You know the whole Charlie Parker/Rhianna thing? Same with Gil Scott-Heron and … well, pretty much any rapper who came up after about 1995.
Month: December 2015
Gil Evans
Not to be confused with Bill Evans. Also, not someone that Marcia threatened to stop speaking to me if I didn’t give him a list. But better safe than sorry.
Geri Allen
Geri Allen is by far the coolest person I know of named Geri. Of course, the only other person I know of named Geri is my older sister’s mother-in-law. So the competition isn’t exactly fierce.
George Harrison
OK, my conscience wouldn’t let me do it. After I gave in on McCartney, I just had to give “favorite Beatle” Harrison a list. Sure, after he got the (very non-quirky) spiritual stuff out of the way, he mostly produced quirky pop. But so do They Might Be Giants, and I didn’t hesitate to give them a list.
Gang of Four
There were four of them. They were a gang. Based on their song titles alone, I’m pretty sure they were more important than the Go-Gos. Although by now you have a pretty good idea which one I listened to.
Ernesto Lecuona
No, I never heard of him, either. But when three legends (Chucho Valdes, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and the guy I can’t remember) get together to pay tribute to someone they consider a legend, well … let’s just say he must be at least kind of important.
Eighties Funk
By the time the 80s morphed into the 90s, the hard “thump” of funk had given way to the smoother “bip-bap” of hip-hop. This is a tribute to the last great group of funksters, who kept things interesting by adding plenty of new wave synthy weirdness. It was fun while it lasted …
Dream Pop
Basically my excuse to get “Life in a Northern Town” on a list. That is a great song.
Donny Hathaway
How much do I love Donny Hathaway? I even love his Christmas song—which, if you know how I feel about holiday music, is a very big deal. And yes, I’m including it. It’s December, so sue me.
Don Cherry
It takes a special kind of awesome to build a 50-year career out of playing a mini-trumpet. Throw in the fact that his step-daughter is Neneh Cherry—on whom I had a crush in the 80s, even though she is a girl—and that’s awesome squared.
Playlist of the Day 