Playlists of a Wesleyan Music Major
I’m making a hobby of building out Spotify playlists for various seasons, moods, & occasions.
I do it for me, but love it when others listen too! Please enjoy, follow, share, and watch this spot. Can’t imagine I’ll ever tire of curating & sharing like this.
Comment if you have suggestions for new playlists or new songs for any existing playlist!
American Road Trip
Classic mid-century cinematic scoring to accompany the sweeping views of your next adventure.
Features Xavier Kugat, Ray Conniff Singers, Percy Faith, Anita Kerr Singers, Nelson Riddle, Henry Mancini, & more.
Classy Christmas by the Book
Like a Christmas radio station or a dusty Christmas CD collection. Old fashioned & familiar. Only great tunes!
Features Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Elvis, Burl Ives, Perry Como, Lennon & McCartney, The Beach Boys, Jackson 5, Nat King Cole, Ray Conniff Singers, Nutcracker, John Williams’ Home Alone, Handel’s Messiah, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, & more.
The Very Best of Christmas According to the Anglicans
Revel in the glory of the British choral tradition. Strident, joyous, solemn, spooky — from tender boy chorister solos to all the stops.
A bit more to say on this one: I first started singing in the Episcopal church at age 5, attended the Montreal Boys’ Choir Course for many years, have sung professionally with groups in New York, England, and California. The journey has exposed me to much great music (and some not-as-great). Here are my favorites for Christmastime.
While each piece is dear to me, most will be obscure to most listeners… I remember the jaws dropping in high school when I admitted I didn’t know “All I Want for Christmas”. I couldn’t hide from that one forever, but most folks could very easily skate through through life in this age without getting these pieces on their radar, which would be a damn shame.
While it’s mostly “Anglo”, the music spans several centuries, languages, and countries of origin. At times, it’s strident, jolly, syrupy, as you’d expect from British Christmas fare. Other times, it’s haunting — chilling, even, as 20th composers like Britten and Howells explored the more mysterious side of Christmas.
I find that this music hits a nerve in a way that little else can. Listen in order or shuffle it, heart the ones you like, skip the ones you don’t. Maybe on a snowy night, as you bake, decorate, or commute, maybe on 10% volume as you’re trying to fall asleep…
Anglican Choral Music ALL TIME GREATEST HITS
Selections from a special subgenre of choral music by a lifelong professional Episcopal choirboy.
My favorite choral works from outside of the Christmas canon.
Trains, Trains, Trains
I’ve always loved trains. Here’s a bunch of music referencing the beautiful machines. Especially good to turn on during a game of Ticket to Ride.
Classic Folk
Guitars, banjos, strings, singing in harmony, featuring: The Limeliters, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Seekers, The New Christy Minstrels, The Kingston Trio, Glenn Yarbrough, Tom Paxton, The Rooftop Singers, The Serendipity Singers, Chad Mitchell Trio, The Brothers Four, The Sandpipers, The Journeymen, Pozo Seco Singers, The Halifax Three, Pete Seeger, Cisco Houston, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Dave Van Ronk, Phil Ochs, Utah Phillips, The Almanac Singers
Ideas for future playlists here…
Have fun!
