This week marks the fifth anniversary of the passing of George Harrison. Even though he kept company with two of the most famous songwriters on the planet, he managed to not be overshadowed by his bandmates and was able to make a name for himself simply by putting down some of the tastiest guitar licks to ever be preserved on vinyl.

It was easy to admire Harrison because he wasn’t so caught up in the trappings of being a rock star. He was generous with his talent and his time, being credited with establishing the first ever rock benefit show with “The Concert for Bangladesh.” We aren’t likely to see the likes of him to pass by again in the near future.

Here’s my short list of favorite stand-out Harrison-penned Beatle tunes (which are equally as classic as anything written by Lennon and McCartney) and a few from his solo career.

Best Harrison songs with the Beatles: “Something,” “Here Comes the Sun” and one of the greatest rock guitar songs ever, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

Solo George: “My Sweet Lord,” “Isn’t It a Pity” and “Awaiting on You All”

On the Web: www.georgeharrison.com

Share your list of favorite Harrison tunes in the comments section.

“My heroes are bandleaders like Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Frank Zappa. What they have in common is that the musicians they worked with played their best music in those bands. That’s the ultimate goal-to create an atmosphere where people can rise above anything they’ve done before.”

Trey Anastasio, guitarist and member of jamband, Phish
as quoted in Paste Magazine

November finds new musical releases by two harpists and strangely enough, neither of them falls in the classical category.

It’s been seven years since her last studio recording, but Loreena McKennitt has returned from her artistic exile with a new CD. “An Ancient Muse,” is on the Verve/Quinlan Road label and continues down that bohemian-Celtic path she embarked on with the platinum-selling “Book of Secrets.” “Muse” is even more of a melting pot, adding more international musicians to the lush mix culminating in an exotic world music sound. McKennitt is not only an accomplished harpist, but has a haunting voice especially suited for these eclectic songs that span not only the globe, but time as well with Elizabethan themes to Persian-influenced melodies.

On the Web: www.quinlanroad.com

Joanna Newsom is also a harpist but with an entirely different musical perspective. For one thing her voice registers somewhere between a cartoon character and wiper blades on a windshield. She manages to paint a surreal, fantasy world in which her sincerity and innocence are so alarming that you’re captivated by it. Her fourth and latest album is “Ys” (pronounced “eees).
Newsom found the right producer in Van Dykes Park, another musical enigma who will forever be enshrined in pop legend as the mercurial co-collaborator with Brian Wilson on “Smile.” Parks provides some elaborate, understated instrumentation that fits right in with Newsom’s vision. Her music is on the Drag City label and there is a short video on their site that will delight and perhaps confound you. But I guarantee you’ll find it different.

On the Web: www.dragcity.com/bands/newsom.html

Fool your friends and family that you’re a big time recording star by making your own virtual vinyl 45 rpm (or 78 rpm) record at www.says-it.com/record/

When I heard guitarist, Sanjay Mishra in a segment on NPR last week, I thought, that’s the kind of topic that belongs on this blog. Music that’s out of the mainstream, but would have greater appeal if only people knew about it. So that’s who I decided to use as the first feature for this new endeavor…

“Chateau Benares” is the latest release from musician Sanjay Mishra, who coaxes an Eastern (and Western) sound from his his fretless guitar. A frequent musical collaborator and with several movie soundtracks to his credit, Mishra is best known for “Blue Incantation,” his 1995 recording with the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia which proved to be one of Garcia’s final recordings.
Mishra’s unique sound could probably be classified as world music and even though his music has a meditative quality, he shuns the “new age” label because of the level of musicianship on his recordings. Whatever the classification, “Benares” is a very accessible entry into the world of Eastern music.
On the Web: www.mishra.net to hear sound samples and read a bio

For fans of: John McLaughlin or Al Dimeola

“See I believe in doing things. That’s the problem with most artists: They just dream and dream and dream. You gotta do stuff.”

Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips
to Rolling Stone on latest concert gimmick of vibrating underwear for the audience that can be controlled remotely from the stage.

Online: www.flaminglips.com