For
those who have found themselves enjoying the music I create,
there may be some interest in the musical influences that
I consider to have had the greatest impact on my writing.
Or maybe there's no such interest...but I want to pay tribute
to those folks anyway! ;-)
MY
RECOMMENDED MOMENTS from Phil Keaggy:
Phil has recorded scads of albums over the years. His two-disc Time (1995) retrospective covers most of his greatest recorded
moments. But some other nuggets are worth noting. Phil's
first album, What a Day! (1973) was recorded with
Phil playing all the instruments, locked in a motion picture
recording studio for 6 days with engineer Gary Hedden. It's
a beautiful expression of one man's musical gifts. Glass
Harp Live at Carnegie Hall (1971) is a stunning
album from a power rock trio. I gotta tell you...I'd-a hated
to be The Kinks that night and have to follow THAT act!!
The never-before-released album finally came out on CD in
the 90s...although Phil had given me a copy on tape some
20 years before. If you like rock guitar, you need to hear
the album...and remember when it was recorded. Phil was
only 21 at the time! Phil has recorded many instrumental
albums...I haven't even heard some of the most recent ones.
The ones I love and recommend strongly: The
Master and The Musician (1978) is an amazing collection
of Old English and gentle acoustic guitar melodies with
additional instrumentation. The
Wind and the Wheat (1987) is beautiful acoustic
and light electric stuff...and features one of Phil's greatest
most inspiring musical moments: "March of the Clouds"!
And Beyond
Nature (1991) features what I believe is Phil's
most stunning composition...an incredible acoustic guitar
piece called "County Down". If you love beautiful
instrumental music, you MUST hear this song at least ONCE
in your life!
BURT
BACHARACH
Burt Bacharach's music was so much a part of my youth
in the 60s and 70s that it's hard to overstate his impact.
And although many of the old records don't hold up to contemporary
scrutiny, the songs most certainly do. Freshness, creativity,
sophisticated melodies, the strong connection between lyrical
imagery and "the hook"...that's what Bacharach
means to me. My son Matt and I had the pleasure of catching
him in concert with the Columbus Symphony recently. What
a musical powerhouse he is...and still going strong at age
72!!
Burt Bacharach links worth noting:
The Hitmaker Archive, BurtBacharach.com
MY
RECOMMENDED MOMENTS from Burt Bacharach:
A House Is Not A Home, Alfie, Always Somethin' There To
Remind Me, Arthur's Theme, Casino Royale Theme, Close To
You, Do You Know The Way To San Jose?, God Give Me Strength,
I Say A Little Prayer, Look Of Love, One Less Bell To Answer,
Promises Promises, Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head, That's
What Friends Are For, This Guy's in Love With You, What
The World Needs Now Is Love, Wishin' & Hopin'...need
I say more?? ;-)
DAVID
BENOIT
I discovered
the magical music of David Benoit in the late Eighties when
I took a chance and bought an album called "Every Step
of the Way." It was filled with great instrumental music...jazz-tinged
pop or pop-infused jazz, I guess. What a find! After that,
I ended up buying a few of his older releases and most of
the ones that have been released since. David plays piano,
but he's a marvelous composer and arranger as well. He has
strong roots in jazz, but such strong pop sensibilities that
he appeals even to those who don't normally tend to embrace
jazz. He has certainly influenced my piano playing, but again,
he's another one who continues to suprise me with fresh, sophisticated
sounds. I love his remarkable sense of melody. Over the last few years, his albums have sounds more "samey" to me. I think this is always a danger when listening too much to one artist. He still just slays me with a lot of the featured piano pieces on his album, however. And I continue to be blown away by what I would term his "musical intelligence". He has such a command of a variety of styles. He's just flat GOOD. I have never
even looked beyond his "official" site for a web
presence:
Benoit.com
MY
RECOMMENDED MOMENTS from David Benoit:
You are really safe with most of his albums...the early
stuff is not as interesting to me personally, but definitely
everything after Every
Step of the Way is quite good. My favorite album
of his, though, is Letter
to Evan. Such beautiful music! I love it all, but
the theme from "On Golden Pond" and "Looking
Over Eastlake" are as beautiful as any music I've ever
heard.
