Spent some time in New York with Ryan Lott, aka Son Lux, an old college friend of mine who has always been a forward-thinking composer whose music challenges and inspires.  His debut album as Son Lux At War With Walls & Mazes was named best album of 2008 by NPR and has received all kinds of critical acclaim.  If you listen to it, you'll know why. 

Here's an emotional track from the album called "Stay."  At :26 you can hear the start a very Son Lux/Ryan Lott groove that lays back in all the right places--and he's even gracious enough to let it continue through much of the track. And around :55 and later, you'll hear some samples of another great artist we went to school with, classical saxophonist Steve Temme ("The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band). 

Ryan told me about a time when, during his tour of Europe last year, the people from Blogotheque surprised him at a show and had him play an impromptu version of "Stay" on a piano they found backstage.  He hadn't played and sang it acoustically in this manner previously.  Gorgeous.  Here's the video:

Ryan and I also got to check out MuteMath, who Ryan has worked with, at their final US show of the year at the Nokia Theater.  Not only great musicians and performers (lots of rockstar jumping off stage, throwing instruments, etc!!), but great people as well.