I like Adele as much as the next romance-minded person. I’m also a day-one Snoop Dogg fan. And the latest batch of songs from the sublime collaboration of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss thrills me. But of all the music released on November 19, the artistic standout is Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: The Solo Recordings.

Where are the throngs of music lovers around the world singing the praises of Hasaan Ibn Ali’s excavated recordings from the rooftops? I’m doing my part by hailing one of the most profound sonic discoveries of 2021 in this humble forum.

Hasaan Ibn Ali sounds like Thelonious Monk’s evil twin on the 151 minutes of solo piano recorded from 1962 through 1965. The Philadelphian vigorously advances the avant-garde implications of Monk’s innovations. Some listeners will find the sketchy sound quality and an occasionally poorly tuned piano problematic. The off-kilter murk and incidental chatter actually compliment the heedless gusto of Ibn Ali’s approach.

Prior to this year, the 1965 album The Max Roach Trio featuring the Legendary Hasaan was the pianist’s only official recording. His violent muscularity is heard to good effect on "Almost Like Me" on that date. Yet Retrospect in Retirement of Delay, along with the similarly astounding April release Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album, necessitates a dramatic revision to the annals of American music.

William Brownlee

August 24, 2021

August 2021 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

William Brownlee

August 24, 2021

(Screenshot of Bye Bye Braverman by There Stands the Glass.)

Top Ten Albums (released in August, not including August 27 titles)

1. Jana Rush- Painful Enlightenment

The art of noise.

2. Abstract Mindstate- Dreams Still Inspire

My review.

3. Pink Siifu- Gumbo'!

Hey ya!

4. Shannon and the Clams- Year of the Spider

My review.

5. Tinashe- 333

Lucky numbers.

6. Max Richter- Exiles

Luminous.

7. Isaiah Rashad- The House Is Burning

Fire!

8. Bleachers- Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night

My review.

9. Boldy James and The Alchemist- Bo Jackson

Another hit.

10. Angelika Niescier and Alexander Hawkins- Soul in Plain Sight

European birds of a feather.

Top Ten Songs (Released in August)

1. Injury Reserve- "Knees"

“A tough pill to swallow.”

2. Jungle- "No Rules"

Anarchy on the dance floor.

3. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss- "Can't Let Go"

Ooby dooby.

4. Connie Smith- "I'm Not Over You"

Going under.

5. Rachika Nayar- "Memory as Miniatures"

What if Pat Metheny signed to Windham Hill instead of ECM?

6. Benny the Butcher- "The Iron Curtain"

Imposing.

7. Irreversible Entanglements- "Open the Gates"

“It’s energy time.”

8. Blackstarkids- “Juno”

Summertime blues.

9. Christina Bell featuring Fred Hammond- "Still Faithful"

Conviction.

10. $uicideboy$- “If Self-Destruction Was an Olympic Event, I’d Be Tanya Harding”

Going for gold.

Top Ten Films (viewed for the first time in August)

1. あん/Sweet Bean (2015)

Deliciously transcendent.

2. Moonlight (2016)

Hello stranger.

3. Blue Jasmine (2013)

Family feud.

4. The Wild Bunch (1969)

Desperados waiting for a train.

5. Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot/Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953)

French slapstick.

6. Bye Bye Braverman (1968)

Funeral for a friend.

7. La Collectionneuse/The Collector (1967)

Attractive people do ugly things in beautiful places.

8. CODA (2021)

High school musical.

9. The Falcon in San Francisco (1945)

Conventional potboiler.

10. The Tomorrow War (2021)

Goofy sci-fi romp.

Live Music

I swore off electing to place myself amid crowds in Kansas City after a disheartening experience at the airport as August began. The abhorrent behavior of halfwits and lunatics temporarily eradicated any possibility of enjoying myself at musical performances.

July’s recap and links to previous monthly surveys are here.