10 Best Musicians

[HolyCow]

My turn to get on the top ten bandwagon. Plus, it is nice to have some discussion in the musicians forum.

Who are your top ten musicians? I am not talking about classical artists like Mozart or anything, but including everything...bass, drums, saxophone, guitar, songwriter, vocalist, trumpet and on and on....

Who is your favorite/10 best?

[onemanguitarban]

My turn to get on the top ten bandwagon. Plus, it is nice to have some discussion in the musicians forum.

Who are your top ten musicians? I am not talking about classical artists like Mozart or anything, but including everything...bass, drums, saxophone, guitar, songwriter, vocalist, trumpet and on and on....

Who is your favorite/10 best?

So are you excluding the "masters" to make it fair/open game for lesser musicians?

[Haiku Jimi]

Jesus is def. up there

[Pat M]

sufjan, end of thread.

[HolyCow]

So are you excluding the "masters" to make it fair/open game for lesser musicians?

I don't know what you mean by masters...

Like my list would probably look like:

1. Miles Davis
2. Bob Dylan (songwriter)
3. Carter Beauford (drummer)
4. Stevie Ray Vaughan (guitar)
5. Clifford Brown (trumpet)
6. Robert Plant (vocalist)
7. Jimmy Page (guitar)
8. Keith Moon (drummer)
9. Dave Matthews (songwriter)
10. Benny Golson (trumpet)


I don't think this thread is going to work. That was almost impossible to make a list. What a dumb idea by me.

Disregard.

[onemanguitarban]

I don't know what you mean by masters...

.

You mentioned Motzart....he was a master

Or Beethoven. Bach. Rachmaninov....Etc...master musicians.

[AshkaanF]

Trey Anastasio.

[bullox005]

sufjan, end of thread.

def top ten material.

[bullox005]

Trey Anastasio.

we have a winner.

[PhishFleck41]

victor wooten
jeff coffin
bela fleck
al dimeola
leo kottke
beethoven
glenn miller
john lennon
george harrison
coltrane
mike einziger

[jimibadfish]

Billy Idol
Wes Borlin
Jerry Valez (see Jimi at woodstock, he's the guy trippin' on the congas)
A1C Blonigen (plays taps in funerals up here in Minot)
Ms. Adams (my middle school band director)
Clay Aiken
Ricky Ricardo
Me
My left nut
Your momma

This list isn't nearly as ridiculous as this thread. And by the way, Miles Davis should be excluded along with all the greats like Mozart and all those other wig-wearing, inbred fuckers.

I'm done...for now.

[HolyCow]

Billy Idol
Wes Borlin
Jerry Valez (see Jimi at woodstock, he's the guy trippin' on the congas)
A1C Blonigen (plays taps in funerals up here in Minot)
Ms. Adams (my middle school band director)
Clay Aiken
Ricky Ricardo
Me
My left nut
Your momma

This list isn't nearly as ridiculous as this thread. And by the way, Miles Davis should be excluded along with all the greats like Mozart and all those other wig-wearing, inbred fuckers.

I'm done...for now.

Thanks for not being a douche. :rolleyes

[AshkaanF]

victor wooten
bela fleck
leo kottke

I agree with those 3

[jimibadfish]

Thanks for not being a douche. :rolleyes

I do what I can.

[hages]

Bucky.

[Haiku Jimi]

I don't know what you mean by masters...

Like my list would probably look like:

1. Miles Davis
2. Bob Dylan (songwriter)
3. Carter Beauford (drummer)
4. Stevie Ray Vaughan (guitar)
5. Clifford Brown (trumpet)
6. Robert Plant (vocalist)
7. Jimmy Page (guitar)
8. Keith Moon (drummer)
9. Dave Matthews (songwriter)
10. Benny Golson (trumpet)


I don't think this thread is going to work. That was almost impossible to make a list. What a dumb idea by me.

Disregard.

Jimmy Page is god awful...listen to his improvs, I mean really listen.

