Originally built to house the 1962 World's Fair, The Seattle Center's unique musical, arts, sporting, and festival events continue to draw people from Seattle and around the world. The Seattle Center phone system plays a festive and eclectic mix which represents the diversity of world culture and traditions in Seattle. Styles range from hip hop and bhangra to rock and West African music. For more information visit www.seattlecenter.com

1.

Massive Attack

"Exchange"

1998

Originally known as the "Underground Massive Attack" this British group wisely shortened their name to the shorter, if slightly menacing, Massive Attack. This track is an instrumental from their seminal 1998 album "Mezzanine." Massive Attack's sensual trip hop sound combined elements of Hip Hop, with Dub Reggae and Rock, and was widely influential in the 90s.

2.

Laura Veirs

"Cool Water"

2005

Seattle based singer Laura Veirs mixes folk, rock and even occasional touches of electronic music into her sound. This is from her 2005 release "Year of Meteors."

3.

Souad Massi

"Ghir Enta"

2004

Souad Massi is an Algerian singer songwriter whose voice recalls both the American singer Chrissie Hynde and Lebanese singer Fairouz. This track is from her 2004 album "Deb." This track is a soft but sensual bit of North African rumba.

4.

Yann Tiersen

"J'y suis jamais allé"

2001

Multi-instrumentalist Yann Tiersen has composed music for several films, most recently "Good Bye Lenin" here he plays toy piano, carillon, banjo, mandolins, guitar, harpsichord, vibraphone, accordian, piano, bass guitar and melodica, to make the musical world of the movie "Amelie," which screened in 2001.

5.

Cocteau Twins

"Lazy Calm"

Cocteau Twins was composed of Instrumentalists Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde and singer Elizabeth Fraser. They created their own ambient style of rock with drum machines, sythesizers, bass, and echoing guitars, and often indecipherable but beautiful vocals by Fraser. This mellow piece of ambient music is from their album "Victorialand."

6.

Abdullah Ibrahim

"Mannenberg Revisited"

1985

Born in South Africa in 1934 Abdullah Ibrahim is one of the biggest names in South African Jazz. He left South Africa during the time of Apartheid. Touring in Germany in 1962 a chance meeting with Duke Ellington gave him and his trio a break and led to a recording session with Reprise records and performances opportunities that included Ibrahim leading the Duke Ellington Orchestra when Ellington for a couple of shows. With the end of Apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as president he returned to South Africa, though he also resides at time in New York.

"Mannenberg Revisited" is from his 1985 recording "Water from an Ancient Well." It was recorded in New Jersey and features Abdullah Ibrahim (piano), Carlos Ward (alto sax, flute), Ricky Ford (tenor sax), Charles Davis (baritone sax), Dick Griffin (trombone), David Williams (bass), Ben Riley (drums).

7.

DJ Krush

"On the Dub-Ble"

1995

This is a dub reggae style track from DJ Krush's first album, "Krush," which was released in 1995, and features the trumpet playing of Kazufumi Kodama.

8.

The Smiths

"Oscillate Wildly"

1987

The Smiths were a great English rock group of the 80s famous for the guitar work and arrangements of Guitarist Johnny Marr, and the singing and unique lyrical style of their singer Morissey, which was occasionally maudlin and monotonous, but more often than not was a brilliantly teasing mix of irony and sincerity. The Smiths played together from 1983 – 1987 before calling it quits. This song, one of their few instrumentals, is from their collection "Louder than Bombs."

9.

Quasi Nada

"The Process" [Excerpt]

2003

Seattle based band Quasi Nada mixed Brazilian music with funk. All kinds of Samba found it's way into their music, and their lyrics mixed English with Portuguese. They played all over town from 2003 to 2005 when eventually the group disbanded, due to the many members of the group pursuing musical careers in other groups. This track is from their 2004 album "Interrupt This Broadcast."

10.

Scientific American

"We All Already Are"

Seattle based ambient Hip Hop producer and DJ Scientific American (originally called "Sientific American" because of copyright issues) has been making music here in Seattle since the end of the 90s. Originally he released vinyl singles that were compiled on the double CD "Saints of Infinity/Simulated D.I.Y." This track is from his most recent album "Strong for the Future". You can catch Scientific American performing around town at places like Chop Suey and at special events such as his performances improvising a new soundtrack for the film "Tron."

11.

Jimi Hendrix

"Wind Cries Mary"

1967

Need more be said about guitar genius and seattle native Jimi Hendrix? He was a great musical innovator who was also a compelling songwriter. This track is from his 1967 release "Are You Experienced?"

12.

Gidon Kremer/Keith Jarrett

Arvo Pärt: "Fratres" [excerpt]

1983

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt has called the aesthetic that drives his composition "Tinttinnablation." As he says: "Tintinnabulation is like this. Here I am alone with silence. I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note, or a silent beat, or a moment of silence, comfort me. I work with very few elements – with one voice, with two voices. I build with the most primitive materials – with the triad, with one specific tonality. The three notes of the triad are like bells. And that is why it is called tintinnabulation."

An excerpt from Pärt's piece "Fratres" is here played, with Gidon Kremer on violin and Keith Jarrett on piano. The recording dates from 1983.