Shark's Gods in Music: prolific, demanding bandleaders, boundary pushers, stunning talent and uncompromising creativity
- Shark
- May 9
- 9 min read
Updated: May 15
With Understanding Comes Appreciation
When people are asked about their favorite artists in music, most of the times, these fav artists basically share the same music styles if anything else. To me it goes way beyond that. As you might read in my post Ranking Shark’s Musical Taste published few weeks ago, my musical taste is broad and really wide open, but at the very tip of the iceberg I do have some artists who stand out above the others based on the following attributes:
1. They are prolific in the strictest sense of the definition. Most of these geniuses not only were working in their own bands but in solo/collaboration/sideman projects as well at the same time. Yeah, they really loved what they did for living beyond and far away the business side.
2. Demanding and perfectionist bandleaders. They got a great eye to recruit from the very scratch high-caliber talent and develop it by pushing beyond the limits of its own capabilities. Some of them are considered “universities” and seedbeds in music, who delivered countless of artists who eventually become la crème of la crème in the industry without an overrated diploma.
3. Strict work ethic and uncompromising creativity and talent. These guys always sought for perfection in every phase of their work —personnel, production, execution, operations, etc. They never ever meant to put a piece of music in the market just for the sake of selling records. All meat no fillers. Heck, some of them even founded their own record labels to have full control of their catalog and its distribution to avoid commercial commitments.
4. Boundary pushers. They stretched then/today’s unexplored/sterile territories and even (arguably) invented several music styles which gave live to other (today's) offshoots. By doing so, they were always in countercurrent to what mainstream typically offered while influencing countless artists to come. In the end, as my all-time music hero Frank Zappa once said: “without deviation from the norm progress is not possible,” right? A feat which has given many modern artists the courage to do their own thing.
When you put in a mixer all the latter, you got what I call a “God in Music.” Yes, they are an acquired taste for most people, but as any acquired taste in life, they deserve at very least a try and probably several “attentive” listenings before you get hooked by their genius, but once you “get it,” (if so) they will change your life and view regarding music forever while opening new brand doors in this marvelous art.
Said that, each ”God in Music” presents some key information; the main music genres they (used to) play, a brief bio, (IMO) their top 10 albums which might be a good entrance if you are not familiar to some "Gods" and their music, the number of official albums (studio, live, EP/singles, outakes, etc.) and songs which are available for streaming on Apple Music —and most streaming platforms,— the duration in days (continuous listening of the playlist), a link to a public playlist which gathers the discography of the music available for streaming by each “God,” and a public playlist that gathers it all.
For those who share the same musical taste or even if you are just a curious fan looking for new territories in music, you are in the right place and going to love this. The playlists alone worth the whole thing, the latter will save you days if not weeks of manual assembling, trust me. Hopefully this artisanal yet state of the art work is of your liking, and these recommendations (help you) expand your spectrum in music especially for those who are not familiar with (some) my “Gods in Music”
Milestones
1,600+ albums
16,500+ songs
230+ GB of music stored
68+ days of continuous music
10 Gods
🇺🇸🎸🎷🎹 🎺🎻God of Gods: Frank Zappa; The greatest composer in XX century, period. The creator of radical rock during the '60s who later pursued even more adventurous avenues, ranging from avant-garde, jazz fusion to classical composition and complex computer music to you name it; nevertheless, labels are far and beyond from his colossal catalog since the master plays in a league of his own. Multi-instrumentalist, uncompromising talent and creativity, self-taught, American composer, virtuoso guitarist, film maker, arranger, producer, orchestral conductor, demanding recruiter, perfectionist bandleader, successful businessman, and not the least, uncensored articulated speaker. In short? One-of-a-kind Genius. 1. Hot Rats, 2. Läther, 3. The Yellow Shark, 4. Civilization Phase III, 5. Absolutely Free, 6. Uncle Meat, 7. Apostrophe (‘), 8. Lumpy Gravy Primordial, 9. Over-Nite Sensation 10. Joe’s Garage. All his Official catalog which is available for streaming is also included. Check out the albums included here (130+ albums. 3,200+ songs. 10+ days of continous listening): https://www.sumrc.com/post/the-bible-of-the-discography-of-a-unique-genius-frank-zappa Don't know where to start? Start here: https://www.sumrc.com/post/hot-rats-by-frank-zappa-flawless-impeccable-and-exquisite-the-birth-of-jazz-rock-fusion