[jk333]

sufjan???

i've listened to his albums... i gotta say...

i finally got a live concert... damn, so much better, i didn't know what to expect. he's obviously great but actually hearing it done live, holy shit...

[djmmjd]

There are lots of great musicians and many can be attributed for different merits, however...

Coltrane is the greatest improviser in the history of man.

[Pat M]

sufjan???

i've listened to his albums... i gotta say...

i finally got a live concert... damn, so much better, i didn't know what to expect. he's obviously great but actually hearing it done live, holy shit...

he's jaw dropping in my opinion.

[dobyblue]

Bruce Hornsby

[onemanguitarban]

There are lots of great musicians and many can be attributed for different merits, however...

Coltrane is the greatest improviser in the history of man.

I disagree...anyone who plays a horn (ie. limited to basically one note at a time) is limited by nature in their improv ability.

[djmmjd]

I disagree...anyone who plays a horn (ie. limited to basically one note at a time) is limited by nature in their improv ability.

I totally understand your argument and I have used it myself. People gain more points for playing instruments that have more range. But I both disagree and agree on this subject in that Coltrane surpasses others by so much that I give him more credit. Most people don't even understand what he's doing. And the people who do can only latch on for seconds. There are many gods of music and many for different reasons, but in that arena, there has yet to be anyone with such rhythmic, harmonious, theoretical and cerebral instinct. Even Miles was frustrated with how the guy was a machine. And being a musician for so long, I also know that in any art, working with less usually inspires more creativity.

[bubba40]

Billy Idol
Wes Borlin
Jerry Valez (see Jimi at woodstock, he's the guy trippin' on the congas)
A1C Blonigen (plays taps in funerals up here in Minot)
Ms. Adams (my middle school band director)
Clay Aiken
Ricky Ricardo
Me
My left nut
Your momma

This list isn't nearly as ridiculous as this thread. And by the way, Miles Davis should be excluded along with all the greats like Mozart and all those other wig-wearing, inbred fuckers.

I'm done...for now.

:lol

[jimibadfish]

Jimmy Page is god awful...listen to his improvs, I mean really listen.

Prince plays the solo to Whole Lotta Love way...way better than Jimmy page. However, Prince is one of the best musicians of the last 25 years.

[dobyblue]

Page wrote some wicked riffs, that's what he was known for; not his solos.

[HolyCow]

Page wrote some wicked riffs, that's what he was known for; not his solos.

:thumbsup

Precisely.

[Mickey Carson]

sufjan, end of thread.
I'm seeing him at the Gorge in about a month and don't know much about him other than his reputation as a solid musician. Looking forward to it :thumbsup

[ILikeJane'sSong]

Paul McCartney and John Lennon
Bob Dylan
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Ray Charles
Muddy Waters
Neil Young
Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton

I didn't go into anything I don't or haven't listened to, so I guess you can take it for what it's worth, but I'm not going to toss out some random name that I know just for reputation but have never heard their music, I went a lot on influence primarily I suppose. I don't know, let the criticism come I guess, haha.

[Carbon Copy]

Jesus is def. up there

jesus, or The jesus, because noone fucks with the jesus

[Pat M]

I'm seeing him at the Gorge in about a month and don't know much about him other than his reputation as a solid musician. Looking forward to it :thumbsup

Oh jesus, what wouldn't I do to be at that festival. :(

DEFINITELY send me an IM, I have tons of Sufjan stuff for you.

[Haiku Jimi]

Page wrote some wicked riffs, that's what he was known for; not his solos.

I understand that and I love his studio work and song writing in general, but when people rank him among the greatest it ticks me off...because he couldnt improvise for his life. I'm sorry, but to qualify as 'greatest' I think you'd have to be somewhat well rounded of a player, no?

[JG2121]

Has anyone mentioned Sir Paul yet.
He's in my top 5.

