September 2026 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for a Rossini in Wildbad production of Gioachino Rossini's La gazza ladra by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of September 2026
1. Carmen Villain- Memoria
Unforgettable.

2. András Schiff- Johannes Brahms: Klavierstücke
One-hundred minutes of splendor.

3. Oren Ambarchi- Cooked
My review.

4. Linda Sikhakhane- L I N D A
Produced by Nduduzo Makhathini.

5. Charlie Hunter- AM Clock Radio
My related review.

6. Kris Davis Trio- Lost in Geneva
With Robert Hurst and Johnathan Blake.

7. Jhené Aiko- Westside Whimsy
Bow down.

8. Lise Davidsen- Verdi
Arias.

9. Thee Sinseers- Love Stories
Top-tier retro-soul.

10. Arab Strap- Half-Told Tales
Transgressive fiction.

The Top Three Reimaginings of September 2026
1. Adam Wiltzie and Jóhann Jóhannsson- Friendship Survival Guide
Confidants.

2. Paul Griffiths and JACK Quartet- Samuel Beckett: Stirrings Still, with Music by Trevor Bača
Beckett in the bardo.

3. Branford Marsalis Quartet and Dianne Reeves- Dedicated to You
Lush life.

The Top Ten Songs of September 2026
1. Lizz Wright and Kenny Banks- “Deep River”
Crossing over.

2. Anna Butterss- “Beginningless”
Eternal.

3. Cyst- “Pest”
Infestation.

4. Original Koffee- “OVA SO”
Jamaican time machine.

5. Show Me the Body- "Rock Music"
Ultrameta OK.

6. Gilla Band- “Crisp Pop”
Queasy post-punk.

7. Rio Da Yung Og- "Milwaukee Bucks"
Brewtown.

8. AZ Chike and Tyler The Creator- “The World Is Ours”
Dream team.

9. Tania Giannouli and Nik Bärtsch- “Intonal”
Dueling pianos.

10. Jenny Scheinman- “Turns the Wagon Wheel”
Rolling.

The Top Ten Performances of September 2026
1. Bilal and Yaya Bey at Star Theater
My review.

2.  Zoh Amba and Bijoux Cone at Show Bar
My review.

3. Dae Bryant’s The Collective at the Montavilla Jazz Festival
My review.

4. Public Image Ltd. and Plague Vendor at Wonder Ballroom
My review.

5. Alden Hellmuth at the 1905
My review.

6. Four for King: The Life, Spirit, and Music of Nancy King at the Montavilla Jazz Festival
My review.

7. Wen’ipt at the Montavilla Jazz Festival
My review.

8. Gregory Allison at the Woodstock Farmers Market
My Instagram clip.

9. W4RP Trio at the Montavilla Jazz Festival
My Instagram clip.

10. Jenny Sizzler at Starday Tavern
My Instagram snapshot.

The previous monthly recap is here.

January 2026 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Theater an der Wien’s production of Gioachino Rossini’s L’occasione fa il ladro by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of January 2026
1. Kris Davis and the Lutoslawski Quartet- The Solastalgia Suite
A turbulent third stream.

2. Angelika Niescier- Chicago Tapes
The German saxophonist visits the Windy City.

3. Sault- Chapter 1
Rewriting the book of neo-soul.

4. Craig Taborn- Dream Archives
With Tomeka Reid and Ches Smith.

5. Zach Bryan- With Heaven on Top
Little pink houses.

6. Ari Lennox- Vacancy
Hole in her heart.

7. Haeun Joo- Just Gravity
Inescapable pull.

8. Makoto Ozone- For Someone
My review.

9. Joel Ross- Gospel Music
Persuasive testimony.

10. Hermon Mehari and NO(w) Beauty- (un)Seen
On sight.

The Top Three Reissues and Reimaginings of January 2026
1. Various- Naive Melodies
Real live wires.

2. Zach Bryan- With Heaven On Top (Acoustic)
Lonesome jubilees.

3. Grupo Um- Nineteen Seventy Seven
Return to forever.

The Top Ten Songs of January 2026
1. Callie Day- "Rely On You"
Live at Isaac Cates’ Affirmations service in Leawood, Kansas.

2. Jill Scott- “Beautiful People”
Everybody is a star.

3. Ella Langley- “Dandelion”
Deep in the weeds.

4. Rawayana featuring Manuel Turizo- “Inglés en Miami”
Speaking of Venezuela.

5. A$AP Rocky- “Punk Rocky”
The best track on a disappointing album.

6. By Storm- “Can I Have Your For Myself”
A tough pill to swallow.

7. Pat Metheny- “In On It”
I’m going with him.

8. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis- “Gestations”
Fully formed.

9. Camper featuring Alex Isley and RoseGold- “Sixteen Summers”
Silly love song.

10. Melissa Aldana- “La Sentencia”
Exquisite.

The Top Performances of January 2026
Travel, inclement weather and budget constraints prevented me from attending ten or more shows in a month for the first time since the pandemic.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Album Review: Borderlands Trio- Wandersphere

Piano trios needn’t be moldy. More than a quarter of the innumerable piano trio recordings issued every year are commendable. Wandersphere, a new release featuring pianist Kris Davis, bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Eric McPherson under the banner of Borderlands Trio, is something else entirely. The 2020 session possesses the same sort of palpable tension and momentous sense of occasion as the landmark 1963 album Money Jungle. Davis, Crump and McPherson may not be legendary figures like Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach, but the unrelenting interest they sustain throughout 116 minutes of deep improvisation rekindles the restless spirits of the jazz icons. Davis is one of the leading lights of improvised music. Crump, best known for his collaborations with Vijay Iyer, is boundlessly imaginative. McPherson’s cerebral contributions unify their dichotomous melodic pursuits. The audience for Wandersphere may be infinitesimal, but the artistic achievement is colossal.