BFT 49 - Discussion

[gnhrtg]

We have plenty to talk about. 36 tracks. I was going to include a few more, in fact, but could not find the CD's (I did find them yesterday. Will save them for another BFT).

Guesses, impressions, comparisons, anything you'd like to note about the music, or might spur comments by others, is welcome.

Thanks for signing up and taking the time to listen.

Edit: If you are reasonably certain that you know the artist/album, please do not mention them in your post but rather provide a link to the amg page (or the artist's site, or wherever). I don't know if we should do the same for guesses. I'm open to suggestions (or you can do as you like).

Edited July 15, 2007 by gnhrtg

[Nate Dorward]

1) I forget the name of the tune but I'm sure someone will clue me in soon enough.... Anyway, hard to tell who it is because of the general cat'n'mouse approach--the clunky, Monky waltztime reminds me of Irene Schweizer but this seems too calculated for her. Could be Aki Takase, I suppose.

2) The lyrics are familiar--it's an Edward Gorey poem. No idea who this is (the only Gorey adaptation I know of is Mike Mantler's The Hapless Child but I'm pretty sure this isn't him.....).

3) Probably Dutch guys just because of the bowed bass in place of the expected pizz (a strategy Wilbert de Joode uses a lot). Too brief a reading of "Thelonious" to really get a handle on who it might be.

4) Well I know this one well--it was one of my faves from a few years back (a different track from it is on my BFT 14) & it still sounds great, & this is one of my favourite tracks on the album. Not often you hear a young guy play this tune in such a heartfelt manner--you get the sense that the tune really means something to him, it's not just "a standard". I think this album will increasingly be seen as a small classic of contemporary jazz--it didn't get a lot of reviews at the time (though Ben Ratliff gave it a nice boost in the NYTimes) but I'm surprised how many people have latched onto it purely through word of mouth.

5) Probably Simon Nabatov (the treble figures circa 2:45 are a favourite lick of his, & there are few other pianists I can think of with a comparable technique)--it set me in mind of his solo disc on Leo, though I haven't checked it to see if this is off that one. I don't know, it's impressive but I don't know that I really enjoyed the performance that much.

6) Cutesy tune with a curious little interlude; pity the solos are so short but the tenor (whom I really should be able to i.d.) makes the most of his space.

7) Order-out-of-chaos opening & the Konitz/Desmond alto (Moore? Dijkstra?) suggest this is Dutch; & the drummer is surely Michael Vatcher. Maybe it's Available Jelly.

8) Nice Bley/Peacock style duet, though I'm pretty sure it's not them but just influenced by them. Could be that guy Russ Lossing, or Greg Burk (though the latter is probably too aggressive for this)? Anyway, it's a style of jazz I like a lot -- "free" but concentrating on concentrated, discrete ideas & letting them ring out. When you have nothing to say, don't say anything: a good philosophy.

9) Avant-Konitzian alto/piano/bass track. Maybe Gebbia? Quiet, thoughtful, musical.

10) I think this is too stiff, foursquare & predictable to be as exciting as the musicians are presumably aiming at.

11) I take it Monkish piano is going to be a theme of this compilation.... Oh, this tune ("Angelica" is it?) is a favourite of the Dutch guys (it was in the Clusone 3's book) so it could be we're back in Amsterdam again, though this is a far more conventionally swinging piano trio performance than I'd expect from that source. Wherever it's from, it's very enjoyable, with a nice sense of humour to buoy it up.

12) The au naturel sound made me think this was CIMP but the applause at the end suggest it's just a very raw concert document (CIMPs are studio discs). Love the wacky stoptime interruptions, & in general this has a great "what's going to happen next?" feeling that is lacking in track 10. If this is a commercial release, though, I'd say they could have sweetened the sound a little.

13) Hm, no idea. Out of the context of an album it's hard to make a lot of sense of this one: strings, rather battered trumpet, tuba, drums.

14) Nice mood music that made me wish it went somewhere more interesting. Instrumentation suggests the Great Uncles of the Revolution but it's not them surely.

15) Dutch group I wrote about not so long ago. MB is one of my favourite current players--stride-piano sprezzatura & a wicked sense of mayhem. I think this is from their newest disc.

