Italian Baroque and Beyond

DJ James Joins Ground Zero Plus
Sundays 5-8 am pst

A Lifelong Love of Music

I am DJ James, and I am happy to be part of Ground Zero Plus.

I became a music fanatic around the age of 10, and Led Zeppelin II was the album that started my obsession.

Although The Electric Prunes’ Mass in F Minor was my first exposure to long-form composing, it was also deeply influential. Thanks, David Axelrod.

Thankfully, I am still obsessed with music.

Life in Northwest Washington

I also love the outdoors, which is a good thing, because there is a lot of it here in Northwest Washington State.

For the past few years, I have also been a volunteer caregiver, and I am thankful for that experience.

But my ultimate dream is to become a full-time composer, until the end, as soon as life allows.

Re-Listening, Re-Examining, and Rediscovering

I began an obsessive venture to re-listen to music from all genres. Eventually, this led me to a deeper re-examination of classical music.

I was seeking to discover my current loves, likes, and dislikes.

First, I sought out specific composers whose works had been difficult for me to find in the past. Now, with so much music readily available online, I could finally hear more of what I had once only searched for.

A few of those composers include:

Hildegard of Bingen
John Dowland
Carlo Gesualdo
Silvestre Revueltas

An Unlimited World of Music

What I found was that I could now locate almost anything I was looking for in today’s online environment.

Suddenly, I had what felt like an unlimited ability to explore music, and I took advantage of it as much as possible.

At one point, I was listening to every Baroque composer I could find.

Then came my Vivaldi revelation, which is revealed in the first episode of this series.

Falling in Love With Italian Composers

After this, I realized that Baroque music had a much wider variety than I thought I knew.

I also discovered that I preferred the Italian composers over the Germanic, Franco-Flemish, and English composers.

I had fallen in love with Italian composers more than I ever thought possible.

The Series I Had to Present

This became the show I knew I had to present.

In this series, after a Renaissance prelude, we will begin with Arcangelo Corelli, then continue through the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic era composers of Italy.

This should keep me busy for at least the next year, and it is something I eagerly anticipate.