Roberto Gerhard (1896-1970) is one of just a handful of 20th-century Spanish composers to have successfully emerged from the imposing shadow of Manuel de Falla. Gerhard's four symphonies have none of Falla's romanticism and all of the postmodern gadgetry available to any composer daring enough to use them. No languorous, moody themes; no comfortable–or comforting–structure to lull the listener: just a concatenation of brilliant expressions and marvelous conflicting ideas, chaos and noise to some, enchantment to others.

Antonio Hart - Here I Stand (1997) {Impulse IMPD-208}
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© 1997 Impulse! / GRP Records | IMPD-208
Jazz / Post Bop / Straight-Ahead Jazz / Saxophone

One cannot help but be impressed by the versatility that altoist Antonio Hart shows throughout this set. He plays with the intensity of John Coltrane on "The Community," utilizes his soprano on the light reggae groove of "True Friends," jams a boppish rendition of "Flamingo" in a trio with organist Shirley Scott (who plays effective piano on the blues "Like My Own"), sounds like a mixture of Richie Cole and Paquito D'Rivera on the Afro-Cuban "Ven Devorame Otra Vez" (which has a vocal sample of three Latin singers that fits in well), and also plays more advanced music that utilizes three or four other horns (a little reminiscent of Herbie Hancock's "Speak Like a Child").

Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings (1956) {Pacific Jazz Japan, CJ32-5005, Early Press}
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© 1956, 1988 Pacific Jazz / Toshiba-EMI Japan | CJ32-5005 | Early Press
Jazz / Cool Jazz / West Coast Jazz

As Gerald Heard's liner notes point out, it's difficult to decide whether Chet Baker was a trumpet player who sang or a singer who played trumpet. When the 24-year-old California-based trumpeter started his vocal career in 1954, his singing was revolutionary; as delicate and clear as his trumpet playing, with a similarly bright and vibrato-free tone, Baker simply didn't sound like any previous jazz singer.

The Top 100 '60s Rock Albums represent the moment when popular music came of age. In the earliest part of the decade, bands were still regularly referencing earlier sounds and themes. By the middle, something powerful and distinct was happening, which is why the latter part of the '60s weighs so heavily on our list. A number of bands evolved alongside fast-emerging trends of blues rock, folk rock, psychedelia and hard rock, adding new complexities to the music even as the songs themselves became more topical. If there's a thread running through the Top 100 '60s Rock Albums and this period of intense change, it has to do with the forward-thinking artists who managed to echo and, in some cases, advance the zeitgeist. Along the way, legends were made.