16) Ummm... best intentions with this track, obviously, but I really didn't like it at all, especially the weirdly (deliberately??) tentative solos & untogether feel. (I know that "loose" is sometimes a good thing, but on this track it just seems to dissipate the energy rather than give expression to it, if you see what I mean.) Probably Sean Bergin's MOB.

17) oh, this is familiar: GG's album of Monk tunes, which is bookended by two solo versions of this. I prefer the other version (a ballad reading!). It's a great disc though (on the trio tracks) Vatcher plays too loud/clunkily. I wish GG would do more of this kind of stuff (what's happened to him lately anyway?).

18) Aha, the second version I mentioned. Lovely, isn't it, with those impressionist harmonies & tremolos.

19) Pretty sure this is from a recent much-praised trio album by TM. It's half a great album, half a rather dull one; this track is from the great half, & is in fact the best track. I can't sort out my feelings about TM--sometimes he drives me nuts because he has a slick "soulful" (i.e. soulless) tricksiness rather like Chris Potter, & then you hear a track like this where he doesn't indulge in his more annoying mannerisms (like the use of Lovanoesque high register distortion) & he sounds incredible.

20) This sounds familiar, may be from the Corkestra disc. Sounds fine in its neo-John Lewis baroqueism, doesn't do much for me, but this may be my lingering disillusionment from a boring Corkestra gig I saw earlier this year (Anne LeBerge took possibly the worst flute solo I've ever heard--great tone but just terrible choice of notes, like she had never heard of a chord change in her life).

21) I think this is a Sun Ra tune, "Super Bronze". There are a couple solo albums out there with Sun Ra on them--Pandelis Karayorgis on Leo, Peter Madsen on Playscape. I think it's the former (have it here somewhere, can check later).

22) probably again PK's solo album. A little too pointedly discombobulated for my taste, but it's an interesting album.

23) No idea, could be Thomas Chapin I suppose but it doesn't quite reach the ecstatic heights I associate with TC. Still, pretty nice trio track.

24) Uhm....... I think this was intended as homage to Tristano but I think it's a ghastly parody. I can't imagine it's by anyone who was actually a Tristano student because LT was all against this kind of ludicrous show-off piece.

25) Sounds like EP in one channel anyway.... probably this is the duo with JMcP, which I haven't listened to for a while. I liked the album a lot, but this isn't my favourite track from it by a long shot.

26) Same disc. Again, not one of my faves--I guess I should return to that album & determine which tracks WERE my faves.

27) I am pretty sure this is latterday Andrew Hill, though I can't imagine what recording it's from. Not really my thing, & it kind of loses its way halfway though in all the clunky, half-choked repetitions.

28) Joachim Kuhn, surely. Not really my thing. Maybe I would have liked it more if Ornette was sitting in.....

29) I take it the linkage in this section of the BFT is the classical echoes..... No idea who this is. It's fun but I'm not quite sure what the point is of it all.... though I liked the straightforward ending.

30) OK, back to jazz homebase. Should I know this tune? Sounds like it's a standard I don't know. S'OK.

31) Well this one is a familiar one. Last track on a recently reissued cool school disc on Hat Art/ology. Back to the classics!

32) Sounds familiar but I can't place it. I liked it though I was left wondenig if it was a chunk of a longer performance.

33) Strange sound--piano, but treated in some way? Definitely a case of a pianist afflicted with "don't know when to stop" disease......

34) Unmistakably Tony Oxley on drums. No idea who the pianist is, though I suppose this could be another track off the Battaglia duo album, or maybe AvS? Not Cecil, though obviously the pianist knows his Cecil. It's OK, not really doing a lot for me--I can't detect a lot of close interplay between piano & drums, is maybe the problem.

35) AvS is a good guess for this one too--is this from the same album? I found the opening too scattered to get a grip on, but when the pianist latches onto some stubborn Monkish block chords in the middle I got a lot more interested. Overlong but still worthwhile.

36) Like a Conlon Nancarrow gospel piece...!

