May 2026 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Glyndebourne’s production of Gioachino Rossini’s “Il turco in Italia” by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of May 2026
1. Alexander Hawkins- No Nation but Imagination
The pianist with Nicole Mitchell, Rhodri Davies, Matthew Wright and Hamid Drake.

2. Jeff Parker and ETAIVtet- Happy Today
My review.

3. Aja Monet- The Color of Rain
Jazz poetry for the 21st century.

4. Gabrielle Cavassa- Diavola
My review.

5. JPEGMAFIA- Experimental Rap
All of the lights.

6. Drake- Habibti, Iceman and Maid of Honour
My review.

7. Yvonne Rogers- The Button Jar
Somewhere between Erik Satie and Bill Evans.

8. Latto- Big Mama
Fruitful.

9. Isaiah Rashad- It’s Been Awful
Same.

10. Chris Potter- Alive With Ghosts Today 
Homage to John Brown.

The Top Three Reimaginings and Live Sets of May 2026
1. Ahmed- Play Monk
Evidence.

2. Laurie Anderson and Sex Mob- Let X=X
Big science.

3. Salem- Red Dragon
Grimy hexes.

The Top Ten Songs of April 2026
1. Seu Jorge and Maria Rita- “Vento De Maio”
The winds of May.

2. Jay Wheeler- "Rubio"
Bad Bunny has reason to be concerned.

3. Joey Quiñones- “Soul Steady Situation”
My new theme song.

4. Silvana Estrada and pablopablo- “Antes De Ti”
Before you.

5. Genesis Owusu featuring Duckworth- "Hellstar"
Mothership connection.

6. Charli xcx- “Rock Music”
Punchline pop.

7. Vince Staples- “Blackberry Marmalade"
All fall down.

8. Stik Figa- “Blac Top Griot”
Ode to Rich Tha Factor.

9. Yazz Ahmed- "Dawn Patrol"
Early light.

10. Duval Timothy, Carlos Niño and Nate Mercereau- “ideations on rain”
Cleansing.

The Top Ten Performances of May 2026
1. Isata Kanneh-Mason at the 1900 Building
My review.

2. Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis and Evgeny Kissin at the Folly Theater
My review.

3. Brian Haas, Zak Pischnotte, Shanté Clair, Seth Andrew Davis, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram snapshots here, here, here and here.

4. Rod Fleeman, Gerald Spaits and Ray DeMarchi at Black Dolphin
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Matt Otto, Adam Schlozman and Joey Panella at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshots here, here and here.

6. Keith Benjamin and Eliza Bickers at Village Presbyterian Church
My Instagram clip.

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

8. Sierra Richardson at Asbury United Methodist Church
My Instagram clip.

9. Joe Cartwright, Steve Rigazzi and Brian Steever at Ted’s Taproom
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Sundog at the Orion Room
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Concert Review: Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis and Evgeny Kissin at the Folly Theater

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Two of my (former) best friends recently suggested I train artificial intelligence tools to write my blogs. How dare they! AI might be capable of replicating my cadence and tone, but I refuse to believe machines have the capacity to anticipate my emotions, ideas and impulses. Of course, there is one notable exception that justifies the insensitive proposal. I’ve written dozens of interchangeable concert reviews containing the following elements.

• I buy a last-minute, bargain-priced front-row seat for a recital by internationally renowned classical musicians.

• Witnessing the performances at close proximity allows me to scrutinize the technique, tics, attire and even the smells of artists. I’m occasionally able to follow along on musicians’ sheet music.

• I add dubious commentary on the worth of individual compositions.

• While I’ve tried to stifle the impulse in the past year, I regularly call out members of the audience for intrusive noisemaking.

I didn’t ask robots to crank out text about the appearance of violinist Joshua Bell, pianist Evgeny Kissin and cellist Steven Isserlis at the Folly Theater on Thursday, May 28. Nor did I tell machines that I paid $35 (before fees) for a choice seat amid the capacity audience of more than 1,000 to hear works by Solomon Rosowsky, Dmitri Shostakovich and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Did I like it? Try asking AI.

Concert Review: Joshua Bell and Alessio Bax at Helzberg Hall

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

The reacclimation process will be more difficult than anticipated.  Less than two weeks after I posted an essay about how the sonic flaws common to classical recordings make the music more approachable, related forms of distraction irritated me at the first ticketed classical concert I attended in 2021.

A variety of sonic and visual static diminished a distressingly brief and acutely hushed recital by Joshua Bell and Alessio Bax at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, October 2. The concert opened the 2021-22 season of the Harriman-Jewell Series Series.

Much of the audience of about 500 was obligated to contend with the desperate flailing of a large man in the second row of Helzberg Hall during the 65-minute performance.  Clearly experiencing extreme physical discomfort, he frantically fanned himself with a program.  I was genuinely concerned for his welfare.

A phone alarm sounded between the first and second movements of Maurice Ravel’s Violin Sonata No. 2.  An ill-timed cough marred an interpretation of a Giacomo Puccini aria.  And a man near me was compelled to accompany the musicians by eliciting a remarkable range of creaks from his wobbly seat.

My noisy neighbor may have been inspired by Bell.  Edvard Grieg’s Violin Sonata No. 3, the dramatic opening piece, allowed the star to explore multiple facets of the violin.  While I felt no affinity for the composition, Bell’s ballyhooed technical faculties were astonishing.

A rendition of Ernest Bloch’s earthy “Nigun” was more interesting, but the twists and turns of the Ravel sonata were a revelation.  Having never heard the jazz-tinged piece, the dissonance- punctuated by Bell’s occasional gasps- shocked me.  It was precisely the kind of noise I’m eager to embrace.