[Ascf33]

1. Thom Yorke (Songwriting)
2. Eddie Vedder (Vocals)
3. Carter Beauford (Drums / Divine Power / God)
4. Noel Gallagher (Songwriting)
5. Mike McCreedy (Lead Guitar)
6. Jack Johnson (Vocals/Songwriting)
7. Johnny Greenwood (Guitar)
8. Flea (Bass)
9. Dave Matthews (Vocals / Songwriting)
10. Ben Folds (Piano / Songwriting)

[danster]

trey, mike, page, fish

[danster]

1. Thom Yorke (Songwriting)


whoops forget him, the one and only thom...definetaly up there...:cool

[AshkaanF]

trey, mike, page, fish

:thumbsup

[trlev]

Thom and Jonny both get songwriting nods. (Bodysong is a pretty cool score that Jonny wrote)
Don't forget Neil Young influenced all of the above, along with the Beatles.
Elliot Smith and Sam Beam are also great songwriters!

[bullox005]

trey, mike, page, fish

my heros

[luke7]

John Coltrane
Keith Jarrett
Jimi Hendrix

[davehead34]

Here's my list:

1. Trey Anastasio

2. Tim Reynolds

3. Carter Beauford

4. Bela Fleck

5. Jimi Hendrix

6. Victor Wooten

7. Jeff Coffin

8. Keller Williams

9. Leroi Moore

10. Boyd Tinsley

[dobyblue]

I understand that and I love his studio work and song writing in general, but when people rank him among the greatest it ticks me off...because he couldnt improvise for his life. I'm sorry, but to qualify as 'greatest' I think you'd have to be somewhat well rounded of a player, no?
I would agree when it comes to "greatest." I think that's it a great talent to be well rounded, but when you're that good at a particular facet of your chosen discipline then I think you may qualify to be considered.
I'm not saying that Page is in my list, but I'm never surprised that he would be mentioned in any list regarding rock's greatest guitarists. I wouldn't put him at #1, but he's up there.
In rock my personal choice is Satriani but I always get harangued for that. He fits your criteria though; he's a great riff-maker, amazing soloist and has written some damn good songs throughout his career. Being the teacher of Kirk Hammett and Steve Vai is pretty good to put on your resume as well.

[davehead34]

In rock my personal choice is Satriani but I always get harangued for that. He fits your criteria though; he's a great riff-maker, amazing soloist and has written some damn good songs throughout his career. Being the teacher of Kirk Hammett and Steve Vai is pretty good to put on your resume as well.

Satch is amazing :thumbsup

Is this an objective or subjective discussion?... The people I listed certainly aren't the greatest ever, but they're all amazing.

[jordonh]

Billy Idol
Wes Borlin
Jerry Valez (see Jimi at woodstock, he's the guy trippin' on the congas)
A1C Blonigen (plays taps in funerals up here in Minot)
Ms. Adams (my middle school band director)
Clay Aiken
Ricky Ricardo
Me
My left nut
Your momma

This list isn't nearly as ridiculous as this thread. And by the way, Miles Davis should be excluded along with all the greats like Mozart and all those other wig-wearing, inbred fuckers.

I'm done...for now.


sweet, another north dakotan

[davehead34]

Billy Idol
Wes Borlin
Jerry Valez (see Jimi at woodstock, he's the guy trippin' on the congas)
A1C Blonigen (plays taps in funerals up here in Minot)
Ms. Adams (my middle school band director)
Clay Aiken
Ricky Ricardo
Me
My left nut
Your momma

This list isn't nearly as ridiculous as this thread. And by the way, Miles Davis should be excluded along with all the greats like Mozart and all those other wig-wearing, inbred fuckers.

I'm done...for now.

Sorry you didn't like this thread dude. I thought this was one of the better threads I've had the priveledge of reading in the past couple of weeks. It's cool because it allows for a healthy discussion of tastes, and who doesn't like that? Anyways, if you don't like this thread, please feel free to check out this other site: www.ufck.org Perhaps you'll like it better there.

[jimibadfish]

Sorry you didn't like this thread dude. I thought this was one of the better threads I've had the priveledge of reading in the past couple of weeks. It's cool because it allows for a healthy discussion of tastes, and who doesn't like that? Anyways, if you don't like this thread, please feel free to check out this other site: www.ufck.org Perhaps you'll like it better there.