PAUL
McCARTNEY
What
is there to say that hasn't been said about Paul McCartney as a
writer? I'm not that knowledgeable about which songs Paul took the
lead on and which ones John did. There are some who claim that he
was a thief...that his work was almost totally derivative. I'm not
really old enough to have judged that back then...all I know is
that I find him quite unique among songwriters... espcially in his
love of strong melodic hooks. That's the impact he's had on me.
Best site I've seen: Paul McCartney
MY
RECOMMENDED MOMENTS from Paul McCartney & The Beatles:
Maybe I'm Amazed, Fool on the Hill, Daytripper, Yesterday,
Michelle, Eleanor Rigby, Norwegian Wood...and about a billion
others! ;-)
RUSS
FREEMAN & THE RIPPINGTONS
You
know, everyone needs a favorite band...and for quite awhile,
when asked, my answer has been The Rippingtons. I first
discovered the band back in the 80s when I was on a camping
trips with some friends. I was up late on a Saturday night
and a local jazz station played The Ripps' album "Kilimanjaro"
in its entirety. I was so blown away that I dragged the
family along to the record store on the way home from the
camping trip!
I have seen the Ripps in concert a couple times...always
impressive. I've even exchanged email with their former
sax player, Jeff Kashiwa...and sent him a copy of a song
I wrote for the band. He indicated that he liked it and
was going to play it for them...so I was completely honored
at that privilege.
The Rippingtons are very fresh and exciting. At their best,
they are as good a band as I've ever heard!
Sadly, they don't seem to be at their best much anymore. This is probably a function of the market as much as anything else. Smooth jazz music (the only genre where they are likely to be found) is an embarrassment of musical pablum. And from what I've heard in the last few years, Russ hasn't felt the need to go beyond what is required to make a living.
I long for the good ol' days. Russ Freeman is a monster on both guitar and as a musician. I dearly love their best work.
Best site I've seen: Rippingtons.
MY
RECOMMENDED MOMENTS from The Rippingtons:
My favorite of their songs is Song of the Sirens (originally
from Kilimanjaro...), but you absolutely MUST heard their
album, Live
in LA. It is certainly one of the most exciting
live albums I've ever heard. Killler stuff!
HONEYTREE
It
was my pleasure to listen to about an album and a half of
Honeytree's (Nancy Henigbaum) music again earlier this week...and
I think I had forgotten how powerfully she had influenced
me back in the mid-70s. At that time, I was still in the
process of discovering christian music (other than the hymns
I had grown up with). Larry Norman and Phil Keaggy were
very influential for me musically at that time, but this
soft-spoken young lady from Ft. Wayne, Indiana touched me
so deeply with the "personal-ness" of her music.
She was willing to expose her own self-doubt and feelings
of inadequacy...but then she would turn and embrace Christ
and proclaim that he had accepted her...and even treasured
her. So...very much on that level, Nancy set a wonderful
example for me of being publicly vulnerable. There is no
question as to the impact that this had on many of my songs.
But, there was more to Nancy than her lyrics: She had such
a sweet sense of melody and was willing...even as a guitar-based
singer/songwriter...to include many, many styles in her
writing. From big-band swing to bossa nova to...yep, sorry...even
a little disco (!), she made it her own. And her music was
so memorable...I haven't heard it for years and realized
this week how clearly every nuance was still with me. I
don't think I had seen until that moment just HOW memorable
much of the music was. VERY beautiful stuff. Nancy is still
around today, married and based in Nashville. She and I
have even communicated recently and I was honored to send
her my albums to listen to. Her site is at Honeytree.org.
