Stuck in a Rut

Henry-before I make any music recommendations I would suggest you consider the purchase of the odd monthly music magazine such as Mojo or Uncut these would not only give you great retrospective articles on the classic bands but give you some feel for newer music and where it fits into your tastes....anywhere here's some music.

JEFF BUCKLEY-GRACE-a mix of Zep Eastern type rock,folk and even classical by the late great son of Tim,great voice nice recording.

RADIOHEAD-OK COMPUTER-Floyd type ideas meet rocking,chiming guitars and keyboards-heralded as the new classic of 90's rock.

NICK DRAKE-just about any compiliation or anyone of his 4 albums.
Deceptively deep singer/songwriter folkish but somehow unique,ignored during his lifetime but now regarded as something of a lost genius.

RYAN ADAMS-GOLD-arguably todays most prolific and eclectic talent-bluesy rockers,Van Morrisonesque soul rock,plaintive reflection,country ballads and Springsteenesque charm.
A great record

BECK-SEA CHANGE-lush strings and arrangements and acoustic guitars evoking the ghost of Nick Drake and dragging it into the new millenium.

There's tons of stuff out there....need any specific advice,mail me direct.

Have fun.

If you love Jazz and Classical and you are bored I don't know how to help you - each of these fields is so vast, that I'm tempted to conclude that your "being in a rut" is the result of a habit of listening superficially to the obvious and making quich judgments about value and interest. In classical you have not only the time periods in which the music was composed that make for great differences, but the geographical origins of the composers as well. The two works you have mentioned are very easily assimulated and can, because of this become a bit boring after you have heard them a bunch of times. Try listening to Sibelius, Mahler, Stravinsky, Prokofief, for starters. And give their works repeated hearings until you know them as well as the ones you referred to - once they start to make sense to you you will find they become much more addictive than boring (at least thats the way it worked for me.) And if you really want to get your blood up, listen to some good African drumming groups, or Asian for that matter!

The genres you've listed seem to be the main bodys for each. Have you tried venturing off the main path and exploring some of the other off-shoot flavors?

About five years ago I discovered the old Bossa Nova classics of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto and Stan Getz from the early sixties. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that people like Sarah Vaughn, Wes Montgomery, and Louis Armstrong to name a few had recorded versions of Jobim's classics too. Fun stuff.

Bossa Nova opened my eyes and helped me acquire a taste for Latin Jazz and Flamenco in particular, especially the current "Nuevo" Flamenco resurgence. My favorites are Robby Longley, Jesse Cook, Oscar Lopez, etc.

A friend of mine recently produced two CDs for a couple artists that have managed to create an awesome blend of rock, flamenco, jazz, Middle Eastern, classical, electronica. If you're interested, check the reviews for Oscuro and Magic Box here:

http://www.smother.net/reviews/modernrock.php3?ID=271

XRCD, Music Direct, Mapleshade, and CD Now have releases from many lesser known, but equally worthy artists.

It's funny, after having listened to these unknowns for an extended period now, it's the famous performers I need to rediscover.

Have fun!

I know what you mean! I've got thousands of albums and cd's and I feel like I'm playing the same stuff all the time.

I agree with the earlier response about getting bored with the same old symphonies. For classical, I'd start listening to chamber music. For instance, the string quartets of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven are a great start. Chamber music generally sounds better on a home system than symphonic works anyway. I also listen to baroque a lot (i.e., Bach, Telemann, Handel).

Good luck!

I agree with Newbee, if you're into Jazz, I can't understand
how you could be bored with all the great new music being released.
Check out www.jazzwithbobparlocha.com/stuff/cds.html. Bob's
top 25 list is full of killer stuff.

If you like jazz & rock try some on some blues. Blind Pig Records has sale going, but there's lots of other interesing
small labels.