🇺🇸🎸🎹 🎷🎻🎬🪇Avant-Garde God: John Zorn; The one word virtually everyone can agree on in any discussion of the work of composer John Zorn is "prolific" in the strictest sense of the definition. Avant-garde composer, saxophonist, film soundtracker, and musical gadfly who has collaborated with countless artists. 1. Bar Kokhoba, 2. Andras: The Book of Angels, Vol. 28, 3. The Gift, 4. Godard/Spillane, 5. Cobra: Game Pieces, Vol. 2, 6. Naked City 7. Masada - The Circle Maker, 8. At the Mountain of Madness - Live In Europe, 9. The Big Gundown, 10. The Best of Filmworks - 20 Years of Soundtrack Music. All his Official catalog which is available for streaming is also included. Check out the albums included here (350+ albums. 3,500+ songs. 13+ days of continuous listening): https://www.sumrc.com/post/the-bible-of-the-discography-of-an-alchemist-master-john-zorn Don't know where to start? Start here: https://www.sumrc.com/post/bar-kokhba-by-john-zorn-a-journey-to-an-elegant-and-sophisticated-avant-garde-territory
🇺🇸🎷Jazz God: Miles Davis; The epitome of cool, an eternally evolving trumpeter who repeatedly changed the course of jazz between the 1950s and '90s. A monumental innovator, icon, and maverick, trumpeter Miles Davis helped define the course of jazz as well as popular culture in the 20th century, bridging the gap between bebop, modal music, funk, and fusion. 1. In a Silent Way, 2. Bitches Brew, 3. A Tribute To Jack Johnson, 4. Kind of Blue 5. Miles Ahead 6. Get Up With It, 7. 'Round About Midnight, 8. Sketches of Spain, 9. Miles Smiles, 10. On the Corner. All his Official catalog which is available for streaming is also included. Check out the albums included here (130+ albums. 1,800+ songs. 8+ days of continous listening): https://www.sumrc.com/post/a-digital-resource-and-guide-to-the-official-catalog-of-a-jazz-god-miles-davis Don't know where to start? Start here: https://www.sumrc.com/post/in-a-silent-way-by-miles-davis-revolutionary-and-blowing-away-milestone-progress-vision-executio
🇬🇧🎸Prog-Rock Gods: King Crimson; If there is one group that embodies progressive rock, it is King Crimson. Led by virtuoso guitar/mellotron Robert Fripp, during its first five years of existence the band stretched both the language and structure of rock into realms of jazz and classical music, all the while avoiding pop and psychedelic sensibilities. The absence of mainstream compromises and the lack of an overt sense of humor ultimately doomed the group to nothing more than a large cult following, but it made their albums some of the most enduring and respectable of the prog rock era. 1. Discipline, 2. Larks' Tongues in Aspic 3. In the Court of the Crimson King, 4. In the Wake of Poseidon, 5. Islands, 6. Lizard, 7. Starless and Bible Black, 8. Red, 9. Beat, 10. Three of a Perfect Pair. All their Official catalog which is available for streaming is also included (80+ Albums. 700+ songs. 2+ days of continuous listening). Don't know where to start? Start here: https://www.sumrc.com/post/discipline-by-king-crimson-reinventing-progressive-rock-music-a-smart-blend-of-cerebral-art-rock-a
🇺🇸🎷🎻Avant-Garde Jazz God: Sun Ra; Bandleader, composer, arranger, keyboard player, poet, philosopher, and cosmonaut Sun Ra advanced jazz into the space age. Through his elaborate concerts, films, and countless recordings, he fused imagery and mythology related to ancient Egypt as well as science fiction, planting the seeds for what would eventually be referred to as Afrofuturism. 1. Lanquidity, 2. Sleeping Beauty, 3. Strange Celestial Road, 4. Space is the Place, 5. The Magic City, 6. Jazz in Silhouette, 7. Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy, 8. Sound of Joy, 9. Atlantis, 10. The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Vol. 1. All his Official catalog which is available for streaming is also included (170+ Albums. 1,600+ songs. 6+ days of continuous listening). Don't know where to start? Start here: https://music.apple.com/mx/album/lanquidity-definitive-edition/1551784168
🇺🇸🎸🎷🎻Guitar God: Buckethead; An accomplished prolific multi-instrumentalist best known for his virtuosic command of the electric guitar. Buckethead is one of the instrument's most recognizable contemporary innovators, his rapid-fire riffing, near-robotic fretwork, and idiosyncratic lead lines combining elements of Yngwie Malmsteen, Adrian Belew, Slayer's Kerry King, P-Funk's Eddie Hazel, and avant-improv artist John Zorn's Scud-attack sax abuse. 1. Colma, 2. Giant Robot, 3. Electric Tears 4. Crime Slunk Scene, 5. Monsters and Robots 6. Population Override 7. Chicken Noodles 8. Enter the Kitchen 9. Kaleidoscalp 10. Acoustic Shards. All his Official catalog which is available for streaming is also included (240+ Albums. 1,300+ songs. 5+ days of continuous listening). Don't know where to start? Start here: https://music.apple.com/mx/album/colma/723539773
