BFT #43 CD-1

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I have to admit to being a bit surprised by your reaction to trk 16. While I didn't think too many would really like it - it is a tossed-off set-closer, programmed that way both on the original LP and here, not meant to be taken too seriously - I didn't think anyone would consider it "ugly and mean." I've always (for over 20 years now) found it amusing; a guilty pleasure if you will. I'm not sure I really understand your criticism of it, but your comments regarding it are the most interesting thus far. I obviously don't agree, but that's, uh, life. And as I've said before, I've always found the negative reactions to BFT tracks so much more interesting and revealing. I always try to include a few that I think (hope?) will be despised. Just didn't think it'd be that one...

Well, yeah, I was a bit strong in my reaction, but sincere neverhteless. For any number of reasons, I've been becoming increasingly revulsed (yeah, revulsed) by the all-too-common mindset of all-too-many "jazz people" that you prove your hipness by belittling the un-hip. I mean, yeah, ok, some folks are totally un-hip and can make make life a drag for the rest of us, but unless they're doing it intentionally/maliciously, I can't hate them just for being who they are. It takes all types, and those folks got lives and souls just the same as anybody else. So how "hip" is it to belittle them, especially if it's in the spirit of thinking that you somehow get built up by tearing down? If anything, I think it's terribly unhip...

Now. "tweaking" I can certainly understand. And outright anger I can also relate too. But those are both actions rooted in love, I think. The notion of picking on somebody "smaller" (perceived or otherwise) than yourself, though, that's just old-fashioned bullying, and I think we all know what's inside the psyche of a bully. It sure ain't love.

And a jazz bully? Hey - look around, Mr. & Mrs. Hip, it ain't exactly your world anymore, is it? Not even the hip parts, unless you consider dead or near-dead excursions to a mid-20th Century esthetic to be "hip". Is the world passing you by? Quite possibly. So who the phuck are you to be making fun of other people who the world's passed by? You're one of them now.

Maybe that's not what the intent of this piece was, and maybe I just took it too personal, projecting onto it a lot of shit I've been examining in my world lately. Entirely possible. But right or wrong, that's how it hit me anyways.

I didn't get anything like this off that track. Sure, they were having fun, but I didn't feel they were having fun at anyone's expense. And in any case, they didn't sound like jazz people to me but country people. So who would they be taking the piss out of? People who live in towns and commute?

MG

[sidewinder]

10. Immediately recognised Clark Terry. It's with Oliver Nelson's Orchestra and is on that Verve 'Jazz Masters' CD compilation I think (and no doubt also the recent Mosaic I guess). Not sure of the tune but definitely Kenny Burrell on guitar. In a word - schmokin !

11. Piano lead into trombone-heavy front line. Almost Ernie Wilkins-ish arrangement for the Basie trombone section (Grey, Powell etc.) Other than that I haven't a clue !

12. Accordion lead with a 50s West Coast group. Must be Shorty Rogers on trumpet. Not sure about the accordionist or the album. Interesting !

13. 'Alf Herbert and the Marijuana Brass' ? It's got to be Bud Shank on one of his World Pacific 60s LPs. Jack Sheldon on trumpet. Star Treck choir on vocals? Liked this one more than I thought I would.

14. Ah - an easier one. Thad & Mel from one of their A&M Horizon LPs ('Live In Munich' I think). This one needs to be back out on CD. Not the greatest of recordings, sounds like it could be Gregory Herbert on tenor.

15. Basie-ish big band with a polished, West Coast feel. Sounds like it could be Phil Woods on lead alto. Live performance - possibly Juggernaut?

16. Another live performance (in Texas?) - Again, I've heard this before. Could it be Carla Bley and cohorts with Carla doing the vocal? Good fun in any case.

Many thanks for a fine compilation !

[JSngry]

I didn't feel they were having fun at anyone's expense. And in any case, they didn't sound like jazz people to me but country people. So who would they be taking the piss out of?

Did you listen to the lyrics?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I didn't feel they were having fun at anyone's expense. And in any case, they didn't sound like jazz people to me but country people. So who would they be taking the piss out of?

Did you listen to the lyrics?

Such of them as I could hear clearly, which I think was most.

