Some music people that deserve special mention, but not enough mention to earn their own page:

• Iona - oh woops I already mentioned them

• Jesse Cook - tremendous flamenco guitar stuff with just the right amount of pop influence

• Marc Antoine - more great guitar stuff from a guitarist-composer. He's influenced me a lot, and I especially love 1) his tone on recordings, and 2) his mixture of musical styles from various areas of the world.

• Matt Redman - good stuff

• Delirious - also good stuff -- I like to imitate Matt Redman and Martin Smith's accent when I sing

• Van Morrison - the only guy who can truly get away with writing songs that go "la la la la na na na na etc."

• Soul Coughing - these guys are way outside, but man can they groove.

• Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - incredible

• Liquid Tension Experiment - insane maniacs -- but cool

• Dave Koz - his third album is one of my favorite CDs; unfortunately his other stuff is too smooth-jazz-y

• Aquarium Rescue Unit - great jazz/fusion/rock, another one of those bands made up of only phenoms

• Jacques Loussier - he beautifully hybridizes classical and jazz, playing beautiful jazz arrangements of great classical pieces

• Dave Matthews Band - they are phenomenal; if only they got rid of Dave Matthews

• Michael Manring - he's weird and talented; I like him

• Mike Stern - I like his more fusion-y CDs

Comments? Concerns? Criticisms? Coconuts? Send them here.