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What music besides jazz do you listen to?


AfricaBrass

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UNNNNbelievable!  I actually get to talk about my wife's favorite music for a change!  She's a big Steve Roach fan.  I can't say I'm a big fan, but it's listenable.  Sort of "Gee, Mr. Roach, I love your stuff--if I ever have trouble sleeping, all I have to do is listen to your music!"  I'll have to get some Mickey Hart for her if it's in the same vein...

The Mickey Hart album I like is called At the Edge. Planet Drum is not quite as good, but still interesting. Those are the only two I've heard. The book he wrote called At the Edge is pretty cool, too. Also, the "world" series he produced for Rykodisc is superb. Especially Eclipse, by Hamza El Din (oud, vocals and percussion), and Venu, with Hariprasad and Zakir Hussain. Timeless music that I never get sick of hearing.

Edited by Joe G
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Besides jazz -

Blues (from the 20's through the 60's - occasionally later if it's good.) Gospel (again, not much after the 60's - we old guys have our limitations.) Country (mostly honky tonk and the people who came out of that, some bluegrass, some Western swing, some early country.) Music from other cultures (mostly African and Latin, some reggae, some klezmer, some Cajun, etc.) Folk (for the most part, oddball people like Michael Hurley, the Holy Modal Rounders, Fahey, Patrick Sky, early Buffy Sainte-Marie. Hope they aren't offended by being called oddballs - not the usual folk suspects is what I mean.) Older r&b and rock 'n' roll. Some soul (not much into funk, other than JB and Sly.) When I listen to music other than jazz, I'm usually listening for singers with beautiful and/or distinctive voices. I've been starting to listen to some classical music, but so far I've had a tough time getting into that. I'm sure it will come around eventually.

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I like anything with catchy melodies or interesting songwriting, and wrapped in a vibe or atmosphere that I'm comfortable with (usually somewhat dark). This stretches out to accomodate all sorts of genres. Some of my favorites:

-70s soft rock

-30s/40s/50s American Standards

-almost anything on the 4AD label through 1992

-1970s prog rock

-punk

-late70s-mid 80s post punk/new wave

-New Wave of British Heavy Metal

-the first wave of LA Hair Metal bands (pre-1985), and those bands who aren't from LA, but fit in that genre

-1980s Sophisti-pop

-classical music from the Romantic period (Rossini, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev)

-I'm warming up to some country music. Lately, I found I LOVE Johnny Paycheck's "Colorado Cool-Aid"

I like listening to specific music at specific times of the year---Summer always makes me take out shameful Hair Metal, like Ratt, Motley Crue, Def Leppard---songs about girls and crusin' in the sun. The Fall and Winter draws me towards anything introspective and dismal.

Jazz has its place in my listening year-round, as it should! We all know nothing really tops it! :)

Edited by jmjk
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Hey B3er,

I'm a HUGE Genesis fan as well. Love all their stuff. But I was introduced to the Phil Collins era first and then discovered the Gabriel era. I loved Phil's interpretations of Gabriel era songs on the live "Seconds Out" album. That's how I first heard "The Carpet Crawlers", "The Lamb Lies Down", "Firth Of Fifth", and "Suppers Ready". When I did finally hear the original studio versions with Gabriel, they took me a little while to adjust to. But I did, and really love both eras. But the drumming by Chester Thompson and Bill Bruford on that "Seconds Out" album is just amazing! And when Phil joins in on his kit, it becomes a tour-de-force!! Incredible interplay! LUV that stuff... :)

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Hey B3er,

I'm a HUGE Genesis fan as well. Love all their stuff. But I was introduced to the Phil Collins era first and then discovered the Gabriel era. I loved Phil's interpretations of Gabriel era songs on the live "Seconds Out" album. That's how I first heard "The Carpet Crawlers", "The Lamb Lies Down", "Firth Of Fifth", and "Suppers Ready".

Second's Out was my first exposure to the songs of the PG era of Genesis too, and that live version of "Firth of Fifth" is still my favorite. Hackett's guitar solo gives me goose bumps! Check out his vibrato. And Mike's bass pedals during the solo! Man, it's enough to make my hair stand on end.

I owe my love of 12-string guitar to these guys, as displayed on Foxtrot's "Can Utility and the Coastliners" and the "Supper's Ready" intro. Steve Hackett's playing had a profound influence on how I play guitar. After all these years, I'm STILL trying to master his solo on "Fountain of Salmacis".

As a complete album, I'd have to vote for Selling England... as my favorite. To me, that was the pinnacle of the PG-Genesis era. The Lamb had a lot of great tracks (In the Cage, Back in NYC, Fly on a Windshield/Broadway Melody of 1974, Carpet Crawlers, It, etc...), but I thought there was a lot of filler on it too. I can listen to Selling England...over and over, edge to edge, without jumping the needle.

