Joe

Thanks for listening! Track 1 has been puzzled out already, if you care to look back through the comments. I would agree re: the talent of the pianist heard on 6. He's actually a historically significant player as well. I would also agree that there is a "tightness" to 13, which, regardless of how you feel about the music itself, merits appreciation.

Hoffman's sound reminds me rather much of (a Oxford-collared) Clifford Jordan. I wonder if he's listened to Jordan extensively, and, if so, of where Jordan went harmonically from his Strata-East days into his Muse years...

Thanks for posting this. "Through a byzantine circuit of contracts and enforcements, the banishment of Jacques Sirot’s video from YouTube for copyright violation, for using my music which I had given him and everyone else explicit permission to use, was the result of a secret account collecting royalties on my music operated by a label that had built its reputation on resistance to overblown copyright claims!" Only in America...

Thom -- thanks for the close listen and the comments. I won't respond to everything here, but I can offer a few words here and there... 1 - Not Weston, but it has a Weston-like feel. Though the "classical" flourishes here and there are a tell. (And I can say nothing more.) 2 - Hubbard is definitely within this trumpet player's scope. As to the peaks and valleys of the soloists... this band is definitely a cultural mix. 4 - The song itself has been identified, the performers in part. But who is responsible for the arrangement, and who is that in the backing band? 6 - Not Waldron, and the key here is the composition itself (assuming it is recognizable to anyone). 7 - Yes, the Tristano groups with Konitz and Marsh are the model for this group and performance. But its not T / K / M. IN fact, I'm not sure I really like this track all that much myself, but, as a kind of impersonation, I find it both a bit eerie and a bit fascinating. 8 - Of VERY recent vintage, though the individual players have all been around for a while. Again, the composer of the tune itself is of some importance in ID'ing this. 9 - Unless someone instantly recognizes this, I think it may be the biggest surprise of all on this BFT. 12 - No, these players are not 'Mericans. 14 - I hear the Sun Ra influence as well... but this track is all about the tenor player (again, another big potential surprise). 15 - You might listen again and mull some more on the ID of that soprano player... 16 - Once more, I can say no more... 20 - Hal Singer, huh? He's at play within the confines of this BFT, but not on this track. And is that actually a tenor sax? 22 - Maybe more like the scene where Andy Robinson pays that heavy to beat him up so he can accuse Callahan of police brutality. (I'm trying to say... yes, there's a cinematic connection here... and exploitation is sometimes in the eye of the beholder.) Also... ID of the soprano sax soloist? 25 - Pre-70s actually. But some of the best of what the 70s gave us springs almost directly from this track and this group. Glad these tracks gave you some enjoyment! Best, J

A powerful player who managed to do a lot with the whole "post-Coltrane" thing (if there is such a thing.) And I always found his personal story particualrly meaningful, as my own father was confined to a wheelchair for virtual his entire life after contracting polio when he was a toddler. RIP, indeed.

:tup Great to hear this particular aggregation / congregation / conglomeration given the freedom to dance again... have you all ever thought of doing an entire set of suicide groovers (after "Ode to Billie Joe")?

Well, if Mosaic is going to continue to license Muse material (though I suspect the most recent set has more to do with Cuscuna's relationship with Woody Shaw than any specific interest he might have in the label on which that music originally appeared), I think we need a Ricky Ford box, a Richard Davis box (including the Creative Construction Company LPs), and a Red Rodney / Red Rodney and Ira Sullivan box.

EXTEMPORANEOUS is quite good. I think some of Freddie's quirks -- as much as I enjoy them in a band setting -- play out a bit better in the context of a solo recital. The compositions, too, breathe a bit more naturally. You can sample a track from this date here: BFT 87; track 13, "Night Song", http://www.slowstudies.net/bft87/

That's four votes: you, me, Bol and Romualdo... :tup :tup

A Joe Harriott box?

As previously mentioned, I pretend that Nat Adderley is a drummer.

