It would start out with the Big Band Standards that my father listened to. He bought an album per week, mostly Big Band and a little Western Swing. Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Sinatra, Kenton, etc. A few times a month he would bring out the ukelele and music books and he and the children would sing along (he also played trumpet, violin, and later in life organ).

Then when I reached the age to play an instrument in school, it was a mix of early rock and roll plus classical (I was in both the marching and concert band). I also discovered the jazz of the day, from Dave Brubeck's odd time signatures to cool school and Bossas.

After school I went on the road in a rock band, and through other musicians learned about the 'real' blues and the great music you didn't hear on the radio. This while we played the top 40 hits of the day. Bobby Bland, Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, and so on.

I went through a big jazz phase with my favorites being Stan Getz, Stanley Turrentine, Paul Desmond, Charlie Parker, Jimmy Smith, Sweets Edison, Lambert Hendricks & Ross, etc. Tried playing in a jazz band once, but found out I needed a day job to support the jazz habit - the day job wasn't for me.

During the late 60s and early 70s it was "psychedelic" music like Zeppelin, Vanilla Fudge, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, etc.

Then came international music from the Cape Verde Islands to Senegal to Brazil to Argentina to Tuvan Throat Singing, to Klezmer to Beijing Opera, to Reggae, to Salsa, and whatever else would tickle my ears with something different.

For the past 20 years the only concerts I go to are symphonies, as symphonies have always been the greatest love of mine.

So what would I put in the soundtrack of my life? Just about everything. The constants would be my biggest love, symphonies with what I love doing for a living, pop music, and all the other types coming in for variety to spice up the mix.

So perhaps this doesn't really answer your question. I wouldn't want to give up any of the many genres that I enjoy. I still love 3 chord blues and mega-chord symphonies, the evolving and ever-changing Top40 of my life that I make my living on is still dear to me, hearing an old song is like visiting an old friend. The jazz, Salsa, Klezmer, Brazilian, African, Asian and others are like the spices and deserts to my diet. My ears are hungry, and I just need to feed them.

There are only two kinds of music (1) Music that I like [that's most of it] and (2) Music written for the ears of other people [perhaps 10% of it]. Of the genres that I like, there are always songs I don't care for and of the genres that I don't like there are always songs that I do enjoy.

OK, I'm weird, but happily so.

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Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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