tkeith

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. 😕

It did not. I wiped the files with tag stripper, and was showing nothing on my computer. Sometimes, an image gets through, though. I had nada. I DID recognize Star-Crossed Lovers, but it seemed obvious enough to not bother mentioning. Probably a reflection of my mood the past few weeks.

Well, you might be sorry you reminded me, man. Track 1 - Wha!? Sorry man, not feeling this one at all. I mean, it's not insulting, I just... meh. Doesn't feel as funky as it thinks it is. Track 2 - I'm lost. Hey Jude just started, but why? Man, I respect the hell out of your ears, but we're 0-for-2 here. I feel like I'm listening to The Shaggs. I made it through, but no, thank you. Track 3 - Sounds like Getz to me. Maybe that awful record Herb Alpert produced? Had it at the college radio station -- I was not a fan. Definitely sounds like that (not a strong outing here from Stan). It's musical, but not my bag. Track 4 - I REALLY don't want to like this, but at the 2 minute mark, the horns came in and won me over. I won't say I LIKE it, but it's pretty good. I like the execution if not the style, how's that? Track 5 - No. I don't care for the voice, nor the execution. I'd take Hal the drum machine and drop it off the top of the nearest building. Hard pass. Three minutes in and a very real chance I'm not going to make it out of this song. Piano solo interested me enough to stay, but pity it's buried in horrid effects and that attrocious drum machine. Vocals are back, I'm done. Track 6 - The sound of this recording rubs (those drums are very compressed). But this feels like it's REAL. Didn't have that from the last one, at all. Okay, that's Gilmore, so this explains much. I know I have this, but clearly have not played it enough. Gilmore is like Waldron for me, I'd listen to either set his glass on a piano, because it would be musical. You were in the running for one of my least favorite BFTs, Jim (which shocks me!), but this fixes a whole lot. I can think of some world leaders who should have been exposed to this earier in life. (Yeah, I said it.) Track 7 - Oof. The geek who created that keyboard sound, if there is any justice, [self-deleted]. Not a great Sonny Rollins outing. So, that must be Clifton. I mean, the worst Sonny is still worth it to hear him, but this clearly somewhat later, when the time slipped a bit. I think this is after I saw him (mid-90s). I wish I'd gotten to see the late 70's (Don't Ask) band. Keys, sadly, sound exactly like a Snoopy compilation I have that has a track by Kenny G, and it's EXACTLY this horrid synth sound. Ugh. Track 8 - Not sure why, but something about the creepy 60's-ness of this has me kind of liking it. I'd never put it on, but it's got me at the moment. Track 9 - James gets me. Latter half of the test was a lot more to my liking. Felser, pressure is on for December! 248 area code. I always try to link the photo to the number of the test in some way. A little game to amuse myself. Definitely worth knowing, for me. It DL'd fine on my end. Did you get an error? If so, I'd like to know that (in general and for all). If there are glitches on the site, I like to fix them, but I only learn of them when a user encounters them. If anything is broken, if you and send me a screen shot of any error message and the browser you're using (including version, if possible). This concludes this tech support moment.

Granted.

