New Books Lecture Series:
Tom Moon’s 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage
1608 Walnut Street, 18th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103

At the end of September, PMP hosted award-winning journalist Tom Moon for a discussion of his new book, 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die, published in August 2008 by Workman Publishing.

For the last three and a half years, award-winning music journalist Tom Moon has been searching out peak musical experiences from all genres and every corner of the earth. 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die is the result of his journey. Covering both acknowledged masterworks (J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations) and recordings that have been unfairly overlooked (Nick Drake’s Five Leaves Left), the book is designed to encourage listeners to become explorers.

1,000 Recordings is both broad and deep, drawing from the diverse worlds of classical, jazz, rock, pop, blues, country, folk, musicals, hip-hop, world, opera, soundtracks, and more. The book is arranged alphabetically by artist, cre­ating unexpected juxtapositions that break down genre bias and broaden listeners’ horizons. Flanking J. S. Bach and his six entries, for example, are the little-known R&B singer Baby Huey and the ‘80s Rastafarian hard-core punk band Bad Brains. Farther down the list: The Band, Samuel Barber, Cecelia Bartoli, Count Basie, and Afropop star Waldemer Bastos.

About Tom Moon

Tom Moon is a regular contributor to National Public Radio’s All Things Considered as well as Rolling Stone, Blender and other publications. During his twenty-year tenure as a music critic at the Philadelphia Inquirer, his writings appeared in hundreds of daily newspapers and magazines. A saxophonist, Moon began his career as a professional musician, working in assorted rock bands, cruise ship orchestras, and Maynard Ferguson’s big band. He lives with his wife, daughter, two dogs and thousands of CDs in Haddonfield, New Jersey.