MG

[Jim R]

I continue to be impressed and fascinated (and stumped) by #9. The more I listen to it, the more I appreciate it- not just for the guitar playing, but for the piano work, the group interplay, the composition, and the arrangement (love that ending). The impressive flatpicking, the propulsive attack, the tone and the style narrow it down some, but there are still a lot of possibilities.

Getting straight to the point, despite their influence on players like this, we can forget about Farlow and Raney and Wes. This player comes out of the Louis Stewart / Pat Martino / Robert Conti school of unfair picking technique, but over the years, quite a few players have developed similar skills. This reminds me of some of the stuff I heard players like Conti, Larry Coryell, Vic Juris, Bruce Forman, and others doing around 20 years ago. Kind of Chick Corea-esque to my ears in terms of the head, and of course there's an obvious reverence for Monk going on in the guitar solo (hmm...).

So, hopefully this narrows it down a bit. Like I said, still lots of possibilities (watch it be some new group from Finland ). Well, back to listening...

[RDK]

Track 9: I'm not enough into neobop guitarists, but he sounds familiar. Jimmy Raney? Or his son Doug? No - this sounds like one of those Don Schlitten produced Xanadu LPs, at least the drums sound like it. Well .....

Not Raney, Mike, but Jimminy Christmas, how the heck did you guess Xanadu? You guys constantly astound me!

[RDK]

1. I wonder if this may have been recorded around the time of Monk’s death in the early 1980’s. Don’t know the tenor player, I find his sound a little strident. Mal Waldron on piano, maybe?

Oh, you know him all right. And, not Waldron.

2. I like this. The tune is familiar, I’m sure I’ve heard it before. Richie Beirach, possibly?

A hint: those who participated in my last BFT have indeed heard this tune before.

3. Gary Burton, for sure. Might this be a Mike Gibbs tune? It sounds like early Burton, probably on RCA. There was a compilation called “3 In Jazz” that, if I recall correctly, had a few tracks with Jack Sheldon. Perhaps this is from that LP?

Nope, but it has been guessed correctly upthread.

4. My first thought was Sonny Rollins, and this tenor player certainly owes a lot to Sonny. Possibly Lou Tabackin or Bennie Wallace? The tune is “I Remember Clifford”, of course.

Of course.

5. “The Nearness of You”, a lovely tune. Can’t say much for the trombone player, a little gruff where tenderness is called for.

6. I’m sorry, this just leaves me cold.

7. I’m pretty sure the alto is Phil Woods, and this may be his composition. Can’t name any of the other players. The bari player has got a little Gerry Mulligan in him – Gene Allen, possibly? Eddie Costa on vibes? Can’t get a handle on the trumpet, in places the bone recalls Willie Dennis. A nice, lightly swinging track.

8. The weird stereo on this suggests it was recorded in the late 50’s or early 60’s, possibly for Riverside. The label recorded a few obscure pianists (Dick Morgan, Evans Bradshaw, Roosevelt Wardell, etc). Am I on the right track? Nice drummer.

9. At first I thought Jimmy Raney, but this seems a little “out” for Jimmy, although this guitarist has certainly listened to a lot of Jimmy. Atilla Zoller maybe, with Don Friedman on piano? Very nice.

I'd be very surprised if anybody got this one.

10. “Brotherhood of Man”. Clark Terry, unmistakeable! This is, I think, from a jazz version of a broadway show, but I can’t remember which show this comes from. Probably Kenny Burrell on guitar. Some nice solo work – not crazy about the arrangement.

This one was a lot easier than I expected.

11. Nice trombones, would like to have heard more from them. Pianist seems to be featured here – might he be the leader? Awfully short.

12. Good playing from everybody here. I’m gonna guess the two most likely candidates for accordion – Art Van Damme or Mat Mathews. The first time I heard this, I thought the bari player sounded like Al Cohn – is that possible? I’m sure the trumpet is a name I know, but nobody comes to mind. Likewise the guitar.

Guessed correctly above, which did surprise me.

13. Pure shlock, played by some fine musicians. The tune is “Petite Fleur”, I’m pretty sure. Bud Shank made a series of records like this in the 60’s; this could be him. And might this be Chet Baker on trumpet?

Spot on!

14. Modern big band – Gerald Wilson, possibly? Kind of a tinny recording. The tenor runs out of ideas some time before his solo ends.

15. This more like it – a ballsy big band, a nice punchy recording! Solid alto! The alto is good, but it’s the drummer who grabs my attention all through. The tenor is OK, not outstanding. Again, I’m reminded of Lou Tabackin, for some reason.

