Music
Nietzsche once said "Without music, life would be a mistake." I'm not keen on Nietzsche but he sure got that right. Below is a list of musical genres (my own taxonomy, in no particular order) that I like with a few of my favorite musicians/bands/composers from each (maximum of five).
Jazz. I don't know enough about Jazz to offer any personal commentary, but I do know what I like. These five get a lot of playing time on my iPod: Dave Brubek, Greyboy Allstars, Joe Sample, Stan Getz and John Coltrane
Folk Blues Bluegrass. Some will undoubtedly cringe seeing these lumped together but with Americana as the unifying principle, I view them as three expressions of the same American thought. Five that I particularly like are Greg Brown, Finlayson and Maize, Bela Flek, Leo Kottke and Townes Van Zandt.
Dead. The Grateful Dead's surprising impact on post-war American music is often overlooked. Whether you appreciate their music or not (no proselytizing here), consider a few of their achievements: they were largely responsible for the San Francisco sound and the birth of the Jam genre and its accompanying resurgence of outdoor music festivals; they remain one of the highest grossing concert acts of all time despite being nearly hitless; their benevolence toward concert tapers anticipated- by decades- the peer-to-peer exchange model dominating today's music world; they were the de facto house band for Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady and the Merry Pranksters, cultural icons of the era. In lieu of favorite artists I've listed a few interesting references: Searching for the Sound (Phil Lesh's 2006 autobiography), The Annotated Grateful Dead Lryics (scholarly compendium analyzing folklore, Americana and other assorted references interwoven in Dead lyrics), An American Life (Blair Jackson's biography of Jerry Garcia) and DeadBase (on-line guide to Dead song lists).
Rock. Having managed to escape a sinking ship, I wake up covered in seaweed, lying in a heap on the shore of a desert isle, a waterproof container resting in the sand next to me. The situation would be definitely improved if, upon opening the container, I find a CD player and the following discs: Decade, Blood on the Tracks, The Very Best of Yes, Rubber Soul, So Far and Who's Next.
Light. I'm not fanatical about calling this a genre and I don't much care for the watered-down implication but it's how I've classified a range of less-heavy artists who could easily fit in to rock, folk or other more-established categories. I particularly like Cat Stevens, Jackson Browne, Simon and Garfunkel, Rickie Lee Jones and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.
Classical. If I felt incapable of commenting on Jazz, I have even less to offer about this vast genre. Like blindfolded wine tasting, I would be hard pressed to pass a listening test matching composer to music, but the odds would improve a bit if the competition included works by Vivaldi, Bach (especially the fugues), Grieg, Chopin and Schubert.
Jam. Like some of my other self-defined genres, the bands I place here may or may not map to the others' definitions, but they suit me fine and as a bonus I don't have to use up my 'rock' choices on them. By definition they should be seen live. Favorites I've seen (and lived to tell about) include: Galactic, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Government Mule, Los Lobos and The String Cheese Incident.
Songwriters. This may be the least coherent of all my genres. I'm trying to convey 'titans of songwriting' of which there are only a couple I dare to place in the list. Chief among them is Cole Porter, the hand's down song writing genius of the 20th century. In close proximity are Irving Berlin and Ira Gershwin
Alternative. Another genre subject to broad interpretation. My definition is as follows: if I listen to music and I like it but it makes me feel really weird, I file it under 'A' for alternative. My favorites are The Cowboy Junkies and Lou Reed.
