Sure, a sunset happens every day, but that doesn't mean experiencing one can't be special. In fact, it can create an instant community. Just ask Nat Evans, a Seattle-based musician who has put together a unique national "event" that pairs his "site-specific" music with mother nature's evening gift, the sunset. more ›

Renowned UK film composer whose iconic James Bond theme created a mood that launched a legacy, has died of a heart attack in New York at 77. The BAFTA fellow and OBE recipient won 5 Academy Awards for his work on Out of Africa, Dances With Wolves, Born Free, and The Lion In Winter. The emotional allure of Barry's sound is recognizable in brassy arrangements, often-jazzy choices and swoon-worthy strings. Barry is responsible for 11 James Bond films, however his under-discussed score for Peggy Sue Got Married contains the single most beautiful musical cue of all time. If you dont weep when you hear it your heart is made of twigs. The entire piece is exceptional, but (1:35) is where the crying starts. RIP John Barry. more ›

Angeleno Opera enthusiasts have been anticipating the long-planned Ring Festival LA, which will span multiple venues between mid-April and late June of 2010 and boast numerous performances by different organizations, each "providing its own unique point of view on the influences of [composer Richard] Wagner's art and philosophy from the 19th century to the present day," explains the LA Opera. more ›

Jazz musician and Hollywood composer Neal Hefti died Saturday in Toluca Lake at 85, the New York Times reports. Hefti, who also played trumpet, had his biggest influence in jazz arrangements and compositions, but in pop culture, his theme for the original Batman TV show is probably the most well known: "Oddly enough, his most famous tune is among his least musically interesting, even if it was somehow brilliantly apt: the jauntily arch and repetitive theme for the television series 'Batman. Mr. Hefti said that the show was so campy it took him weeks to come up with a suitable melody. It won him his only Grammy." more ›

One of the most important composers of the 20th Century, German avant-garde and electronic composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, has died. The cause of his Wednesday death, which was announced today, is unknown at this point. Stockhausen made his way into pop culture when his image appeared on the Beatles album cover to the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album. After 9/11, his name surfaced in the main stream media when the press misinterpreted a statement... more ›

Released in 1989 and composed and recorded in 1987, American composer Steve Reich's minimalist "Electric Counterpoint" has fascinated, hypnotized and inspired choreographers and musicians alike (think The Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds"). Reich explains explains the composition as such: "In Electric Counterpoint the soloist pre-records as many as ten guitars and two electric bass parts and then plays the final 11th guitar part live against tape... Electric Counterpoint is in three movements -- fast, slow, fast... more ›