Sorry, I was trying to be funny. I think it is an interesting thread too, but the joke list just popped into my head and I do believe that Miles should be considered as a master musician. If I were to make a real list it would look something like this:

1. Miles Davis
2. Stevie Wonder
3. Carter Beauford
4. Quincy Jones
5. The Beatles
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. Duke Ellington
8. Bradley Nowell
9. Sting
10. Prince

[jimibadfish]

sweet, another north dakotan

Ain't it a hoot!:lol Hopefully, I'll be headed back to Cali' pretty soon.

[davehead34]

Sorry, I was trying to be funny. I think it is an interesting thread too, but the joke list just popped into my head and I do believe that Miles should be considered as a master musician. If I were to make a real list it would look something like this:

1. Miles Davis
2. Stevie Wonder
3. Carter Beauford
4. Quincy Jones
5. The Beatles
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. Duke Ellington
8. Bradley Nowell
9. Sting
10. Prince

:BANG Sorry dude. Sarcasm can be difficult for me to point out at time. I'm interested as to why you picked Brad Nowell as your number eight spot. God I love Sumblime, though.

[davehead34]

Ain't it a hoot!:lol Hopefully, I'll be headed back to Cali' pretty soon.

What part of Cali? You have to hit me up if you're in the SoCal region! I know tons of great Ants over here dude! NorCal has some seriously awesome people, too.

[jimibadfish]

:BANG Sorry dude. Sarcasm can be difficult for me to point out at time. I'm interested as to why you picked Brad Nowell as your number eight spot. God I love Sumblime, though.

His soul was intrinsically musical. It's as if he was born to make people happy with his music. I feel his genuis was his life and that is just a beautiful thing.

[jimibadfish]

What part of Cali? You have to hit me up if you're in the SoCal region! I know tons of great Ants over here dude! NorCal has some seriously awesome people, too.

My lil' girl lives in San Jose, but I'm thinking about moving to Santa Barbara.

[pig494]

sweet, another north dakotan

ND for me too man---sweet

[krbarrett77]

My top ten, but certainly not THE top ten:

1. Ryan Adams (Songwriting)
2. Bruce Springsteen (Everything about his music: Lyrics and Composition)
3. Eric Clapton (Guitar playing)
4. Carter Beauford (duh)
5. John Coltrane (Sax Playing)
6. Sufjan Stevens (The whole package)
7. Conor Oberst (Lyrics)
8. Bob Dylan (Songwriting)
9. Tom Petty (Delivery- just something about that voice with those lyrics)
10. Mark Kozelek (Delivery- saddest bastard on the planet?)

[onemanguitarban]

I feel his genuis was his life and that is just a beautiful thing. Yeah...most genuis know that taking Heroin isn't a good idea. :rolleyes

Sorry he wasn't that bright.

[davehead34]

Yeah...most genuis know that taking Heroin isn't a good idea. :rolleyes

:lol

[davehead34]

My lil' girl lives in San Jose, but I'm thinking about moving to Santa Barbara.

It's stunning up there. Absolutely beautiful. I live in San Diego. Hit me up if you're ever in the area dude. We'll jam, drink, chill, whatever.

[1suitewhirled]

leo kottke
dave matthews
bob dylan
carter beauford
frank zappa
trey anastasio
bela fleck
jimi hendrix
jaco pastorius
bill frisell

[1suitewhirled]

ben harper (honorable mention) for songwristing, weissenborn playing, voice

[kjzz12]

ben harper (honorable mention) for songwristing, weissenborn playing, voice
I know, it's an honest mistake but...

I'm a good songwrister too!

[jimibadfish]

It's stunning up there. Absolutely beautiful. I live in San Diego. Hit me up if you're ever in the area dude. We'll jam, drink, chill, whatever.

Will do.

[jimibadfish]

Yeah...most genuis know that taking Heroin isn't a good idea. :rolleyes

Sorry he wasn't that bright.

