I wish I could name all my favorites. I'm far too eclectic.
However, a lot of people here have impressed me in this thread
I play in 5 gigging bands currently, not counting my solo piano gigs or just jam nights at bars that I participate in regularly. They all can do 4+ hours of live playing (for solo piano, much more than 4
)
My most-favorite stuff is stuff by 'musician's musicians'
It takes great musicianship for a musician or band to be among my most-favorite-favorites. If they don't sound -great- live, are they really anything more than a mediocre musician? No - not to me. What is a musician who depends on their sound engineer in the studio to make them sound good? Not a musician's musician, that's what.
What I like a lot are musicians that really sound like themselves - I mean the musicians who, you hear their music, even a song you've never heard before, and instantly know it is them because of how characteristic and unique their playing and sound is.
