webbcity

I will definitely be participating, fear not! Hope to get to it this week. 😎

Wow. Fantastic! Some really cool and fascinating reveals here. First of all, can't believe I didn't get Roberta Flack. I used to own this record and now I'm going to buy it again!! Very intrigued by the Corea as I haven't heard much "recent" stuff of his that's sounded like this. Wishbone Ash I also should have gotten! That makes total sense now. Spirit is a band I've checked out a little bit but clearly need to investigate more. The Sam Jones record is now on my want list, and I also really dug the Mulligan/Baker and the Lakecia Benjamin. What a great BFT. Thanks for putting this one together, John!

Finally got to this! December has been a nutty month. These were my thoughts as I listened, have not yet read the thread. Have also not proofed so hopefully the below is not riddled with errors, apart from the usual... 😁 Track 1 - Hell yes to that bass sound, and the feel-- nice and rubbery. Boy, I know this singer for sure but don't know that I can ID her. Damn good! Love her delivery and the emotional impact is there. I already know I need this. The support of the trio is just perfection. Totally sympatico. Fantastic start to this BFT, really really love this track. Track 2 - I like the feeling of mystery building out of the intro. Great piano playing. So far this sounds like a more modern track but one with deep roots in the 60s. As we settle into the groove, still digging it but also feeling like the direction isn't totally clear to me. Piano coming back to the forefront though...this solo is starting cook now. I do like this pianist quite a bit. Guessing it is the pianist's date? This sounds both intense and effortless at the same time, like a slow burn. Enjoying the fluidity of the bass & drums. Ah yes, give the bass player some! There's a hint of Alex Blake here at times (clearly not him though). I love the chordal stuff and the high harmonic bits too. Very nice! Would have enjoyed being in the audience for this show for sure. The tenor player doesn't really speak to me, might be a touch too technical/mechanical for my taste, also isn't helped by the recording unfortunately. I feel overall conflicted about this track I guess...it sounds very much like something I should love, and yet I'm not sure it ultimately gets anywhere for me. Track 3 - I do like the bass intro-- giving some love to the electric too! Well this is a very different turn of events. I like this a lot, has a very Allman Brothers feel to it once the guitars and drums come in. Very cool. Nice feel and I like the twin lead. Love the droney/chordal nature of the bass feature about halfway through before going into the faster tempo. This is fun! I go back and forth between thinking it's southern rock or a Krautrock band (they do sound a bit like Agitation Free in spots), but I think more likely the former. In any case, me likey! Oh hang on, now I'm thinking British now that we've gotten to the swing/blues bit. John Mayall? Steamhammer? Am remembering some of our conversations now and wondering if it's one of those groups. Keef Hartley Band? Track 4 - OK...I know this! But what the heck is it? Ah, the aging brain. I definitely have this in my collection and I'm blanking on the name of the tune AND the artist! Arg. Anyway... really cool head, I love the angles in the melody. Definitely McCoy on piano! And I love this tenor soloist but can't grab who it is at the moment. This has gotta be from Today and Tomorrow! Haven't actually played this one in a while I don't think. But this is a damn good reminder to play it again! What a cool tune and a killer band. Elvin of course. Five stars! Track 5 - Boy I swear this one sounds familiar to me too. LOVE the groove. At first I thought it was a straight up Latin band but this is more like a UK prog thing. Boy I am gonna headslap myself over this one. I know I've heard this but can't place it. I like all the different bits, it goes through a lot of changes in a short time. Definitely sounds in the neighborhood of Colosseum and If, that kind of thing. Good stuff! The more I listen to this the more I think I've heard it before. Damn my brain! Track 6 - Big fan of the droney intro, and something familiar about this one as well. I dig the bass sound and playing a whole lot...and what is that reed instrument? A shehnai? Hmm, that should be a clue. I really like the part shortly before the groove where the bassist is strumming chords while cascades of notes shimmer down from the piano. And the groove/riff is very cool too. Okay, that sure sounds like Billy Higgins on drums, no? And this pianist, damn! That's gotta be Cedar? Sounding a bit more out than usual though, hmm. But this can't be Sam Jones, is it? Have never really heard him sound quite like this. This is friggin amazing. Definitely gotta add this one to the collection! Mind = blown. Track 7 - Wham! Love the bari. This is on fire from the start. Great drumming. Tight sounding group-- everyone is feeling this together. Have I mentioned how much I love the bari? Ah! Thought this might be a live recording. You can feel the excitement. Hearing the Hubbard influence on this trumpeter. Not getting the same dynamics though, would love to feel a bit more heat. Still some great playing though. Love how the pianist gets down inside the sound of the group at the start of their solo. Tasty! The guitar and vibes solos don't do as much for me. But let's not forget to give the bass player some. Fantastic supportive playing throughout this track-- a nimble player with great sound. Track 8 - Fun tune! No idea who it is, but it certainly sounds British-invasion-y or trying to simulate that sound. I have no doubt there's a hidden reason that this is here...likely something to do with the bass player? Hmmm. Track 9 - Nebulous, open, spiritual intro: check. Oh man, the name of this one is escaping me too! Damn. Is this a Cedar Walton tune? Is there a 2nd "Cedar" thread underneath the bass thread? Anyway, I like this, and the two saxophonists playing off each other are great. Damn...the alto player is particularly good! I should definitely know who this is. But I will look forward to the reveal... Track 10 - Back in the pop zone, and I like this one too. Great tune! Not sure what else to say about it but I do enjoy it. The actual singing is probably one of my least favorite parts but I enjoy the tune and the arrangement is really good. Track 11 - Now that's speakin my language! Gimme PG era Genesis any day of the week. Genius!! 100 stars. Some really great stuff here John, thanks so much for your efforts in bringing all of this to our collective ears. A few on here I'm definitely excited to learn much more about!

