The Top EPs of 2025

Only because the rollout of his recent work was so aggravating, I disqualified Makaya McCraven for this exercise. I dispensed with the four excellent EPs released by the disruptive musician in 2025 by collectively placing them at #9 in this ranking. A few household names are interspersed with weirdos of all stripes in the following list of multi-song sets with run times of less than thirty minutes.

1. Gabriel Jacoby- gutta child
D’Angelo lives.

2. Nathy Peluso- Malportada
Dizzying salsa.

3. Prism Quartet- El Eco de un Tambor
My review.

4. Earl Sweatshirt- Live Laugh Love
More rap songs.

5. Maruja- Tir na nÓg
My review.

6. Adrian Younge- Something About April III
Orchestral MPB.

7. Billy F Gibbons- Cruising with Billy F Gibbons
Beer drinker and hell raiser.

8. Rafiq Bhatia- Each Dream, A Melting Door
Paint them black.

9. Xiao- Control
Swedish power violence.

10. Hyldon- JID023
The Brazilian octogenarian revived and refreshed.

11. Jack White- No Name Live
Back in the garage.

12. Mavi- The Pilot
Underground sobriety.

13. Himari- Himari
Child prodigy.

14. Squint- Drag
Heavier than the Gateway Arch.

15. Stakes Is High- Stakes Is High
KC punx.

16. Lizzie Berchie- Night Shift
Lush neo-soul.

17. Sam Gendel and James McAlister- Diamond Staircase
One of several new Gendel EPs.

18. RMW and Maadcxmmander- Pretty Boy Swag
This, right here.

19. Julius Asal- Siena Tapes
Ravel recital.

20. DJ Python- i was put on this earth
Downcast beats.

21. Anysia Kym- Purity
Beats by Tony Seltzer.

22. Lazerbeak- To Be Tubing
Gently down the (Doomtree) stream.

23. Matt Pryor- The Salton Sea
Adult emo.

24. Flooding- adult 1
Kansas City art-punk.

25. Vince Gill- 50 Years from Home: Secondhand Smoke
Tender mercies.

The Top Reissues and Reimaginings of 2025

A bundle of cassettes containing unreleased Bruce Springsteen studio recordings was one of my most cherished possessions in the 1980s. Much of that material was officially released this year. Springsteen’s buried treasures meant more to me decades ago, but the following ranking reflects the sustained value of the illicit cache. Hours of obscure Sun Ra sounds also saw the light of day in 2025. I acknowledge that embarrassment of riches with only one listing. Caveat: I have yet to tackle new collections of rarities by icons including Anthony Braxton, Bob Dylan, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and the Who.

1. Bruce Springsteen- Tracks II: The Lost Albums
Perfect world.

2. Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska ‘82: Expanded Edition
Reason to believe.

3. Moor Mother- Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes
An orchestral reimagining of her 2019 album.

4. Anat Fort- The Dreamworld of Paul Motian
The pianist with Steve Cardenas, Garry Wang and Matt Wilson.

5. Woody Guthrie- Woody at Home, Vol. 1 and 2
Demos from heaven.

6. James Newton Quartet- Live in Willisau Switzerland 1983
The flautist with Geri Allen, Anthony Cox and Andrew Cyrille.

7. Larry June, 2 Chainz and the Alchemist- Life Is Beautiful: Chopped But Not Slopped
A lost art.

8. Nick Drake- The Making of Five Leaves Left
Time has told me.

9. Makaya McCraven- Off the Record!
His four 2025 EPs compiled.

10. Joni Mitchell- Joni's Jazz
One side now.

11. Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley- Flashing Spirits
Spectral sounds from 1988.