For good reason!

16. This woman can’t sing. Take it off!

She's usually a very fine singer.

[RDK]

I continue to be impressed and fascinated (and stumped) by #9. The more I listen to it, the more I appreciate it- not just for the guitar playing, but for the piano work, the group interplay, the composition, and the arrangement (love that ending). The impressive flatpicking, the propulsive attack, the tone and the style narrow it down some, but there are still a lot of possibilities.

Getting straight to the point, despite their influence on players like this, we can forget about Farlow and Raney and Wes. This player comes out of the Louis Stewart / Pat Martino / Robert Conti school of unfair picking technique, but over the years, quite a few players have developed similar skills. This reminds me of some of the stuff I heard players like Conti, Larry Coryell, Vic Juris, Bruce Forman, and others doing around 20 years ago. Kind of Chick Corea-esque to my ears in terms of the head, and of course there's an obvious reverence for Monk going on in the guitar solo (hmm...).

So, hopefully this narrows it down a bit. Like I said, still lots of possibilities (watch it be some new group from Finland ). Well, back to listening...

No, the token European is on Disc 2.

Very pleased that the guitarist on #9 seems to be to everyone's taste. He's criminally obscure, imo, despite having put out a number of fine albums over the last - heck, maybe 30 years now. Somewhere I have a cassette copy of a TV studio recording I made of him back in my college days when I ran a PBS station's audio board...

[Jim R]

He's criminally obscure...

Great... just what I wanted to hear. At least we know now- it's a "he". Anyway, maybe I'll get lucky and figure this out. There are so many criminally obscure players out there, it's... criminal.

[JSngry]

The only two Xanadu guitartists who come to mind other than the Raneys are Ted Dunbar & Peter Sprague.

That's not Ted Dunbar, I don't think, so....

[Jim R]

I thought about mentioning Sprague in relation to the Xanadu refrence. I haven't heard those LP's in years, but I don't remember Peter having quite the propulsive attack that this player has. Could be wrong. He would certainly fit in terms of the style and time frame that I'm associating this with... I'll have to check if I still have some of his stuff on cassette. Warren Nunes was another California-based guy with a lot of chops, but he didn't record much, iirc.

[Dan Gould]

Better late than never, here goes nothing (and I do mean nothing.

Track 1: Another example of the single most over-played/recorded Monk composition. Am I the only one who isn't a fan of 'Round Midnight? Anywhoo, I'm not a fan of the harsh, reedy sound of this tenor.

Track 2: Kenny Barron? Nothing to dislike here.

Track 3: Double mallets has to be Gary Burton, right? Never a fan but this is OK. The latin tune sounds familiar but I can't place it, and I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say its Hubbard on trumpet.

Track 4: Rollins on tenor or another BIG toned tenor man.

Track 5: NEXT!

Track 6: The less said the better.

Track 7: Not grabbing me, I'm afraid.

Track 8: When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again, or is that just a quote and I'm missing the actual tune? OK, though I kinda wanted to hear the keys more than the percussion at times.

Track 9: I'll say its KB on guitar, and I'm sure I'm wrong.

Track 10: Just as a guess, the Gerald Wilson Big Band?

Track 11: Nice enough but not long enough to make much of an impression.

Track 12: another one that's pleasant enough but not a standout.

Track 13: There's probably a nice performance there somewhere under the strings/accompaniment.

Track 14: No thanks.

Track 15: Pretty good but no guesses.

Track 16: I'm not feeling it.

Thanks to Ray for the easy acquisition of the tunes, I'll be interested to see some of the answers. I know I didn't sound super enthusiastic about any of them but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy them more next time around.

[RDK]

Track 1: Another example of the single most over-played/recorded Monk composition. Am I the only one who isn't a fan of 'Round Midnight? Anywhoo, I'm not a fan of the harsh, reedy sound of this tenor.

I do agree that 'Round Midnight is terribly overplayed, and while in my younger days I would consider its inclusion on an album a sign that said album might be up my alley, I now tend to shy away from RM covers. But this one, for me, is really special, recorded as it was less than a week after Monk's death.

