This struck a chord (pardon the pun) with me today.
I received a new CD over the weekend that I was very anxious to listen to immediately like any kid with a new toy, but it was classic rock and roll recording from a live Steve Earle concert and therefore not conducive to a corporate office environment.
I have a large CD collection at work. A lot of it is classical and jazz music (Glenn Gould and Bill Evans are favorites). And a lot of stuff from my sister the violinist (Hillary Hahn, etc...). I cultivated a strong love for acid jazz and older, free form jazz from a previous relationship and have almost every CD ever released and a lot of bootleg and live concert cuts by Ornette Coleman, Thelonius Monk, Paul Bley, Chuck Mingus, Eric Dolphy...You get the idea.
So....The trick is listening to what you enjoy while you're working without being distracted or distracting others, or numbing yourself into Muzak oblivion in the process.
I do try to tune in to WXPN's "World Cafe" on the computer if I'm working at my desk on a project or report. That's more likely to occur at home in the evening or weekends. Yeah for Podcasting and www.audible.com!!!!
I tossed a handful of 6 randomly selected jazz CDs into my stereo this weekend and pressed "random" to play them during a brunch I hosted and almost immediately realized I should have planned the tracks a LOT better because many of them came on too strong and were disruptive or distracting to the highly entertaining (if not raunchy) conversation going on at the time.
Point is this - Like Althouse, I am always in search of the perfect background music for work or study that is not New Age/ Musak craptola. I suppose it needs to be primarily instrumental, but there is a WHOLE lot of alternative vocal stuff out there and some folky/acoustic stuff that I love.
As for classical music - I'm looking to Robert for suggestions. I know your fatherhood is impending in 5 months or so, but please, don't forward baby music - OK? Let us have a posting contest to suggest music for YOU.
So, obviously, suggestions welcome people - bring it on! (PLEASE do not download or link music files to me - I don't want the RIAA all over me. I'm happy to purchase it or download it at cost.) If you live in the metropolitan Baltimore/DC/Bolton Hill area and want to share/lend a CD - OK by me!
Hmm, I'll have to get a look at your collection next time I come over... it sounds like there may be a fair overlap, but since I have a bazillion CDs...
Hmm, I'll have to get a look at your collection next time I come over... it sounds like there may be a fair overlap, but since I have a bazillion CDs...