Paul Winter

Talk about your genre-defining albums: the George Martin-produced Icarus finds the Winter Consort fusing West Coast jazz, modern classical, folk-pop and world music. In the process, they're helping invent the New Age. But what makes this 1972 album so special is its ability to balance warmth and space with sonic exploration. This isn't your typical Yanni snooze-fest; although meditative, the Consort explores some heady, Indian-inspired jams, namely the gorgeous "Ode to a Fillmore Dressing Room."

Kind of a classical/jazz mix but with none of the stiffness that suggests--inquisitive, contemplative, eclectic, peaceful. And eloquent, much more eloquent than my description, which does more for the music than the lyrics that obstruct a couple of cuts. (Grade: B+)