MY
RECOMMENDED MOMENTS from Honeytree:
Lovely Jesus (Here I Am), Broadmoor Song, Thief, One
Sweet Word
RANDY
STONEHILL
Randy
Stonehill has been around since the very early 70s...and
I guess I discovered him around '74. I helped bring him
to Columbus for a concert in '75. He's one of the funniest
and most energetic concert performers I've ever seen. Interestingly,
though, Randy juxtaposed his humor with some of the most
tender songs of love and compassion I've ever heard. He
has a great "groove" (which I wish I could duplicate...)
and sees the importance of fun and rhythm in music...especially
live music. What a wonderfully gifted performer! Randy is
still singing and playing 25 years after I first met him.
Best site: RandyStonehill.com
MY
RECOMMENDED MOMENTS from Randy Stonehill:
Welcome to Paradise and The Sky is Falling are both
VERY strong albums!
TOM
HOWARD
I
discovered Tom Howard back in the 70s as well. He influenced
me as a composer of sophisticated, accessible pop music. I
have owned all his albums beginning with "View from the
Bridge" in about '75. His first solo piano album and
the last one I own ("Beyond the Barriers", I think
it's called...) are absolutely beautiful. But I feel that
his very best is "The Hidden Passage" by The Tom
Howard Ensemble, from the mid 80s. Incredibly beautiful, sophisticated
music. His arranging skills are so tasty. I can't find a legit
site for him on the web, but there's a little on his first
album here.
MY
RECOMMENDED MOMENTS from Tom Howard:
I don't really know how you go wrong with Tom Howard.
Every album I'm aware of is strong...but "The Hidden
Passage" (I thought it was long out of print, but,
thanks to Jerry Morine, I just found out that it's back
in print under the title "Shelter") and "Beyond
the Barriers" (I found it here)
are more than worth the investment.
BILL
MALLONEE (and Vigilantes of Love)
I
first met Bill Mallonee and his delightful wife Brenda in
1998. I had heard one song by Vigilantes of Love at that
point: "Welcome to Struggleville". I thought it
was nice, but I wasn't overwhelmed. But I soon began to
discover what tens of thousands before me had experienced...the
man is a true poet, storyteller and lyrical genius. Now,
I respect Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen...but, for me,
their music doesn't live up to their lyrical punch. And,
Bruce Cockburn, the only other guy in a similar class who
comes to mind, is so over-the-top politically and so devoted
to imagery-that-I-can't-relate-to that he only occasionally
connects deeply with me. But Bill is so deep and so well-read
that I find that as I read and learn and grow in life, I
am still discovering things he sang about long before. And
his music, while it runs in similar and limited themes sometimes
(whose doesn't??), certainly matches and complements the
timbre of the lyrics.
I have to say one more thing about Bill as a writer. While
he freely admits that he struggles with clinical depression,
and while he will often let his discontent and righteous
anger loose as a weapon in his songs, his weapon is designed
to heal, not crush. He is a deeply committed Christian....something
that probably holds him back in terms of popularity...but
it truly is his definition and reason for being. This kind
of class and integrity is a rare thing these days...and
should be honored.
If you have never experienced Vigilantes of Love, and if
you yearn for well-written singer/songwriter stuff (especially
delivered with the punch of a band behind it), you must
give this guy a listen. He is a unique voice who speaks
with the authority of an Old Testament prophet in the midst
of a culture who seems to get distracted and then lost on
the way to the refrigerator. And, speaking personally, he
and his wife are delightful, compassionate, dedicated "real"
people.
You'll find the definitive VOL site here.
MY
RECOMMENDED MOMENTS from Bill Mallonee and Vigilantes of
Love:
Far and away the best thing I can recommend is to buy Slow
Dark Train. It's a deep and compelling album, filled
with lyrical power and very solidly appealing music. I love
other songs of Bill's...but I would start first with this
album.
I
may add more to this page in the future as I recall others
who have affected me...but I hope you enjoyed (and benefitted
from) my little exercise in giving-credit-where-credit-is-due.
;-)