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Dheep''s avatar

"I've never understood why people are so unwilling to listen to something new. " Have no idea. Most folks just seem to be boring & totally blinkered.

Me, I'd love to hear something new. Where would that be ? I skimmed through this stuff. Very little that was original & not either derivative or just downright Boring. Sorry - but there just ain't much "new" stuff out there anymore. It seems to be a vast wasteland of Saturation with entirely too much Talking included.

You happen to see the best of & best of Jazz list from the NY Times ? My god what crap

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Lex Weiser's avatar

I have to admit, Ted's descriptions were more exciting than most of this music. In fairness, these are the runners-up, so maybe that's why. My favorite albums from this list were:

1. Tansman: Piano Music - Alexandre Tansman (interesting and enjoyable to listen to)

2. Versions - Night Owls (not original, but well done and pleasant)

3. Sama-i: Alep la cosmopolite - Canticum Novum (nice background music for work, etc.)

4. Octet and Originals - Antonio Adolfo (solid Brazilian instrumental music)

5. Get on Board - Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder (I'm a sucker for traditional blues, and these guys have the credibility to pull it off)

The New York Times became completely useless quite a while ago, and I certainly wouldn't take their advice about anything as important as music. Here are my recommendations for you:

AMERICAN

1. Melody Gardot - Sort of like Norah Jones, but more interesting. Listen to her albums in chronological order, starting with "Worrisome Heart."

2. Eilen Jewell - Indescribable blend of folk, country, and blues with evocative lyrics. Start with "Boundary County," her first album.

3. Nikki Yanofsky - Young jazz singer with a nice voice and a great touch on the standards. Her second album, "Nikki by Starlight" is a little better than the first one, but both are good.

GLOBAL

1. Coralie Clement - French chanteuse with a beautiful voice and haunting sound. Start with "Salle des pas perdus."

2. Fredda - Another French singer. Her track "Pendant que je me parle" was my #1 song on Spotify for 2022.

3. Natalia Clavier / Federico Aubele - Married singer/guitarist duo from Argentina. Best albums are "Arbol" and "Nectar."

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