tkeith

If you can snag the video of Henry Threadgill's Society Situation Dance band, he's on that (along with John Stubblefield).

Update: I have a new presenter, but we're working on getting his account activated.

Claiming July, but, for the moment, I'm unable to edit the post containing the calendar.

I was hearing KD on track 10, but really figured I must be losing it. I'll be damned. Also, no takers on April, yet. Again, I *CANNOT* take April.

But for track 12, this test has left me about as happy as a BFT can when Felser was not involved. track 01 - Love the sound of this piano. Okay, Caravan. I was hoping for solo piano, but about a minute in, I'm fine with that not being the case. Love how this is unfolding. Tasty bass, too. It's not the Mal Waldron I want, but I'm really digging this. It's a unique interpretation that pays respect to the song, and it's interesting. Can't ask for much more than that. track 02 - This is odd. It's a unique tenor voice, and a conversation. I like that. But there's something about that tenor that's also losing me a bit. They're kind of wandering. It's honest, and they're communicating, but this almost feels like a rehearsal take. Live, it'd be great, but as much as I'm enjoying the interaction, I'm not sure I would as much on repeated plays. One thing I DO applaud is, for it's wandering, I'm not hearing the practice room... they ARE creating. Bass is the standout to me. Drummer has a fondness for Rashid Ali (and I can't fault him). track 03 - I got distracted and didn't realize track had changed. Tenor came in and I said, "That sounds like Booker T.!" I went to rewind what I thought was track 2, saw it was track 3 just as the bass hook to Hussen Kalle Mazeltov began. Love this cut, love the album. Transcribed this way back -- if only I could get someone to play it (looking at you, Tim!). Great choice. Man! Cyrille is SO fantastic! track 04 - Unsure. Maybe George Lewis? Dunno. Interesting, but not sure it's going in the "A" stack. track 05 - Unemployment stick NOT sounding like a snake charmer! NICE! Weird follow-up to the last tune, but it works. Sound recording doesn't excite me (either that or that's the worst snare ever made), but this puts it all together. I've reached a point that I almost can't listen to soprano these days, but this works on all levels. There is a significant drop after the sax solo. That IS the worst sounding snare I've ever heard. Fortunately, the soprano comes back and saves it. I recall a gig where a drummer was playing his "funk kit" and that's the sound the snare made. Just, no. Tim was on that gig. Fortunately, no audience member were. track 06 - Not sure what this is (Sam Rivers?), but I'm loving it. I'm thinnking of a game Charlie Kohlhase introduced me to -- Fantasy Jazz Band. I had the thought of Henry Threadgill and Shelly Manne when this started (Thanks, Charlie!). Once it gets going, definitely getting a Smiley Winters vibe from those drums. Trumpet doesn't try to do to much. Man, THIS is what I want to hear when I go to see live music! I've got no ID on this, but I'm definitely adding it to the stacks. track 07 - Borrowing from Horace... or Steely Dan. Kind of like it. Reminds me of the Bob Moses record with Autumn Liebs. I take that back -- this is MUCH heavier. Pianist is in that Tyner vein, but when he slows it down, there's a chunk of Andrew Hill that is very pleasing. Bass and drums are complementing the piano perfectly. Thoughtful, patient bass solo. What's not to like about this? (Hey Tim! They stole the bass line from Moonlight!) track 08 - Straight-forward-ish. Stabby drums behind a tastefully aggressive trumpet. Loving what the bass player is doing. Pianist could soften the blows a bit, but it works for the most part. Again with an Andrew Hill feel on the piano -- am I sensing a sub-theme? Now moving towards McCoy, but I'm not offended. This one works. More nice bass work. track 09 - Almost has the air of early Frank Lowe, that roiling, spinning tenor. It's not Frank's sound, though. Much going on here, all of it pleasing. Now it DOES sound like Frank. Maybe I should eat something. track 10 - Genre spanning, again. Parts of this almost sound like a Jazztet date. Trumpet has edge, but also has chops. Tenor reminds me of a guy nobody has heard of who went to Yale (and showed up on one of my BFTs). If I saw this, I'd be quite happy. The proper respect is paid to tradition, but I don't feel like this is being rehashed. It's not lights out, but it's admirable in its imperfections. Doing his best J-Griff! Damnit! You're going to make me spend money!!! track 11 - Angular and wispy. I'm not in love, but I'm not offended. My only complaint is this is going to be too short for what it feels like it's setting up. If I can figure out who that tenor in the left channel is, s/he will wake up one day unable to find their sound, because I'm going to steal it. track 12 - I have a lot of stuff adjacent to this in my collection, but this one is missing for me. Hearing more noisy than creative, and my patience wanes quickly when that happens. Tenor overdoes it a bit. Trombone is there, though, right where they need to be. The drums are giving him the right support. I guess it's the tenor bugging more than anything. Last track wasn't long enough, this one is dragging. Piano comes in and now we're back to noiseville. Maybe my brain is just in relax mode, but now this is pissing me off. Maybe that's the point. I'll pass on this one (and wish perhaps I had). track 13 - Nice choice for a set ender. Pulse (lacking in the last cut), more in-the-tradition, but doing it right. As it goes on, hearing more of the vocabulary, but less spontaneity. Confident it's not someone I know, but the chops are clearly there. Rhythmically, there's something South African about the sax player. No new ground broken in the rhythm section, but they're doing what they're doing well. About the half-way point, if that's NOT McCoy, they owe some SERIOUS royalties. Thanks! And apologies for dragging ass a week longer than I'd promised!

