Welcome to the Music Program Listening Library!
This is an archive of the listening examples used in class and recordings of the songs we are singing in their entirety. New songs will be listed after it has been discussed in a lesson at the bottom of the page.
The format for the heading is:
Track
Artist
Album
Please feel free to ask your music teacher for additional information about the artists or other reccomendations. Enjoy!
Notice: YouTube and Last.fm are used in links, please be sure your computer allows these websites.
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928 Horn Jam
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Backatown
Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was raised in a musical environment, playing trombone in parades as early as age 6. Trombone Shorty's music covers many genres with heavy influences from jazz, be-bop, hip-hop, reggae, brass band, and rock and roll.
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Jupiter (The Bringer of Jollity)
Written by Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
Mvmt. from The Planets
Gustav Holst was a well-known English composer in the early 20th century. Holst composed nearly 200 works ranging from operas to chorale hymns. The Planets is one of his most famous compositions and is a suite composed of seven songs for orchestra(some with choir). For more information on Gustav Holst and The Planets please visit the following links.
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Smooth Criminal(Original)
Written by Michael Jackson (1958-2009)
Bad
Micheal Jackson, known as the King of Pop, is cited in the Guiness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time. His contribution to music, dance and fashion made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. His seventh album, Bad, was released in 1987. Ten of the eleven songs from Bad were released as singles, five of them hit Number 1 in the United States. Smooth Criminal was released as a single, but only made it to the 7 spot on the Billboard Top 100. Follow the links below to learn more about Michael Jackson and his fantastic discography.
*Watch the YouTube video of Smooth Criminal to gain a full appreciation of Michael Jackson's range of ability.
Smooth Criminal(Cover)
By Sulic and Hauser
To "cover" a song in the music world means to play another artists song in either an original format or an adaptation. Sulic and Hauser chose to adapt Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal to be played by two dueling cellos. Michael Jackson covers are not rare as his music has spread around the world and has been covered and sampled by thousands of musicians. For more information on Sulic and Hauser, Michael Jackson influences, and cover songs, please refer to the links below.
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Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise
Composed By Ferde Grofe (1892 - 1972)
Grand Canyon Suite
Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofe, born in 1892 in New York City to a musical family, was a prolific composer in the early 20th century. Grofe collaborated with such well-known artists as George Gershwin and Paul Whiteman during his career. The Grand Canyon Suite was commissioned is 1931 by Paul Whiteman and Grofe promised a piece representative of his memories from a vacation to Arizona's Grand Canyon. The Suite is made of five separate pieces: Sunrise, Painted Desert, On The Trail, Sunset, and Cloudburst. Please follow the links below to listen to "Sunrise" and to learn more about Ferdinand Grofe.
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Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen
A Night at the Opera
Queen formed in 1971 with the only four members to ever play in the band: John Deacon on bass, Roger Taylor on drums, Brian May on guitar, and the electric singer and frontman, Freddie Mercury. The band experienced hige success throughout the 70's and 80's until Freddie Mercury died from AIDS on November 23, 1991. The song, Bohemian Rhapsody, took roughly two weeks for Queen to record in the studio. It has intricate overlaying choral parts all sung by the band members and the famous "rock opera" middle section. Follow the links to learn more about Queen and listen to Bohemian Rhapsody.
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C Jam Blues
Written By Duke Ellington
Performed by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
Live in Swing City
"C Jam Blues" was written in 1942 by the great Duke Ellington(1899-1974) and has since become a jazz standard having been played by countless musicians. The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra is led by trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis(b.1961). The ensemble travels the world giving high quality performances, educational workshops, and collaborating with other world-class musicians and ensembles. Follow the links to watch videos of learn more about the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis.
Listen to "C Jam Blues" by Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
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Boogie on Reggae Woman
Stevie Wonder
Fullfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder, born Stevland Hardaway Morris in 1950, began playing piano, bass, drums and singing at an early age. He was signed to Motown records at age eleven and continues to record for them to this day. He has recorded more than thirty top-ten Billboard hits and recieved twenty-two Grammy awards, the most of any solo male artist. He was also named a United Nations Messenger of Peace for his political activiness and was given the number 5 spot on the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists list. For more information about Stevie Wonder and to listen to some of his recordings follow the links below!
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Various Artisits and Songs
This week we listened to a wide variety of songs. Here are links to full versions of the songs we listened to in class and a link to the artists website. Enjoy!