[couw]

een: RMidnight obviously with a tenor that sways between a blaring reed and a tight buttocks sound. 's Okay with me, though it doesn't work for me. Too much to do about something I am not part of then. Let me go get a beer instead.

twee: so I return with my beer and I get this pianist who has this on-the-verge-of-cheesy sound of Emil Viklický. And heck, I like it. Some of those Scandinavians produce similar sounds, but with the bass sounding as it does I will stick to Czeckoslovakia as it was called at the time.

drie: ding dong! who's there? the guy selling icecream on the mechican beech! Burton on vibes? Who's on mariachi trumpet drinking all the tequila then? Nice recording with the vibes spread through the centre, though the bass is scary, ECM?

vier: IRClifford, 's nice but also hard to go wrong with this tune in this pace. Don't know the tenor.

vijf: heheheh. Sounds like all the tb player gets from "the nearness of you" is her mean stinkin' farts. Love how this Schnulze is rendered. The uptempo second half suggests Ray Anderson. Love the utterly shitty ending too. How low can you go? Taste or tone? Taste. Oh well, about this low. heheheh.

zes: my head hurts like two saxes playing simultaneously too far apart. The dude on the left is much further in the back, probably to ensure those using headphones to turn insane prematurely. So Rivers is the guy they left pushed back. All in all this is a bit of a mess on tape. May have been great to sit in the middle of, but this gets boring too soon.

zeven: this is all pretty bland somehow, I blame the sound, but the vibes are great, whodatt? Eddie?

acht: hah! fun familiar tune. no clue - need to lift some feet and dance a little here.

negen: the bass/piano have this "nagging" going on that makes it hard for me to enjoy this. Cut it out already willya! Sheesh! The whack separation with drums hard left, piano harid right and guitar AND the feghing bass dead centre are not ideal for following what the guitarist is weaving whilst playing his guts out. Please someone shoot the bassist! (and the recording engineer).

tien: Terry and Burrell and a bunch of other guys? 's Nice.

elf: Brâââp!!!! good, but not a clue.

twaalf: lurvit, really do. More please.

dertien: this starts off far worse than it somehow turns out to be. It's all a bit too crappy to keep from sliding, but it somehow manages to keep afoot. Not something I'd seek out, but okay after all.

veertien: where did they record this? in a telephone booth outside of Chokurdakh? Nice playing in crap sound. The tenor is off the leash obviously and the band carries the frenzy well. Killer stuff once the tenor gets going good; though it all crumbles somewhat towards the end.

vijftien: "yes it's that time of the week again! Welcome to our show! Our guests today include Leo Mareo, Charlie Whitaker, Dune Francis and Mabel Persip. And here is your host: Harvey Haslom!!!!" [clapclapclap] *Very* nice for the telly. Might as well be a BBC production. Seriously: this is whack, but good whack with plenty winky-winks. "And what did our contestants win? A fridge and a coffee grinder!!!" [clapclapclap]

zestien: either this is a bad joke or it's really bad.

[edited for spelling]

Edited January 9, 2007 by couw

[Dan Gould]

Track 1: Another example of the single most over-played/recorded Monk composition. Am I the only one who isn't a fan of 'Round Midnight? Anywhoo, I'm not a fan of the harsh, reedy sound of this tenor.

I do agree that 'Round Midnight is terribly overplayed, and while in my younger days I would consider its inclusion on an album a sign that said album might be up my alley, I now tend to shy away from RM covers. But this one, for me, is really special, recorded as it was less than a week after Monk's death.

If that means this is Rouse, I'll be very surprised. Not the Rouse sound I enjoy.

[JSngry]

I'm really surprised that the tenorist on #1 is not being readily identified...

(not just by you Dan, but by almost everybody)

[RDK]

I'm really surprised that the tenorist on #1 is not being readily identified...

(not just by you Dan, but by almost everybody)

Jim, would you say that he sounds a bit different here than usual though? (I'm otherwise not very familiar with this period of his work). He does seem a bit gruffer and, I dunno, maybe more emotional here, something that I've always attributed to Monk's passing just a few days before.

[JSngry]

I'm really surprised that the tenorist on #1 is not being readily identified...

(not just by you Dan, but by almost everybody)

Jim, would you say that he sounds a bit different here than usual though? (I'm otherwise not very familiar with this period of his work). He does seem a bit gruffer and, I dunno, maybe more emotional here, something that I've always attributed to Monk's passing just a few days before.