I think post-PG Genesis had some credibility too. Trick of the Tail was nice (I love it when Phil sings part of Supper's Ready on the fade out in "Los Endos"), Wind and Wuthering had some great moments, And Then There Were Three is over the top in some sections; "Deep in the Motherlode" and "Down and Out" really hit me. After these records, the catalog gets spotty for me. Duke and Abacab have their charms, but not edge to edge.

Stop me!! I could talk about Genesis all day!!

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Can I change tack completely?

Does anyone listen to much Scriabin?

I haven't heard much Scriabin, though I have liked what I have heard.

Most of my 20th century Russian composer listening has been taken up by Prokofiev and Shostakovich. I really enjoy Prokofiev's symphonies.

My favorite 20th century composer is the American, Charles Ives. I was taking a music appreciation course in college the where first heard his, Three Places in New England. I almost fell out of my chair. I loved it so much. It had an incredible use of dissonance.

Any Scriabin recommendations? I'd love to hear more.

:rsmile:

Clinton,

I'm also a BIG Fahey fan. I have most of his reissues on Takoma. I enjoyed his older stuff more than his recent recordings. Have you ever heard Jim O'Rourke's Bad Timing cd. That's one of my favorites in the Fahey vein.

I'm also a fan of the rural stuff. I've picked up the Dock Boggs and Stanley Brothers reissues on the Revenant label. Heck, I even play banjo too.

I have a couple John Martyn records. I picked them up years ago when I read that he was friends with Nick Drake. One lp is a John and Beverly Martyn record (Stormbringer) and the other is Solid Air. I think I listened to each one once years ago. I should give them another chance.

I also dig some minimalism and electronic music.

We are so fortunate to have so many types of music to enjoy!

:rsmile: :g :rsmile:

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For Scriabin, I'd perhaps start with the 'Poem of Ecstasy'; a work right at the extremities of the Romantic tradition - and 'Romantic' there could have had a small 'r'.

Apart from that, the 10 piano sonatas offer a nice overview of his style, which could very crudely be divided into two periods; off the top off my head (and I haven't listened to them in a while, in all honesty), I think the first 4 sonatas would represent his earlier, more 'Romantic' period; whereas he goes out and further out in some of the others!

I find my friends who listen to jazz more easy to introduce to his work, actually, because there's lots of quartal harmony which is pretty recognisable from McCoy Tyner, etc.!

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Depends on my mood. I will go for fairly long periods of time listening strictly to jazz. Then, when the mood strikes, I will go on a classical music jag, particularly piano music- sonatas, concertos, etc. I love classical piano. My appreciation for classical violin is also growing. I'd say, in the course of a year, my listening is split 50/50 jazz/classical. I actually like rock as well, but my listening to that is restricted to the car. It just seems to go better there.

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For Scriabin, I'd perhaps start with the 'Poem of Ecstasy'; a work right at the extremities of the Romantic tradition - and 'Romantic' there could have had a small 'r'.

Tonight, I picked up a 2cd set that contains Scriabin's 3 symphonies and the Poem of Ectasy. I listened to the PoE in my car. I really liked it. I plan on listening to the cds all weekend.

Thanks again, Red, for the recommendation!

:rsmile: :g :rsmile:

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I like most anything. I almost always listen to jazz on my own. But I really listen to stuff when I'm just hanging out around the town. I live in a pretty eclectic town, so you're bound to hear most anything. Most stuff triggers something in my mind. It could be a bluegrass song, AC/DC cover band I pass by, some classical thing in a movie, an old middle of the road worn out radio hit from the 70's. I'm usually surprised what will intrigue me. Most anything.

The one thing I really don't dig is Reggae. I know, a cardinal sin, but it's never attached itself to me. I do like ska when I hear it, and Bob Marley, but other than that.....I'm not a fan.

Anything "roots" and American you can count me in pretty much. Not much of a "world" music fan though, except stuff like Latin, Cuban, ect I'm a big fan. And African. Ragas are not high on my list.

Let me put it this way...I bought a Albert Ayler CD and a George Jones CD when I went to the record store last night. Even the audio-weary guy behind the counter thought that was pretty odd.

Edited by Soul Stream
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  • 9 months later...

Classical and rock mainly, though I keep an open mind and ear. For the former, I particularly enjoy baroque, late romantic, and early 20th-century works. For the latter, mainly metal (the real thing: old Metallica, Megadeth, Black Sabbath, etc., not 80's pop metal hair bands), classic punk, alternative/college rock, classic rock (Zep, Hendrix, etc.). I also like some new-agey electronic stuff, like old Tangerine Dream.

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