This might seem like a cliché answer, at least because this is not what I typically listen to on a normal basis, but for an album I'd Pink Floyd's The Wall.<p>I think it has a certain degree of universal appeal. It has really aged extraordinarily well. If you are ever given the opportunity to listen to it on an any type of hifi system, do so. You'll find layers of eery texture and masterful use of stero dynamics. As a cherry on top, the album forms a perfect loop.<p>As for a song, Aphex Twin's Avril 14th. I love that you can hear the action of the piano in the track. It was recorded with a kind of player piano that makes it sound very mechanical, but it still has a somewhat organic feel to it. It's very quaint yet oddly contemporary.
All of Art Tatum's music<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke2_qob16ls" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke2_qob16ls</a><p>Check out this reharmonization/improv on Chopin. The guy was basically blind, hence the insane awareness of where the keys were.
Album: The Pat Metheny Group (called the "white album" because of its plain white cover with just the four names of the players). Side one of the LP was just "San Lorenzo" and "Phase Dance". The former still gives me chills, 40 years later.<p>Song: Wildflower, by Skylark (fun fact: David Foster was a member). Here[0] is a live version. Here[1] is the background story.<p>Honorable mention: Hoptsoi, by the Finnish group Värttinä. OMG, the strings. [2]<p>[0] <a href="https://youtu.be/2zPWlOXwnGo" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/2zPWlOXwnGo</a><p>[1] <a href="https://www.songfacts.com/facts/skylark/wildflower" rel="nofollow">https://www.songfacts.com/facts/skylark/wildflower</a><p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeXn_J8-q2g" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeXn_J8-q2g</a>
Here's a few of my faves:<p>Bob Dylan (Love Minus Zero/No Limit) <a href="https://youtu.be/ufbHfGU7WxA?list=LLlpi7Iw6jy-mv42RGAAiFVA" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/ufbHfGU7WxA?list=LLlpi7Iw6jy-mv42RGAAiFVA</a><p>Sekret Sekret (New King Jack) <a href="https://youtu.be/DyoHMZo7uGA" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/DyoHMZo7uGA</a><p>Steve Winwood (Can't Find My Way Home) <a href="https://youtu.be/eoSn2Y-b6wI" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/eoSn2Y-b6wI</a><p>Traffic (Dear Mr Fantasy) <a href="https://youtu.be/pSQ1akE2CcM" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/pSQ1akE2CcM</a><p>Joe Strummer (Johnny Appleseed) <a href="https://youtu.be/4IbMiqIdeME" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/4IbMiqIdeME</a>
Mahler - Symphony No. 5 Adagietto <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75YmlDR92UQ" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75YmlDR92UQ</a><p>Miles Davis - <i>Flamenco Sketches</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3W_alUuFkA" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3W_alUuFkA</a><p>Those were the two that immediately came to mind, then:<p>Barber - <i>Adagio for Strings</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKrxPTePXEQ" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKrxPTePXEQ</a><p>Miles - <i>Concierto De Aranjuez</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cscpJisU6k" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cscpJisU6k</a><p>- <i>In a Silent Way</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bdBONxS-Es" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bdBONxS-Es</a><p>Keith Jarrett - <i>Visions</i> (48 seconds long) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDujecndByY" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDujecndByY</a><p>- <i>Interlude No. 3</i> (1 minute 17) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us0EU-yXAlg" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us0EU-yXAlg</a><p>- <i>Sympathy</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQLTuyIHAMc" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQLTuyIHAMc</a><p>KJ's American Quartet - <i>Still Life, Still Life</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiVg5cSug3k" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiVg5cSug3k</a><p>Elisabeth Schwarzkopf sings R. Strauss' <i>Four Last Songs</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs0vSC9DUhU" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs0vSC9DUhU</a><p>Most beautiful <i>album</i> is I guess Keith's solo piano <i>Facing You</i>. Doesn't seem to be on youtube at the moment. This is one track from it, <i>Ritooria</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVpDWxoFGP4" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVpDWxoFGP4</a>
Listening to this now <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRIfsFefatg" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRIfsFefatg</a><p>Medieval style is rather beautiful.
Okay, one more: "Calypso", Suzanne Vega:<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhJIZZcNQPA" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhJIZZcNQPA</a><p>Steely Dan's "Home at Last" is another interesting turn on Odysseus.
Time without consequences - Alexi Murdoch<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3QJ4brLYZQ&list=PL04432CD8C7C0A83A" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3QJ4brLYZQ&list=PL04432CD8C...</a>
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Mozart<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy2zDJPIgwc" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy2zDJPIgwc</a><p>My favorite piece of all time. It encapsulates what I want to feel about life
An Armenian chellist playing Paganini's Variations on a theme from Moses in Egypt.<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g00bVs0zBg" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g00bVs0zBg</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huDWAc61Lx4" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huDWAc61Lx4</a><p>One of the only songs where I prefer the live version to original studio