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Music for Making Art
I had an artist friend who never listened to music while she worked and seldom listened to music at other times. Personally, I think this is inconceivable. I can’t imagine not listening to music while creating art. For me, music is a muse and inspires the other art senses.
In no particular order, here are some of the tunes I like to play while in my studio. I usually crank them up to ‘Jive and Wail’ levels. Even though I’ve chosen one track from each artist, I generally listen to multiple tracks at a time.
(By the way, I’m sorry I couldn’t get this list to line up left and right. The justify function doesn’t seem to be working on my blog. I hate when that happens! I’m anal-retentive when it comes to lists.)
Title Artist
Until You Come Back to Me …………….. Aretha Franklin
Ocean Beach………. The Mighty Black Orchestra
Tangled Up In Blue…………….. Bob Dylan
Wings for Sarah…………….. Bob James
Where is Love…………….. Bobby Caldwell
Beyond the Sea…………….. Bobby Darin
Nick of Time…………….. Bonnie Raitt
I’m on Fire…………….. Bruce Springsteen
What are You Doing the Rest of Your Life…………….. Chris Botti and Sting
Viva La Vida…………….. Coldplay
Badge…………….. Cream
My Mate Paul…………….. David Holmes
New Frontier…………….. Donald Fagen
Peaceful Easy Feeling…………….. The Eagles
September…………….. Earth, Wind & Fire
Change the World…………….. Eric Clapton
Fall in Love…………….. Estelle
Gypsy…………….. Fleetwood Mac
Late Night Session…………….. Fluff
Noodle Soup…………….. Four80East
Crazy…………….. Gnarls Barkley
Route 101…………….. Herb Alpert
Yah Mo B There…………….. James Ingram
Shower The People…………….. James Taylor
All for You…………….. Janet Jackson
Steppin’ Out…………….. Joe Jackson
Rainbow Seeker II…………….. Joe Sample
Save Room…………….. John Legend
Callie…………….. Joyce Cooling
How ‘Bout That…………….. Kevin Toney
Smiles and Smiles to Go…………….. Larry Carlton
Something About You …………….. Level 42
Walk On The Wild Side…………….. Lou Reed
Cubanova…………….. Marc Antoine
Diggable…………….. Marion Meadows
What’s Going On……………. Marvin Gaye
Rock With You…………….. Michael Jackson
It’s Been Too Long…………….. Nick Colionne
Restless Feeling…………….. Nick Lowe
Pacific Coast Highway…………….. Nils
Minuano…………….. Pat Metheny
Graceland…………….. Paul Simon
Caravan of Dreams…………….. Peter White
Islands…………….. Phillip Glass
One for the Girls…………….. Rick Braun
Under My Thumb…………….. The Rolling Stones
Sunrise…………….. Simply Red
Faded …………….. Soul Decision
Sara…………….. Starship
My Old School…………….. Steely Dan
High Noon…………….. Steve Oliver
That Girl…………….. Stevie Wonder
Englishman in New York…………….. Sting
Sapphire Island…………….. The Rippingtons
With Or Without You…………….. U2
She’s All That…………….. Walter Beasley
Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?…………….. Waylon Jennings
What are the songs that inspire you? Please share. I need more music to add to my iPod.
5 Comments
29 Dec 2011
Revisiting Rothko and Newman.
Left: Mark Rothko, ‘Untitled.’ Right: Barnett Newman, ‘Achilles.’
In my youth, I was an admirer of the painters, Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman. I studied Rothko extensively and wrote a thesis paper on Newman in graduate art school. I always thought Rothko’s work was deeper, more intense, more spiritual and primal. Yet, I admired Newman’s minimalist approach to subject matter, content and palate.
A few months ago, I saw the theatrical play, Red, the story of Rothko in late career. The actor who played the artist interpreted him as loud, bombastic, tortured and a bit of a bully. Perhaps that was Rothko’s true personality, but judging only from his art, I had always pictured him as thoughtful and contemplative, so the two sides of the man didn’t fit well for me. I didn’t think the playwright seemed comfortable in Rothko’s skin. As a result, the play was a disappointment for that and other reasons.
Around the same time, I happened upon that thesis I had written some 30 years earlier and discovered my writing was full of the pretentious, inflated, pseudo-intellectual art speak that one finds in art magazines. Like the play, my paper was a disappointing read.
I’m still of fan of Rothko’s work. Visually, his paintings have held up well over many years. Newman’s art, on the other hand, looks thin, shallow and vacant. Not sure what I thought all the excitement was about.
— Mark Travers
20 Dec 2011
The Business Value of Art.
It is estimated that the arts return $8 in economic output for every $1 in investment received. Economic value is measured as a better engaged and more productive workforce, a more stable and diversified workforce, a more vibrant and attractive community, a better-educated local population, and the number of tourist dollars flowing in from outside the community. If someone said: “You give me $1 and I’ll give you $8 back,” you’d think that was a pretty good deal, right? Cutting subsidies to the arts is not just pound foolish, it’s counter-productive to job creation and regional economic vitality.
— Mark Travers
19 Dec 2011
