About

“There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.” – Duke Ellington

“Where words fail, music speaks.” – Hans Christian Anderson

Good Music Speaks is a blog about music, whatever music I happen to be listening to at the time I’m writing. We have more access to music than at any other time in history. People carry thousands of songs around on their phone or iPod. There is also internet radio, satellite radio, FM radio, music in the concert hall, club, bar, elevator, dentist’s office and from the guy in the car next to me damaging his hearing with his radio up way too loud. There is music in the background we are hardly aware of, music in commercials, music we dance to, eat to, sleep to and finally music to which we give our full undivided attention.

It is that last sort of music, the kind we pay full attention to that I want to write about. Genre is not crucial, I don’t care if it’s classical music, opera, jazz, blues or whatever. Just that we are giving our whole consciousness to listening to it, and in return hope that it speaks to us in some meaningful way. I want to take each thing we are listening to on its own terms, not asking the music to be anything it wasn’t trying to be. This sometimes takes some context of the time, place and purpose for which the music was originally meant. In the end it is a sort of three-part conversation between the composer, performer and listener that comes together to define our musical experience.

I have to say thank you to all the friends and family that have encouraged me in this project and helped spread the blog around the internet on their social networks.  Most of all I want to thank my beautiful wife Judy for her love and support.  She has been my test subject, proofreader and cheerleader from the beginning.  This is in addition to being the household CFO, chief of operations, main political-spiritual-menu adviser and the great love of my life.  (Thanks babe, you are the best thing that ever happened to me!)

Hopefully you will find something worth reading here.  Maybe it will lead you to some good music that is worth the time to listen and let it speak to you too.

– Rich Brown

150 thoughts on “About”

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  1. Thank you Rich, I hope to gain some insight into the wonderful world of music that you are definitely passionate about and learn a little along the way. Erin

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  2. Rich, your blog is a refreshing break from the myriad of blogs out there.

    GOOD music is grace from God.
    The other kind seems to me like a virus that is purposely spread by a common carrier that is today’s music industry.

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  3. Thanks for stopping by Jazz Cookie…I like very much what you say here about not asking a piece of music to be anything it wasn’t trying to be…a great philosophy for those of us who always try to broaden our musical tastes or at least be open-minded about music that’s new to us. Ciao!

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  4. I just saw the film of HC Andersen, 1st time since a kid. The story is hokum, but makes no claims to facts. The songs are great, esp Inchworm: so simple but magical, and I love the sharing of onions on the boat to Copenhagen. a reminder that America was multicultural long before the word was coined.

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    1. I remember all the songs from that movie! What about, “There once was a table who said, ‘Oh how I’d love a chair!’ And then and there came a sweet young chair, all dressed in a bridal gown. The table said in a voice so true, ‘Now I did not say I would marry you, but I would like to sit down!'”

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  8. Rich- Thanks for checking out Sonotrophic. I’m just now getting it up and running and hope to have it ready for prime time soon. When I get a blog roll together, I will certainly add Good Music Speaks. I hear what you’re saying and especially appreciate “Transcription, Recomposition and Reimagining” Keep up the good work!

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  10. I love your blog and I have a friend who will also appreciate it (he goes by the name of kindadukish so you can see where he’s coming from and those posts about the jazz festival are his). I’m now following you so keep up the good work!

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  11. Thanks for checking out my blog. I hope sometime you’ll listen to one of my shows and let me know what you think…as long as it’s positive – wait, no, it can be negative as long as it’s something for which I can take you to court. After all, this is the land of the free and the home of the litigious. I think that covers everything – except i did enjoy your blog.

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  12. Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. I am quite happy that I have the chance to check out yours. We had one good jazz radio in the Metro Detroit area that went off the air back in the 90’s and since then I’ve been kind of lost about what is going on in the jazz world.

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  14. Rich, I particularly like your ecumenical approach in letting the music speak to you without an overburden of expectation. I heard something from an album called (I think) Birdseed the other night that spoke very clearly to me. Thanks for opening yourself to the world. –Steve

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  15. I really like your blog! I like that there is character to your words, a unique ebb and flow, it makes the reader want to keep reading. I just started a music blog myself. If you get a chance I’d love it if you could take a look at my blog. gemsofgenres.wordpress.com

    Keep up the good work,
    Gems of Genres 😀

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  17. I think I’m going to enjoy reading (and hearing) your blog. My dad was a jazz and classical pianist as well as being the organist for our church, my brother was a self taught folk singer/songwriter. Music was very important in our family. When I read your posts, I feel like I am back in college in my music appreciation class (the one that made me a lifelong fan of the second movement of Beethoven’s seventh symphony).

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  19. Oh yes! Glad i found your blog I look forward to reading more and seeing what music you come up with that I will ‘attend to’. I’m not a musician, but I am an attentive listener, and one of the things I hate to distraction is ‘background music’ I don’t do that. ‘Background’ for me is silence, and music should be attended to!

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  20. Rich,

    One of the wonderful things about music is the diversity. I love the fact that you happened to like a post on The Musings of Frank Gallardo, a post regarding a band and genre so different from the type of music you write about and love. What I love even more is your writing concerns genres that I respect immensely but have never followed with a high level of intensity. I’m looking forward to reading your blog and learning more about those genres, so thank you very much!

    Frank

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  21. Rich,
    Thank you for visiting my blog and for liking my photo of the U-Tubes trombone octet from UNT. Music is an integral part of my life as well, and I look forward to following your blog. I offer here a link to a post I wrote early in my blogging experience called “Life’s Soundtrack”. http://wp.me/p3BaWN-L Hope you enjoy!

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  29. Thank you, Rich. I had to write down the Hans Christian Anderson quote, as it speaks volumes and is something I will share with families in my classroom. Funny thing, although my strongest voice is in reading aloud to children, my passion is in music and art and how it makes a world of difference with children. In my 30 years, I could count on one hand the number of ‘children’s songs’ I use in my classroom. Introducing them to the sound of a cello is far more captivating. Do you know the book, “Can You Hear It” by the Metropolitan Museum of Art? It matches great works of art with music. How cool is that? It’s actually a children’s book. Well, I can talk forever about music. Again, thank you, and I look forward to reading your blog. -Jennie-

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  35. “If music be the food of love, play on,” ~Shakespeare

    Thank you for liking my post and for this wonderful blog. Music is such an essential part of my life. My soul craves it, as I see yours does too! Play and write on, my new friend.

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  41. Thank you “Good Music Speaks” for liking a post on our blog. We are glad to discover your blog. We are working to redefine things within the music industry. We can’t do it overnight it will be a gradual progression but one which we are working on every day. Quality is key for us as well as music education. We will reblog this post & look forward to reading more from you.

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  42. Thanks for stopping by into my world. I feel what you are saying about that music that makes us stop whatever we are doing and pay full attention to it. Those are moments of pure clarity for me, where every note echoes and makes the hair on my arms stand.

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  47. Thank you for stopping by my blog and listening. Music speaks to me deeply and helps to temper my emotions and bring clarity in my life. It is the food that nourishes my heart and soul, and I can see that you might be similar. I am always listening and will enjoy checking out the music you share and your perspective. Write on!

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  50. You have a great blog here. Thanks for stopping by mine.
    was reading through the comments made on your site and one stuck out. It was from Sekanblogger. It said: ” GOOD music is grace from God.
    The other kind seems to me like a virus that is purposely spread by a common carrier that is today’s music industry.”
    WOW!!! He hit the nail on the head. Please let him know!

    Reply

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