Roscoe Mitchell

January 2023 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer of Opera McGill’s production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of January

1. Sebastian Rochford- A Short Diary

Sad-sack Satie? Sold!

2. Elle King- Come Get Your Wife

Sounds like home.

3. The Art Ensemble of Chicago- The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris

Roscoe Mitchell and Moor Mother are my favorite dynamic duo.

4. Daniel Pioro- Saint Boy

My review.

5. Mette Henriette- Drifting

ECM-core.

6. Fred Hersch and esperanza spalding- Alive at the Village Vanguard

My review.

7. Obituary- Dying of Everything

Don’t I know it.

8. Kali Malone- Does Spring Hide Its Joy

My review.

9. Lil Yachty- Let’s Start Here.

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

10. Véronique Gens and Orchestre National De Lille- Poulenc: La voix humain

Allô!


Top Ten Songs of January

1. Måneskin- "Kool Kids"

Rock and roll hilarity.

2. Bizzy Banks- "Ok Ok Ok"

Notarized.

3. Gloss Up featuring Icewear Vezzo- "From Cross the Way"

“Bouncin’ like them checks!”

4. Ice Spice- “In Ha Mood”

She’s no one-hit wonder.

5. Yahritza y su Esencia- “Cambiaste”

Change is the only constant.

6. Public Image Ltd- "Hawaii"

A beautiful sunset.

7. Belle and Sebastian- “Juliet Naked”

My favorite Nick Hornby novel.

8. Jill Barber- "Homemaker"

Tammy lives.

9. SleazyWorld Go- “Robbers and Villains”

Grimy side.

10. Boygenius- "$20"

Three is a magic number.


Top Ten Performances of January

1. Pretty Yende- Folly Theater

My review.

2. Mike Dillon and Brian Haas- The Brick

My review.

3. Miguel Zenón Quartet- Folly Theater

My review.

4. Oran Etkin- Polsky Theatre

My review.

5. Kinnor Philharmonic- White Theatre

My review.

6. No Treble- InterUrban ArtHouse

My Instagram photo.

7. OJT- Green Lady Lounge

My review.

8. Scott Looney, Kevin Cheli, Krista Kopper, Seth Davis and Evan Verploegh- Westport Coffee House

My review.

9. Venetophilia- Kansas City Public Library

My Instagram clip.

10. Charles Williams, DeAndre Manning and Mike Warren- Eddie V’s


The previous monthly survey is here.

September 2021 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer of 奇跡 by There Stands the Glass.

Screenshot of the trailer of 奇跡 by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums (released in September)

1. Mathias Eick- When We Leave

My review.

2. Borderlands Trio- Wandersphere

My review.

3. Nala Sinephro- Space 1.8

My review.

4. Drake- Certified Lover Boy

Infuriatingly undeniable.

5. Roscoe Mitchell- Dots: Pieces for Percussion and Woodwinds

Solemn incantations from the auspicious octogenarian.

6. Moor Mother- Black Encyclopedia of the Air

Urgent poetry.

7. Pat Metheny- Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)

My review.

8. Lea Desandre- Amazone

Sensual baroque chamber music.

9. RP Boo- Established!

Zany Chicago footwork.

10. The Count Basie Orchestra- Live at Birdland

My review.


Top Ten Songs (released in September)

1. Tokischa and Rosalía- "Linda"

Besos.

2. Priya Ragu- "Lockdown"

Not so solitary.

3. Chlöe- "Have Mercy"

Oh Lord.

4. Lauren Alaina- "On Top of the World"

My album review.

5. Lydia Loveless- "Let's Make Out"

“The maid won’t be here until nine or ten.”

6. Amyl and the Sniffers- “Don’t Need a **** (Like You to Love Me)”

Rock’s not dead.

7. Paul Wall and Rich The Factor- "Countin' Paper"

Stacks.

8. Kirby- "Coconut Oil"

Silky.

9. Lady Blackbird- "Fix It"

Peace piece.

10. Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch- “Im Rhein, im schönen Strome”

I’ve contracted a nasty case of Lisztomania.


Live Music

The books I read outnumbered the shows I attended in September.  I intend to venture out a lot more in October. I’ve even timed a trip to Detroit to catch a concert by an artist listed above who has conspicuously bypassed Kansas City for years.


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

1. Lawrence of Arabia: Director’s Cut (1962)

T.E. Lawrence as white savior.

2. Body and Soul (1925)

Paul Robeson’s first film.

3. Hoří, má panenko/The Firemen’s Ball (1967)

Shameful Czech corruption.

4. The Golden Ring: The Making of Solti’s Ring (1965)

My notes.

5. Street Girl (1929)

Betty Compson stars in a racy Jazz Age musical.

6. 奇跡/I Wish (2011)

Japan is now at the top of my travel wish list.

7. Cairo (1942)

Loopy wartime musical with Ethel Waters.

8. Take a Giant Step (1959)

Johnny Nash plays a beleaguered teen.

9. The Outhouse: The Film, 1985-1987 (2019)

“My” version of the Kansas venue- Tupelo Chain Sex, Sonic Youth, the Georgia Satellites, etc.- receives short shrift in the documentary.

10. The Courier (2021)

By-the-numbers cold war spy thriller.

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