"Fern," Zoe Keating

Song: "Fern"
Album: One Cello x 16: Natoma
Artist: Zoe Keating

She plays the cello. She has a web site and a blog. She was on Good Day Sacramento. She is another new artist using looping. I'm a fan...

"Baroque and Blue," Claude Bolling

Song: "Baroque and Blue"
Album: Suite for Flute & Jazz Piano Trio
Artist: Claude Bolling

This is one of those albums my parents had when I was a kid. As soon as I figured out how to put a record on the turn table, I played this over and over. I loved the cover art and chuckled to see a flute and a piano literally in bed together having a smoke. This is sort of the theme music for the best of my childhood-- lively, creative, uninhibited and hopeful.

The original album is not on iTunes, but does appear on Amazon. The two songs from the album iTunes does have are on his greatest hits: "Baroque and Blue," and "Sentimentale." I can't imagine having only one or two songs from this album-- because the entire album is a complete work of art. I highly recommend buying the whole CD and listening to the songs in the order they appear.

Here's an audio sample from Amazon.

"Symphony of Sorrowful Songs," Henryk Gorecki

Song: "Symphony No. 3: II. Lento e largo - Tranquillissimo"
Album: London Sinfonietta - Gorecki - Symphony No. 3
Artist: David Zinman, Dawn Upshaw & London Sinfonietta

This recording was reported to have stopped traffic in Los Angeles when it was played on the radio.

"When the recording was played on public radio station KCRW in Santa Monica, California, enchanted motorists pulled off the freeways to phone in and find out what it was."

Hearing it is powerful enough without knowing the subject matter, but this music connects on a very basic level. I encourage everyone to listen to the entire album and learn as much as you can about the music, the composer and the subject matter. The Wiki Article is a good place to start.