h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've just finished listening to Kenny G. His music is very good for background music. I can't fault his music much, but I'm sad that the greatest pioneers in jazz aren't higher in the charts. Not that it bothers them, as they're all dead. Oh, well.

One website that I went to said that the audience for jazz declined quite a bit in the 1980s. What little audience is left is divided among the conservatives [Straight-ahead jazz, which tries to preserve the original Dixieland style] and various types of innovators who try to match rock trends. You want hip hop? There's Hip Hop Jazz. You want rap? There's rap jazz. You like acid rock? There's a jazz equivalent. There are some youngish jazz performers with good careers -- Kenny G, Chick Corea, Harry Connick, Jr. -- so jazz isn't likely to fall off the face of the Earth. The glory days of the first half of the 20th Century aren't going to come back, though.

In my opinion, jazz is perfect background music. It always brings a smile to my face. There are small jazz groups in many areas. When a local library boosters group put on a Roaring 20's party last March, they hired a local jazz combo to provide music.

I am a proud member of the local "Riverside Jazz Club" and have been since I moved back here in 1998. Once a month there is a nice concert - usually plaid by traditional jazzbands from around Europe - and during the summer there are free concerts in the town square

Back home and at the office I mostly listen to rock, folk, classic and a little pop though

I like fusion of jazz and rock. Try to listen to Jon Hisemen's bands Colosseum and Colosseum II, preferably the album "Valentyne Suite"

Right now I'm listening to the Louis Armstrong CD that I've had for years: a selection of 1940's tracks that Louis recorded with small bands.

American folk music exploded in the 1950s and 1960s, and then went into a decline. Maybe other countries have had a different situation with their folk traditions. The Smithsonian Institution [a large museum in Washington, D.C.] issued a large set of archival folk recordings in the early 1950s. Most folk performers since then have been influenced by it. I have a set of CDs of that collection somewhere, but can't find it. I may have to buy a second copy. There are some wonderful tracks on it.

In a little over a month, my POP/FOLK/ROCK/JAZZ/COUNTRY collection has grown to 64 CDs. I'm probably going to take a hiatus from collecting for a while, so I can listen to what I have and get more familiar with it. I can post the list if you're interested.

That could be inspirational, so post away

our wish is my command....except that I just ordered 8 more and found one I had forgotten I had, making the total 73:

INDEX: ONE-LINE VERSION:

