There Stands the Glass

The Top Ten Albums of July 2026 (through July 26)
1. Play Time- Magic Object
My review.

2. Lesley Mok- transient
My review.

3. Charli xcx- Music, Fashion, Film
Pop nihilism.

4. Oscar Maydon- Música En Mi Jetski
The cure for the summertime blues.

5. Matt Otto- Ephemeral
My review.

6. Nu Jazz- Un Jazz
My review.

7. Orquesta Akokán- América!
Mambo!

8. Punch Brothers- The Unsung Adventures of Punch Brothers
Highfalutin pickin’.

9. Willow- The Thread
Arena-jazz.

10. Jack White- Frozen Charlotte
He’s back in Wichita.

The Top Three Reissues and Reimaginings of July 2026 (through July 26)
1. Gary Stewart- One Track Mind
Jukin’.

2. Seamus Blake- EH!: Plays the Music of Eddie Harris
Trying to make it real.

3. Nicholas Payton and Butcher Brown- A Supreme Blue
A bad idea made good.

The Top Ten Songs of July 2026 (through July 26)
1. Shenseea- “Brucksweat”
Sweltering.

2. Larry June and DJ Fresh- “Organic Motion”
Blurry.

3. Tinashe- “Crash Out”
Psychotic reaction.

4. Ken Carson with Playboi Carti- “deaf note”
What?

5. Fathers- “STUB”
Nate Smith, Kiefer, Carrtoons and Kenny Beats.

6. Dinner Party- "Piece of Mind"
Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin and 9th Wonder.

7. Syd featuring James Fauntleroy- "Any Time"
Diamonds and pearls.

8. Nick Hakim- “The Reason”
Slow jam.

9. Show Me the Body- “Do What’s Right (Happy)”
Backsliding.

10. Rome Streetz featuring Westside Gunn- "Marathon Or Race"
Tortoise and hare.

The Top Ten Performances of July 2026 (through July 26)
1. Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams and John Doe at Starlight Theatre
My review.

2. Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society’s “A Convocation of Exoplanets” at Charlotte Street Foundation
My review.

3. Graham Nash at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

4. Gerald Spaits’ Sax & Violins at Greenwood Social Hall
My review.

5. Drew Williams, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at the Ship
My Instagram snapshot.

6. The Overland Park Civic Band at Thompson Park
My Instagram clip.

7. JWB with Ernest Melton at 515 Music Hub
My Instagram clip.

8. Trinity Jazz Ensemble at Prairie Baptist Church
My Instagram clip.

9. Eboni Fondren at Vine Street Brewing
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Sally’s Tomato at Black Dolphin
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Original image of Roger Waters concert by There Stands the Glass.

I’d never been to a Pink Floyd or Roger Waters concert prior to Saturday, September 3. There’s a perfectly good reason for my neglect: I never acquired a taste for the musicians’ post-Syd Barrett form of grandiose art-rock.

Yet the combination of Waters’ age- he was three days shy of 79 on Saturday- and a bargain price of $22 for seats in the upper rafters of the T-Mobile Center- compelled me to give in. I spent portions of the night wishing I wasn’t there.

Not even the crystal-clear contributions of jazz saxophonist Seamus Blake and drummer-to-the-stars Joey Waronker in the immaculate sound field could alter my assessments of songs from Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall I’ve always disliked.

Much of the audience of about 10,000 consisted of the same people who attend home games of the Kansas City Chiefs. But marijuana smoke rather than beer vendors filled the aisles. And instead of football, fans took in a torrent of Bernie Bro screeds.

The laundry list of demands and grievances displayed on the massive video array quickly became tiresome. I may agree with sentiments including “Yemeni rights” and “free Julian Assange,” but relentless hectoring is always a drag. Yet Waters had the last laugh.

Presumably inspired by Saturday’s rendition of "Us and Them", I dreamed I lived in a gated compound in a war-torn country later that night. As insurgents were about to break down the door of my home, I contemplated how much I’d miss air conditioning.

July 2026 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Concert Review: Roger Waters at T-Mobile Center