Edited July 18, 2007 by Nate Dorward

[Sand]

First I would like to credit you with the programming. I sense that you've given that some thought or the quality lies in the fact that it has passed through a certain musical temperament at a certain time. The compilation feels like more than the sum of it parts and I find it attractive to return to it. It certainly complements my other listening.

There are few names I could give with some kind of certainty the first time I listened to the 36 tracks. The second time I was less tired, more relaxed and focused, and I had several suggestions, though I was still not able to come up with more certain answers as to who was playing. I have a feeling I have heard most of the musicians, but that I have relatively few recordings by them available.

I - Disc ONE

1. Here this serves primarily as an intro. Not terribly original, but hints at the musical selections later on. On second listing I noiticed it was well executed and I have a feeling i saw and heard the drummer on stage last year.

2. I knew what recording this was within a couple of second and I remember that this was one of the first you chose, when you did a blindfold test on me 3 years ago. I could tell you something about the female vocalist at the time. I knew about her from my youth. I feel that the others could find out, if I told my age. Her singing does, however, not sound like what she did in her days of fame. The male resitation - is that something he has done often?

Edward Gorey is an author I have not noticed earlier on. I'm still learning :-) And I'll guess I'll finally listen more closely to the lyrics now.

3. Yeah, It's short. It could of course be somewhere on Aki Takase plays Fats Waller.

4. My feeling was that this was a 38 year old saxophone player doing a Ben Webster. Or is it a remaster of an older recording by some other artist. I mean, it's not Ben Webster.

Nice anyway.

5. At first I wondered if Cecil Taylor could have done anything like this. He's been playing for so long and I've heard so little. I was looking for another name. There is a certain gentleness there in all the viriousity. Could it even be a female pianist. I don't know Simon Nabokov's playing yet. I liked this pretty well

6. Latin guitar, zylophone?, trumpet, saxophone. The sound of the recording and music made me think of the recordings from the Candid Cathalogue of the early 60ies.

7. I'm a little lost here. Circus music, Kurt Weill, Sidney Bechet-ish saxophone.....

8. OK, I do listen to Paul Bley, Marilyn Crispell, Arrigo Cappilletti and Svein Finnerud. Who is this? Someone else! I'm curious and would like to know what the rest of it sounds like.

9. The alto player is good and I like this track.Again, I'm not sure who it might be an anyway I would have a problem identifying the percussion player - and the pianist in particular.

10. On this I'll have to agree with Nate.

11. Well, I thought I had decided that MM was somewhere else in this compilation. This is not necessarily Dutch. A fine piano trio. Not one that I know, I believe.

12.

13.

14. Plucked strings. Is that a synth, abass guitar or a guitar. Maybe a guitar I thought in the end. The second time I heard the trumpet I decided it was David Douglas. I don't know this recording, but why not DD? It's simple and it's beautiful.

II- Disc TWO

15. Actually, i thought this was MM and Dutch for that reason. Good track.

16. Trinidad...This reminds me too much about the accompanying music to local poet who ironized about some people's attitudes to immigration sometime in the early seventies. I think it is the same soundtrack, except for a saxophone player somewhere in there :-)

17. Track 17 and 18 are by GG??? I know him from mostly from the Ayler disc and earlier stuff mostly. I am not going disagree.

18.

19. The standard "What Is This Thing Called Love" is well played. Still, I would prefer to listen to Evans/LaFaro/Motian 1959 version or Martial Solal/Toots Thielemans 1992 version.

Paul Motian is playing on this one as well? I didn't concentrate on the drummer. I have heard several thousand versions of this song and I have an attitude problem towards standars for the time being :-)

Yeah, this was allright, though mostly JC bores me.

20. That muted trumpet is effectful in a way. I remember I tried to play the traverso flute and feel close to instrument for that reason and I enjoy it on certain level, and I like to hum along, though would probably not do everything to find a copy, but I don't know what else they do on this album? Probably more that goes in the same direction?

21. I walked the dogs and listened to this and the following track. But this is a Monk tune, isn't it? On my return I see that Nate has provided a link to PK, who I have never heard of. I don't know the Sun Ra tune, and neither do I remember the Criss Cross tune by Monk. It's not Ugly Beauty. Could it be Criss Cross?

