September 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Welsh National Opera’s production of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of September 2025

1. Trio of Bloom- Trio of Bloom
Nels Cline, Craig Taborn and Marcus Gilmore.

2. Vox Clamantis- Pärt: And I heard a voice
Spectral spirituality.

3. Olivia Dean- The Art of Loving
Near-perfect pop.

4. Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura- Ki
Spartan piano and trumpet duo.

5. Cécile McLorin Salvant- Oh Snap
My kind of mixtape.

6. Atmosphere- Jestures
My review.

7. Mulatu Astatke- Mulatu Plays Mulatu
Ethiopian twilight.

8. Rochelle Jordan- Through the Wall
Don’t stop ‘til you get enough.

9. Les Arts Florissants- Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice
Oui français.

10. Jeff Tweedy- Twilight Override
One’s too many and thirty ain’t enough.

The Top Three Reissues and Reimaginings of September 2025

1. Joni Mitchell- Joni’s Jazz
One side now.

2. Kassa Overall- CREAM
My review.

3. Gary Bartz- The Eternal Tenure of Sound: Damage Control
Slow jamz.

The Top Ten Songs of September 2025

1. El Michels Affair featuring Norah Jones- "Carry Me Away"
Surf.

2. Kali Uchis featuring Raven Lenae- “Cry About It!”
Rainin’ in my heart.

3. Mariah Carey featuring Anderson Paak- “Play This Song”
Grown-and-sexy.

4. Rauw Alejandro featuring Mon Laferte- "Callejón de los Secretos"
Boulevard of broken dreams.

5. Tortoise- “Layered Presence”
Slow and steady.

6. Danny Brown- “Starburst”
Glitchy and twichy.

7. Black Lips- “Sx Sx Sx Men”
Filthy numerology.

8. Speed- "Peace"
Only one mode.

9. Lorna Kay- “I’m Never Drinking Again (Again)”
Hair of the dog.

10. Mike Reid and Joe Henry- “History”
Lovely lament.

The Top Ten Performances of September 2025

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

2. 10cc at Ranch Mart Shopping Center
My review.

3. Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds and Dan Jones and the Squids at recordBar
My Instagram clips here and here.

4. Isaac Cates’ Affirmations: A Night of Worship with Oleta Adams, Callie Day, Angela Crawford, Alicia Peters-Jordan and Chrystal Rucker at the Church of the Resurrection
My Instagram clip.

5. Devin Gray at The Ship
My Instagram clip.

6. Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sánchez at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

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

8. Henry Scamurra, Isaiah Petrie, Spencer Reeve and Jade Harvey at the Prairie Village Jazz Festival
My Instagram clip.

9. Nathaniel Gumbs at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
My Instagram clip.

10. Rex Hobart and the Honky Tonk Standards at SarKoPar Trails Park
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

June 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Polish National Opera’s production of The Secret Life of Paintings by 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.

March 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Original image of Kevin Miller and Lawrence Brownlee by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of March

1. Jlin- Akoma
Fancy footwork.

2. Tierra Whack- World Wide Whack
(Frank) Oceans of fun.

3. Véronique Gens- Paysage
French soiree.

3. Moor Mother- The Great Bailout
Overdue.

5. Norah Jones- Visions
A beautiful mirage.

6. Amirtha Kidambi- New Monuments
Prog-jazz.

7. Ethnic Heritage Ensemble- Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit
Astral planes.

8. Charles Lloyd- The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow
With Jason Moran, Larry Grenadier and Brian Blade.

9. Future and Metro Boomin- We Don’t Trust You
En garde!

10. That Mexican OT- Texas Technician
My review.

The Top Ten Songs of March

1. Bill MacKay- “Glow Drift”
Unhalfbricking.

2. Adrienne Lenker- “Free Treasure”
Gifts abound.

3. Charlie Parr- "Pale Fire"
Luminous.

4. Waxahatchee- “Burns Out at Midnight”
Return of the grievous angel.

5. DannyLux- "Maldito Alcohol"
Cautionary tale.

6. Mike featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Tony Shhnow- "On God"
Dead friends.

7. Anysia Kim featuring Mike- “In Doubt?”
Uncertain.

8. Matt Champion featuring Dora Jar- "Steel"
Boy band breakout.

9. Chief Keef and Mike Will Made-It featuring 2 Chainz- "Pull Up Ghost Clan"
Chiraq.

10. Lekin- “714”
Both sides now.

The Top Ten Performances of March

1. Lawrence Brownlee at the Lied Center
My review.

2. David Lord at Farewell
My review.

3. Ema Nikolovska at the Folly Theater
My review.

4. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Roméo et Juliette” at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

5. Sleater-Kinney at the Truman
My Instagram clip.

6. The Kansas City Symphony’s Matthias Pintscher Conducts Symphony Dances: ‘West Side Story’ and Rachmaninoff with Philippe Quint at Helzberg Hall
My review.

7. Danielle Nicole, Brandon Miller and Go-Go Ray at Records with Merritt
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Seth A Davis, Kwan Leung Ling, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at 7th Heaven
My Instagram clip.

9. Bryan Hicks, Rod Fleeman and Rich Hill at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Nya at the Blue Room
My Instagram snapshot.

The previous monthly recap is here.