Preamble : SiR HendRix Rating System
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SiR HendRix Rating System employs a 50–100 point quality scale for individual musical tracks. the common 5-star rating points — [* to *****] — are not sufficient for rating the complexity of music and results in very subjective measures and inflated ratings. there is not so much 5-star [*****] music around as is rated in this world.
this rating is very serious. it’s not about “best rock song ever. period” or “my personal top 10” or something similar.
SiR HendRix takes a hard, very critical listen at tracks in order to underestimate and not overestimate the musical quality. if possible, in a peer group setting, i.e. comparing the track to be assessed with other representatives of the genre or style or with different covers resp. the original version.
my own personal subjective 5-star rating goes into the whole rating with 10-20 percent only. 80 percent of the rating process is in-depth assessment of musical motif, arrangement and structure, variety and dynamics, development and depth/breadth of the theme, expression and feel, uniqueness and/or innovativity, and performance. last but not least, i rate overall quality and lasting impression. this is not done by one autition only. up to 5 malus or bonus points may be subtracted or added according to two lists of 10 criteria each (including sound quality, metrics, virtuosity, instrumentation, interplay, expression of heart, genius work, simplicity/pureness, overdo, etc.). don’t ask for the specific point ratings for a track, i won’t reveal them, only the end result.
please note carefully : the ratings reflect a critical *listen at the music* and not just my personal opinion or taste. neither reputation nor being a fan nor the latest hip genre affect the rating in any manner. i don’t care. on the other hand, if a mainstream artist outside my listening habits performs well, he/she will get my points, no matter what. possible high ratings do not necessarily go with my love for the particular piece of music or the artist. i even could nearly object giving points and might be surprised or angried by my own rating results for artists i normally don’t care much about. my loved tracks would yield a different list, and i admit, i even do love mediocre music, we all do. but it simply won’t get my high ratings. i hope this clarifies the difference between love and assessment, it’s two different worlds.
once again : SiR HendRix Excellence Rating is not about “music i like”. it’s about a deeper understanding, appreciation, acknowledgement (and objection) of music performances beyond personal tastes. otherwise we wouldn’t need the Rating System.
the scoring of music is a professional task with applying a numerical system to it on a consistent basis. the advantage is rapid precise communication of quality to experts and amateurs alike, nothing more, nothing less.
music rated over 85 points is very good to excellent. please mind that the majority of quality music usually doesn’t cost more to listen to than to mediocre music. we don’t need to settle for less.
*****
98-100 points
unbelievable (AAA)
the top of the crop. music in this range is jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, really more than we could reasonably expect ...
95-97 points
extraordinary, profound (AA)
the very best, a rare level of greatness and elegance. music in this range has very high caliber, is overwhelming and might blow you away (or knock your socks off) ...
90-94 points
outstanding, high quality (A)
this is where special effort begins. music in this range is exceptional and terrific, but only few will make it into this category ...
****
85-89 points
flawless, very very good (BB)
great value for the price. music in this range is very satisfactory and hardly objectionable ...
80-84 points
slightly above average (B)
better than the bulk. music in this range has some redeeming features and is worth to be collected ...
***
75-79 points
very average, straightforward, mediocre and unremarkable (CC)
music in this range is generally pleasant but lacks complexity, character, or depth. this is where most of the mainstream music resides. just switch on the radio or TV. if you want to become somewhat famous and rich as an artist, go here.
70-74 points
slightly below average (C)
music in this range is imbalanced and should be less expensive to pay for ...
**
60-69 points
definitely below average (D)
music in this range is flawed, amateurish and to be avoided at all costs ...
*
50-59 points
poor, unacceptable, terribly dull (E)
words are insufficient to describe the inadequacy of this music ...
***** The List of Excellence *****
this list is ever evolving and so are the rating points.
you can bet that the musical diamonds listed here are NOT the ones most listened to ...
***** AAA : unbelievable *****
100 points
100 -
Miles Davis - 
Concierto de Aranjuez (adagio) - this genius piece of music is unbelievable. if Miles only had played this and Solea (next track, both from the album
Sketches of Spain, 1960), he would still be known as one of the most creative musicians of the 20th century. most people today believe that this is jazz (40 years ago, they didn’t). Miles Davis was a genius capable of playing *music*, not only jazz.
Gil Evans’ crossover orchestral arrangement of the famous second movement (adagio) of
Joaquín Rodrigo’s concerto plays around the original folkloristic/neoclassical theme and recreates a spanish orchestral landscape, slowly moving from valencia to andalusia, and it’s Miles’ hauting horn that plays the part of the spanish guitar, and yes, of course he’s jazzing every now and then ... asked if this music is jazz, Miles responded “it’s music, and i like it.” some people call it
third stream, in oversimplified words : a new emergent genre somewhere between classic and jazz.