22. Same pianist.

23. Has he played with Globe Unity at some point?

24. What's This Thing Called Love once more? I did not associate Lennie Tristano with this right away. There are other influences here (as well).

25. EP?

26.?

III - Disc Three

27.

28. I may look through the Uri Caine discography and may still not find it.

29. Bass and cello. How many quotes do i find here in addition to Grieg/Peer Gynt Suite/Hall of the Mountain King?

30. Another Standard. From the late 50'ies? I don't think I ever heard a recording by Tina Brooks, for example.

31. Bach bourré goes alto (duo)?

32. Ernst Riesjeger. A little more agresssive than what I have heard. Someone else probably.

33. Don't know.

34. No it's not Battaglia, though I should have recogniced Tony Oxley, as I have listened to Explore a lot earlier on. By a series of strange coincidences I ran into the sound Engineer of that session and a large number of other Italian jazz recordings in the early nineties.

But it's not an Italian pianist. And, yeah, It turns out it is track 3 on the famous DH album. I have only listened to it when i got it about 5 years ago. I had seen it a couple of weeks ago, when I reorganized some of my CDs. And there it was - the second CD I put my hands on next to the CD player. I saw the pianist last year with Globe Unity at the Festival.

I have a '99 edition of DH. Is the mp3 made from a newer edition?

35. This must be from another CD than the one above.

36.

Edited July 18, 2007 by Sand

[gnhrtg]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to share your thoughts. I really enjoy(ed) reading them. Even went back to some of the tracks again.

I am really busy at the moment but I over the weekend I will post reactions to your comments

I'm looking forward to reading what the others who signed up have to say (and it's still not too late to sign up, just send me a pm or post on the sign up thread).

Edited July 18, 2007 by gnhrtg

[Sand]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to share your thoughts. I really enjoy(ed) reading them. Even went back to some of the tracks again.

I am really busy at the moment but I over the weekend I will post reactions to your comments

I'm looking forward to reading what the others who signed up have to say (and it's still not too late to sign up, just send me a pm or post on the sign up thread).

I added a few more words and corrected a couple of typos. It probably won't make it more readable. It turned out that I have 2 - 4 of these tracks in my collection. I'll be surprised, if there are more. I won't do any editing now, but add comments later, if I have any. THanks for the music! I better get some sleep.

Edited July 18, 2007 by Sand

[Sand]

On track 17 I declare that JC (James Carter) usually bores me. It's not really relevant since I had already been informed that TM is playing the tenor here :-)

[John B]

1. This one sounds intentionally rough, tentative and clunky. I hear a very playful vibe from the pianist. Not sure who this is, but I feel like I should know. It sounds very European. Irene Schweizer comes to mind, but I don't think this is her. Is that a second bass player or is this overdubbed? Brief , but tantalizing.

2. This sounds sort of like a Syd Barret outtake from the Madcap Laughs era. Not really my cup of tea. Nothing really grabbing me here. Not such a fan of the spoken / chanted lyrics.

3. A very brief miniature. I like the dound of the bowed bass here. It sounds like some of the Dutch crew, but I'm not able to get a handle on who this might be. I hear some playfulness and humor in this piece. Is this someone covering Fats Waller? Very nice. I wish the track wasn't quite so short and would love to hear the rest of the album.

4. Very nice. Soulful with a lot of emotion coming through. The emotion definitely comes across as real, and truly felt. lThis sounds like someone younger playing in an older style. Nice playing by all involved.

5. Very impressive technique. Gentle, playful, aggressive and fiery all at once. I'm guessing this is Nabatov, who I only know through his disc on Hat and the duo with Han Bennink which is a fantastic (and sadly OOP, I believe) album. I liked this one quite a bit.

6. This track sounds like a Les Baxter / Esquivel slice of exotica at first. Light and fluffy. I'm not really hearing much of substance, although the playing is pleasant enough. The tenor plays with a little more depth when he gets the chance to solo. I'm guessing he is the focus of your choice, but I have no idea who he is.

7. This track really caught my attention. The playing is very regimented yet retains a ragged, quirky sensibility. None of the "wackiness" that appears in some Dutch music, but I'm guessing this is a product of Holland. I like this one quite a bit.