Sorry I'm late to the reveal party! So I absolutely need to check out more of that Headhunters album. Track 2 was a big winner for me too. In retrospect of course Sun Ra makes perfect sense for track 6, and I *will* have to give that one another try. Thanks so much Jim! Always interesting and informative. 😎👍

Finally got to this! An interesting listen for sure. Here are my thoughts as I listened... Track 1 - The drums! Perfection. Tasty! Hell yes... this is how you build a groove. I feel like I'm in a Masterclass. That guitar riff is killer and I love how it locks in with the bass part and the 2nd guitar. How do I not know this? God Made Me Funky? Damn. Love it. Getting shades of Larry Graham from the bass player. Sax solo unfortunately is a bit too "heady" for me though... I'm waiting for them to cut loose and it's not happening. Feels too controlled. The only thing out of place for me on what is a killer track. Oh hold the phone... wtf just happened? Is this another sax player? Or the same person with effects? I take it all back. Holy smokes... was not expecting that. Off the charts! Five stars for this. Track 2 - And now for something completely different? This is very cool. Wasn't sure what was generating the sounds initially, but is this all triggered by a trumpet? Wow. Oh man, what the hell? Hey Jude? This is nuts! In the best possible way. Hahaha! This is epic. I seriously love this. The marching band part is fantastic. Damn! How big is this band? Hold everything... is this Don Ellis?? Zoinks. I really thought this was something much more recent. Never thought I liked Don a whole lot but I really dig this. Most excellent. Can only imagine what it must have been like to be in the audience at this show. Those hits near the end are POWERFUL. Yowwww! Track 3 - Nice feel right from the beginning and I dig the horns a lot... the way they're recorded too. This is definitely "of a time" and that's a good thing. Is this another pop tune reinterpreted? Seems familiar... there are a few notes in the melody that sound suspiciously like "You've Got a Friend." Nothing earth-shattering for me on this one but it's very enjoyable. Wait, is this a Simon & Garfunkel tune? Damn, this is killing me. Track 4 - A hip hop interpretation of Romeo & Juliet is not something I thought I needed, but what the hell? I like the groove but this is just ok for me. I really just dabble in hip hop and am pretty picky about what I like. This is obviously very good but doesn't push many buttons for me. Track 5 - So this sounds like one of those DJ things where someone overlays new grooves & sounds over an older recording? I think this one will probably fall a little flat for me too. Would love to hear the original recording, I like the vocalist here a lot. But the "drums" are just annoying to me honestly. Wish I could do this but I can't. Track 6 - The beginning of this is a bit distracting for me as I'm having trouble finding the downbeat! I assume that's intentional? Sounds like there's some rhythmic trickery happening but in the end the net effect for me is that it sounds very un-swinging. Or maybe the organist and drummer are from another planet and I'm just not advanced enough to get the language. The tenor player helps things along a bit. Boy. Yeah, I am having trouble with this one for sure. Just not getting it. Maybe I need to listen again. Track 7 - Yikes, that keyboard sound. Once the tune gets going I can hear some good stuff happening here though. But wow this is dated. OK, is this 80s Sonny Rollins? I like some of that stuff quite a bit but not sure about this one so far. Feels very stilted and stiff. There are good moments here but overall this is just ok for me. Track 8 - This is kind of interesting. Lush arrangement for sure! I like the wordless vocals and the strings. This is almost Esquivel-adjacent. The trombonist-- very nice. Great sound. Guitarist sounds a bit like Burrell to me maybe? This was fun. And I dig the drum hits there right at the end on the fade-out. Track 9 - Well, it's the Godfather of Soul! 'Nuff said! Don't know this one though. What a great band. Is this Bootsy era? I like the bit of distortion on the bass, not to mention of course the actual playing which is killer. Give the bass a taste!! Yeah this is fantastic. Definitely a mixed bag for me, but an interesting listen nonetheless! And there are a couple things in here I'm definitely curious to know more about. Thanks Jim!

I enjoy the whole album, but I do think that one track stands out above the rest... That's the one I always return to. Not that the rest isn't a fun listen, but this cut in particular just kills me every time.

