The Whole Music Experience Top Ten Lists of 2009

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The bulk of recordings I received in late 2008 and 2009 were of classical and traditional (world) genres. Since I had a large pile of classical recordings, some of those recordings ended up on the Top Ten Healing Recordings.


I received only a small collection of jazz recordings and some of the recordings I received in 2009 were actually recorded in 2008. Since my biggest discovery of the year was Galician (Spain) music, I included two recordings on the list below, a 2008 jazz recording and a 2009 world music recording. I feel fortunate to have received high quality recordings by some of the best names in classical, jazz and world music. The lists are random, meaning there is no number one spot—all being equal.

Best Jazz Recordings (2008-09)


1. New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Book One, World Village
2. Mario Adnet & Philippe Baden Powell, Afro Samba Jazz, Adventure Music
3. Mathias Eick, The Door, ECM (2008 recording)
4. Vaamonde, Lamas & Romero, Vellas Artes, Falcatruada, (Galicia, 2008)
5. Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze, Sira, ObliqSound, (2008 recording)
6. Benjamim Taubkin, Sèrgio Reze & Zeca Assumpcao, Trio +1, Adventure Music
7. Trio Ifriquiya, Petite Planète, World Village
8. Ithmara Koorax & Juarez Moreira, Bim Bom, Motema
9. Daniel Santiago, Metropole, Adventure Music
10. Tom Lellis and the Metropole Orchestra, Skylark, Adventure Music

Best World & Traditional Recordings (2008-09)

1. Toto La Momposina, Bodega, Astar
2. Marta Topferova, Trova, World Village
3. Uxìa, eterno navegar, World Village
4. Cesaria Evora, Nha Sentimento, Lusafrica
5. The Wailin’ Jennys, Live at The Mauch Chunk Opera House, Red House Records
6. Oreka tx, Nomadak tx, World Village
7. Maria del Mar Bonet, Raixa, World Village
8. Joana Amendoeira, À Flor Da Pele, World Village
9. Chango Spasiuk, Pynandì, World Village
10. Marina Rossell, Gran Teatre Del Liceu de Barcelona


The next category might surprise folks. My interpretation of healing music includes both physical healing and community healing. For instance “Playing for Change” represents community healing whereas, Marjorie de Muynck’s “Vibrational Healing Music” represents individual healing. Of course, any of the top jazz, classical and world recordings could easily fall into these catagories.


Best Healing Recordings (2008-09)


1. Marjorie de Muynck, Vibrational Healing Music, Sounds True
2. Barbara Furtuna, In Santa Pace, Buda Musique
3. Playing for Change, Songs Around The World, Concord Music Group
4. Anonymous 4, Four Centuries of Chant, Harmonia Mundi
5. Arianna Savall, Peiwoh, Alia Vox
6. Nancy Vieira, Lus, World Village
7. Louie Gonnie, Rhythms Within a Turquoise Dream, Canyon Records
8. Doug Cox & Salil Bhatt, Slide to Freedom 2, Northern Blues
9. Alex E. Smith, Cheevers Toppah and Nitanis Landry, Rain in July, Canyon Records
10. Symbiosis, Aotearoa (Beautiful Sounds of Nature from New Zealand), Symbiosis Music


Honorable mention: Songs across Walls of separation, Kirkelig Kulturverksted

Ten Best Classical Recordings (2008-09)


1. Till Fellner, J.S. Bach Inventionen und Sinfonien, ECM New Series
2. James DeMars, Guadalupe, Our Lady of Roses, Canyon Records
3. Rolf Lislevand and Ensemble, Diminuito, ECM New Series
4. Angela Hewitt, Plays Handel and Haydn, Hyperìon
5. Stile Antico, Song of Songs, Harmonia Mundi
6. Polyphony/Britten Sinfonia/Stephen Layton, Handel Messiah, Hyperìon
7. Isabelle Faust & Alexander Melnikov, Beethoven Complete Sonatas for Piano & Violin, Harmonia Mundi
8. Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ravel Daphnis et Chloè, CSO-Resound
9. Richard Egarr & Academy of Ancient Music, Bach Brandenburg Concertos, Harmonia Mundi
10. Thomas Zehetmair, Niccolò Paganini 24 Capricci, EMC New Series

Honorable mention: Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent, J.S. Bach Jesu, deine Passion, Harmonia Mundi


Five Significant Labels of 2009

1. World Village
2. Canyon Records
3. Adventure Music
4. ECM Records
5. Harmonia Mundi

Honorable mention to Motema (For its fundraising efforts for healing music)

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