECM Records sample!

Top Ten Performances of October

1. Hilary Hahn at the Folly Theater

My review.

2. Thomas Rosenkranz at White Recital Hall

My review.

3. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater

My review.

4. Brent Cobb and Meg McRee and Knuckleheads

My review.

5. Alien Nosejob, Citric Dummies and CKrit at Howdy

My review.

6. Chamber Music Masterclass with Michael Stern at Helzberg Hall

My Instagram photo.

7. Stan Kessler, Brant Jester, Bob Bowman and Zach Morrow at the Blue Room

My Instagram clip.

8. Vintage Crop, Jackoffs and Konrad Hell and the Highwaters at Farewell

My review.

9. Carl Butler, Dennis LaFoon and Terry Hancock- Gospel Lounge at the Gospel Lounge

My Instagram clip.

10. Musica Sacra- Arrupe Hall at Rockhurst

My Instagram photo.

The previous monthly survey is here.

Guess Who I Saw Today

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

As I feared, Samara Joy performed “Guess Who I Saw Today” at the Folly Theater two weeks ago. Yet by turning the threadbare standard inside out, the celebrated star won me over. I was pleased to have put my money where my mouth is. One or two of my November concert recommendations for KCUR should likewise provide satisfactory returns on my out-of-pocket investments.