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Brian Sacawa is the Founder of He Spoke Style and one of the original men’s style influencers.
MoreWhat music changed your life?
Everyone has music that affected us so powerfully that we can remember exactly where and when we first heard it. Music that almost changed us in one way or another. Today on the show, five pieces of music that were life-changing for me.
Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring
If you’ve never listened to The Rite of Spring, I’ll wager you’ll be struck by how modern and contemporary it sounds – especially since it was written over 100 years ago. There are several spots that it almost sounds like a DJ switching between channels on his/her mixer and spots that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Metallica tune.
John Coltrane, “Giant Steps”
Getting this album and listening for the first time was a rite of passage. I remember how eager I was to pop it into the CD player and check out what I’d only heard talked about with such reverence you’d think it was a holy text. And, for jazz, if kind of was. Truly game-changing and transformative.
The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows”
One interesting thing to note about this tune that I discovered during the intense period of Beatles research I entered into once I became obsessed, is that at 1:28 there is a high-pitched sound. That marks the exact middle of the track – not on the video, but on the album. Pretty neat.
Steve Reich, Different Trains
There are minimalist pieces I honestly prefer over Different Trains – Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians and Philip Glass’s Glassworks come to mind – but this was the composition that really opened my ears to a completely different world of music and sound.
Bob Brookmeyer, “The Nasty Dance”
Listening to this for the first time in a while, I couldn’t help but think that this recording is absolutely perfect in so many ways. The colors, texture and layering of the ensemble. Lovano’s absolutely sick playing. (I’ve always loved the short lick at 8:04 and remember having a “holy shit” moment the first time I heard this recording when I heard him quote “Softly As A Morning Sunrise” at 8:28.) The emotional arc of the piece and the way it builds and climaxes is perfect. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Chime in with some of the music that changed your life. Let’s make a playlist.
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Thanks for listening.
Stylishly Yours,
Brian Sacawa
He Spoke Style
Brian Sacawa
Brian Sacawa is the Founder of He Spoke Style and one of the original men’s style influencers. Since 2013, his goal has remained the same: to provide men the advice and inspiration they need to dress well, develop their personal style, and gain more confidence. Brian’s interest and passion for men’s style and luxury watches has led to his writing for The Robb Report, The Rake, and Sotheby’s and he has been quoted on menswear in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Today.com, Brides Magazine, and the Huffington Post. He lives in the woods north of Baltimore with his wife, Robin, kitties Nick and Nora, and German Shepherd/Collie mix Charlie.