12. Irène Schweizer, Rüdiger Carl, Johnny Dyani and Han Bennink- Irène's Hot Four
Improvisational madness from 1981.

13. Charles Mingus- Mingus in Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts
A glorious mess from 1977.

14. Sun Ra- Uncharted Passages: New York Piano Soliloquies 1977-79
Solo.

15. Sviatoslav Richter- The Lost Tapes: Beethoven: Sonatas Nos. 18, 27, 28 & 31
Live in 1965.

16. Peggy Lee- Mirrors: Expanded Edition
Existential art songs.

17. Kassa Overall- CREAM
Covers rule everything around me.

18. Tedeschi Trucks Band and Leon Russell Present- Mad Dogs and Englishmen Revisited: Live at Lockn’
Feelin’ alright.

19. Willie Nelson- Oh What a Beautiful World
Willie on Rodney.

20. Art Pepper- Geneva 1980
Bird lived.

21. Rima Khcheich- Ya Man Itha: Tribute to Fouad Abdel Maheed
The Lebanese vocalist interprets the Egyptian composer.

22. Don Letts- The Rebel Dread at Echo Beach
Reggae party.

23. Branford Marsalis Quartet- Belonging
A fresh take on Keith Jarrett’s 1974 album.

24. Willie Nelson- Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle
Swinging doors.

25. Sister Irene O’Connor- Fire of God’s Love
Zany but persuasive gospel.

The Top Performances of 2025

Original image of Jake Heggie at Grant Recital Hall by There Stands the Glass.

I attended 154 concerts at 72 venues on 140 days during the first eleven months of 2025. Club-hopping accounts for the discrepancy. I didn’t attend any major festivals. The most expensive ticket I purchased cost $65. My total outlay for tickets, cover charges and tips for musicians was more than $2,500. A significant change in my personal life as well as the likelihood of my health insurance premiums tripling next year could mean that 2025 was my last hurrah as an avid concertgoer. If that proves to be the case, the fifty performances listed here are all the more meaningful.

1. Brad Mehldau and Christian McBride at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

2. Callie Day and Isaac Cates at Grant Recital Hall
My Instagram clip.

3. Wayne Hancock and IV at Live at the Divide (Bozeman)
My Instagram clips are here and here.

4. Jean-Efflam Bavouzet at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Speed, Whispers, Spine and Stakes Is High at the Ship
My Instagram clips are here and here.

6. Swamp Dogg at the Lawrence Arts Center
My review.

7. 10cc at Ranch Mart Shopping Center
My review.

8. Terence Blanchard with the E-Collective and Turtle Island String Quartet at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

9. OHMA at the 1905 (Portland)
My review.

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

11. Jake Heggie’s master class at Grant Recital Hall
My review.

12. Angela Hewitt at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

13. Traxman and Xanna at miniBar
My review.

14. Horsegirl, Sweeping Promises and Godcaster at the Bottleneck
My review.

15. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
My review.

16. Nick Hmeljak, Henry Scamurra, Isaiah Petrie, Jordan Faught and Jaylen Ward at Westport Coffee House
My review.

17. Hayden Pedigo and Jens Kuross at the Ship
My review.

18. The Gesualdo Six at Village Presbyterian Church
My Instagram clip.

19. Militarie Gun, Liquid Mike and Public Opinion at the Bottleneck
My review.

20. Butch Hancock, Bonnie Whitmore, My Politic, Aaron Lee Tasjan and BJ Barham at the Woody Guthrie Festival (Okemah)
My review.

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

22. Leonidas Kavakos and Daniil Trifonov at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

23. Isaiah Collier at the Old Church (Portland)
My review.

24. Destroyer and Jennifer Castle at the Warehouse on Broadway
My review.

25. David Chael, Danny Embrey, Gerald Spaits and Brian Steever at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

26. Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift at Knuckleheads
My review.

27. Elvis Costello at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram clip.

28. Deborah Brown and George Colligan at Upcycle Piano Craft
My Instagram clip.

29. Alexander Adams, Seth Andrew Davis and Jeff Goulet with Shanté Clair and Krista Kopper at Grand Avenue Temple
My Instagram clip and snapshot.

30. Maria Ioudenitch and Navo Chamber Orchestra at Southminster Presbyterian Church
My Instagram snapshot.

31. Leonkoro String Quartet at the 1900 Building
My Instagram snapshot.

32. Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds and Dan Jones and the Squids at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

33. Made in France at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.

34. Lil Wayne and Tyga at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

35. Bachathon at Village Presbyterian Church
My Instagram clip.

36. 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.

37. Vanessa Thomas, Kara Smith, Michael Pagán and Steve Rigazzi at the Blue Room
My Instagram clip.

38. Crystal Gayle at Ameristar Casino
My review.

39. Joseph Genualdi and Sean Chen at White Recital Hall
My review.

40. Isaac Cates, Oleta Adams and Callie Day at the Church of the Resurrection
My Instagram clip.

41. claire rousey and Gretchen Korsmo at Holocene (Portland)
My review.