8. Excellent track. No clue who these players are but I really love their performance. Proof that "free" doesn't have to mean "fiery," or require a non-stop barrage of notes. Understated and effective. Very nicely recorded, too.

9. This sounds like one of the Funniest of the Rats. I recignized his tone almost immediately. I am not familiar with this recording, but could probably guess which album this is from and who the drummer and bassist are by looking at AMG quickly. A dearly-departed master bassist and a drummer I really should be more familiar with, I see. Beautifully nuanced and full of ideas. I'd love to sit back with a cappuccino and hear this entire album. It will be added to the top of my "must purchase" list. Just gorgeous.

10. This almost sounds like some zorn / joey baron thing but it is too stiff to be them. This sounds like someone who was inspired by Masada but didn't have anyone to play the Dave Douglas role. Not bad, but I kept waiting for the band to really cut loose and let the song take off. Too restrained while trying to sound fiery and exciting. I hadn't realized this was a live recording until the applause trailed off at the end.

11. This sounds like a composition by Monk, but I'm not sure if it really is or if this is just a spot-on homage. A nice bit of humor without going overboard, some nice, swinging playing, all very tastefully done. I have no idea who these players are. Another track which whets my appetite to hear the rest of the album.

12. This one has a very interesting stop/start timing that kept the tune feeling fresh and had me feeling surprised by the playing. Nicely done. The drummer steals the show, for me, although everone acquits themselves well.

13. What an odd track. I'm guessing the horns were your focus for choosing this track. Perhaps it is due to the low number of tubists (sp?) I've heard but this sounds somewhat like Michel Godard doing a neo-classical project or one of his "ancient music" groups. This one keeps growing on me. I'd love to hear the entire album, read the liner notes, and have some more context for this track.

[Durium]

I listened to your selection and really like it, but couldn't label any of them. When I read the commends of my fellow list members they often think that Dutchmen are responsable for some of this weird stuff. I agree we have a lot of good musicians, especially in the more experimental and free improvised jazz forms. I heard Misha Mengelberg playing last weekend in Rotterdam and he was pretty good. I heard Ernst Reijseger last winter and I can't remember when I heard Han Bennink for the last time. The piano player on several Monkish-like tunes could be Michiel Braam, but on track 3 I also thought about Brad Mehldau or Jean-Michel Pilc and track 8 brought Monty Alexander with Jeff Hamilton and John Clayton in mind.

That's all for now. I'll give a new spin later this week and I'm anxious to read your commends.

Keep swinging

Durium

[Aggie87]

've only had a chance to listen to a portion of this, but here are a few comments. These are just initial, impulse reactions. I'll enjoy listening through the rest of this. Nice compilation, Gokhan!

1. The pianist has a nice, percussive feel to his/her playing, complemented by the drums. The track seemed short, but a nice introduction.

2. I don't know who this is, but I'm not sure I care for it. Maybe in the context of the album it's from it would sound better to me. The lyrics seemed too nonsensical to me. Then again, I listen to alot of progressive rock, which has more than it's share of nonsensical lyrics.

3. This one has a nice, swinging groove, but is obviously too short. A nice palate cleanser I suppose.

4. I like this one. It's got a noirish feel to it that is appealing.

5. The pianist has an impressive dual hand technique, and the music is fast.

6. Exotica - Martin Denny or something? I don't have much in this area, so no clue.

7. I like the circus feel to this music. It reminds me of that Noel Akchote W&W release.

8. This one has a nice, patient feel to it, like they're searching for something, but content with letting it come to them in it's own time.

(started getting interrupted by other household needs about this time)

9. Sleepy.

10. Busy.

11. This is a nice performance, in the pocket. It feels like Charlap in a way, or someone like that. Or maybe it's too lively for him.

12. Busy.

13. Nice.

14. I like this combination of trumpet and strings.

[John B]

14. This sounds like Dave Douglas’ “Parallel Worlds” string project, but I can’t be sure as this track is definitely not on the one disc I own by that group. The lack of drums and the electric (?) guitar that appears toward the end makes me think this guess is not correct. This is a beautiful track. It doesn’t really go anywhere, but that seems to be beside the point. It is more about creating a mood, or an atmosphere, than telling a story. The soft, lyrical trumpet playing over the plucked violin and bowed bass is a very unusual combination which works really well.