Hi friends, My apologies for the delay, this week has been absolutely nuts! Had wanted to write more about these, but I will have to be brief for now... 1) The Art Farmer Septet - "Mau-Mau" (Quincy Jones/Art Farmer) from The Art Farmer Septet (Prestige, 1956) https://www.discogs.com/release/3470768-The-Art-Farmer-Septet-The-Art-Farmer-Septet Love the arrangement on this, great tune, great playing. And supposedly the first recorded electric bass on a jazz track-- Monk Montgomery! 2) Sonny Red - "Love Song" (Sonny Red) from Sonny Red (Mainstream, 1971) https://www.discogs.com/release/2938300-Sonny-Red-Sonny-Red Thom said something about this sounding like someone who usually plays in a different style? That's pretty right on. And so is this track. 3) Nicole Glover - 'Inception" (McCoy Tyner) from Plays (Savant, 2024) https://www.discogs.com/release/31077650-Nicole-Glover-Plays Yep, 2nd time in a row putting in a Nicole Glover track, and there's very good reason for that. This whole album absolutely kills. 4) Art Blakey - "Child's Dance (Christian's Song)" (Ramon Morris) from Child's Dance (Prestige, 1972) https://www.discogs.com/release/2362547-Art-Blakey-And-The-Jazz-Messengers-Childs-Dance Felser kind of led me to this one whether he knows it or not, partly due to some comments about this era of Blakey from a previous BFT. This record is fantastic! 5) Muhal Richard Abrams - "Miss Richarda" (Muhal Richard Abrams) from Colors in Thirty-Third (Black Saint, 1987) https://www.discogs.com/release/2709354-Muhal-Richard-Abrams-Colors-In-Thirty-Third Muhal... always creative, always pushing the envelope while giving respect to the past. *Many places where I see this listed, including the above, think that "Richarda" is a typo and that it should be "Richards." I think not. 6) Eddie Gale - "Holiday" (Eddie Gale) from A Minute with Miles (Mapleshade, 1993) https://www.discogs.com/release/6943593-Eddie-Gale-Quintet-Featuring-Larry-Willis-A-Minute-With-Miles Eddie was the man. Just ask Thom. 7) Big Black - "Burundi Pose" (Big Black) from Elements of Now! (UNI, 1968) https://www.discogs.com/release/2692825-Big-Black-Elements-Of-Now Was pleased that I stumped people with this one. Could play this over and over again, just love the groove and the feeling. 😎 Bern Nix - "Z Jam Blues" (Bern Nix) from Alarms and Excursions (New World, 1993) https://www.discogs.com/release/3161658-The-Bern-Nix-Trio-Alarms-And-Excursions This has been a favorite of mine since it was released... Bern is always a favorite, and when you put him with Fred and Newman T-B? Hell yes! 9) Oscar Pettiford - "Oscalypso" (Oscar Pettiford) from Volume 2 (Bethlehem, 1955) https://www.discogs.com/release/1966480-Oscar-Pettiford-Volume-2 Love me some Oscar! 10) Anthony Braxton - "Blue in Green" (Bill Evans) from 23 Standards (Quartet) 2003 (Leo, 2003) https://www.discogs.com/release/1081654-Anthony-Braxton-23-Standards-Quartet-2003 This got very mixed responses, as expected. 11) Barbara Donald - "Love for Eric" (Irvin Lovilette) from The Past and Tomorrows (Cadence Jazz, 1983) https://www.discogs.com/release/2763495-Barbara-Donald-Unity-The-Past-And-Tomorrows As discussed in the thread, way into Barbara Donald at the moment. Truly a brilliant artist who deserved more attention. 12) Jonas Hellborg - "Saut-E Sarmad" (Jonas Hellborg) from The Word (Axiom, 1991) https://www.discogs.com/release/395866-Jonas-Hellborg-The-Word This is a long time favorite, bought not only because I'm a Jonas Hellborg fan, BUT... Tony Williams on drums! 13) Junior Parker - "Tomorrow Never Knows" (Lennon/McCartney) from The Outside Man (Capitol, 1970) https://www.discogs.com/release/1165563-Junior-Parker-The-Outside-Man Heard this cover recently and loved the hell out of it, figured it would be a nice way to end the BFT. Thanks to all who participated!

Last chance for any stragglers! Will reveal all later tomorrow. At this point if you're still going to participate, I require that you do it while wearing your Halloween costume.

Truly! I am slowly discovering more and more of her recordings and she is consistently amazing. I do have this one on vinyl. Seems kind of crazy that it's never been released on CD, but at this point I can understand it wouldn't make them any money to reissue it. To your point--they should at least do something like Bandcamp downloads for these. I think that would be successful in getting her music to reach more ears!

Actually it is Carter! Gary is also on the record but not on this tune.

Truly!! Again, shocking to me that her name is so rarely mentioned. Shameful. Wow. Love this and I love "The Inner Light" too. This is definitely going on the want list.

Nope, not Burt... <quickly Googles Burt Wilson!>

Responses below... Dan, you may also have luck with track 9... and maybe track 4? Or not?

John, was hoping a few of these would hit you right in the wheelhouse, glad that it worked out. 😁 Comments below... Was hoping to respond to more right now but I've run out of time... will catch up later today. No surprise, @JSngry, you did nail several of these!

Oh, I think any time you want... Don't think there are any rules around that. I did wonder if track 1 might be ID'd quickly! Boom! Yes! 🏆