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This is a book both broad and deep, drawing from the diverse worlds of classical, jazz, rock, pop, blues, country, folk, musicals, hip-hop, world, opera, soundtracks, and more. It's arranged alphabetically by artist to create the kind of unexpected juxtapositions that break down genre bias and broaden listeners’ horizons— it makes every listener a seeker, actively pursuing new artists and new sounds, and reconfirming the greatness of the classics. Flanking J. S. Bach and his six entries, for example, are the little-known R&B singer Baby Huey and the '80s Rastafarian hard-core punk band Bad Brains. Farther down the list: The Band, Samuel Barber, Cecelia Bartoli, Count Basie, and Afropop star Waldemer Bastos.

Each entry is passionately written, with expert listening notes, fascinating anecdotes, and the occasional perfect quote—"Your collection could be filled with nothing but music from Ray Charles," said Tom Waits, "and you'd have a completely balanced diet." Every entry identifies key tracks, additional works by the artist, and where to go next. And in the back, indexes and playlists for different moods and occasions.]]> 494712 4.11 66 29 2008 0 0 false Fri Dec 12 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 18 15:53:33 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 13 16:48:25 -0800 2008
I read through nearly 90% of the entries, taking notes along the way. But the library wanted it back so I had to skim the rest. Darn them.

I found a lot new music to listen to and try and pondered why Moon choose the right artist at times but ...more...]]>