I don't think so, not particularly. He wasn't playing tenor as much in those days as he did before or later, so that might be part of the gruffness, as might the event you describe. But as somebody who's followed all periods of his work with equal interest/fascination, I think he sounds very much like himself here, which is why the lack of ready identifications is surprising to me.

[couw]

I'm really surprised that the tenorist on #1 is not being readily identified...

(not just by you Dan, but by almost everybody)

Jim, would you say that he sounds a bit different here than usual though? (I'm otherwise not very familiar with this period of his work). He does seem a bit gruffer and, I dunno, maybe more emotional here, something that I've always attributed to Monk's passing just a few days before.

I don't think so, not particularly. He wasn't playing tenor as much in those days as he did before or later, so that might be part of the gruffness, as might the event you describe. But as somebody who's followed all periods of his work with equal interest/fascination, I think he sounds very much like himself here, which is why the lack of ready identifications is surprising to me.

To me the player on track one ceased to sound like something I'd like to listen to in the early 70s and so I did not follow all periods of his work and hearing this track doesn't move me to invest. So I guess he does sound like himself in that respect...

[RDK]

2. I like this. The tune is familiar, I’m sure I’ve heard it before. Richie Beirach, possibly?

Meant to add, good call!

[RDK]

Lots of tracks have been correctly identified already, though many just by the artist and some only as correct "guesses."

The correct artist has been mentioned for #2, but nothing more specific than that. Same as for #6 (almost everybody recognized Sam, but the album itself is pretty obscure). Track #5 seems to have stumped everyone so far (except for the familiar title of course) and this surprises me, though it is something of a deceptive track since the leader of the session doesn't actually solo on it. Track #9 has been narrowed down to the correct artist and label, but not the actual record or tune itself. Jim S. pegged #11 on an after thought. The singer of the controversial #16 has been i.d.'d but not the album or players. She's a fine singer - really! - and those who don't dig this track would probably like her in other settings.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Thanks Ray for putting up some fine music here. The download is the way to go.

(I'm certainly out of my element here and after some listening really have no guesses whatsoever. I recognize a couple tunes here and there but stumped and showing how little knwlwedge I have and hence why I have not partaken for a while.)

more eager to see the commentaries and I'm really just here to watch.

so...

#16 ... reminds me of some Robert Altman cue but no roadhouse door prize for me. Xene Cervenka??

#15 ... damn nice fun with that bari blasting front line.

#14 ... another cooker with some serious solo action ... not sure how well the band is keeping up without being messy but

#13 ... nice bit of exotica, does the cat have some Gato woven into that latin silk?

#12 ... pesky french thing.

#11 ... ? maybe a bit of Manne intro?

#10 ... guitarist's date and I'm inclined to go french if not Kenny.

#9 ... ?

#8 ... ghost riders go marching in hurrah ... love that boomy atmosphere from the left hand in the middle ... i like this player a lot but no clue.

#7 ... thinking British here with that bari and vibe going on ... Feldman or LeSage??

#6 ... probably my least favorite toon of the bunch but quite the adventure on saxomophones.

#5 ... maybe Rudd playing straight. tip of my tongue the tune ... "nearness of you"?

#4 ... love the segue of 4 into 5 here .. great

#3 ... ? a bit of caribe in that latin vibe vamp but I never do well with that trumpet tone.

#2 ... solemn Jamal?

#1 ... "midnite" a bit too hi for Shepp, no? Newman?

hope to get listening to more of "B" soon.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

First of all, this is a great little BFT disk -

AHA! so it's sidewinder who's been freelancing for Dusty Groove!

[couw]

#3 ... ? I never do well with that trumpet tone.

blasphemy!

[RDK]

Thanks Ray for putting up some fine music here. The download is the way to go.

(I'm certainly out of my element here and after some listening really have no guesses whatsoever. I recognize a couple tunes here and there but stumped and showing how little knwlwedge I have and hence why I have not partaken for a while.)

more eager to see the commentaries and I'm really just here to watch.

Thanks for the comments, Vint. Yep, download is the way to go for me too. For the compiler, it's easier (and cheaper) when one doesn't have to burn and mail out so many discs. And I think that leads to less pressure for someone to just listen and not necessarily respond to every track. I've passed up a few recent BFTs since I felt too guilty for not having the time to give a solid listen and write up meaningful comments after someone took the time to make and send me discs.