With apologies (since I haven't put my ears to this test, yet). I just posted in the sign-up thread. We need a presenter for April. Ordinarily when there's a gap, I would just step in (I haven't claimed a month, yet), but I can't do it in April. Anybody? Bueller? Anyone?

Hey kids! We need a presenter for April. I can't take it this month.

Despite my cantankerous responses, I appreciate that this BFT forced me right outside my element [Donny]. track 01 - Interesting, though slightly out of my element. A bit more in the "classical" vein than my preference. Well done, though, as it goes on, it loses me a bit. I'm reminded of the saxophone mouthpiece guru who, in the past year, posted to the socials asking if sax players preferred Jazz or Classical. The overwhelming response was Jazz. He then chided all of us for our answers, suggesting we had no idea what we were talking about. So, why ask? About the 3 minute mark things kick in and go in a very nice direction. That is some powerful trumpet, and not bashful. Yeah, I've completely flipped my perspective on this. The intro goes down a strange path that takes me out of my element, but this fires nicely. Yes, please. Alto player does quite get to that same place. I like Doplhy, too. This doesn't *quite* hold together. That trumpet solo was worth the price of admission, but I'm not sure this will hold up on repeated listening. track 02 - A true bari player, if my ears are being honest with me (as opposed to a doubler). It's not Cuber, but this player likes RC a bunch (not a bad thing). Never played this much on bari until about a year ago, and then wondered why not. It's a nice fit (not all songs are). My ears tell me that this person has listened to a lot of the rock/funk side of this instrument. I'm guessing a younger player. track 03 - Tune is Cool Struttin' and that sure sounds like Sonny Clark, but this is not the version I'm familiar with. Recognize the bone but can't put a name. Not Curtis. Tenor is familiar, but again, no name coming. track 04 - This would land better if that last tune wasn't such a bitch. With all the effects and loungie percussion, however, I feel like I've wandered into the David Friesen café. If this came on the radio or in a pop culture setting, I'd be onboard. This reeks of one of those one-guy-plays-it-all projects, though, and for that reason, I'm out. Wants to be later Eddie Harris, but it just isn't. track 05 - More effects. This is where you tap into my inner curmudgeon. Nope. track 06 - Pretty, polite. Almost has an Ibrahim vibe to it. It's a strong composition, but I'm not in love with the arrangement. Progression almost has an Only Trust Your Heart vibe. Wait, that almost sounds like Benny Carter on alto, but I don't recognize this at all. That would explain what I'm hearing in the composition, though. Something is off here (third listen). Not Benny, but royalties are owed. track 07 - This is the almost BFT. I'm getting a strong Konitz vibe from the alto, but it's not him. Fan? Contemporary? Leaning towards the latter. This is its own thing and it works well. A bit more controlled than my preference, but this is for real. Very curious. Taking Jerome in a little different direction. track 08 - I like all of what is going on here. I'm not a big fan of that Monder-ish guitar sound, but there is a uniqueness here that I appreciate. This isn't the rule book formula, and deserves kudos for that if nothing else. I keep wanting this to go a certain place. It doesn't, but it a way that I actually respect. This is not a monkey performing for me, the listener; there's a purpose here and they are not being deterred by what I might want. This might be my favorite track outside of track 3. About the three minute mark, guitarist pushes it in a decidedly Tom Waits direction that I don't entire love. I think the key is, they don't care. track 09 - There is a familiarity here, but it's an adjacent one. The tune remarkably familiar. Strong alto sound, but I'm not sold. The tune doesn't gel. Doesn't really sound like these guys are much listening to one another. Seems like it's trying to be too many things at once, and not really achieving any of those things. Not nearly as hip as it seems to think it is. And by 5:30, we're into full-on practice room masturbation -- I'm out. track 10 - Took awhile for me to identify Sophisticated Lady in there, but are we doing a medley, or is this really that tune? Seems more Monk than Ellington, but it's neither. It's not quite hitting. Each time it gets close, it gets bangy (like Ran Blake). Okay, we're back at Sophisticated Lady. Live I might feel differently, but this one misses for me. track 11 - Not in love with the vocals, but this is sincere. Don't recognize the tune. The sound on this recording leaves much to be desired. Somes like the vocals, saxophone, were recorded down a hallway. Saxophonist is older -- there's a shakiness at times that reveals physical age. Perhaps vocalist is also the horn player? That would explain the oddness I'm hearing in the singing, but they are both recorded in the same way that doesn't entirely work. Really sounds like this may have been recorded in different studios and mixed after the fact. track 12 - This has a lot of promise off the bat. Has a Mapleshade sound to it, particularly those drums. Busy piano, but that bass allows for a lot to happen. Even though the bass travels, ultimately it holds down the vibe, and the drums are right there, too. Piano could do pretty much anything -- not really commanding my attention. Drums and bass are killing it, though (in a good way). Got almost a Pharoah vibe to it. In fact, that may be Cecil, but it sounds like a more modern recording. Give me that bass and drums any and ALL the time. Much as the piano isn't making a full impression on me, I'd LOVE to play with this guy. It would force me out of habits. I need this. Apologies for taking the better part of three weeks to get to this. #12 will make me spend money (and likely #3), but it was worth it. Okay, my ears didn't lie to me on track 3, though I should have gotten Forrest. So track 6 IS Benny? I feel better if that's the case, but also feel worse at not having this. And track 12! I'll be damned! I didn't have Jack, but that makes perfect sense. I shall have to acquire this. Also, Jim's post is the perfect explanation for why I don't read prior to listening. #PresentingTheAnswerKey

