Vijay Iyer

March 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for the Royal Opera’s production of Charles Gounod’s Faust by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of March 2025
1. Vijay Iyer and Leo Wadada Smith- Defiant Life
Resistance.

2. Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson- Bone Bells
“What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells.”

3. Destroyer- Dan’s Boogie
Regrettably, I know just what he means.

4. Nels Cline- Consentrik Quartet
My review.

5. clipping.- Dead Channel Sky
Overcast.

6. Anouar Brahem- After the Last Sky
Light in darkness.

7. Jan Lisiecki- Preludes by Chopin, Bach, Rachmaninoff, Messiaen, Górecki
All killer, no filler.

8. Bob James and Dave Koz- Just Us
My review.

9. Slim Thug and Propain- Double Cup
Still tippin’.

10. Stik Figa and DJ Sean P- A Small Fortune
Buried treasure.


The Top Three Reissues, Repackagings and Reimaginings of March 2025
1. Art Pepper- Geneva 1980
Late-career fire.

2. Neil Young- Oceanside Countryside
Previously unreleased 1977 album.

3. Branford Marsalis Quartet- Belonging
A replication of Keith Jarrett’s 1974 album.


The Top Ten Songs of March 2025
1. Nathy Peluso- “Erotika”
Salsa. 

2. PremRock featuring Cavalier and Elucid- “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
Bad guys.

3. Billy Woods and Kenny Segal- “Misery”
Muck and mire.

4. feeble little horse- “This Is Real”
Debaser.

5. Mackenzie Carpenter- “Gone Fishing”
Hook, line and sinker.

6. Maren Morris- “Carry Me Through”
Self help.

7. Black Country, New Road- “Happy Birthday”
Fourpenny opera.

8. Dierks Bentley featuring Stephen Wilson Jr.- "Cold Beer Can"
Pop a top.

9. Little Simz- "Free"
Priceless.

10. TheBabeGabe and The Human featuring Monogram- "1999"
They were dreaming when they wrote this.


The Top Ten Performances of March 2025
1. Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift at Knuckleheads
My review.

2. Branford Marsalis Quartet at the Folly Theater
My review.

3. Dead Heat, Stakes Is High, Failure Drill and Honey at Howdy
My Instagram clip.

4. Leonidas Kavakos and Danil Trifonov at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Leonkoro at the 1900 Building
My Instagram snapshot.

6. Bram and Lucy Wijnands and the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra at the Folly Theater
My review.

7. Thomas Dunford at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
My Instagram snapshot.

8. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Becoming a Redwood: The Songs of Lori Laitman and Dana Gioia” at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Dawson Jones at Green Lady Lounge
My review.

10. The Lyric Opera’s “Cruzar la Cara de la Luna” with Mariachi los Camperos at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.


The previous monthly recap is here.

February 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of Lise Davidsen in the trailer for the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La forza del destino.”

The Top Ten Albums of February 

1. Heems- Lafandar
My review.

2. Lee “Scratch” Perry- King Perry
My review.

3. Hera Hyesang Park- Breathe
The soprano’s imaginative song cycle.

4. Kali Malone- All Life Long
A secular service.

5. Joel Ross- nublues
Blue notes.

6. James Brandon Lewis Quartet- Transfiguration
The saxophonist with Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones and Chad Taylor.

7. Ben Allison, Steve Cardenas and Ted Nash- Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols
My review.

8. Arcangelo- Handel: Theodora
A revelatory new recording of the 1750 oratorio.

9. Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh and Tyshawn Sorey- Compassion
Piano trio nonpareil.

10. DJ Harrison- Shades of Yesterday
My review.

The Top Ten Songs of February 

1. Little Simz- “Mood Swings”
Schizophrenic.

2. GloRilla- “Yeah Glo!”
Glow-up.

3. Terrace Martin- “Kill Bill”
Smooth jazz revival.

4. Scott H. Biram- “Inside a Bar”
Set ‘em, Joe.

5. Sierra Ferrell- “I Could Drive You Crazy”
Insane earworm.

6. Ducks Ltd.- "On Our Way to the Rave"
Another jangle-pop miracle.

7. Thee Sinseers- “Hold On”
Little bit o’ soul.

8. Hatis Noit featuring Armand Hammer- "Jomon (Preservation Rework)"
Ancient to the future.

9. Gabito Ballesteros and Natanael Cano- "Proyecto X"
Trippy corrido tumbado.

10. Logan Richardson- “Black to the Point”
My album review.

The Top Ten Performances of February 

1. Militarie Gun, Pool Kids, Spiritual Cramp and Spacing at recordBar
My review.

2. Folk Alliance International Conference, Day One (Willi Carlisle, Justin Adams and Mauro Durante, Freedy Johnston)
My review.

3. Jeremy Denk at the Folly Theater
My review.

4. Folk Alliance International Conference, Day Three (Jolie Holland, Ensemble Sangineto, Mitsune)
My review.

5. Folk Alliance International Conference, Day Two (Trond Kallevåg, Louisa Stancioff, Humbird)
My review.

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

7. Desmond Mason, Angela Ward, DeAndre Manning and Jaylen Ward at the Blue Room
My Instagram clip.

8. The Kansas City Wind Symphony at Village Presbyterian Church
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Pinnacle Winds at St. Peter & All Saints Episcopal Church
My Instagram clip.

10. Mire Pral at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.



The previous monthly recap is here.