Track 01 - Yes, please. Definitely has a Ra feel to it. Cornet? Seems beefier than a trumpet, so much that when I first heard it I was thinking Clark Terry, which is clearly NOT the case. Now it sounds distinctly trumpety. Ooo! Sax... a clue. I don't know it, but I don't care, I want it. Track 02 - Getting a Cecil/Joe Bonner vibe. First thougth was Bobbi Humphrey on flute, but that's wrong. Tenor owes a bit of love to Pharoah, but doesn't quite have his energy. Like the Coltrane-y thing, but not sure I'd do a whole night of that. Not Joe. Almost sounds like Tootie Heath on drums, feel-wise, but the kit sound is different. Safe to say this is not this guy's typical style? Vamp is full Bonner, but the solo was defintiely not. I think you're fooling me here. Is this a genre-bending cut? Two for two, large father. Track 03 - That strange, Mel Lewis sounding cymbal. The tone is beefy like Ari Brown, but I'm not sure it's him (could be early Ari). Not Ari. More practice, but I'm digging it, for the most part. Definitely been some time put in. That raises the question, who's the Elvin clone? Seems like a sound I should know, but don't. It's certainly unique. I love me some drums, but this cat is almost wearing me out. Loses some steam towards the end of the tenor solo. Nice bass solo. Parts where I want to say Ronnie Boykins, and parts that sound like our own Zac Francis (time-wise). I'm curious as hell. Three for three, and I've gotten nothing. Something weird about the rhythm of the bass. Really sounds like NOT a "jazz" player. Is this another genre-bender? (I may keep typing that on each tune just to see how closely people are reading. ). Alright, which Chicagoan is this that I need to know more about? Track 04 - Oh, that vamp is familiar from the get go. Beefy bass. Drums are weird. Almost that clunky Han Bennink feel, but seems a bit more locked in. Maybe Smiley Winters. That sure sounds like Woody. Rhodes suggests 70s, so that opens up many possibilities. Behind the trumpet, really sounds like Max, but more like someone playing like Max. You're gonna hate me... is that Stanley Clarke? I withdraw the question -- that IS Stanley Clarke. Not Chick. Tenor is digging in. At first, I was unsure. Reminds me a bit of Carlos Garnett, but with more fire. Not Max. Not precise enough. Precision be damned, this guy is hitting it. What happened to Stanley, there? Was worried we were going down Trane/Elvin path. Glad it didn't. Four for four, MF! And now the press roll sounds like Blakey. Don't know the flute, other than it's once again NOT Bobbi Humphrey. I'll take Woody, Stanley, and a cup of disappointment from there. Track 05 - THAT is some low end. Somebody loves Dolphy (not a bad thing). This has a heavy Chicago feel to me. Maybe Muhal. I may have it, but don't immediately recognize it. At first, I wasn't sold on the feel, but by the halfway point, I'm in. Gotta be him, doesn't it? Bass is monstrous. I'm fishing, but assuming i'm right on Muhal, could that be Fred? That would explain the BIGness. Yeah, I'll take this one, too. Track 06 - Gee, thought this was Equal Time playing The Rain, at first. Oh... wait. Clearly that's Eddie. Narrows it considerably. It's not us, and it's not the late 60s blue note. Tenor is in tune, so it's not the other record Eddie gave me. Process of elimination, it's got to be A Minute With Miles (the one I'm least familiar with), but not that track. Oh, man... no mistaking Eddie. Such a bad MF. I WANT this to be me -- he gives such an energy to feed off of. Just remembered who the pianist is on this -- talk about an Illusion of Grandeur! Love the exploratory nature of the tenor. Reaching without getting in the way. Very Mal Waldron-y ending. ❤️ Track 07 - Pizzicato cello? Not digging it. I mean, I appreciate the unique feel, but I'm not really connecting with it. Drums, in particular, seems very disconnected. Maybe George Lewis on 'bone? Unique alto, but not a voice I'm familiar with. Works here, but seems different from the rest of it (like the home address is closer to main street). Odd instrumentation to say the least. Halfway in and still struggling to find the groove, though. Not without merit, but it's missing that spot in the gut that makes me full on happy. Track 08 - Sure sounds like Dave Holland. That angular style that in the wrong setting rubs me, but it works here. Wait, that's not him. About the 2 minute mark there's a tell in the low-end -- that's Fred Hopkins. Just shy of 3:00, there's that plucky thing -- that's Fred, no doubt. Not sold on the guitarist. I don't think a Chicago guy on drums. Not a heavy enough feel to be Reggie Nicholson, but that's as close as I got. Track 09 - Horace? Man, this is killin'. Doesn't quite have Horace's bite on the comping, but it certainly COULD be his tune. Tight arrangement -- like the way they wove in the improv. Delightful. More of that, please. Track 10 - Blue in Green. Terrible sound. Couldn't distinguish whether lead instrument was alto, clarinet or flute for about a minute. Kudos for doing it differently, but I'm not sure I'm on board. Not feeling any connection to the tune. Based on that and the fact that I REALLY don't care for the alto sound, is this Braxton? Feels like a lot of noodling without much direction. And for that reason, I'm out. 90 seconds to go and not sure I'm going to make it. Gotta be Braxton -- very few people cause this visceral reaction. At least he's consistent. Toward the end, bass finally stops noodling and it's almost tolerable (if you could turn down the alto). Nope. Track 11 - Ah, there ya go. I know this, I swear I do. We've definitely listened to this and gushed over it, but damned if I can put my finger on it. AGGRESSIVE sax. Leaning towards Carlos Garnett. Man, THAT is a bitch of a trumpet solo. LIterally singing along (yeah, you don't want to hear that). I definitely know this, but not able to put names to it, which is probably a huge clue. Got that McCoy left hand down. Line about 4:15 is a bucket list line. Billy Harper played that last time I saw him with The Cookers and I've been oozing for it since. Damnit. I know that head, too. I'm glad it's the end of the month, because I KNOW this and should be able to spit it right out. Damn it! Track 12 - Almost a Zappa feel here (though, I dare say a higher degree of inspiration). Has that business in the drums, though. Maybe Pheroan AkLaff? Don't care for the hyper-compression of the recording, but they got the feel right. Track 13 - Tomorrow Never Knows. Not sure if I'm onboard, yet, but it IS better than the Phil Collins version. Reminds me of an O.C. Smith record I had as a kid, but the voice doesn't seem quite raspy enough to be him. Definitely a better fit for the first half of the test, but what was in my alley was IN my alley. Apologies for taking four full weeks to get to it.