Well, more hits than misses for me this go 'round, Dan, which is not always the case with us. Apologies for taking most of the month to get to this -- been a busy month. Intestinal distress has confined me to home, today, and I figured I may as well prioritize this. track 01 - Dahoud, but by whom. Brassy trumpet. Soprano-led sax section (never particularly cared for that sound). Hi level of musicianship, not getting the gut feel. Not sure I know the bari, but I appreciate it. Alto solo is nice, as well. track 02 - Moose The Mooch. At first was thinking it was a later Jug album I have. That piano is, in a word, awful. First tenor is a fun ride. Is this your guy Percy France? Got that rugged tenor sound, aggressive and a bit honky tonk. Wait, second guy sounds MORE like him. Second guy is definitely my preference. I mean, could be the recording or the piano itself, but I'm not digging this guy at all. Drummer seems to be pushing awfully hard, too. Enjoying the tenor battle. The brasher (first guy) -- could that be Arnett Cobb? Both tenors have facility and vocabulary. I'm sure this was fun to witness -- pianist be damned. track 03 - Recognize the tune, but no title coming. Nice adjustment from the last tune. Not just the feel, but here's a piano player embracing sensitivity. Very tasteful. I feel like I've heard this before, but my brain is non-functional today. track 04 - Broadway. Dexter kind of ruined this tune for me. There's him and then everybody else a few storeys below. Is that a deep-sounding alto, a shallow tenor, or a C-melody? Dude was pushing for it, but came up a bit short for me. More here with the trumpet. Sounds like guys pushing themselves to their absolute limits (which I appreciate), but they're a tick off in terms of execution. Getting a Buddy Tate vibe here, making it all okay. Doesn't seem quite as bold as Buddy, but whomever it is, it's hitting squarely. Gotta be Buddy -- I feel like I'm getting swing-bullied, and he's the only guy who consistently does that for me. Tone doesn't seem to be quite there, though (but it's live, so who knows). This pianist is executing perfectly what the guy on track 2 didn't. track 05 - Lester Leaps In, with a whole lot of control. But, that's just fine. Getting an almost Marsh vibe, here. Controlled and tasteful. No shortage of swing, either. Took 'til the piano solo for me to realize there was no drummer. Okay, I clearly should get these guys, as these guys are fully for real. Fighting some sick, so using that as my excuse. This is damned near perfect. Friggin' flawless tenor work. Could this be later Warne? track 06 - Another immediate recognition of tune, but damned if I can give you a title. These guys seem to be fighting the tempo a bit (not the piano, but the drums, for sure). No idea who the pianist is, but this is precisely the style that I don't care for. Trouble with this tempo is, it quickly shows the flaws in the feel. This one is a hard pass for me. Drums get tighter after the bass solo, but I'm still not warming to it. Barry Harris Trio live in SF is one of my favorite records. This is not that. I wish it were. track 07 - Django. Doesn't strike as being John