May 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Welsh National Opera’s production of Giacomo Puccini’s “Il trittico” by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of May

1. Brad Mehldau- After Bach II
Variations.

2. Sexyy Red- In Sexyy We Trust
Dazzling party album #1.

3. Grupo Frontera- Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada
Dazzling party album #2.

4. Sisso and Maiko- Singeli Ya Maajabu
My review.

5. Vince Staples- Dark Times
Gloom.

6. Mdou Moctar- Funeral for Justice
My review.

7. Borderlands Trio- Rewilder
Feral improv.

8. André Schuen- Schubert: Winterreise
Harrowing lieders.

9. Jessica Pratt- Here in the Pitch
Far-out freak-folk.

10. Childish Gambino- Atavista
Everybody’s working for The Weeknd.

The Top Ten Songs of May

1. Carly Pearce- "Fault Line"
(Un)happy hour.

2. Amyl and The Sniffers- "U Should Not Be Doing That"
Can’t stop.

3. Yahritza y Su Esencia featuring Michelle Maciel- “Nivel Dios”
Quite possibly the best band in America.

4. Nduduzo Makhathini- "Water Spirits: Izinkonjana"
Dolphin dance.

5. Kendrick Lamar- "euphoria"
King Kendrick is back.

6. Chief Keef featuring Lil Gnar- "Jesus"
Show me the way.

7. Beres Hammond- "Let Me Help You"
Sweet relief.

8. La Luz- "Always in Love"
Forever.

9. Yaya Bey- "iloveyoufrankiebeverly"
Before I let go.

10. Randy Travis- "Where That Came From"
Digging up bones.

The Top Ten Performances of May

1. Kate Kalina at Southminster Presbyterian Church
My Instagram clip.

2. Jeffrey Osborne at Ameristar Casino
My Instagram clip.

3. Alber’s “Born at Sea” at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram snapshot.

4. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
My review.

5. Alon Goldstein’s “Schumann and His World” at White Recital Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

6. Nick Luby and Susan Zhang at Meadowbrook Park
My review.

7. Bachathon XLV at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
My Instagram snapshot.

8. The Kansas City Symphony’s Mobile Music Box at Meadowbrook Park
My Instagram clip.

9. Jackie Myers, Matt Otto and Bob Bowman at Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Heidi Shea at St. John’s United Methodist Church
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Concert Review: Nick Luby and Susan Zhang at Meadowbrook Park

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I don’t believe I’d heard a Meredith Monk composition performed in the Kansas City area until Thursday, May 9. An unexpectedly daring concert at Meadowbrook Park surprised me. Unpromisingly billed as The Concert Truck, I’d supposed the Midwest Trust Center-sponsored piano duo of Nick Luby and Susan Zhang would present land-locked cruise ship pabulum.

Yet rather than covers of Billy Joel and Journey, the tandem’s impeccable setlist included compositions by Samuel Barber, Maurice Ravel, Béla Bartok, Meredith Monk, John Adams, William Grant Still and George Gershwin. Only “Rhapsody in Blue” seemed like a compromise. My date said Gershwin’s piece is still “trying to decide what it wants to be,” the most incisive commentary I’ve encountered during the composition’s centenary.

The informal setting negated a proper assessment of the quality of the playing. Distortion in the amplified sound, percussive thwacking from nearby pickleball courts and the shrieks of happy children muddled what may very well have been an otherwise impeccable performance.