Done, sir. Also, just a note -- haven't forgotten about the archive project, but life has put it on the back burner. Once the weather up here turns, officially, I will get cranking on it (trying to handle the outdoor duties before it's gets ridiculously cold).

March, May and August now claimed.

That's it, Dan -- you went too far when you hit Felser below the belt. I'm going with the 12-tone masters for my next BFT. 🤣

2025 is book-ended.

Done, sir.

Just what it says! I'll do my best to honor everyone's request, but it's first-come, first-serve. I'd like to try to keep Bill's practice of not having more than one BFT within a 12-month period as much as possible (e.g. -- Tim shouldn't sign up for January [which, of course, he will now do]. As people claim spots I will update the list as an edit to this post. Note: Thanks to @Dan Gould for nudging me from my fall coma to create this thread -- I had spaced it, entirely. And look, I just ended a sentence with an adverb. #GottaBeARebel January - @Dan Gould February - @Joe March - @clifford_thornton April - May - @mjzee June - July - August - @Ken Dryden September - October - November - @JSngry Decemeber - @felser

Enjoyed a bunch of this, particularly the first half. Things got weird after the middle, and some of it was just plain lost on me. Not a single guess, but certainly a handful of things I'm intrigued by. Track 01 - Well THIS is fun. Very strange sound to the recording. Thin to the point of almost being distant. I like the sound with the vibes. Trumpet solo was decent, but piano left me feeling nada. Fairly straight-ahead and well done. I'm not in love with the drums, but neither am I put off. Tune, as I said, is fun. No idea who this is. Track 02 - Certainly sounds Blue Note-y. I don't think it's Horace, but the pianist would be flattered by the comment. Not sure on the trumpet. I thought the tenor was familiar, but now I've decided he isn't. This is a very enjoyable cut. It's not coming to the desert island with me, but it's thoroughly enjoyable. Track 03 - This checks a lot of boxes that should rub me, but I LOVE this. Has the feel of the better Vandermark stuff, but I don't think it's that. This just works. Yes, please. Track 04 - This one suffers from what the last one avoided. Incredible ability. Could almost be Rob Brown, but doesn't seem musical enough. Acrobatic technique to be sure, but I just don't care. Has the same thing that Steve Coleman had that always bugged me. Where's the story, man? Like the vibes better, and can almost get my ears around the rhythm section, but the whole thing just feels too math-y. Track 05 - Flawless facility. Maybe Noah Preminger? I think it's an address in that neighborhood. Full respect for it, but I'm not in love with it. It's their thing and they mean it. I'm not sure I'm here for it, though. Track 06 - A lot of angular stuff in here. This one works. I'm not in love with the violin, but it's doing the job. The bass, though -- all day. Track 07 - Another fun one. Kind of light, but I like it. The trumpet sound is kind of like Ahmed Abdullah, but the technique is Chuck Mangione. That's not a compliment. I like it, but it's maybe a tick below prime time. the overall feel keeps it in a good place. It's a very social feel. Track 08 - Another fun one, but not really grabbing me. In fact, it was three-and-a-half minutes in before I realized that. It's okay, but doesn't really stand out. Respect that it's live. Track 09 - This one is okay. Not my bag, but interesting. Couldn't listen to too much of it, though. Track 10 - And here's more. Nope. Ran Blake, maybe? Angular, but what 's the point? OOOoo! Look at the noises I can make with my shiny thing. Just, no. Track 11 - This test has taken a turn for the worse and brought my mood with it. Why? Gets better with the full band. A LOT better. Not sure it saves it, but it's a vast improvement. I'm sure there is a story behind it, but I'm not sure we needed it. Track 12 - I like this, but that's because I like Pharoah, too. No, really, I like this a lot. Hey Tim, maybe a reboot of Equal Time as a one-off? Track 13 - Different. A bit odd, but I appreciate it. No idea what it is. Not sure i the horns add to it, but I enjoy the hell out of it. Vocals lose me a bit. Track 14 - Nice bass. Not in love with the guitar. Okay, some sort of folk crossover, but it works -- and owes a big debt to that beautiful bass. Okay, heavy accent on the singer, but can't pin what it is. Track 15 - Pleasant, but not gripping me. And the tenor comes in and proves to me that this is self-serving more than it is musical. Just not my thing. Very little Elvis in this music. Despite the last comment, I enjoyed listening. Thanks for the ear candy.

