For the next few weeks, I'll be sharing my favorite works of art. These are not necessarily my answers to "What is the best movie/tv show/song, etc.?" They merely represent some of my favorite pieces that, perhaps, have shaped me. Now, I share them with you.
Favorite Composition:
Edgard Varèse's Ionisation
Beginning with classical, I've chosen the French American composer Edgard Varèse's masterpiece Ionisation, scored for thirteen percussionists. Some composers, such as Frank Zappa, had the musical world opened to them with this 1933 piece, which lasts roughly six minutes, five and a half minutes of which have no tuned instruments. Varèse introduced electronic sounds to contemporary classical music in addition to opening the percussion section to include Latin instruments, lion's roars, and anvils. Over thirty instruments are played by the ensemble, including a few moments with piano (technically a percussion instrument, of course). Ionisation, while briefer and narrower in scope than other Varèse pieces such as Amériques and Octandre, is easily the most accessible, if you can believe it. Originally described as sounding like "a sock in the jaw," it has now become a major player in the repertoire of modern music. With repeated listening, it's intensity and majesty grow. My personal favorite recording is conducted by Pierre Boulez.
Favorite Hymn:
Folliot S. Pierpoint and Conrad Kocher's "For the Beauty of the Earth"
Confession: when I was nine or ten, I stole a Baptist hymnal from the little church I was baptized in. I didn't think of it as stealing; I figured it would be important one day. Hymns have shown up in my work as they are an integral part of my spiritual life. My favorite is one I probably couldn't even hum well to you—in the sense that something can be beautiful simply by its lyrics alone. "For the Beauty of the Earth," written by Folliot S. Pierpoint, is an homage to the natural beauties of the earth—simple, worshipful. The music is "Dix" by Conrad Kocher. My favorite version of is an arrangement by John Ritter for a choir of adults and children.
Favorite Popular Song
Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now"
If pop songs have poetry, they are surely in the work of Bob Dylan and Joni
Mitchell. Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" began as a precocious song of feigned eagle-eyed vision. Thirty years later, in a masterful recording (after many wonderful ones by others), Mitchell proved it a song of real maturity and power. Classically structured, meticulous, and irresistibly moving, the song is one you can wrap yourself in. It may be used for reflection or simply awe.
Favorite Jazz Piece:
Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight"
An affinity for vocal jazz perhaps makes me less cool in the eyes of many
fans, so I'll choose something that has found success both as an instrumental and as a vocal piece. Thelonious Monk is the true genius of jazz music. "'Round Midnight" is more than a signature song. This one gets in your soul. Later lyrics were added by Bernie Hanigen that are perhaps less pristine than the music itself. Still, sing this one and you can feel yourself transform to the darkness of midnight no matter what time of day it is.
Favorite Bluegrass Song:
Bill Monroe's "Uncle Pen"
Like everyone else, I didn't know much bluegrass until I bought the
soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? From my particular corner of the South, Honky-Tonk Country/Western always meant more to me. But, of the bluegrass I knew, the piece I always liked the most was Bill Monroe's "Uncle Pen," made famous by Ricky Skaggs. But I never minded much hearing my brother James' version either.
Favorite Folk Song:
Paul Simon's "Scarborough Fair/Canticle"
Okay if not folk, folk rock, whatever. The combination of the medieval folk
song "Scarborough Fair" with Paul Simon's "Canticle" is a haunting classic, most vividly used in The Graduate.
Favorite Punk Song:
Joey Ramone's "I Wanna Be Sedated"
I would be sedated by this.
Favorite Funk Song:
Harry Connick, Jr. and Ramsey McLean's "Trouble"
At the height of his popularity as the new voice of popular jazz, Harry Connick, Jr. (one to never bow to anyone else's suggestions about his career), produced two New Orleans funk albums—She and Star Turtle. Both are excellent,
though She will always be my favorite, producing at least one hit ("I Just Whispered Your Name") and featuring whimsical lyrics by Ramsey McLean and crisp instrumentation with some amazing musicians. The best track on the album is "Trouble," a riff with piano, voice, and conga drums that brings a smile to your face.
Favorite Gospel Song:
Squire Parson's "Sweet Beulah Land"
I grew up with Southern Gospel music. "Sweet Beulah Land" is a Southern Gospel song that has been recorded countless times, including by my uncle’s former Gospel group the Joylanders. Sweet and compassionate, fine and melodic.
Favorite Blues Song:
Riley King's "Don't Answer the Door"
Riley King's "Don't Answer the Door" won't be on any top ten list of songs
for modern feminists. A claustrophobic, funny song—sung and played to perfection by B. B. King—“Door” is a mean little tune, but one listen might have you hooked.
Favorite Soul Song:
Homer Bank, Carl Hampton, and Raymond Jackson's "(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right"
Ladies and gentlemen, this song has captured me ever since I heard it used humorously in A Very Brady Sequel.
Favorite Rhythm and Blues Song:
Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"
They say smiling is easier than frowning. As an adult, smiling feels harder and rarer. This song will make one smile effortlessly.
Favorite Latin Piece:
Tito Puente's "Ran Kan Kan"
Ever since my childhood church added a Latin Percussion rhythm section,
I was hooked on the expressive sounds of the congas, bongo drum, and timbales. Doing research into the Latin band orchestra, Tito Puente is as instrumental to Latin as Elvis Presley was to rock. His immortal "Ran Kan Kan" is a classic.
Favorite Hip-Hop Song:
D-ROC, Kaine, and Michael Crooms' "Wait (The Whisper Song)"
Alright, if we're going to do this, we're going to do the dirtiest one we can think of, although I include the clean version here. By the Ying Yang Twins.
Favorite Country/Western Song:
David Allan Coe's "Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)"
People who don't like Country/Western music have generally never really listened to it. If you only know what's on the radio now, I pity you. You can't say you don't like country until you've heard "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" or "He Stopped Loving Her Today." What they play today has totally disconnected itself from what was, in the words of Hank Williams, Jr., the Southern
man's blues. David Allan Coe's "Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)" is a near perfect piece of songwriting. Recorded by many, his second version is still the best.
Favorite Rock 'n' Roll Song:
Jerry Lee Lewis' "Breathless"
Yes, let's go all the way back to when rock 'n' roll was just rock 'n' roll. Let's skip backwards through alternative, grunge, metal, and Southern rock. Let's go back to the boys from Memphis, Tupelo, and Ferriday who changed the world, the leader of which to me will always be the late Jerry Lee Lewis. "Breathless" is a fun tune and newer rock has ceased to be fun in the way that it was at its inception.
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