Lewis, but the feel is all there. This one hits precisely where the last one missed. Seems like I should definitely know this group. This is killin'. track 08 - More Moose. Clifford Jordan told a story about meeting him when I saw him in the early 80s. "Barry Harris came up and said, 'Hey Cliff, Moose the Mooch is in the house,' I said, 'Say what?' I met him. He's a real guy." Makes me smile every time. Pianist with serious facility, if a bit more modern stylistically. Don't recognize that alto tone, but there's something very familiar about the rhythmic phrasing. Almost a tad clunky at points (think Arthur Blythe), but it's all there. Recording sound cries Concord to me. Maybe Mraz? track 09 - More Dahoud. Head was tight. Sax solo left my mind wandering. Facility is here, but I'm not driven to the point of caring. Trumpet solo hits a bit better, but suffers from the same thing. Not a thing wrong, just misses my gut. track 10 - That's some seriously bad sound. Bass reminds of Milt Hinton. Pianist reminds me I have to get my piano tuned. Sounds like an upright. Drums hold this all together quite well. At first, I didn't care for the drumming, but in the end, that's the part that resonated most. track 11 - More Broadway. Snappy drums, good recording. This works on every level. Weird how similar tracks can hit so differently. This has the snap of Miles' rhythm section with Red Garland and Philly Joe. Okay, now on the coda, that certainly sounds like Gene Harris. Mayhaps this is The Three Sounds? Whatever it is, it hits squarely on all counts. track 12 - More Lester Leaping. Bad recording sound. Vocabulary and facility are there. Not great sound, but would be pretty good boot sound from 70s/80s. Is this another Percy France thing? (and aren't you glad my brain cramping stopping short of forgetting his last name in the moment?) One thing I certainly appreciate about this -- not an ounce of bullshit. track 13 - More Django. Don't care for the tempo nor the arrangement. Okay, there's Golson, so this must be the Jazztet. Much as I love Benny, he sometimes got a little too arrangement happy. But my GAWD that man could play the saxophone. Did Art have the most beautiful trumpet sound, ever? Every time I hear him on trumpet, I feel a sense of loss for his near total transition to the flugelhorn for so many years. track 14 - Never remember the name of this (either time, here). I always here Straighten Up And Fly Right, but I know that's not it. This is not somebody I'm familiar with. Again, has that Concord air about it. Rightly or wrongly, gives the impression that it's derivative. That's not a bad thing, just not an area where my ears tend to head. Not a fan of the drummer. Okay, I definitely have this by Scott Hamilton somewhere in the collection (YOUR fault, DAN!) Punch tenor, but definitely not somebody I know. track 15 - Nice ending. Now to see how awful I did. For the love of... did I REALLY just mid-ID Billie's Bounce as Moose The Mooch TWICE!?!?! Also: "Tommy Flanagan and Kenny Burrell are correct! I thought this composition was pretty well known, a little surprised you didn't name it." Guess that explains why I loved that cut.