42. Garibaldi Trio at the 1900 Building
My review.

43. Les Arts Florissants with Théotime Langlois de Swarte at the Folly Theater
My Instagram clip.

44. Bram and Lucy Wijnands with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestraa at the Folly Theater
My review.

45. Vine Street Rumble at Shawnee Town
My Instagram snapshot.

46. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Cruzar” with Mariachi los Camperos at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

47. David Finckel and Wu Han at the Old Church (Portland)
My Instagram snapshot.

48. Devin Gray at the Ship
My review.

49. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
My Instagram clip.

50. Deftones, Idles at the Barbarians of California at the T-Mobile Center
My review.



Last year’s concert ranking is here.

November 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for English National Opera’s production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of November 2025
1. Rosalía- Lux
A beautiful dark twisted fantasy.

2. SML- How You Been
Real good.

3. Camila Nebbia, Marilyn Crispell and Lesley Mok- A Reflection Distorts Over Water
Ripples.

4. Thomas Morgan- Around You Is a Forest
Duets with Ambrose Akinmusire, Bill Frisell, Henry Threadgill and more.

5. Young Miko- Do Not Disturb
Ring the alarm.

6. Juana Molina- DOGA
Buen perro.

7. Víkingur Ólafsson- Opus 109
Bach, Beethoven and Schubert.

8. Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones- New Monuments: Live in Vilnius
Volcanic eruption in Lithuania.

9. De La Soul- Cabin in the Sky
Just shy of heaven.

10. John Scofield and Dave Holland- Memories of Home
A bit too domesticated.



The Top Reimaginings and Reissues of November 2025
1. Rufus Wainwright and the Pacific Jazz Orchestra- I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Wainwright Does Weill
An excellent concept executed to perfection.

2. Willie Nelson- Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle
Silver wings.

3. Chet Baker- Swimming by Moonlight: New Music from the Documentary ‘Let’s Get Lost’
Crossed off everybody’s list.

The Top Ten Songs of November 2025
1. Charli xcx featuring John Cale- "House"
A sensational shock.

2. Danny Brown featuring Quadeca- “Book of Daniel”
Old Testament.

3. Navy Blue featuring Earl Sweatshirt- "24 Gospel"
New Testament.

4. Boldy James, Nicholas Craven, 50 Gwuap, Taj and Dave Hill- "Trifecta"
Jackpot.

5. Maria Becerra, El Alfa and Xross- “Hace Calor”
Fiery.

6. RNB.FOEMOB featuring That Mexican OT- “Let Go of My Cup”
Lean.

7. By.Alexander featuring Hawa, Ghostface Killah and Rapsody- “The Decoupling of the Nuclear Family”
Tomorrow’s sounds today.

8. Sharp Pins- “Popafangout”
A trip to Itchycoo Park.

9. Colter Wall- "Memories and Empties"
Set ‘em up, Joe.

10. Julian Lage- "Opal"
Bejeweled.


The Top Ten Performances of November 2025
1. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
My review.

2. OHMA at the 1905 (Portland)
My review.

3.  Hayden Pedigo and Jens Kuross at the Ship
My review.

4. David Chael, Danny Embrey, Gerald Spaits and Brian Steever at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

5. Claire Rousay and Gretchen Korsmo at Holocene (Portland)
My review.

6. Cory Weeds, Chris Hazelton, David Rourke and Rudy Petschauer at Westport Coffee House
My review.

7. Adam Galblum and Matt Villinger at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

8. Lena Khalaf Tuffaha at Arrupe Auditorium
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Matt Otto, Aaron Sizemore, DeAndre Manning and Mike Warren at the Music House
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Luke Tartar at Portland International Airport
My Instagram clip.



The previous monthly recap is here.

Concert Review: Samara Joy at the Folly Theater

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

A pastor implored me to write about the glorious experience when he spotted me at the conclusion of Samara Joy’s concert at the Folly Theater on Saturday, November 22. Funny he should ask.

“Come Sunday,” the first selection of Joy’s performance, begins with the plea “God above, please look down and see my people through.” I might have fallen to my knees in a posture of grateful prayer had my seat in the upper balcony allowed room for the gesture. 

Hearing Duke Ellington’s powerful hymn rendered by Joy’s magnificent instrument was a manifestly religious experience. Even the most contemptuous disbeliever amid the giddy audience of 1,000 must have sensed a divine presence.

I paid $30 for my uncomfortable perch. The face value of good tickets was $156, considerably more than the $60 I spent on a front row seat for Joy’s Kansas City debut in 2023. As one of the best vocalists alive, Joy deserves her success.

