OK… full disclosure… too many Pilsner Urquells…(if such as thing is possible).
I was accused by my musician friend of being a seduced by SCHMALTZ! Yes! Of all the insults! So I am now listening to Michel Legrand’s Young Girls of Roschefort and well… ok, yes, this is loaded with schmaltz. But oh, it is fabulous schmaltz! (aka סטשמאַלטז)
So… what is it that move you? What is the characteristic of your favorite music that… is … well its “characteristic”. Melody? Feel? Rhythm? Poetry? Social commentary? Counterpoint? Improvisation? Clarity of the recording? Etc… what is it?
@bruce-in-philly - that is a tough one. Melody, uniqueness in craft. Like Korn drummer playing another brick in the wall better than PF with really cool kick drum technique… and it just hit me, not looking for it… propelled me to ask my drummer friend how they do that. Chris Botti sustaining a trumpet note forever and so beautifully performed… sometimes I get goosebumps from just an amazing musical talent pushing emotion… this is tough. I am a sucker for Nuevo flamingo guitar like Jessie Cook… nimble fingers so clean… I love the rhythm of smooth jazz and could listen for days.
It gotta have a “hook”, man. Melodies & Rhythms that make you want to move your Butt in any embarrassing way possible. Fine recordings and great playback systems are nice but for me, it’s all about “do I like this song” or “do I like this this Instrumental”. Full disclosure : I hate Opera & certain formats of Country Music. Always have and always will. I hate East Indian music vocals. I prefer the sound of a Tabla (eg Allah Rakah) over that of Sitar (sorry Mr. Shankar R.I.P.).
I’m listening to Sting’s A Brand New Day SACD. It’s his last really good solo album IMHO.
Today, at a friends home we were cranking everything from ELP’s Toccata to In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida to The Who’s Sister Disco, Going Mobile, some Spirit tracks (new to me), and 1999’s Genesis full reunion redo of The Carper Crawlers. Played back though a pair of Focal Kanta no2’s driving by Class D Audio Stereo Amp that were barely 1/10 the price of the Speakers. Sounded awesome.
Not giving up my Stellar Stack or my 5 901’s anytime soon.
Melody, craft, mingled with personality. Ellington wrote with a unique personality, as did so many from Beethoven to Dylan. Performers exhibiting their creative character and style, recognizable and inviting one in such as Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Glenn Gould, or many others.
And I’m inspired and egged on by the feeling of so much to explore, kaleidoscopic vistas of sound waiting to be sampled and savored.
Interesting topic. Fundamentally I look for what a musician or group brings to the table in terms of innovation. There’s adventure in exploring new ideas and concepts. Naturally they don’t always succeed, but they can lead to innovation across a spectrum of music. Probably the best example is the music of Sun Ra, hardly high fidelity, always challenging, and at times musically successful. He and the various incarnations of the Arkestra opened the gateways for many musicians and bands. Sun Ra is the epitome of the self produced performer with no AR personnel or meaningful distribution. He was only accountable to himself and the Arkestra.
Instrumentality, the skillful hands that play, the human voice as a part of it, not the center. Traditional, less computer and more hand in it. If computer created, with the emotion of creativity and the vulnerability of risk but balanced sensibility for the audience’s enjoyment. That music moves me.