There Stands the Glass

The Top Ten Albums of August 2026
1. Linda May Han Oh and Melissa Aldana- Beneath Lifted Skies
Stunning duo #1.

2. Miguel Zenón y Luis Perdomo- El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 3
Stunning duo #2.

3. Skúli Sverrisson and Bill Frisell- For All Your Flowers
My review of stunning duo #3.

4. Sarah Davachi- The Will of Tongues
Deific whispers.

5. Bruce Liu- Lunaris
Celestial piano.

6. Henry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer and Dafnis Prieto- Fifteen
Gold-plated improvisations.

7. Jorja Smith- What Are the Odds
The sweetest taboos.

8. Evil Island- Terraform the Afterlife
My review.

9. Erykah Badu and the Alchemist- Before the World Blows
Faded.

10. Ben Goldberg- Dog Hypnotic, Spillway Four, Optical, Trouble Trouble, For Bobby, Dreaming Upon Waking, Just What You Thought You Wanted and Rock Band
My review.

The Top Three Reissues and Compilations of August 2026
1. The Cramps- Gravest Gravy
Be-bop-a-lula.

2. Iréne Schweizer- Prelude to a Kiss and More
Solo piano at Volkshaus Zürich in 1986.

3. John Williams- Legacy
My review.

The Top Ten Songs of August 2026
1. Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats featuring Yabba- "Difference"
Prog rap.

2. Nicole McCabe and Savannah Harris- "Monstera"
The sound of the moment.

3. Sylvie Courvoisier- "At Risk"
With Patricia Brennan, Thomas Morgan and Dan Weiss.

4. Mike Shabb featuring Mike- “Dontsweatit!”
Swampy.

5. Fat Joe, Pusha T and Dre- “Set of Keys”
Unlocked.

6. Ela Minus & Nick León- "qué les pasó a mis amigos?"
Fast friends.

7. Natanael Cano- “Mar Azul”
Asea.

8. Karol G- "Alguien que te amaba"
One of the better tracks from a disappointing album.

9. Lambchop- “Just West of Nicollet”
Darkness.

10. The Odyssey Cult- “Our First Trip”
Freak scene.

The Top Ten Performances of August 2026
1. J. Cole at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

2. French Organ Festival at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
My Instagram clip.

3. Logan Richardson at the Gem Theater
My review.

4. The Kansas City Symphony with Blake Pouliot at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Ted’s Taproom
My review.

6. Charles Williams, DeAndre Manning and Kenny Watson at First Baptist Church
My Instagram clip.

7. Made in France at French Market
My Instagram clip.

8. David Chael, Aaron Sizemore, Greg Whitfield and John Kizilarmut at Music House
My Instagram clip.

9. Twice on Sunday at Thompson Park
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Jam session at 515 Music Hub
My Instagram snapshot.

The previous monthly recap is here.

The artists associated with Kansas City’s Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society are so prolific that I occasionally struggle to keep up with their output. Ben Goldberg, a Bay Area musician with similarly freewheeling improvisational inclinations, made the collective look like a bunch of slackers by releasing eight albums on August 8.

Each features a different lineup and stylistic approach. The sole constant is Goldberg’s distinctive clarinet, a sound bearing only cursory resemblances to the tones of Benny Goodman and Ken Peplowski. The releases range from mainstream(ish) swing to avant ambience.

Guitarist Will Bernard (Optical), saxophonist John Ellis (Spillway Four), pianist Myra Melford (Trouble Trouble) and percussionist Kenny Wollesen (Dog Hypnotic) are Goldberg’s most auspicious collaborators, but most of the musicians previously unfamiliar to me are no less impressive.

A proper explanation of Goldberg’s 8 x 8 initiative- he turned 66 on August 8- is available here. I like all eight albums, but a ranking of my preferences follows. Anyone with the audacity to question my judgement might begin with a generous sampler featuring two tracks from each of the admirable albums.

1. Ben Goldberg and Kenny Wollesen- Dog Hypnotic
2. Ben Goldberg- Spillway Four
3. Ben Goldberg- Optical
4. Ben Goldberg- Trouble Trouble
5. Ben Goldberg- For Bobby
6. Ben Goldberg with William Winant- Dreaming Upon Waking
7. Ben Goldberg- Just What You Thought You Wanted
8. Ben Goldberg- Rock Band

August 2026 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Albums Review: Ben Goldberg's 8 x 8 Initiative