What have you been listening to these five weeks?

I've been strangely obsessed with the Magnetic Fields and their 3-disk "69 Love Songs" set. It's wacky and strange stuff, to be sure, but it is also almost hauntingly intelligent when taken as a whole. If I weren't concerned about sounding like an idiot (which I'm clearly not, concerned, that is) I'd say it manages to portray a robust yet celebratory melancholia that is at once (or alternatively) both deeply sad and flippantly irreverent. Yea, whatever, but that's more or less been my mood and the imperfect reflection thereof in the CD player. I'd have to second the Getz/Gilberto collaboration as a fine idea as well.

I too have been listening to a lot of contemporary Christian music. CFB, 'The Word' I'm familiar with is by Sara Groves on her Conversations CD. Great voice, well produced. Some other great voices are Rachael Lampa, Sara Jahn, Jaci Velasquez & Rebecca St. James. I heard Sara Groves in a small venue last month & it was excellent. I've also been listening to my old standby's like Supertramp, Jethro Tull, Timbuk 3, Pink Floyd & mix in some Art Tatum & Muddy Waters, etc. I guess whatever the mood is I try to intensify or modify with the (hopefully) right selection. Glen, I was told by a medical Dr. back in the 70's that I probably had brain damage from using drugs...but I thought your comment was humorous!

Jennifer Warnes' The Hunter - these songs and her voice are very emotional - the song Big Noise, New York really does it.

I did not discriminate any specific music for that tragic event, but not to be extreme I ran on my TT the day after Musorgski "Shakherezade" and some of Bethoven symphonies Pastoral and Ode to Joy.
Music as any kind of entertainment has to be a part of life. So after continuous watching TV and listening to the news, there has to be a time to bring yourself back the way you've been before. Ambient of Brian Eno certainly was my first choise of my listening hunger.

Thanks to all for your responses. Some of the things that I have listening to include a couple of different versions of Beethoven's "Eroica", Astor Piazzola, Ellis Regina, Coltrane, and Bill Evans. Some of this music and artists have a certain melancholy in their sound or attitude but also optimism.

Fam124, interesting comment concerning Stan Getz's "sound". A beautiful sound it was and isn't it interesting how the "sound" of an artist can cause an emotional reaction. He had an incredibly honest sound without affectations. Could sound velvety, beautifully breathy and introspective. Ever notice how often his reed "squeaked" or chirped (usually in up-tempo tunes) and yet it never seemed to matter? If you haven't yet, check out his work with Bill Evans. Talk about introspection. Beautiful stuff.

I also find interesting the various mentions of artists of various nationalities. Perhaps with all the attention that world events is getting right now, more people will be exposed to the music of other nations. Naive? Maybe, but the power of music should not be underestimated.

Best to all.