Keeping up with new music

Penman, I too love standards and Big Band music. It's good to know, too, that there are many schools now that have swing bands, and pretty terrific they are too. I went to a concert of schools bands from all over the country at the Albert Hall and I was gobsmacked at the standard of the bands there and no-one over the age of 17. I like some but not all jazz (can't stand trad). I particularly like Oscar Peterson, and I like the Jacques Lousier trio's jazz adaptations of Bach. Clever stuff.

With a nod to artygran

I have to admit that I too have outgrown new music. I enjoy Fleetwood Mac and Queen YES and, with the newer sort of stuff, I love the melodic voice of Lady in Red but mostly I prefer the standards of long ago: Procul Harum, The Wichita Lineman, Vincent, and Stevie Wonder and the persistent but subordinate notes of his harmonica accompaniment; and, of course, Big Band Swing. Lizzie prefers traditional jazz though for me it is too unstructured. I am also one of these funny people who are entranced by Tango, the rythmn - One and Two and One and Two - from the distant days when I went to ballroom dance classes. My best recollections are the ENSA concerts of wartime; the Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, but today my taste goes to Sibelius, the early symphonies that epitomise the cold dark forests and lakes of his native Finland and echo my cold dark nature and the sombreness of old age.

Crikey; went to see Rory Gallagher somewhere in Manchester; must have been early 1970's. Just heard a rather good band on Jools called The Burns Unit...I do like folky stuff. Must dig out some Rory Gallagher stuff.

In the past few years I have been to Westlife and Boyzone Concerts. This year I am looking forward to the Take That Concert. And no I was not the oldest person there.

I have to admit that I don't know much about new music - I stopped with Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp and Queen. I don't even know what my 40 something children like these days. Although my current taste is for classical and standards, I try and be pretty open minded about music. One of my teenage stepgrandsons is in a pretty good rock band and when they have an accessible gig, we do try and go and have a listen and always enjoy it. I did see Black Eyed Peas on TV recently and thought they were good (does that count?) but I couldn't tell you who else is currently out there and I don't think it's something that would ever, for me, take the place of Bach and Vaughan Williams. Sorry guys!

I have a lead guitarist on the 4th floor,along with a ballet dancer.
I have a hiphop fan on the next floor along with me who is a blues /rock fan. old dancer.
On the next floor is a skilled guitarist and most of the time his other band members,playing what they call on Youtube the best punk band out there.
On the very ground floor my Son resides who has been playing in bads since hewas 15 and in now 45.
I absolutely love to listen to the guitars they are so comforting.Ive just unearthed youtube footage of the late very great Rory Gallagher

I must admit to listening to Chris Evans on BBC2. I love the music he plays - a mix of old and new. I've recently downloaded music from The Pierces, Brooke Frazer, Jessie J, Caro Emerald. I love Meatloaf and Queen and almost any Country - though my preference is for New Country.

I was very impressed with Alison Krauss on Jools last night; tried to buy the cd at Sainsburys just now but it had sold out. Not much into country music, but she has such a beautiful voice. Had a phase of listening to Tom Petty a while ago after they'd had a Tom Petty night on BBC4. Hadn't listened to much of his stuff prior to that so I had @ 40 years worht of music to catch up on. Arctic Monkeys getting very boring imo.

Its often thought that if someone past 30 like ourselves listens to modern music its because we're trying to stay young. Its not the case. A bit like Crimson I occasionally listen to some old disco music from the late 70's early 80's, but its not long before I think, its just rubbish compared to todays music. If I could turn back time I would love to go to Ibiza and dance on the beach until morning. I love club music, I really like listening to trance and its not to keep up with the young its because I just love it. Music taste is a very personal thing and really is each to their own. I only have to watch my 1 year old grandson wriggle around when he hears music to know that a sense of rhythm is just built into us.

Pollygarter if you like bluesy music try and listen to new album by Cee
Lo Green he is a young black singer who has got to be the find of the
year,i very rarely listen to "new" music as I am a child of the sixties and
spent all my lunch hours at the cavern when I should have been revising
for exams etc,I think this guy is going to be good.

I so need to find some new music to listen to. Bought the latest P J Harvey a while ago which I quite like [but it's not one of those 'I can't wait to get home so I can play it' albums] and then bought the new REM [it's ok, but I did get bored with REM years ago..my son in law tells me their last one was better]. Still playing the last Kasabian, which I never get tired of. I'm hoping the new Gorillaz album is good, but I haven't heard it yet. Jools Holland tomorrow night sounds good, with the Arctic Monkeys [didn't like their last album much]. I sometimes have a 'blast from the past' few days where I dig out old stuff I haven't heard for ages, but I do like listening to new music. My all time favourite band are Levellers [ageing hippie, me]. Went to see Steeleye Span the other week and found them pretty disappointing. Best folky band by miles these days are Show of Hands; worth checking out on utube and brilliant live. Can I give a plug to Hazel Winter [ex of Blue Aeroplanes]; singer/songwriter/poet quote' I can't be menopausal, I've played Glastonbury'. Don't we just know how she feels!!!

Hi - have you tried Mumford & Sons saw them at the Hop Festival last year they were amazing. Also you might like Glasvegas (courtesy of my 23 yr old son).

I have to confess I went to the Latitude Festival in Suffolk last year with my youngest son and wife, camping for three days, but I did insist on the Boutique camping, the tent is erected for you with mattresses. I was quite open minded with the acts, some were great, loved Florence and the machine, and groups I had previously never heard of. Tom Jones was the star though!!! My Son did put tracks of all the groups on my PC, so I would know what to expect. He wants to do the same this year, yes we are going again, but I have requested he doesn't.

Ive never really been a follower of the latest music craze, even as a teenager i preferred a lot of the stuff from the 50's and songs from the war years.

I love country and western music, Merle haggert, Charlie Pride, George Jones and Don Williams.

I also enjoy blues and soul, and can listen to Candi Staton, Otis Redding and Johnny Adams all evening.

I love irish music too, and Foster and Allen and Ann Breen are just two of my favourites.

Of course there is Brenda Lee, Dr Hook, Michael Bolton and scores morethat it would take too long to mention and bore you all rigid anyway

Yes 6music is good. Recent albums I would recommend include John Grant's Queen of Denmark, Ron Sexsmith's Long Player, Late Bloomer and Iron and Wine's Kiss Each Other Clean. I'm also considering R Kelly's latest after seeing his performance on Jools Holland at the weekend (you can still see it on the iplayer).

Too old to Rock'n'roll. I don't think so. I do find it frustrating that music is seen as a young persons thing. If you have digital radio 6music plays all kinds of interesting stuff. If they're not playing something from my youth it's often something inspired by music from back in the day.

If you like Adele you might like Madeleine Peyroux. Not exactly hip or the latest but quality.

I don't really try unless i hear something i genuinely like - nothing worse then older people trying to be trendy - remember Tony Blair and the Artic Monkeys, cringe cringe. Just listen to a bit of Tom Ravenscroft ( John Peel's son and if you like any of it then great.
I'm with you Joan, my grandson loves The Libertines when I play it!! but it's hardly up to date now.

Trying to think - no, nothing springs to mind. I got stuck with the Beatles, Stones, Queen, any amount of hard rock......

I utterly loathe rap, techno and hip hop, and don't even know the name of some of the modern genres. There's a kind of meandering wobbly singing style that bores me rigid.

Oh gawd - this is one area where I really AM old.