There Stands the Glass

The Top Ten Albums of June 2025
1. Ches Smith- Clone Row
The month’s best Mary Halvorson album.

2. Karol G- Tropicoqueta
Summertime, and the living is G-easy.

3. Little Simz- Lotus
Full bloom.

4. Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, William Parker and Mat Maneri- Armageddon Flower
Scratchy bouquet.

5. Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon- Come As You Are
California dreaming.

6. Comet Gain- Letters to Ordinary Outsiders
My review.

7. John Zorn- Fantasma
The month’s second-best Ches Smith album.

8. Tech N9ne- 5816 Forest
My review.

9. Mary Halvorson- About Ghosts
The month’s second-best Mary Halvorson album.

10. Alexandre Tharaud- Satie: Discoveries
Twenty-seven recently uncovered miniatures.

The Top Three Reissues, Repackagings and Reimaginings of June 2025
1. Bruce Springsteen- Tracks II: The Lost Albums
The promised land.

2. Ella Hanshaw- Ella Hanshaw's Black Book
Amazing grace.

3. Charles Mingus- Mingus in Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts
Disheveled in 1977.

The Top Ten Songs of June 2025
1. Erykah Badu and the Alchemist- “Next to You”
Contact high.

2. Charlie Hunter and Ella Feingold- “Shirley Chisholm”
Heroes.

3. Mocky- “Wiggle Room”
Free space.

4. Alfa Mist- “Avoid the Drones”
In the shadows.

5. Lyra Pramuk- "Babel"
Towering.

6. Nick León featuring Esty and Mediopicky- “Millenium Freak”
Characterized.

7. Seven Davis Jr.- “Don’t Crash Out Challenge”
Danger.

8. Lil Wayne- Lil Wayne- “Welcome to Tha Carter”
Tha Carter VI isn’t all bad.

9. Offset and JID- “Bodies”
Missing Migos.

10. Norah Jones and John Legend- “Summertime Blue”
Premium cheese.

The Top Ten Performances of June 2025
1. Wayne Hancock and IV at Live at the Divide (Bozeman)
My Instagram clips are here and here.

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

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

4. Dave Wickerham at the Kansas City Music Hall
My Instagram clip.

5. EMAS’ Extra Large Electro-Acoustic Big Band at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.

6. Beth Watts Nelson at Trailside Center
My Instagram clip.

7. Matt Otto, Aaron Sizemore, Forrest Stewart and Taylor Babb at the Music House
Instagram clip.

8. Overland Park Civic Band at Indian Creek Recreation Center
My Instagram clip.

9. Allied Saints at Meadowbrook Park
My Instagram clip.

10. Stan Kessler, Rod Fleeman and Joey Panella at Market at Meadowbrook
Instagram snapshot.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Original image of Nils Frahm at the Big Ears Festival by There Stands the Glass.

I’ve waved off criticism concerning the presence of songs by a couple of notoriously awful men on my Best Songs of 2020 list. One’s a compulsive jerk. The other is a convicted criminal. While many of their actions disgust me, I’m not willing to pretend I don’t admire their work.

Charles Mingus was an unsavory character. His problematic behavior doesn’t lessen my appreciation of his brilliance. After obsessing over @ Bremen 1964 & 1975 in recent days, I admire Mingus more than ever. The new four-hour set documents of a pair of ferocious German concerts.

Even though I’d previously heard hours of Mingus’ material from these eras, I’m struck by the immediacy of the Bremen shows. The message of the artistic and societal prophet is just as urgent today as it was decades ago. Bursting with caustic rage, absurd pastiches and futuristic blues, both sets contain the best type of protest music.

The bands operate as cohesive units, but pianist Jaki Byard occasionally outshines saxophonist Eric Dolphy on the first date while the genius of pianist Don Pullen stands out amid the 1975 all-star band. A mountain of Mingus- including instructive footage of the 1964 tour- has long been available. But when it comes to one of the most consequential artists of the previous century, too much can never be enough.

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I might have dismissed Tripping with Nils Frahm had I not caught an hour of the talented cult hero’s appearance at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville last year. The new live set showcases the German’s remarkable range. Frahm offers safe harbor for people who’ve aged out of electronic dance music but have yet to dig Bill Evans.

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In order to keep my daily opera streak alive- the count is now up to 261- I turn to relatively compact compositions when I’m busy or suffering from opera-induced ennui. Grainy footage of the Bavarian State Opera’s rowdy 1965 staging of Carl Orff’s “Der Mond” recently reminded me that a curious gander at a 71-minute obscurity can be as rewarding as a three-hour immersion in a classic work.

June 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Mingus, Nils and Orff