JAY C. REES
Professor of Music
Director of Frost Band of the Hour
As Director of the Frost Band of the Hour marching and pep bands, Jay is a renowned innovator in the field. His high-energy jazz/rock ensembles support the spirited atmosphere at UM athletic events, such as nationally televised Miami Hurricanes football and basketball games. He also expands the group’s reach and reputation throughout the region. An alumnus of the Frost School of Music (BM ’84, jazz performance and music education), Jay has worked at the highest levels in classical, jazz and popular music as a performer, composer, arranger, conductor and educator, which fits in perfectly with the 'cross-training' of musicians that the Frost School is known for.
The Ten Rock/Pop Albums you have to have if stranded on a desert island!
I believe that a great album is more than a collection of great songs. A great album transcends the content and becomes an experience that is as unique as it is intangible. The idea of ‘the whole being greater than the sum of its parts” is seen throughout great art. For instance, the “Ode To Joy” is one heck of a catchy tune, but even better is the totality of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony! So, here is a list of albums that are amazing, unique listening experiences. Listed in reverse order, these are the albums that I couldn’t live without, if I was stranded on a desert island! Enjoy!
10 – Blue (Joni Mitchell) – One of the greatest poets of the 20th century, Joni Mitchell is at her most honest and intimate on this dark, sweet, painful album.
9 – Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys) – The sound and production are stunning, only matched by the songwriting prowess of Brian Wilson.
8 – The White Album (The Beatles)- Only The Beatles could have attempted such an audacious collection of songs, and only The Beatles could pull it off.
7 – Songs From The Big Chair (Tears For Fears) - A therapy session disguised as a rock album. This is the best of all the 80’s British techno-rock, yet what makes it stand out is the combination of incredibly intricate, grooving music with such biting, cynical lyrics.
6 – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (David Bowie) - Sex and death set in a post-apocalyptic, nuclear rock and roll wasteland of the future. Yes, that’s what this is – wrap your head around that!
5 – Blood Sugar Sex Magik (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - The Chili Peppers synthesize so many different styles – rap, rock, punk, funk – yet they speak with their own unique voice. The anger and the urgency of this album are staggering and “Under The Bridge” is one of the most compelling indictments of drug abuse ever recorded.
4 – Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) - The ultimate working-class rock and roll! “The Boss” gives voice to all the disenfranchised. It would be easy to only focus on the lyrics, but listen to that band!!
3 – Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd) - It is a political statement, it is a social statement, it is art, it is rock and roll – It is all of these things. Monstrously ambitious and pretentious, yet somehow it works!
2 – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles) - This album changed the world. It was the first rock record that was considered music to listen to, not just for dancing or entertainment. Suddenly rock music was art! That statement was unheard of until 1967 when this one blasted everyone’s preconceptions out of the water.
1 – Abbey Road (The Beatles) - The perfect album! Every song is a masterpiece as The Beatles take on all styles and redefine each. As fresh and amazing today as it was when I bought it in 1969, this is the music that made me want to be a musician. “Come Together “ is a funky, dark synthesis of psychedelic wordplay and angst over our need to connect (with perhaps the coolest bass line ever!), “Oh, Darling” is one of the greatest rock vocal performances in an update of every Fats Domino and/or Little Richard song, “Here Comes The Sun” is the quintessential folk-rock song. Yet all of this brilliant work merely leads up to the symphonic metamorphosis of the last third of this record. An orchestral approach to rock and roll songs as themes recur and grow in substance, building to three insane guitar solos and the final statement “ … And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Professor of Music
Director of Frost Band of the Hour
As Director of the Frost Band of the Hour marching and pep bands, Jay is a renowned innovator in the field. His high-energy jazz/rock ensembles support the spirited atmosphere at UM athletic events, such as nationally televised Miami Hurricanes football and basketball games. He also expands the group’s reach and reputation throughout the region. An alumnus of the Frost School of Music (BM ’84, jazz performance and music education), Jay has worked at the highest levels in classical, jazz and popular music as a performer, composer, arranger, conductor and educator, which fits in perfectly with the 'cross-training' of musicians that the Frost School is known for.
The Ten Rock/Pop Albums you have to have if stranded on a desert island!
I believe that a great album is more than a collection of great songs. A great album transcends the content and becomes an experience that is as unique as it is intangible. The idea of ‘the whole being greater than the sum of its parts” is seen throughout great art. For instance, the “Ode To Joy” is one heck of a catchy tune, but even better is the totality of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony! So, here is a list of albums that are amazing, unique listening experiences. Listed in reverse order, these are the albums that I couldn’t live without, if I was stranded on a desert island! Enjoy!
10 – Blue (Joni Mitchell) – One of the greatest poets of the 20th century, Joni Mitchell is at her most honest and intimate on this dark, sweet, painful album.
9 – Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys) – The sound and production are stunning, only matched by the songwriting prowess of Brian Wilson.
8 – The White Album (The Beatles)- Only The Beatles could have attempted such an audacious collection of songs, and only The Beatles could pull it off.
7 – Songs From The Big Chair (Tears For Fears) - A therapy session disguised as a rock album. This is the best of all the 80’s British techno-rock, yet what makes it stand out is the combination of incredibly intricate, grooving music with such biting, cynical lyrics.
6 – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (David Bowie) - Sex and death set in a post-apocalyptic, nuclear rock and roll wasteland of the future. Yes, that’s what this is – wrap your head around that!
5 – Blood Sugar Sex Magik (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - The Chili Peppers synthesize so many different styles – rap, rock, punk, funk – yet they speak with their own unique voice. The anger and the urgency of this album are staggering and “Under The Bridge” is one of the most compelling indictments of drug abuse ever recorded.
4 – Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) - The ultimate working-class rock and roll! “The Boss” gives voice to all the disenfranchised. It would be easy to only focus on the lyrics, but listen to that band!!
3 – Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd) - It is a political statement, it is a social statement, it is art, it is rock and roll – It is all of these things. Monstrously ambitious and pretentious, yet somehow it works!
2 – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles) - This album changed the world. It was the first rock record that was considered music to listen to, not just for dancing or entertainment. Suddenly rock music was art! That statement was unheard of until 1967 when this one blasted everyone’s preconceptions out of the water.
1 – Abbey Road (The Beatles) - The perfect album! Every song is a masterpiece as The Beatles take on all styles and redefine each. As fresh and amazing today as it was when I bought it in 1969, this is the music that made me want to be a musician. “Come Together “ is a funky, dark synthesis of psychedelic wordplay and angst over our need to connect (with perhaps the coolest bass line ever!), “Oh, Darling” is one of the greatest rock vocal performances in an update of every Fats Domino and/or Little Richard song, “Here Comes The Sun” is the quintessential folk-rock song. Yet all of this brilliant work merely leads up to the symphonic metamorphosis of the last third of this record. An orchestral approach to rock and roll songs as themes recur and grow in substance, building to three insane guitar solos and the final statement “ … And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