I'm going to try to get some others who were one-offs to contribute again. I know Eric Klaxton is interested.

@felser said "Gilbert O'Sullivan was a one-shot (to me, a no-shot). " Me, too. I referred to him in connection with the "wrist-slitter" comment. I know it's not something to joke about, however, when my cousin dropped that one on me, we wound up programming a mixed tape (CD-R actually) of tunes that fit that bill. John Denver's Old Folks, Gilbert, David Soul's Don't Give Up On Us Baby. Gallows humor at its best.

track 01 - Love the feel of this. The piano is so understated it's just perfect. No new ground broken here, but that's not the point. Does just what it wants to. And the lyrics are still incredibly pertinent (and, apparently, ignored). I don't know who this is, but I love it. track 02 - Sounds like one of those early-90s Charles Lloyd ECM dates, which is fine by me. Piano is a heavy McCoy influence, but not one I'm familiar with. Nice Africa quote on the bass at the beginning of the solo. Didn't know this was live. Another winner. Whoo! This bass player is burnin'! Almost sounds like earlier Alex Blake in spots. Maybe Avery Sharpe? Tenor, unfortunately, is underwhelming, as is so often the case with practice room monsters. Tremendous player, but doesn't make me care. Unfortunate. It drags on at the end. What needed to be said has been said. Move on. track 03 - Electric bass and I just don't agree. I'm certain Tim and I will disagree about this one. Works a lot better when the guitar comes (but takes awhle to get there). Sounds more acid-rock to me than Jazz, but on that basis, it's fine. Got a bit of an Allman Brothers feel in those guitar harmonies. Drums are a bit more proggy than that. Mayhaps The Byrds (or adjacent?). I don't like the bass either way but the rest of it (the group as a unit) works very well. In the right mood, I'd take second helpings of this. Runs a bit long, but could be as much my mood of the day as anything about the music. Something very familiar about those drums. Loses me with the vocals. Doesn't bring what it thinks it does. Cut it at 7:22, and you've got a winner. track 04 - YES! The REAL McCoy. Gilmore, Strozier, Thad, and his little brother. Easily one of my favorite cuts, ever. I remember working an overnight for a pump test when I was working environmental. Had a truck with a decent stereo and this came on (forget if it was my cassette or a DJ with taste), and I CRANKED it. 11PM, sitting in the middle of a well field in the cold losing my mind with the radio cranked to 11. Worth the whole duration if only for Elvin's break at the end (but really, not a weak moment on this track). Gilmore is a god to me. Poor Frank has to follow that guy. Does it, but man, that had to be stressful. And Jimmy holding it all down... man, what a great moment. That bottom lip rolled over, moaning. So great. Elvin -- ELECTRIC! track 05 - Not a fair programming choice, bud. This would be in the same category as track 3, but following that last track, it's hopeless. But if I'm GOING to listen to rock, this is the sort of thing I like. Has that grooviness of late-60s to early-mid-70s that I like. For a guy that was never into the drug scene, I sure as hell did enjoy the music. track 06 - Not into the snake charmer, but this bass!!!! Yes, please! It's like listening to Tim with that beastly low-end. I might give the pianist the Eddie Coyle treatment if he doesn't step back -- lemme hear that bass, man! OOOOOH! Okay! Seven Minds. That's not Sam, is it? Jesus! MOSTROUS! Obviously Billy Higgins. I want to say Walton on the chords on the head, but then he gets much more greasy than I'm used to for Cedar. Seems a bit more angular than Cedar, but every time we get to the top of the form, it feels like Cedar. I probably have this and have just neglected it (I HOPE so!). Such a great tune. Okay, I got impatient. Apparently, based on the track time, it IS the full magic triangle from Sam's album where this is the title track. Man... this