Ten Recordings You Should Listen To - #4

Katie is our Director of Programming and Administration, a wonderful pianist, and my beautiful wife. And she is the co-founder of PMAC. I love her and her list - which has many of my favorite CDs. Here's what she wrote:

OK…Russ…here’s my list. And here’s what I discovered while making the list. This task is SO hard when I have grown so accustomed to grabbing my MP3player with my entire collection of cds and downloads and playing them whenever the mood strikes. I have been spoiled for sure!! So, I finally narrowed the list down and surrendered to the task…

1) The Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls

Amanda Palmer’s stirring lyrics and Brian Vigilone’s incredible drumming make this pair a dynamic duo of punkedelic rock.

2) Jamie Cullum - Twenty Zero5 Live

Jamie is one of my favorite musicians because of how he captivates his audiences through his energetic piano playing, mellow voice and English charm.

3) U2 - War

Bono’s passionate and timely lyrics combined with the band’s rhythmic togetherness make this album solid from start to finish.

4) Fiona Apple - When the Pawn...

A good friend introduced me to Fiona Apple – thank you Tony! She rocks.

5) Ben Folds - Ben Folds Live

This incredible rock piano player demonstrates in this live album that he can create all of the sounds of a band by himself.

6) The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Russ discovered this album when we were living in Chicago, this band’s hometown. This 2-disc creation shows that this band’s genius peaked when they recorded this album.

7) Evgeny Kissin - Chopin: The Four Ballades, Berceuse, Barcarolle, Scherzo No. 4

Adam introduced me to Evgeny Kissin – this recording features Kissin at his best – interpreting these timeless, emotional and incredible pieces.

8.) Oscar Peterson - Live!

Oscar Peterson is one of the greatest jazz pianists of our time. This album shows off his brilliance.

9) Tokyo String Quartet - Debussy’s String Quartet Op 10 and Ravel’s String Quartet in F major

Both string quartets are incredible pieces of impressionist literature. The Ravel String Quartet is an amazing work and this quartet executes these pieces with precision.

10) Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis Bold As Love

Classic Rock at its finest. Need I say more?

Bonus Cd – The Poo Poo Platters – A Chinese Dish. Max and Jake would kill me if I didn’t mention their album. Check it out!

FROM RUSS: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, The Dresden Dolls and Oscar Peterson Live! are three of my absolute favorites. In fact, I can't believe I left Amanda and Brian off my list!