With apologies, this month, along with the rest of summer got VERY quicky away from me. 1 - Off the bat, sounds a bit like Sonny Criss, but hasn't quite got that *thing* he had. It's in 3, so I love it. I know that sound, though. Oh! James Spaulding, of course. One of those guys who started strong and got better with age. Drums are busy, but it works. On the phones and the bass sound is a bit... I dunno, off. I like what I'm hearing in terms of ideas, but the sound sounds... maybe it's direct? Dunno, it's a bit cab-forward. Almost sounds like a fretless. Patient pianist. Guessing this might be a Muse date with that sound. Drums have almost an Elvin thing going, but doesn't seem quite that tight. Very curious. Seems like there may be a hole in my JS collection. 2 - Know not what it is, but we used to eat at a Chinese restaurant in the area that would play stuff sort of like this -- not QUITE Jazz, but rubbing elbows with the obvious overtones of traditional music. This reminds me of that, and now my stomach aches. Other than that, I quite like this. Horns don't bully the violin, and that line played on the violin is absolutely haunting. 3 - Nope. "I have no kick against modern Jazz, unless they try to play it too darn fast, and change the beauty of the melody, until it sounds just like a symphony..." This suffers from that... greatly. Reminds me of that period where McCoy played everything too damned fast... only this isn't McCoy. [And, if on the off chance I'm wrong about that and it is, my point is proven] 4 - Much better. Don't feel on edge, can just listen. Not sure on the trumpet. Maybe Graham Breedlove? Nice tune, tastefully played. Not sure this is the stuff a desert island collection is built on, but it's quite nice. 5 - A little Ellington -- nice! Never heard this covered before. It is about damned time! No idea who it is, but totally props for the cajones to try this gorgeous Ellington tune. The original has to be one of the great pieces of music written in the 20th Century (worded that way because you can't beat the Ellington arrangement/performance... you just can't). Endless Kudos to this band for playing something DEEP outside the box. 6 - Parisian Thoroughfaire! My favorite Bud tune. Very well executed. Was thinking John McNeil, but now I'm leaning Tom Harrell. No idea on the piano. I'm only slightly familiar with Harrell, but the precision suggests that's a pretty good guess. 7 - [Spins basketball on right index finger] Tune is pretty obvious. Double piano, but something odd in the rhythm of the second guy (almost seemed to lose the thread/tempo). Second exchange same thing -- almost like second person is lagging the beat. Okay, it's consistent, so I'm guessing that's what I'm actually hearing. Kills it for me. 8 - Star Eyes, but damned near fooled me. Like the tenor a lot, but the affected breathiness at the end of a phrase goes ALMOST too far. Shades of Newk. Shades of Red Holloway. Shades of Ricky Ford. Rhythmic precision is beyond the lot of them. Even with the breath thing, this is pretty epic. I think I need this. If this were Dan's test, I'd guess Percy France. 9 - Well done tributary music, but not really my thing. Well done and appreciated, but would likely not queue up a 2nd time. 10 - Maybe my favorite Parker tune. Cymbals on the bridge have me thinking Mel Lewis on drums, but this seems more recent (in terms of recording quality). Well executed take on a classic. Drums are way too busy to be Mel. No idea. 11 - Stella. Like the alto solo. Sounds like Parker on 1/2 speed (which means it's only incredible). Guessing we're off Main St., but not far. Trumpet could be Miles on 1/2 speed. Is this one of those weird things where it's like the best-of-Europe from the same era? Could almost be Max on drums. Whatdawegot here? 12 - Nice feel. Reminiscent of Avishai Cohen but without the need to flex so much. This is lovely. Even the unemployment stick works. 13 - No idea. Kenton-ish arrangement. Pleasant, but almost too much so. Reminders of my grandmother's on Wednesday afternoon. 14 - Sure sounds like Ray Nance' violin. Live and the drums sure make this sound like a JATP date. Not sure. I'll stick with the Ray guess. 15 - My first impressions are Brubeck. And that certainly sounds like Desmond. Clearly live, and not a stellar recording, but the music surely works. A lot to like in this one, Ken. Thanks!

Glad you enjoyed. IMHO, one cannot go wrong with Buddy Tate. Never heard something by him and had a mediocre reaction. He's just a bad MF. After I had pretty extensive oral surgery to remove impacted wisdom teeth, my friend brought me home and got my prescriptions filled. She made sure I'd taken what I was supposed to, and I climbed on my waterbed (this was 1990), and fired up Pharoah Sanders (I believe it was Hum-Allah, Hum-Allah, Hum-Allah) and courtesy of the Percosets, had the single-greatest out-of-body experience of my life, watching me lying on the bed, listening to Pharoah from the corner of the room. #epic