Efterklang - Altid Sammen - A lovely album from a Danish group I’d never heard, recommended in the Strong Songs Discord listening club. Beautiful stuff, with lots of inspirational textures and arrangements.

Jimi Hendrix - Axis Bold as Love - As part of my guitar practice, I’ve begun to learn some Jimi parts. His introductory solo on “Little Wing” from Axis is a Guitar Center staple, and has been a great introduction to the intuitive, brilliant way he approached the guitar.

Osvaldo Pugliese - Esta Noche de Luna - Making the tango episode got me listening to all sorts of tango artists, and my favorite two are probably Pugliese and Juan D’Arienzo. You can’t go wrong with any of the albums in the tango playlist I made, so go check those out.

Franc Moody - Dance Moves - Another listener recommendation. I had never heard Franc Moody and this album just really works. A bit of Jamiroquai, with more of a guitar focus. Nasty little riff on “Super Star Struck.” Great for going on runs.

Cory Wong - Power Station - Speaking of runs, Cory has been a staple for my morning runs for most of 2022. This album is great fun, and the Sierra Hull track near the end (“Over The Mountain”) features some gorgeous wind ensemble writing.

Tracy Chapman - Self-Titled - “Fast Car” is one of the best (strongest?) songs ever written. I don’t have a lot more to say, but this is a really good album.

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown - 1990 Cast Recording - I have such a long history with this musical. I performed the part of Shroeder when I was in elementary school (he read Robin Hood instead of Peter Rabbit). Many years later, I played the reed book in the pit for a production at the high school where I was teaching. It’s such a hip, well put together show. I’ll probably talk about it on the podcast at some point.

Yo-Yo Ma & Bobby McFerrin - Hush - I grew up listening to this album on CD, and I returned to it after talking about McFerrin’s a cappella “Blackbird” cover on Strong Covers, Vol. 2. What a record this is. I still knew it by heart.

Wilco - Summerteeth - I love Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but I’ll also always have a place in my heart for Summerteeth. I’ve been contemplating a Wilco album for a while, and have been spending some time listening to both albums. I’m not settled on a song just yet, but it’s been a nice listening experience. I also loved hearing Jeff Tweedy on Ezra Klein’s show, and have his book on the “to-read” pile on my virtual bookshelf.

Mary Lou Williams - Self-Titled - My buddy Carmen Staaf got me back listening to Mary Lou, when she came on the show to talk about jazz piano a couple years back. The character Margo on the silly but enjoyable Apple TV show For All Mankind is a big MLW fan, and it’s nice to see her get some more visibility in popular media. She swung so hard, and was such a creative player.