[JAZZ]--Armstrong, Louis // Pops, The 1940's Small-Band Sides
[HUMOR]--Bach, P.D.Q. // The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach
[JAZZ]--Basie, Count // Ken Burns JAZZ Collection - Count Basie
[ROCK]--Beach Boys // 20 Good Vibrations, The Greatest Hits, Volume 1:
[ROCK]--The Beatles // Abbey Road
[0.0.][ROCK][--The Beatles] // [The Beatles 1 [greatest hits]:
[0.0.][ROCK][--Bee Gees] // [Best of Bee Gees:
[FOLK]--Belafonte, Harry // Very Best of Harry Belafonte
[POP]--Bennett, Tony // Ultimate Tony:
[0.0.][JAZZ][--Calloway, Cab] // [Best of Cab Calloway:
[0.0.][POP][--Carey, Mariah] // #1's by Mariah Carey
[COUNTRY]—Cash, Johnny. // Icon
[JAZZ]--Clooney, Rosemary // Essential Rosemary Clooney
[JAZZ]--Cole, Nat King // The Very Best Of Nat King Cole
[POP]--Como, Perry // Very Best of Perry Como
[COUNTRY]--Denver, John // Definitive All-Time Greatest Hits
[ROCK]—Diddley, Bo // The best of Bo Diddley
[0.0.][POP][--Dion, Celine] // [All The Way...A Decade of Song
[SWING]--Dorsey, Tommy // Greatest Hits
[COUNTRY]--Dylan, Bob. // Nashville Skyline
[JAZZ]--Ellington, Duke // Greatest Hits:
[R&B]—Franklin, Aretha. // Respect and other hits
[JAZZ]--G, Kenny // Classics in the Key of G:
[R&B]--Gaye, Marvin // Every Great Motown Hit of Marvin Gaye
[JAZZ]--Holiday, Billie // 16 Most Requested Songs
[POP]--Houston, Whitney // The Greatest Hits, 2 CDs
[FOLK/IRISH]--Irish Rovers // The best of the Irish Rovers
[ROCK]--Jackson, Michael // The Essential Michael Jackson, 2 CDs
[0.0.][POP/ROCK][--Joel, Billy] // [Greatest Hits, 2 CDs
[ROCK]--John, Elton // Elton John: Greatest Hits 1970-2002, 2 CDs
[FOLK]--Kingston Trio // Greatest Hits
[POP]--Lawrence, Steve & Gorme, Eydie // Best of Steve & Eydie
[0.0.][ROCK][--Led Zeppelin] // [Mothership:
[HUMOR]--Lehrer, Tom // That Was the Year That Was, 1964:
[0.0.][COUNTRY][--McEntire, Reba] // [Greatest Hits:
[ROCK]--Madonna // Immaculate Collection:
[0.0.][POP][--Martin, Dean] // [All-Time Greatest Hits:
[POP]--Mathis, Johnny // Johnny Mathis Gold, a 50th anniv. celebration
[ROCK]--McCartney, Paul // Wings Greatest:
[0.0.][SWING]--Miller, Glenn] // [Greatest Hits:
[FOLK]--Mitchell, Joni // Hits :
[HUMOR]--Monty Python // Monty Python Sings
[0.0.][ROCK/POP][--Morisette, Alanis] // [Collection:
[0.0.][ROCK][--Morrison, Van] // [The Best of Van Morrison
[0.0.][POP][--Murray, Anne] // [The Best ...So Far:
[COUNTRY]--Nelson, Willie // 16 Biggest hits
[FOLK]--Paxton, Tom // Very Best of Tom Paxton
[FOLK]--Peter, Paul And Mary // Peter, Paul And Mary - 1st LP:
[0.0.][POP/FRENCH][--Piaf, Edith] // [Voice of the Sparrow: Very Best of Edith Piaf
[ROCK]--Presley, Elvis // 30 #1 Hits
[ROCK]--Queen // Greatest Hits I & II, 2 CDs
[COUNTRY]--Rogers, Kenny // 20 great years:
[0.0.][COUNTRY][--Rogers, Roy & Evans, Dale] // [Songs of the Old West
[ROCK]--The Rolling Stones // Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2):
[ROCK]—Ronstadt, Linda // Blue bayou and other hits:
[0.0.][ROCK][--Santana] // [The Best Of Santana
[0.0.][SWING][--Shaw, Artie] // [Greatest Hits:
[HUMOR]--Sherman, Allan // My Son, The Greatest: The Best Of Allan Sherman
[POP]--Sinatra, F // Classic Sinatra
[JAZZ]--Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, vol. 1
[JAZZ]--Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, vol. 2
[JAZZ]--Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, vol. 3
[JAZZ]--Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, vol. 4
[0.0.][ROCK][--Springsteen,Bruce] // [Greatest Hits
[POP]--Stewart, Rod // The Great American Songbook, vol. 5
[POP]--Streisand, Barbara // The Essential Barbra Streisand, 2 CDs
[0.0.][COUNTRY]--Thomas, B J] // [Greatest Hits
[JAZZ]--Torme, Mel // 16 Most requested songs
[0.0.][COUNTRY][--Twain, Shania] // [Greatest Hits
[JAZZ]--Vaughan, Sarah // The Best of Sarah Vaughan
[DISCO]--The Village People // The Best of the Village People
--[0.0.][POP][--Williams, Andy] // [Greatest Hits:
[ROCK]Wonder, Stevie // The Definitive Collection

What I great day I've had! Two pop CDs arrived in the mail, I bought three more at a record store, and I borrowed one from the library.

I got home and listened to [in order] Reba McEntire, The Carpenters, Little Richard, and Van Morrison. Every one was a gem. The two I haven't played yet are by Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga. I already know I'll enjoy Ricky Martin, and I'm hoping Lady Gaga will come through...

Interesting combo I must say

So glad you enjoyed Van The Man

Van Morrison has a rather heavy voice -- sort of a cross between Johnny Mathis and Bob Dylan. That he's able to wield it effectively and musically is to his credit -- Dylan wasn't always able to. But there's a *lot* more than singing on the CD. The material is first-rate, several cuts above most of what's out there. If Van Morrison wrote all or most of it, he deserves his reputation as a master. Plus, the instrumental backup is first-rate. I recognized several songs. Over the years, I've heard instrumental transcriptions of them in elevators or stores or while being on hold on the telephone.

"Interesting combo I must say."

Juxtaposing very different eras and styles is the whole point of my exercise. This, morning, I heard Pachelbel's organ music, followed by Ricky Martin's "Sound Loaded" [which I like a lot]. The next CD will be choral works by Georges Bizet. There is no way I could get bored with such constant variety .

My goal is to have CDs by 200 different 20th Century popular artists. Granted, there are many more than that to choose from, and I'm not doing justice to the ones I do choose. Plus, there are a few I do have that might be dropped [Alanis Morisette and Mariah Carey, for instance. Celine Dion will probably be kept because she has some basic musicality; She can be effective in building a song from soft to loud].

Give Christina Aguilera a chance. The girl can SING!

I know, I know. I saw and heard her in "Burlesque." In any event, I'm slowly working my way down a list of 155 pop stars/bands. She's between Willy Nelson and Tom Petty in the "50 million albums sold" category. I'm still trying to decide how to handle the ones that have sold 120 million.

Plus, there are essential people who aren't on the list. Today, I picked up Harry Connick Jr., Barry Manilow, Hank Williams, and Tim McGraw in budget versions.

