Who would it be?

There's a long list of people I love listening to, and Miles Davis would have to be close to the top of the list. But with jazz tenor as my first love there's still a long list of people, Dexter Gordon was one of the first players I found inspiring. At the moment I love listening to Wayne Shorter. But, if it was a real desert island thing and I could only choose one artist it would be a no-brainer. For jazz tenor sax it just has to be John Coltrane.

For classical music I guess it's a bit different - so choose either one composer, or one musician....

On the matter of brass players, don't forget about Kenny G imagine a lifetime of nothing but Kenny. Seriously though, on piano, i reckon it would be Marc Andre Hamelin. But there are too many musicians and composers to get my head round this question.

What a question! If it had to be a composer it would have to be Handel, and I would want great recordings of every one of his stage works. If it were an artist then Juan Diego Florez as long as I could have him there to sing "live!"

But saxophone is woodwind not brass......but then again I'm quite happy for Kenny G to get shoved into the brass section!
Kenny Garrett on the other hand....probably my favourite alto player

Renee Fleming - she has such colours in her voice. She doesn't just sings - she FEELS - and it comes across even if you can't see her. Sends shivers down my spine.

I know it's a big question - and probably only possible to answer for a certain snapshot in time.

I think what prompted it is that I now have pretty much my whole music collection on my iPod and I listen to it on my way home to put myself in the right frame of mind for practising. So I decide what I'm going to practise (alto/tenor, jazz/latin or very occasionally classical) then listen to something suitably inspiring. If I had to limit my selection to recordings where -my choice- appeared there are really only two possibilities - Coltrane or Miles Davis. And I reckon I could be pretty much satisfied with either.

Over the past month or so I've had conversations with quite a lot of people about favourite players (all in the jazz sax line, so a fairly narrow selection), and they've often come up with players who I've thought "undeniably superb musicians, love listening to, but...."

No doubt in my mind...

*see my sig*

Could have guessed that

What, Archie?

Of course!! (he can sing too!)

Hmmm - just ONE person to listen to???

Well - if I HAD to choose, it would be the stupendous Banchieri Singers (does a group of 6 count as one??), closely followed by Piers Adams...

I'd break away from classical music and stick with the modern stuff. It'd have to be Thom Yorke

Alfred Brendel

Django Reinhardt

Fritz Kreisler

Composers? Bach.
Musicians?
impossible - for a start I'd want one of each of the instruments I like hearing, and then it'd depend on what they were playing. Harpsichordists Trevor Pinnock, without a doubt. Violinists a close call between Andrew Manze, Monica Hugget and Sigiswald Kuijken - and Manze is ahead at the moment. Pianists Alfred Brendel. Recorder players - aaargh, can't choose between Marion Verbruggen, Piers Adams and Dan Laurin. Singers - probably a counter tenor, Jochen Kowalski. Oboists - I'd want a choice between modern or baroque.....it's hopeless.

If really pushed, I'd have to stick with Brendel, and rehearse in my head what I've heard the others doing.

Oh god yes, Fritz Kreisler. Which is it to be, Django or Fritz? Help!!!

Yay!!!
Precicion with vitality, flair with loyalty to the composers. He's hard to whack.

A singer..............have to be either Chris Rea or James Taylor.
Bev.

Only one composer: tough one that, like you said it's a snapshot that may change.

However, thinking about the idea that this is just one composer, forever, I suppose you'd want a little variety: Some solo instrumentals (mostly piano, after all I am a pianist even if not as good a pianist as I would like), some orchestral, maybe a little choral. Nothing too avant-garde or hard work. Bach, Mozart and Beethoven all come to mind, but wonderful though their combined canon is I think I may be happier with someone from later in the 19th or even early to mid 20th century. Chopin? Not enough orchestra and no voice (but see below)! Liszt? Perhaps. Brahms? Schumann? Maybe Rachmaninov? Possibly Gershwin? On some days, Prokofiev!

Today is a Brahms day.

On the other hand, if you allowed me the desert island disc standard fare of one luxury item and one book (other than the works of Shakespeare and the Bible), I would have as my luxury item a grand piano and as my book the complete piano works of Chopin. I don't know if such a book exists, but there's no reason why it shouldn't!

As for a single performer, given his range as both a pianist and a conductor, Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Performer: Glenn Gould playing Bach

Composer: Brahms Piano Concertos No1 & 2



Not strictly what you asked but my response anyhow !

Masa Tayama.

For me it'd have to be a pianist & I've got several favourites, but Masa is someone I've heard several times recently & he really is a fabulous pianist & musician & I hope he will soon be better known.

Marvin Gaye

I think I'll go for Vengerov too