As a teacher of many different styles of music, I am sometimes asked by students who my favorite musicians are. Obviously, this is a very difficult question to answer because there are so many categories to consider. So, I decided to create “top three” lists for various categories of music/musicians that I listen to on a regular basis, or have listened to extensively in the past. Because it is so difficult to narrow down certain categories to just three artists or groups, I had to expand my lists to include a few more in some cases. Hopefully, both current students and prospective students will find my opinions here to be both interesting and informative, as I believe you can find out a lot about a musician by learning what his/her musical influences are. Certainly, if you want to listen to some high-quality music, the artists in these lists are worth checking out!
Jazz
Pianists: Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Fred Hersch, Thelonious Monk, Nitai Hershkovits
Trumpeters: Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Randy Brecker, Avishai Cohen
Drummers: Paul Motian, Ari Hoenig, Jorge Rossy
Bassists: Eddie Gomez, Christian McBride, Ray Brown
Guitarists: Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny, John Scofield
Tenor Saxophonists: Tim Warfield, Stan Getz, Ned Goold
Alto Saxophonists: Lee Konitz, Charlie Parker, Paul Desmond
Other Instrumentalists: Joey DeFrancesco (organ), Stefon Harris (vibraphone),
J.J. Johnson (trombone), Toots Thielmans (harmonica)
Male Vocalists: Frank Sinatra, J.D. Walter, Harry Connick Jr.
Female Vocalists: Blossom Dearie, Joanna Pascale, Ella Fitzgerald
Instrumental Groups: Paul Motian Trio, Keith Jarrett Trio, Bad Plus, Pilc-Moutin-Hoenig, Wynton Marsalis Quartet ('85-87)
Composers: Pat Metheny, Reid Anderson, Avishai Cohen (bassist)
Arrangers: Gene Puerling, Nelson Riddle, Harry Connick Jr.
Classical
Composers (Instrumental): John Adams, Aaron Copland, Gyorgy Ligeti
Composers (Choral): Eric Whitacre, John Rutter, Carlo Gesualdo
Composers (Piano/Keyboard): G.F. Handel, W.A. Mozart, Edvard Grieg, Domenico Scarlatti
Pianists (General): Sviatoslav Richter, Glenn Gould, Emil Gilels, Sergei Rachmaninoff
Pianists for Specific Composers: Andras Schiff (Mozart), John McCabe (Haydn),
Richard Goode (Beethoven), Stephen Kovacevich (Brahms), Alfred Brendel (Schumann, Schubert), Glenn Gould (Bach), Arthur Rubinstien (Chopin), Walter Geiseking (Debussy)
Trumpeters: Wynton Marsalis, Allison Bolsom, Sergei Nakariakov
Other Instrumentalists: Anthony Newman (harpsichord), Siegfried Palm (cello),
Christopher Bowers-Broadbent (organ)
Vocalists: Susan Hochmiller...nobody else comes close!
Ensembles: Oxford Camerata, Kronos Quartet, The Philip Glass Ensemble
Pop/Rock
Male Vocalists: Peter Gabriel, Ian Axel, Bryan Adams
Female Vocalists: Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Imbruglia, Ariana Grande
Pop Bands: Level 42, Duran Duran, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Pop/Rock Bands: Radiohead, Genesis, Chicago
Rock Bands (guitar based): Huffamoose, Smashing Pumpkins, U2
Songwriters: Billy Corgan, Phil Collins, Genavieve Artadi
Singer-Songwriter Pianists: Bruce Hornsby, Vanessa Carlton, Hannah Georgas
Pop/Rock Instrumentalists: Tony Levin, Jim Keltner, Vito Bratta
CCM Songwriters: Steve & Vikki Cook, Bob Kauflin, Keith & Kristyn Getty
CCM Bands/Collectives: Sovereign Grace, Indelible Grace, Hillsong
CCM Solo Artists: Kari Jobe, Sarah Groves, Sandra McCracken
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