🇬🇧🎸📟🎻Experimental Gods: The Legendary Pink Dots & Edward Ka-Spel; Influential, staggeringly prolific group led by enigmatic frontman Edward Ka-Spel. Emerging from the early-'80s post-punk underground and sometimes categorized as industrial due to associations with bands like Skinny Puppy, the group's music is nearly impossible to pin down, drawing from Krautrock, ambient, folk, synth pop, and numerous other styles; The Dots' music is by turns melodic pop and exotic psychedelia, with classical influences, sampling, and relentlessly dark, violent, apocalyptic lyrics. 1. The Maria Dimension, 2. Poppy Variations, 3. Crushed Velvet Apocalypse, 4. The Golden Age, 5. Asylum, 6. Your Children Placate You from Premature Graves, 7. Stained Glass Soma Fountain, 8. Island of Jewels, 9. The Whispering Wall 10. Any Day Now. All their Official catalog which is available for streaming is also included. Check out the albums included here (170+ Albums. 1,500+ songs. 7+ days of continuous listening): https://www.sumrc.com/post/a-guide-to-the-mammoth-prodigious-work-by-enigmatic-experimental-gods-the-legendary-pink-dots Don't know where to start? Start here: https://www.sumrc.com/post/the-maria-dimension-by-the-legendary-pink-dots-a-fascinating-dark-violent-and-apocalyptic-space-ro
🇬🇧🎷🎻🎹Multi-Instrumental God: John Surman; A multi-instrumentalist renowned as an improviser and a key U.K. contemporary jazz figure. English saxophonist John Surman is a world-class composer, his large, diverse body of work —classical, theatrical, and soundtrack— has extended the boundaries of jazz. He studied clarinet as a child, then tenor, baritone, and soprano saxophones. He began playing jazz at the London College of Music and later studied at the London University Institute of Education. His first playing issued on a record was with the Peter Lemer Quintet in 1966. After further recordings and performances with jazz bandleaders Mike Westbrook and Graham Collier and blues-rock musician Alexis Korner, he made the first record under his own name in 1968. 1. A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe, 2. Upon Reflection, 3. Coruscating, 4. Road to Saint Ives, 5. Cloud Line Blue, 6. Adventure Playground, 7. Proverbs and Songs, 8. Adventure Playground, 9. Westering Home, 10. Private City. All his Official catalog which is available for streaming is also included (30+ albums. 300+ songs. 1+ days of continuous listening). Don't know where to start? Start here: https://music.apple.com/mx/album/a-biography-of-the-rev-absalom-dawe/1444200451
🇺🇸🎷Piano God: McCoy Tyner; Jazz pianist whose inventive two-handed forays, extensive modal solos, and dashing phrases made him arguably the best pianist to debut in the '60s. One of the most celebrated and influential jazz pianists of his generation, McCoy Tyner was known for his harmonically expansive modal voicings, commanding two-handed block-chord style, and fearless improvisational lines that touched upon African and Eastern musical traditions. Along with contemporaries Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, and Chick Corea, Tyner redefined the sound of the modern jazz piano from the '60s onward, and his playing continues to guide up-and-coming musicians.1. The Real McCoy, 2. Sama Layuca, 3. Sahara, 4. Extensions, 5. Expansions, 6. Trident, 7. Time for Tyner, 8. Song of the New World, 9. Asante, 10. Echoes of a Friend. All his Official catalog which is available for streaming is also included (80+ albums. 600 songs. 3+ days of continuous listening). Don't know where to start? Start here: https://music.apple.com/mx/album/the-real-mccoy/721273864
🇺🇸🎷🎻Sax God: John Coltrane; A titan of the 20th century, the saxophonist pioneered many of the jazz revolutions of the post-hard bop era. A towering musical figure, saxophonist John Coltrane reset the parameters of jazz during his decade as a leader. At the outset, he was a vigorous practitioner of hard bop, gaining prominence as a sideman for Miles Davis before setting out as a leader in 1957, when he released Coltrane on Prestige and Blue Train on Blue Note. Coltrane quickly expanded his horizons, pioneering a technique critic Ira Gitler dubbed "sheets of sound," consisting of the saxophonist playing a flurry of notes on his tenor within the confines of a few chords. 1. Blue Train, 2. Giant Steps, 3. My Favorite Things, 4. Africa/Brass, 5. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, 6. A Love Supreme, 7. Ascension, 8. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman 9. Bags & Trane, 10. Olé Coltrane. All his Official catalog which is available for streaming is also included (150+ albums. 1500+ songs. 8+ days of continuous listening). Don't know where to start? Start here: https://www.sumrc.com/post/a-love-supreme-by-john-coltrane-jesus-mary-and-joseph-what-a-journey
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