MG -- good ears on several of these cuts... you've nailed a couple, and propose some interesting ballparks for some others. There's a Sun Ra connection in this BFT, but not with respect to track 22. 17: train, trolley, what's the difference? 20: the organist is the key member of this band, IMO. 14 is, again IMO, features an unusual assembly, i.e., maybe this explains why the band's fit doesn't sound quite right to you. OTOH, 15 was something of a working band, plus -- here -- one guest. No Jimmy Owens on this BFT, but I did consider including a track from his MPS date (NO ESCAPING IT). 19 is as much about the producer as the band (but it is still an interesting band). There's no explicit connection (i.e., shared personnel) between 9 and 10. But you are right / right on to single out the drummer on the latter. Thanks for listening! J

I can say no more re: 2. But I will ask: what makes you think that's Woody? More than the listening to... there was all that was discussed. 25 being party to that, too.

A good chunk of this BFT goes back to that late March drive to and from Houston.

I can say no more re: track 1. You're warm on 5... but the question becomes which territory? 9 dates from about the time of the initial release of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," actually... And, though you did not provide a film analogy for 22, there is a cinematic connection there. Thanks for auditioning these tracks!

Hi all. All tracks (including DLs) are available here: http://slowstudies.net/bft111/ Enjoy! J

Thanks for listening! No comment on the comment on 1 You know, I'd not thought about the tenor player on 2 showing an Ervin influence, but I sure hear it now. Though his time is just a shade different from Booker's... again, IMO, the key to identifying this track is the trumpet player. I'm not familiar with Tony Holland, or at least I'm not recognizing the name. Anthony Holland, who played with A. Spencer Barefield and the Griot Galaxy? Care to say more about what you are hearing herein? (And, yea, I love this track and the entire LP from which its been pulled.) 23 is almost certainly the most obscure track included on this BFT.

8, 9 and 10... wow! Extremely happy to have all that info. And 12, too! (BTW, I liked the Krakauer, though I'm surprised to learn this date appeared on Label Bleu and not Tzadik.)

My pleasure! And thanks for your thoughts. 2 features at least one rather familiar name, and one, if I may, "cult favorite." For me, this track is all about how the trumpet player states the theme. 4... in all honesty, I did not know about the Three Dog Night version of this tune. Must now hear it for myself. 11 is of more recent vintage than that, but Hubbard's CTI dates do provide a touchstone I'd not previously considered. 13's temperament is indeed a bit challenging. I'm not sure this approach would work except in miniature. 20 is also of more recent vintage. Within that context, the identities of the organ player and percussionist may come as a surprise to some. 21: tonality, tonality, tonality! I like the notion of this alto player connecting with Von Freeman (though this alto player is associated with the fertile scene in a city that's not Chicago). Really looking forward to more comments on 10 and 12! Best, J

More good (early) Jodie Christian to be heard on this set...

Axesome!

Have not been active at the Speakeasy for some (many?) years now; discussion of new music there was almost always vibrant and insightful. Do hope to see some familiar names / faces join up here.

a-HA! "Distraction In The Coop" by Hen Gates with Peck Morrison. I KNEW it! Amazing detective work!

Absolutely not! If anyone has not yet done so, consider this a plug for Its a good'un. What with the holiday weekend, travel, etc., I had to let this hen out while I could. Don't let it peck you to distraction, though.

It's time! To listen and / or download, please visit: http://slowstudies.net/bft111/ As per usual, no theme here other than these are selections drawn from my recent listening. (That said, if you have an aversion to Fender Rhodes or non-piano keyboards in general, consider this an advance warning.) There are chains of association strewn all across these 25 diverse tracks -- self-indulgent, I know; but my weak defense is that many of these tracks are relatively short... by "jazz standards" -- but far from every association is clear / apparent even to me. (Assembling one of these typically sends me into a kind of waking DJ Dream state.) I'm not out to trick listeners... well, not too much... either, rather offer enjoyment, divert, and surprise. So, above all, have fun. Or at least use this BFT as a means of shaking off the dust of every-day life. Looking forward to the chatter. Ciao, J