I just finished listening to CD 1 of a 2-CD set of Billy Joel hits. I can't *believe* how many of these songs I've heard before.It's astonishing! I had no idea who was singing these songs, and now I do. Does that count for something? [With one exception. I sang "New York State of Mind" with my outreach group in 2002, as part of a tribute to the victims of 9-11.]

I'm gradually getting a better grasp of who sings those songs I hear here and there.

Pierce, I'm sorry I was impatient about Christina Aguilera. I see she has 8 or 9 albums out there,not counting the workout cds and the movie soundtracks. Should I select "Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits?"
Should I borrow a copy of her Spanish-language cd? Of her albums, which do you think is the best?

There are six Hispanic artists on the list I mentioned.

The men are:

Santana
Ricky Martin
Johnny Mathis

The women are:

Shakira [I'm listening to her as I write this]
Gloria Estefan
Christina Aguilera [her father was from Ecuador]

Honestly, I don't know. I just hear Aguilera on the radio and occasionally watch her on tv. I never knew she had recorded in Spanish.

But I knew that of Shakira (a Colombian, I think?) who at one time had a boyfriend who was the son of Argentinas president. There were a lot to choose among since they changed president in Argentina every other week back then .

Shakira was a household name throughout South America before she began singing in english - and now is a household name in most of the world.

I have followed Santana since the very early 70's. He and Paul Simon turned my attention to latin american music which I have enjoyed very much ever after. Reggae included (Bob Marley, Third World).

I once bought a used copy of "Paul Simon in concert with Urubamba and The Jesse Dickson Singers". Loved it! About a year later I had the chance to see Paul live at Tivoli Concert Building in Copenhagen/Denmark - and to my great surprise and even greater joy he was still touring with Urubamba and The Jesse Dickson Singers and played the entire album for me live! Plus a lot of other songs as well, of course.

A couple of years later I saw Simon and Garfunkel on their reunion tour, this time an open air concert in our national stadium on a warm summer night. It was fabulous!

Thanks for waking up these fond memories, paulh

I just noticed Paul Simon received the very prestigious Polar Music Prize - together with renowned cellist Yo-yo Ma no less.

If you get the chance watch this video from the award show where Simon and Ma are sitting on either side of our cousin, King Carl Gustaf, his wife, his daughter and his son-in-law

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMcZcvHtffU

The Polar Music Award was founded by the late manager of Swedish pop band ABBA. Bob Dylan received it a few years back

I listened to Simon & Garfunkel's greatest hits the other day.

Oh, I left out Vicento Fernandez, a Mexican singer who specializes in ranchero music.

There are still a few dozen names that I've never heard of before. This is a very research-intensive project. I'm probably going to wear out before I've explored all that's out there.

My CD of the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" soundtrack just arrived. Right now I've gotten to the track where the dwarves sing "Hi,ho, Hi, ho, It's off to work we go." "Pinocchio" and "Cinderella" came, too.

Are you saying Vicento Fernandez sold more than 50 million albums? I've never even heard of him!

Regional pop stars are like that, Pierce. Mexico is next to Texas, where Fernandez has many fans. He has a huge turnout when he gives concerts in Texas. Not being a Texan,I had never heard of him either.

Here's a pop band that's much closer to your area: A-ha, which comes from Norway, though they needed to go to England in order to advance their careers.

In Asia, there are a few pop stars and bands that I had never heard of: B'z, Dreams come true, Mr. Children, and Ayumi Hawasaki. All hail from Japan. Strangely enough, the one Japanese ensemble that I *had* heard of -- Pink Lady -- wasn't on the list. France has Johnny Hallyday. Germany has Boney M and James Last. One of them [can't remember which] is a big band. I figured that if I was going to have big bands represented in my collection, I should go with the likes of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Duke Ellington, even though they weren't on the list.

James Last is the one with the big band. Being invited to play with it still is a kind of an accolade.

We have a Danish pop band called "Michael Learns to Rock" which is - well, known here - but in Southeast Asia they are as huge as The Beatles used to be here!

Johnny Hallydays i known here - but only by name. We know he's been huge in France, but we don't know why.

I was a busy beaver today.

I picked up affordable cds by Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, and And Alan Jackson. Christina shows a lot of promise in the song "Hurt." I hope she will do more like it. Alan Jackson is a country singer who is a delight from beginning to end. I'm just about to play the Lady Gaga cd. I heard a library copy of it a few days ago, so it's not going to offer any surprises. I just want to make sure it plays right...

My plat list for today was:

The Beatles: 27 hit singles
Mozart: Piano concerti #19 and #20
Puccini: La Boheme [highlights]
Boismortier: six sonatas for violin and flute
C.P.E. Bach: Magnificat
Haydn: 3 early symphonies
Andy Williams' Greatest hits

[The Andy Williams CD came in the mail today, and it's on "Dear heart," the fourth song now. "Hawaiian Wedding song" will be the next one, following by "More."]

I have been listening a lot to Bob Dylan's "'Cross the Green Mountain" lately (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8). Just like "Blind Willie McTell" (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1-3) I don't understand why he didn't include this song on one of his "real" albums. It's fascinating!