I'm not trying to say he was a rocket scientist. Genius is measured on many different planes. Not many of the musicians mentioned in this discussion had the smoothest personal lives and many had battles with drug addiction. Their character flaws do not take away from the fact that the music they made is pure genius. Pull your head out of your ass and realize that one man's heroin addict is another's inspiration. You may be drug free, but how much positive effect will you have on people's lives? How many people are going to pop in your album 10 years after your death and grow a big smile as all the troubles of their everyday life are forgotten for a moment as they take in the sweet melody coming out of the speakers? Please try to take an alternate perspective every once in a while; it will serve to your best interest and maybe you'll stop naysaying everyone on this site.

[AshkaanF]

leo kottke

does not get enough credit

[pig494]

Paul Simon

[seohwang]

Well I'm going to break the rule and add some older masters from the classical music era because I love calssical music along with every and any other kinds of music:

1. Ludwig van Beethoven: When he wrote Symphony #9 (the one with the Ode to Joy chorale in Movement 4) he was completely deaf. He could not hear anything at all. In fact, during the debut of that symphony they had another conductor out of sight from Beethoven conducting the orchestra for fear od offending him. Towards the end, he was a few bars behind and when it was over the crowd gave a him a standing ovation and he didn;t know it because he was still conducting the last few bars. One of the singers rushed up to him and turned him around. The entire place had gone crazy and had given him 6 minute long applause. This is a true story. The man was completely deaf when he wrote Symphony #9 and it is THE MOST AMAZING piece of music ever written so far IMO. Just go home crank up the stereo and listen to the whole thing. It is an amazing piece of music from emotional, technical, musical, etc.., points of view.

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: SImply a genius. His works are filled with moments that only a genius can think of. Listen to Symphony #41 a.k.a. "Jupiter." Listen to the finale. It starts out with four very simple notes and slowly transforms itself to one of the most complex arrangements in music history. It is the single greatest example of a development within a common theme in music.

3. John Coltrane: Simply put, the man was the best jazz musician to ever wlak the face of this planet. Her eally understood that jazz was a form of music with no rules and boundaries. He constatnly sought to break the boundaries of music and try new things out. Many of his recordings really sound odd when heard for the first time. But if you keep listening to it, it starts to make sense for some strange reason. It gets to a point where sometimes, you have to listen to him for a whole day just to find a moment of groove that you know is completely off the cuff improvisation.

4. Herbert von Karajan: He was the best conductor of a classical music orchestra. I consider him to be a musician too because his instument is the entire orchestra and he has to play it just right and he did just that for many years. Just listen to his recordings of the 1962-1963 cycles of the Beethoven's symphonies. They are of the best musical quality ever produced on a record and it has since then ecome sort of a yardstick for other conductors. He always wills his orchetra to convey the full emotion of the piece they are playing at the moment. Truly a gifted musician.

5. Itzhak Perlman: For all you Boyd Tinsley fans out there, open your musical mind to this particular violinist. Oyd is awsome at what he does, taking classical elements and improvising with it. However, Perlman will blow any violinist out of the water with comfort and ease. He is, technically speaking, one of the cleanest musicians you'll ever hear. His violin playing is simply without any mistake. He also conveys so much emotion when he is playing that sometimes, I think he is trying to tell me a story with his violin. Again, try this guy out. You will not be sorry.

6. Charlie Parker: I think he was the first one that broke through the barrier without looking back twice. Louis Armstrong started it with the first beginnings of Jazz but I think Parker was the first musician to really understand what jazz artist was capable of. He was simply unafraid to go beyond what was acceptable at the time. He was, IMO, the first to really improvise and do it in a musically complex manner.

I think that's enough for me. Beyond this group there are thousands of great musicians out there but these six are okay by me. And I think that's why I like DMB a lot because they combine two of my favorite musical genres, classical, (like The Stone, Warehouse, etc) with jazz (like Jimi Thing, Crush, Two Step).

Paul

[jordonh]

ND for me too man---sweet


which town?

[sparty on]

someone just beat me to charlie parker and john coltrane.

[jimibadfish]

which town?


Muthafuckin' Minot