Many of my friends and associates in Kansas City are suffused with joy by an annual tribute to David Bowie. Their exaltation gladdens me. I sensed the communal ecstasy while taking in a couple minutes of a livestream of a sold out show at recordBar on Saturday, January 25.

After hitting a jazz gig, I paid $25 to enter recordBar’s small sister venue miniBar that night to catch Chicago footwork pioneer Traxman’s final North American show prior to his European tour.

About three dozen people danced to the innovator’s electronic beats. Mesmerized, I doubled my daily step count without realizing I’d been moving. I knew Bowie- an artist famously loath to repeat himself- was with me in spirit.

William Brownlee

November 30, 2024

November 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

William Brownlee

November 30, 2024

Screenshot of Garsington Opera’s production of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Platée by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of November

1. Willie Nelson- Last Leaf on the Tree
Take my mind.

2. Rogê- Curyman II
MPB.

3. 070 Shake- Petrichor
Rarified pop.

4. Žibuoklė Martinaitytė- Alethia
Crucial choral music.

5. Maxo Kream- Personification
Tall tales from Texas.

6. Kendrick Lamar- GNX
Trying to recover the plot.

7. Johnny Coles- Mister Sweet Whisper
Jazz poetry.

8. Dorinda Clark-Cole- Determined
Abundance.

9. The Body- The Crying Out of Things
My review.

10. Black Dog- Sleep Deprivation
Dark ambiance.

The Top Ten Songs of November

1. The Weeknd featuring Anitta- "São Paulo"
Jet set.

2. Tyler The Creator, GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne- “Sticky”
Gumming up the works.

3. Traxman- “I Want U to Ghost”
Spectral footwork.

4. Trap Dickey featuring BigXthaPlug- “No Love”
Cold.

5. Clipping- "Keep Pushing"
Open the door.

6. Kim Deal- "Disobedience"
Uncivil.

7. Grupo Frontera featuring Oscar Maydon- "¿Qué Te Parece?"
Sos grande.

8. Girls of the Internet featuring Allysha Joy- "The Middle"
House.

9. Horsegirl- "2468"
Got me in my Feelies.

10. Mekons- “You’re Not Singing Anymore”
Cursed.

The Top Ten Performances of November

1. Peter Schlamb, Matt Otto, Matt Villinger, Sebastian Arias and Zach Morrow at the Ship
My Instagram clip.

2. UMKC Opera’s production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” at White Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

3. Dunedin Consort’s “J.S. Bach: St. John Passion” at Atonement Lutheran Church
My Instagram snapshot.

4. Ernest Melton, Parker Woolworth, Jordan Faught and Jalen Ward at In the Lowest Ferns
My Instagram clip.

5. Paul Rudy, Thomas Rosenkranz, Seth Andrew Davis and Dan DiPiero and three student ensembles at the Diastole Scholars’ Center
My Instagram clip.

6. Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Opera to Go” at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City
My Instagram clip.

7. Tomoko Iguchi and Karen Savage at Yardley Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Charles Perkins, Roger Wilder, Gerald Spaits and Brian Steever at Yardley Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Extra Large Experimental Big Band at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram clip.

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

The previous monthly recap is here.