Joy’s band occasionally impedes on her God-given talent. Like a condensed version of Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the septet can be fusty. An extended Albert Ayler-esque duet featuring tenor saxophonist Kendric MacAllister and drummer Evan Sherman was a welcome exception.

The elevated exhibition of spiritual jazz further confirmed the concert’s sacrosanct tone. Even Joy’s approach to secular standards like “Lush Life” and “‘Round Midnight” were imbued with devotional intent that blessed listeners with heavenly grace.

Concert Review: Hayden Pedigo at The Ship

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I told the young Hayden Pedigo enthusiast seated next to me at the Ship that I suspected the guitarist from Amarillo was no more or less than the Leo Kottke of his generation. While I’m fond of Kottke, my comment was meant to be contentious.

Pedigo is one of the most fashionable musicians of 2025. His first headlining performance in Kansas City attracted about 200 hipsters on Wednesday, November 19. I paid $25 for a general admission ticket at the venue Pedigo said “reminds me of Season 1 of Spongebob.”

Kottke, an octogenarian acoustic guitar master who released his first album in 1969, is yesterday’s news. Pedigo currently dominates that space in the music press and social media. Sure enough, my new friend hadn’t heard of Kottke.

Pedigo’s 65-minute performance was a music nerd’s dream. He mentioned Blag Flag, John Fahey, Genesis, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell and Yes in a mid-show question-and-answer session or while introducing his songs.

I was charmed. Furthermore, my disputatious assertion was validated. Incredibly, Kottke still performs in mid-size theaters around the world. Pedigo would almost certainly be thrilled at the prospect of entertaining 500 fans in Kansas City fifty years from now.


Setlist: Smoked, Long Pond Lily, Elsewhere/Theme from Brokeback Mountain, Q-and-A session, Rained Like Hell, The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored, I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away

The Top Kansas City Albums and EPs of 2025

The Top Kansas City Albums of 2025

1. Mister Water Wet- Things Gone and Things Here Still
Astounding.

2. Carl Allen- Tippin’
Plastic Sax review.

3. Brittany Davis- Black Thunder
Plastic Sax review.

4. Emily D’Angelo, Ben Bliss, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Metropolitan Opera- Tesori: Grounded
Ben Bliss’ breakout performance.

5. Joyce DiDonato and Il Pomo d’Oro- Purcell: Dido & Aeneas
Rapturous.

6. Hermon Mehari and Tony Tixier- Soul Song
Plastic Sax review.

7. Pete Fucinaro- Little Window
Plastic Sax review.

8. Snocaps- Snocaps
Jangly.

9. Idle Heirs- Life is Violence and Life is Violence: The Instrumentals
Metallic crunch.

10. Tech N9ne- 5816 Forest
There Stands the Glass review.

11. Sandbox Percussion- Cerrone: Don’t Look Down
The only way is up.

12. Seth Andrew Davis and Krista Kopper- Popular Mechanics
Plastic Sax review.

13. Stik Figa- A Small Fortune
Buried treasure.

14. Henry Scamurra- Urban Forum
Plastic Sax review.

15. Kansas City Chorale- The Mirage Calls
Stellar suite.

16. Drew Williams- Demons Hate Fresh Air
Dank.

17. Samantha Fish- Paper Doll
Tougher than leather.

18. RMW- The King of Kansas City
There Stands the Glass review.

19. TheBabeGabe- Honeypop and Honeypop: Reloaded 
Delicious.

20. Jackie Myers- What About the Butterfly
In full flight.


21. Gerald Spaits- Sunday Night Live at Green Lady Lounge
Plastic Sax review.

22. Shiner- Beliveyoume
Truth.

23. Eddie Moore- What Makes Us
Plastic Sax review.

24. Shawn Edward Hansen- Radio Price Tower
Bartlesville ambience.

25. The Freedom Affair- The Freedom Affair
Elite retro-soul.

26. Ty Faizon- Until the War Is Won…
Rap battles.

27. Jake Wesley Rogers- In the Key of Love
In tune.

28. Brian Baggett Trio- Nothing Left to Lose; Live at Green Lady Lounge, Volume 2
Plastic Sax review.

29. Nathan Granner and the Barbary Coast Orchestra - Gordon Getty: Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Nathan Granner shines.