99 points
99 -
Miles Davis - Solea - Soleá is south spanish (andalusian) folk music, a form of (“palo”) flamenco, and Miles plays this genre crossover even more thrilling than the Concierto, weeping with his horn. we shouldn’t forget that without
Gil Evans’ unique composition and emotive, expressive orchestration, this milestone of western art music wouldn’t exist. Solea is neither cool jazz nor jazz fusion, and it’s something different than flamenco jazz,
third stream again.
***** AA : extraordinary *****
97 points
97 -
Thelonious Monk - Round Midnight - the epitomy of bebop. does it need a comment ?
96 points
96 -
Eddy Louiss - So What - on the live album
Conférence De Presse, Eddy jams with
Michel Petrucciani heartful duos of the piano and the hammond organ, nothing else, a rare combination. while Miles and his genius co-players did work hard in developing modal jazz, decades later these two fullblood jazzers can build on it and put much more fun and easyness in this uptempo cover version with much variety, in a relaxed and vibrant live setting with audience applauding after solo improvisations. better than Miles’ original studio version ? so what ...
96 -
Joe Jackson - Round About Midnight - very sensible orchestral cover of Monk’s signature tune on the 1984 sampler
That's the Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk. arranged by multi-talent Joe Jackson who plays the piano part also.
96 -
Michel Petrucciani Trio - Say it Again and Again
96 -
Yo-Yo Ma - Sur: Regreso al Amor - world-level cellist Yo-Yo Ma interprets
Astor Piazzolla’s melancholic soundtrack from the film Sur.
95 points
95 -
Abdullah Ibrahim - The Pilgrim
95 -
Andreas Scholl - Messe en Si mineur - Agnus Dei - heart-touching aria from Bach’s famous “h-moll-Messe” (Mass in B minor BWV 232). german counter-tenor Andreas Scholl with
Philippe Herreweghe conducting choir and orchestra of the
Collegium Vocale, on last.fm tagged as
Chorus And Orchestra Of Collegium Vocale, Ghent; Philippe Herreweghe. please note, this high rating goes not completely for the streamed version on last.fm—
Johann Sebastian Bach -
Agnus Dei—which is a good ersatz at least. in offering excellent western art music performances (popularly labelled “classical”), last.fm is minor and it’s tedious to find the right versions (some people would say: “it sucks”). Herreweghe/Scholl’s version wins because of the more sensible interpretation, the more appropriate tempo and the purer voice.
95 -
Dollar Brand - The Pilgrim - this is the original album
95 -
Miles Davis - Will o' the Wisp - by Manuel de Falla
95 -
Thomas Wilbrandt - Number Three (Gymnopédie) - by Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 3 - in a marvellous and very sensitive orchestral arrangement, so beautiful that it hurts - this is exceptional, because most orchestral versions don’t win over the original piano version (same as a movie compared to the novel)
95 -
Véronique Gens, Roger Vignoles - Au Bord De L'Eau Op. 8 No. 1 (Sully Prudhomme) - by Gabriel Fauré
***** A : outstanding *****
94 points
94 -
Abdullah Ibrahim - Ntsikana's Bell
94 -
Abdullah Ibrahim - Saud
94 -
Carla Bley - Misterioso - creative cover and orchestral arrangement of Monk’s famous tune on the 1984 sampler
That's the Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk
94 -
Ella Fitzgerald - Summertime (Album Version) - with
Louis Armstrong
94 -
Dollar Brand - Ntsikana's Bell - this is the original album
94 -
Gerardo Núñez - Tarifa (Bulería)
94 -
John Lennon - A Day in the Life - in fact, The Beatles, from their groundbreaking album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
94 -
Louis Armstrong - Summertime - feat. Ella Fitzgerald
94 -
Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra - Space Patrol (Raumpatrouille)
94 -
Susan Lincoln - O Virtus Sapientie
94 -
Thelonious Monk - Ruby My Dear
94 -
Thomas Wilbrandt - Alone, For A Second - by Erik Satie - Gnossienne No. 3 - again, this orchestral arrangement wins over the original piano version
93 points
93 -
Alan Marks - Gnossienne No 3 - by Erik Satie (original piano version)
93 -
Gotan Project meets Chet Baker - Round about Midnight - Gotan Project Meets Chet Baker - the masterpiece of this tango project, merging cool jazz with argentinian pub ambience
93 -
John Williams - Sayuri's Theme
93 -
Miles Davis - Flamenco Sketches - the most musical and innovative ballad on the album
Kind of Blue with five modal changes and free-form bar improvisation of each musician
93 -
Miles Davis - Flamenco Sketches (Alternate take) - hard to say which version is better, somehow it’s a foretaste to Sketches in Spain ...