digs in. Strange to me to hear Cedar this aggressive. When I saw him (about 10 years after this) it was straight bop and the Eastern Rebellion stuff, but no angry left-hand. Man, I LOVE this. Sam is so filthy. So was that Walton playing whatever wood flute-like item that was? track 07 - Obiously Mulligan from the 70s (my favorite period for him -- don't judge me). I love how he dug in during this era. There was something heavier about his approach to my ear. That certainly sounds like Chet, so this is the Carnegie Hall Concert. Love this record, even if it IS CTI! track 08 - Another weird transition. Alternate take? Vocals seem more compressed, but does sound like them. Purchased the box set awhile back and sprung for the British Mastered version -- huge difference compared to the shit they put out here. Like hearing it all for the first time. track 09 - You know I'm in. Has a later Sonny Simmons feel early on. Doesn't quite maintain that, but it works. Bartz influence here, but this isn't him. Like Bartz feel with more of a Sonny Criss sound. Busy, but it works. Okay, hold on, now THAT is actually Bartz. Got that tenor-ish edge to his alto sound. Guy just has something. I assume this is more recent as his time is not as aggressive as when he was younger. Maybe with one of his students? I'm not familiar enough with the names that would encompass, but that's him, for sure. Not in love with the melody, but it's a means to an end. track 10 - You'd have a good Jazz side and a good rock/pop side if this were pogrammed that way. This way, the rock stuff suffers for me. (I suppose a "rock guy" would feel just the opposite) This is gray day music (which today is). Not sure my mood was solid enough for this, today. This one's a bit Gilbert O'Sullivan for me at the moment. My cousin would say, "that's a real wrist-slitter." Dark, but accurate. No idea who it is. track 11 - No idea what this is. Perfect pairing with the last track, though. This is certainly your most eclectic mix that I've heard. Think I might re-listen with the tracks programmed into sides by genre. Cool set, John. Predictably, I enjoyed the vast majority, to different degrees. I feel very attacked. @felser said "Interesting take. That pianist has been called many things, good and bad, but I don't remember "pedestrian" being one of them! I agree the tenor solo is the low point, despite the pedigree." Might I assume this is Ravi, then?

I will convert to lower for the online. If people want the higher quality DL, that would be up to the presenter. It's just a matter of space on the server (which should NOT be an issue, but somehow is, and I'm tired of fighting with people working from a script whose first language is not my own). I'm not 100% certain, but I believe the online player chokes things down to 128, anyway, for "optimization". Basically, I'd say this: If you want a high-quality download available, keep doing what you're doing. If you're comfortable with adjusting the bit-rate, it saves me a hot minute on my end. If you've glazed over by this point in the response, just keep doing what you're doing.

Pardon the interruption, but I need to make a housekeeping post. (And John, I *will* get to this test in the next week.) I've run into an issue backing up my site data and had to reach out to the support team of the host site. The result was a warning about the amount of data. I'm not fighting them on it, so I've got to make some changes to the encoding of the files. I've edited the "how to" thread to reflect this and will not waste time/space here with that explanation. I *DO* ask that *EVERYONE* who is going to present a test PLEASE review the How To (click the words "How To" -- it's an active link to the thread) as it really does make a huge difference in managing the data. Sorry for the interruption and thanks for understanding.

Guess that means I gotta get off my butt and get to Felser's test. It was on my to-do list a week-and-a-half ago... wonder what else on that one got neglected. 😕