#1 on my charts, part 1

With all the talks of favorite songs I’ve been having lately, I almost feel compelled to actually take the effort to actually take note of what my favorite songs actually are.

Whenever somebody asks me what kind of music I listen to, I usually answer “everything from alternative to Zimbabwan pop, although I’m not sure if the latter exists.” Many may see this as some sort of lame way of saying the already lame answer of “everything.”

But for me, it’s actually true. I have favorites in oldies, jazz, hip-hop, classical, and even electronic. In other words, like many other people, my favorite tastes in music transcend genres.

So let’s get started here. Every few days, and in no particular order, I’m going to be posting up a list of my favorite songs within certain (often over-generalized) genres. Not to say that these songs are the only songs I’ll listen to from this genre, but rather my ultimate favorites that I wouldn’t mind putting on repeat for the next few years.

Today, Hip-Hop, Love Songs, and Jazz.

Hip Hop

#1 On My Charts Pt. 1 - Hip Hop
Hip Hop. Rap. Beats. Call it what you will, but my perception and my taste of what makes "good" hip hop has changed dramtatically over the years. I think I've become comfortable with my current definition, and as such here are my favorites in no particular order:

Zion I - Bird's Eye View
I think the first few lines of this song define alot of why I enjoy this genre: "Like, on the real, hip hop is like, just, beautiful."

Pharcyde - Passing Me By
A favorite for many, and I'm no different. If we can only look past Joe's unbearable interpretation...

Souls of Mischief - 93 Til Infinity
Gotta show the Bay some love.

Pete Rock and CL Smooth - They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
In the words of my friend: "Perfection."

Nujabes - Beyond
More a beat than an actual hip-hop song, but a smooth beat nonetheless. I enjoy this man's work.

Naughty by Nature - Uptown Anthem
The 90s were dope.

Dilated Peoples - This Way
"Success will be the best revenge."

Digable Planets - Rebirth of Cool
I'm a sucker for jazz influenced beats. It truly is cool like that.

Common - Retrospect for Life
A chilling minor piano riff covered by deep lyrics? Damn.

Ahmad - Back in the Day
Probably personifies my continual train of thought while I sit at work

Z-Trip - Everything Changes
Can't say I'm the biggest fan of Z-Trip, but a song I can relate to nonetheless

Jazz

#1 On My Charts Pt. 1 - Jazz

Jazz is what got me started on music, really. Once in 6th grade, my friend asked me what kind of music I listened to. When I mentioned jazz, his reaction was no less of "Jazz? what the hell is wrong with you?"
He's a crackhead now.

Softly as in a Morning Sunrise - Wynton Marsalis
A favorite of mine from "Porgy and Bess." The trading of melodies between the flugal horn and the alto gave a new spin on an old favorite at the time.

Last Chance to Dance Trance (Perhaps)- Medeski, Martin, and Wood
There's just something inherently fun about this song.

Chuck Mangione - Children of Sanchez (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
Mangione's work ranges from the classiness and mellow nature of some tracks such as "Feels So Good" to the absolutely intense yet completely crisp nature of this one.

Maynard Ferguson - McArthur Park
The sax solo at 1:38? And the hook by the trumpet at the end of the solo? One of the reasons I got into jazz.

Herbie Hancock - Cantaloupe Island
The underlying piano riff is a constant reminder of the good ol' years I had with the combo back in the day.

Oscar Peterson - It Ain't Necessarily So
Another great track from "Porgy and Bess," a reimagining of the song that still captures the context in which it was originally sung.

Stan Kenton - Send in the Clowns
The piano solo in this recording completely improvised, and is still powerful, yet simple. I never could capture the same feeling when I attempted this on high school.

Gordon Goodwin's Phat Band - Hunting Wabbits
How a whole big band manages to stay on time in this track simply amazes me.

Love Songs

#1 On My Charts Pt. 1 - Love Songs

Or, songs I'm saving to dedicate to my next girlfriend. Let the cheesiness commence!

Heatwave - Always and Forever
A classic. "Each moment with you is just like a dream to me that somehow came true"

Radiohead - Nobody Does It Better (Live Cover)
A truly heartfelt cover of a Carly Simon favorite.
"Nobody does it better, makes me feel sad for the rest, nobody does it half as good as you"

Jim Croce - Time In A Bottle
A song I'm definitely memorizing and singing eventually.
"If I could make days last forever, if words could make wishes come true, I'd save every day like a treasure and then, again, I would spend them with you"

Foo Fighters - Everlong (Acoustic)
A quintessential 90s ballad that didn't overdo it on the tried and trite lyrical musings (and the fact that it's acoustic makes it that much more better).
"If everything could ever feel this real forever, if anything could ever be this good again, the only thing I'll ever ask of you, you've got to promise not to stop when I say when"

The Beatles - Something
A track I would never leave off the list.
"Something in the way she moves,attracts me like no other lover."

Babyface - Every Time I Close My Eyes
A track I'll probably end up playing at my wedding.
"And every time I think of it, I pinch myself cause I dont believe its true, that someone like you loves me too"

Next time: Electronic, Covers, and Ridiculously and Somewhat Sad Songs

"...but what if pigeons could become lawyers?"
-was said drunkenly, probably by me