92 points
92 -
Antonio Vivaldi - Concierto RV 121 en Re mayor - Adagio
92 -
Cannonball Adderley - Autumn Leaves (same track as Miles Davis) - this version is hot, hardbop merges with cool jazz. Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Art Blakey and others. i particularly like the powerful screamy beginning, i always shiver ... it's like the movie is starting as a thriller but soon calming down to melancholy ... this recording made the love song ‘autum leaves’ to a jazz standard. the style is neither blues (but has a similar simple chord structure) nor "smooth jazz" (which wasn't yet developed at this time period and sounds completeley different). this version is modern bebop/hardbop with a swing.
92 -
Cannonball Adderley - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - erroneously held as jazz blues, but this hardbop style is soul jazz, similar to Horace Silver's 'song for my father' or Herbie Hancocks 'cantaloupe island'. this song was seminal for the style and for live recordings of jazz music.
92 -
Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion - Air (Bach, Air BWV 991 en DO Mineur)
92 -
Miles Davis - All Blues - from the album
Kind of Blue, more “busy” than Blue in Green (see below). the last.fm track is a different live version, though.
92 -
Miles Davis - Autumn Leaves
92 -
Miles Davis - So What - the epitomy and pinnacle of
modal jazz from the best-selling album
Kind of Blue, played by a leading group of jazz musicians in 1959,
Miles Davis,
Cannonball Adderley,
John Coltrane,
Bill Evans and
Paul Chambers. this is the original ‘downtempo’ version, later versions are played faster. we can safely say : you don’t know what jazz is if you ignored this most influential highlight of 20th century music.
92 -
Prince - Under the Cherry Moon - he’s a multi-talent
91 points
91 -
Cecilia Bartoli - Vivaldi: Sposa son desprezzata - the great art singers are massively underrepresented on last.fm. this belcanto aria is fascinating, and despite the fact that the music is from the *baroque era*, it’s NOT “baroque music”. understand the difference ? Vivaldi fostered a new style of composition called
galante music which abandoned traditional baroque styling and opened the way to viennese classics. interestingly, Vivaldi is wrongly attributed as the composer, in fact he took it from
Francesco Gasparini and included it into his pasticcio opera Bajazet. “reuse” was a common practice in early music (as it is now again). not ending the musical confusion, Cecilia is performing the aria in a *19th century piano adaptation* done by
Alessandro Parisotti, a romantic era composer. baroque - classic - romantic, 3 centuries, 3 grand eras, all united in this little piece of music. Cecilia’s relatively low timbre with only sparse trills adds to the expressiveness of this, let’s say it again, *non-baroque* aria. the correct italian wording is ‘Sposa son disprezzata’—I’m a wife and I am scorned. and so are you, poor listeners.
91 -
Enigma - Callas Went Away
91 -
Miles Davis - Blue In Green - the most sensitive track on the album
Kind of Blue with different modal changes. a fine interplay between Miles and pianist
Bill Evans, soothing and smoothing ...
91 -
Miles Davis - Freddie Freeloader - again from the 1959 landmark album in
modal jazz :
Kind of Blue, an unusual twelve-bar blues composed by Miles, and three giants of jazz meet to play it out on their horns,
Miles Davis,
John Coltrane and
Cannonball Adderley
91 -
Refractory - Yo Solo Quiero (feat.
Youn Sun Nah) - the Korean newcomer in jazz astonishes with her singing performance in portuguese and spanish as well
91 -
Yo-Yo Ma - J.S. Bach: Cello Suite #1 In G, BWV 1007 - 1. Prélude
90 points
90 -
Aretha Franklin - Respect
90 -
De-Phazz - Nonsensical Thing
90 -
Herbie Hancock - Cantaloupe Island - the very prominent example of the 60s emerging style of soul jazz
90 -
Herbie Hancock feat. Tina Turner -
Edith And The Kingpin
90 -
Horace Silver - Song For My Father - Horace Silver's signature instrumental, a kind of hardbop bossa nova (inspired by a trip to brazil) in the soul jazz style that emerged in the 60s. Henderson's sax solo adds some mellow (post-)bop feeling. Stevie Wonder "stole" the horn riff for his song 'Don't you worry 'bout a thing'.
90 -
Jean Boguet - La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin - by Claude Debussy
90 -
Michel Petrucciani - 100 Hearts - piano solo
90 -
Omar Sosa - Mis tres Notas - this cuban pianist is amazing, more to expect ...
the purpose of the
_ Center of Excellence _ is to collect and document the most outstanding and extraordinary music performances on this planet.
of course, only few make it into the
_ Center of Excellence _. for quality music below excellence rating [80-89 = ****] refer to the
List of Quality, documented in the
House of Quality.
i never ever will rate music upon request. so please don’t ask.
if you told me this sytem reminds you of Robert Parker’s wine rating system, i would respond : exactly.
SiR HendRix
//
