This week marks the launch of a new series on the KDRAKE blog. Each Monday I will release a new playlist to get your week started. I will hand select and order a list inspired by my week past, sounds I am looking forward to hearing and what I have most recently discovered and enjoyed.

Not only will you receive a curated list of tunes to spice up your morning, but this will be a more personal window into my life. The Mondaylist is a journal of sorts and with a few words hope to encapsulate why these sounds are meaningful to me at this point in time.

Among other things, Music History III requires students to write a fifteen page paper on a topic related to music in the 20th century. Though daunting, this is a project I am immensely excited for because I have chosen to study jazz violin — a style I love, respect, and would like to learn more about. In an attempt to train my ears and become acquainted with my study material I have begun to listen to a variety of jazz classics. With the opportunity to go see Turtle Island String Quartet perform in Austin Sunday night, I took advantage and enjoyed a fantastic concert.

Their artistry has inspired this collection. Not only is Turtle Island’s music featured on this list, but a variety that shows the evolution of jazz as they demonstrated on Sunday.

Enjoy!