Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin

Although German composer Kurt Weill's work is perhaps best categorized as classical, his work in the theater--particularly his collaboration with Bertolt Brecht on THE THREE PENNY OPERA--had a tremendous influence on an eclectic host of rock and pop artists, including the Doors, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Marianne Faithful, and the Magnetic Fields. Weill's music, informed by jazz, Stravinksy, and progressive tonal theories of the era, was quite popular during the 1920s and '30s, and perfectly captures the zeitgeist of Weimer-era Germany. Weill fled to Paris in 1933 as the Nazi party's power increased, and eventually moved to New York City, living in the area until his death in 1950.

• Arnold Schoenberg
• Cole Porter
• Duke Ellington/Count Basie
• Edith Piaf
• George Gershwin
• Josephine Baker
• Lotte Lenya

• Jelly Roll Morton
• Louis Armstrong

• Bobby Darin
• Bryan Ferry
• Dagmar Krause
• David Bowie
• Kult
• Lou Reed
• Marianne Faithfull
• Nellie McKay
• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
• Rufus Wainwright
• Scott Walker
• The Divine Comedy
• The Magnetic Fields
• The Young Gods
• Tom Waits
• Van Dyke Parks

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