My Favorite Artists

Note 1: The graphic images to the right are in no particular order. I will cover my favorite artists in alphabetical order ( to eliminate favoritism among my favorites;).

Note 2: WARNING – I have ZERO formal education in music. In high school I only learned how to play an instrument (and some required theory, such as scales). So, I cannot speak intelligently about the music produced by these artists. I can only relate what it is about their works that make them enjoyable to me.

Note 3: My listening interests lie mostly in studio recordings, not so much in live recording, nor unique one-off recordings.

As I am writing this section, I feel like I will be exposing more about what I DON’T know about these artists and their music, over what little I do know. This section is not intended to be a regurgitation of Wikipedia articles. It is intended simply to say what it is I like about these artists’ music – what it means to me and why I am attracted to it.

I DO hope to learn more about music theory in retirement – IF I can find enough time to do so.

Here, I am going to start my discussion of each of the artists shown to the right. I will start off with some simple observations, and then, as I have more time, I will provide a more detailed coverage and critique of specific albums/tunes.

Also, I do plan on expanding the list of artists that I will be covering. Just don’t expect me to be covering the top pop and rock artists here. There is simply not enough space, nor do I have that much time.

Miles Davis

I still have so much to learn about Miles Davis (by listening). This artist has produced so much material that it will take me some time to collect more and go through it all to get a better sense of what is the musical message he was attempting to portray through his works. It seems to be so cliché to say for the thousandth time that Kind of Blue is “the best jazz album ever made.” But, honestly, I love this kind of (what’s called) “straight-ahead jazz”. I love getting back to basics. And for me, this album epitomizes that straight-ahead, laid-back, uncomplicated feel.

There is no doubt that Miles Davis explored just about every nook and cranny existing in the jazz world, and I have a long way to go to catch up on the music this genius produced while I was still nursing in the crib (and beyond). But I must also say that even tough much of Miles’ fame comes from his experimentation with the “bleeding edge” of jazz concepts, I just am not very much enthralled by the explored concepts that ventured too far from traditional bop-style jazz.

More to come!

Maynard Ferguson

Shortly after picking up the trumpet in high school, I began to search for LPs to buy from well-known trumpet players. I do not recall how or from whom I learned about Maynard Ferguson. I can only imagine that I discovered this trumpet master via discussions with fellow trumpet players at school. Either way, I was enthralled by a) Maynard’s ability to traverse with ease the entire range of this instrument, b) the meaty sound of his orchestra, c) the great arrangements of the tunes played on his albums. It’s hard to pick a favorite album. I rather focus on particular tunes off of any given album, and there are quite a few in my collection of MF albums. I could easily point out highly technical songs like “Give It One” 

Gino Vannelli

WOW, I love Gino’s music. What, to me, makes it so special is that Gino is a true artist in the sense that he (with his brothers) create and produce his own art. I have listened to Gino’s music ever since my sister, Gretchen, introduced me to his music back in the late 70s. I listen to the same albums regularly, and STILL have not gotten tired of it.

Pat Metheney

I fell in love with Pat Metheny’s (and Lyle Mays’) music in the late 70’s when I was visiting a friend-of-a-friend’s apartment, and he was playing the Pat Metheny Group debut album. My ears opened up during that visit and I took critical mental note of who this artists was, went home, and started my Pat Metheny collection at that point.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

I do not recall when I came to discover Stevie Ray’s music. I love the raw, bluesy grit of Stevie’s music. It is hard-core Texas blues with the kind of swingy groove that is hard to find elsewhere. However, I can’t listen to Stevie’s music continuously for too long. 

Steely Dan

I love the jazzy grooves of Walter Becker’s and Donald Fagen’s rock/jazz fusion creations. I think most people that heard Steely Dan tunes on the pop radio stations in the 70s and 80s heard groovy rock tunes without really appreciating the jazzy components of these tunes.

Tom Harrell

I consider Tom Harrel’s Prana Dance album to be one of the most “intellectual” albums out there. All the tunes on this album are superbly crafted. They all start out with a very simple and straight-forward themes, that then develop into complex passages before resolving back to the original theme. The “intellectual” nature of this, to me, is the innovative manner in which the simple introductory themes are converted into intricate solo passages.

Michael Franks

I discovered Michael Franks while listening to a jazz radio station in the LSU dormitory. Popsicle Toes was a very popular selection at that time, and I loved hearing the tune played on the radio. It took me a while to find out who was the artist and album. After graduation and on the job, I bought The Art Of Tea and began getting familiar with Michael Franks’ work. While there are not a lot of tunes that I like from Michael Franks, the fact that they are so unique among all the artists I listen too make them special and a pleasure to listen to when they come up on one of my playlists.

Doc Severinsen

In this case, it turns out that I discovered Doc Severinsen though my mother. Throughout all my adolescent and adult life, I thought that my mother had bought Doc’s Command Performances album for me, since I picked up the trumpet in the 7th grade. But one day, a short time before she passed away, she denied that she bought the album for my sake, and instead indicated that she was already familiar with Doc Severinsen and bought the album for herself. I found this incredible since, as far as I could tell, my mother had shown no such interest, as far as I was aware. Anyways, I consider Doc Severinsen to my be my trumpet playing hero. I grew up attempting to play, as well as I could, some tunes off of the Command Performances album.  There are two tunes in particular off of that album that I love: Summertime, and Love For Sale. These are (small) Big Band tunes that have a really nice rhythm and exciting climaxes.

Buddy Rich

Everybody has their own opinion about who they consider the best drummer, but i am going to side with the Buddy Rich clan. While I have had some difficulty finding really enjoyable tunes from Buddy Rich albums, there are some You Tube videos of live performances that I find very enjoyable. Buddy Rich is particularly enjoyable to watch on video. He is not your standard just-laying-down-the-beat drummer. He is constantly providing intricate fills, is a genuine showman, and hardly ever can be proven to get off beat or to miss an drum hit. I thing my favorite Buddy Rich tune (from a trumpet player’s perspective) is Keep The Customer Satisfied.

Bob James

This is another artists that I was introduced to through my sister Gretchen. She had Bob James’ Touchdown album, which is a fine piece of work, filled to the brim with excellent tunes that are expertly implemented. This is a style of recoded music that is expertly crafted (musically), precise, and as close to perfection that I think anyone can find. I particularly enjoy listening to the playing of Ron Carter (bass) and Hubert Laws (flute). There are just a few other tunes from a few other albums that I enjoy. But, as albums, none come as close to being as complete an album (packed with quality music) as Touchdown.