More than likely everyone has some favorite music. The music that no matter how many times you hear it, the magic still works. Perhaps it takes you back to a special time or place or reminds you of someone. Or maybe all of those things. Maybe it just makes you remember that you were young once.
For me it is the music of a band called Renaissance. The first time I heard their music must have been in 1976. Yikes, that is a long time ago. I must have played my old LPs of the band to death. The thing that is so amazing about them is that almost no one I talk to has ever heard of them. How can something I find to be so incredibly brilliant and important be so unknown to the majority of people, even those of my own age group?
Nowadays the world of music is so huge. All the of acts I grew up with are still there at least in recorded form. There is the real old stuff my dad listened to. And then there is the music of the more recent generations. Some of which is actually music. All told it is a vast pile of stuff. It is no wonder things get lost in the noise nowadays. But back in the 1970s there wasn't all that much to choose from. And yet I don't think I have ever heard a Renaissance song on the radio. Back in the day or on a classic rock station now.
True, many of their songs were long, but some were short enough for air play. It is strange and frankly I sometimes wonder if I'm a bit strange for loving the music so much.
Here is one of the short pieces that could have been a hit.
Annie Haslam is the lead singer. Her voice is the absolute best of any singer I've ever heard. And I enjoy many female vocalists. Natalie Merchant, Enya, Mary Black, Loreena McKennitt, Sarah Mclachlan, and more are all to be found on my iPod, but Annie is the top. I love the casual way the band is playing in this video. It makes me darn jealous of their musical talent.
Anyway Annie is still performing if rarely, solo and with a new incarnation of the band. If you are in the area of Pennsylvania you might be able to see her. She is doing a couple of Holiday music shows. Check it out here.
Annie's new passion is painting. I really like her style. I have purchased two of them myself. They are small enough that the prices are quite reasonable. She has done several violins. I mean she actually paints on a violin. They look fantastic! Check out her work here.
Thursday is Turkey Day, but that is no excuse to skip the next page of the maze.
Jonathan
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