30. Drifter- Grigori
Doom.

The Top Kansas City EPs of 2025

1. Prism Quartet- El Eco de un Tambor
Plastic Sax review.

2. Stakes Is High- Stakes Is High
Frenetic.

3. Matt Pryor- The Salton Sea and The Salton Sea Demos
Middle-aged emo.

4. Flooding- object 1
Slowcore.

5. Lorna Kay- Lorna Kay
Burn another honky tonk down.

6. Rich the Factor- NFT Scritch 3
KC currency.

7. Greg LaFollette- Liturgical Songs, Volume One
Holy, holy, holy.

8. Flora From Kansas- Homesick
There’s no place like home.

9. The Almighty Trouble Brothers- A History of Poor Decisions
Up to no good.

10. Radkey- Victory
For the win.

Explanatory note: Each artist was limited to one release to prevent multiple recordings by the prolific Seth Davis, Greg LaFollette, Hermon Mehari, Rich Tha Factor, RMW, Stik Figa and Drew Williams from dominating the rankings. Last year’s tabulation is here.

Album Review: Wings’ Wings and Hüsker Dü’s 1985: The Miracle Year

Paul McCartney and Wings’ Band on the Run and Venus and Mars were among my favorite albums when I was a child. Lamentably, I hadn’t matured much when I became obsessed with Hüsker Dü’s Zen Arcade and New Day Rising a decade later.

I was displeased upon discovering Wings’ self-titled compilation and Hüsker Dü’s 1985: The Miracle Year were released on November 7. As much as I loathe revisiting my formative years, I felt obligated to evaluate the collections.

By all accounts, McCartney’s current American tour is triumphant. I’m pleased that hundreds of thousands of fans are having rapturous experiences. Listening to Wings, however, just made me sad. Rockers including “Junior’s Farm” now seem tame. Nonsense like “With a Little Luck” sounds worse than ever.

I’m less embarrassed by Hüsker Dü’s live set. Raw and ferocious, the forty-year-old recordings mirror my disheveled mindset at the time. The individual songs hold less appeal than Bob Mould’s frenetic howls and ragged guitar bashing. After investing four exhausting hours on the two releases, I needed a nap.

Concert Review: claire rousay and Gretchen Korsmo at Holocene

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I wondered how even the most enthusiastic fans of ambient music would manage to remain standing for two or three hours at a concert by claire rousay and Gretchen Korsmo at Holocene on Thursday, November 6. Light attendance and exceedingly brief performances made my concerns a mute point.

Folding chairs surrounding the dimly-lit makeshift stage accommodated the approximately 60 people who paid a $25 cover. Korso played 20 minutes. rousay played 45 minutes. The brevity of the sets made the evening seem like a glorified meet-and-greet. Dozens of devotees lined up to interact with rousay after the show.

The little music that was heard was excellent. In addition to fiddling with laptops and pushing buttons, both artists applied live instrumentation to pre-recorded sounds.

I was pleased when Rousay launched into the self-diss track "somehow" from her excellent new album a little death. Yet an explanation of the mysterious track wasn’t offered. I regret not joining the post-show queue to demand rousay dissect the song for me.

Concert Review: Militarie Gun, Liquid Mike and Public Opinion at the Bottleneck

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Where was everyone? Only about 150 people attended Militarie Gun’s performance at the Bottleneck on Wednesday, October 30. I haven’t been able to stop wondering why one of the best American rock bands to emerge in the last five years isn’t more popular.

Militarie Gun’s sold-out show at recordBar last year was my favorite performance of 2024. Bolstered by an underground hit, Militarie Gun seemed like the next big thing. I initially felt lucky to buy a $25 ticket in advance of the band’s first appearance in Lawrence, Kansas. Shows what I know.

What went wrong? The crossover moves on the new album God Save the Gun may have repelled day-one fans while failing to attract new listeners. It’s also possible the band’s primary themes of addiction, anxiety and isolation are too dark for most people. Furthermore, true punks may refuse to pay a $25 cover.

The most probable interpretation is that there’s simply a miniscule audience for non-nostalgic, punk-rooted rock in 2025. Less than half-capacity at a small club on a Wednesday night in a Midwestern college town is the apparent ceiling for what may be the world’s best rock band.

The discovery has to be incredibly disheartening to the members of Militarie Gun and absolutely devastating to its hand-picked opening acts Liquid Mike and Public Opinion. Divine intervention may be necessary to right this wrong. God save the gun.