15. I bought this album last year when his big band was touring the U.S. My first introduction to his music came through an earlier BFT, which I recall was compiled by Nate Dorward. The big band was fantastic live, playing everything from stride to fiery free-jazz blowouts with ease. This disc, which features the bassist of the big band, but not the drummer I saw in September, is one of the best 2006 releases I heard last year. You can tell that these three have played together for quite a while. Fore some reason he doesn’t seem to be discussed as often as other Dutch masters, but I think a lot of people would really love his work if it were more widely available / discussed.

16. This track doesn’t quite work for me. I like the Caribbean vibe, and many individual elements are nice, but, for some reason, this doesn’t seem to gel as a coherent whole. The solos seem to be intentionally ragged and unfocused, to the point of some distraction for me. Actually, I could make the same point about the entire track. That being said, I do enjoy it. It has a wonderful, airy, relaxed feeling and I enjoy a lot about the playing. I do think this could have been tightened up just a bit, to the track’s benefit. No clue who this is.

17. This is Monk again, isn’t it? The pianist sounds familiar, but I’m not sure who this is. This is a very angular and “jagged” reading of the tune. He must be European…no, still no idea. I think I’ll kick myself when I read the answer. Very impressive technique, but not “warm” at all. A difficult track to love, but very easy to admire.

18. The same tune as #17, but almost its polar opposite. This version is everything that one was not. Warm, emotional and inviting, while still displaying an impressive technique. Is this the same person? This is just a beautiful reading of the tune.

19. I have no idea who this is, but I find it very reminiscent of Sonny Rollins. The tenor is nice, if not terribly original. The rhythm section is impressive. A very nice track that pays homage to the Rollins sound of the late ‘50’s but still manages to sound fresh.

20. Similar to track #14 in that this one doesn’t tell a story so much as create a mood. This is pleasant enough, but isn’t really grabbing me. Nice enough, but more for background music than for intent, focused listening.

21. This tune sounds very familiar, but I’m not having any success identifying it. The tune itself is fairly quirky…sort of Monk-like but I don’t believe this by Monk. The playing is interesting. There really isn’t any “flow” to the piece. The technique is very angular and “pointy” for lack of a better word. Interesting, but I don’t love it.

22. This sounds like the same pianist as #21. This tune is played a little more fluidly, and almost comes across as an abstract take on an old stride tune. Again, I find this interesting more then loveable.

23. This sounds an awful lot like a track off of one of the Thomas Chapin albums on the Knitting factory box. I really love this track. Great playing by all three. Perhaps not as exuberant as Chapin could sometimes get, but this playing is energetic, full of life and full of enthusiasm. The drummer and bassist are fantastic, too. They are supportive of the sax while free enough to express their own ideas and really shine. If this isn’t Chapin I’ll be tracking down this album asap.

Edited July 27, 2007 by John B

[Sand]

I listened to track #33 once more. It's prepared piano and it's well done. Benoit Delbecq, who I have been listening to lately, came to mind. It's not him. I rather curious as to who it might be.

[gnhrtg]

Thanks to all those who've taken the time to post their guesses and thoughts about the pieces. I will be away for about a week and a half. I do expect to see more posts here and depending on this, I will either e-mail the answers to those who've posted until then or start a thread here.

[John B]

24. This track comes across as very cerebral. Not a whole lot of warmth or emotion in the playing, but lots of technique and “flash” to spare. The performance is technically impressive, but it doesn’t invite me in or engage me very much. Definitely a sense of being detached and cool.

25. Ok, I own this album. Very nice. As much as I love the solo EP albums I have where he focuses on soprano exclusively, it is nice to hear him on tenor, interacting with another master. This isn’t what I would consider a “warm” album. In fact, this tune is fairly somber. This tune feels somewhat slight, on its own, but the album, as a whole, is fantastic.

26. Same album. A little more lively than track #25. I like this track a bit more than the last one, perhaps because it is more active or because I’m hearing more interaction between Joe and Evan. Again, a fantastic disc and a great opportunity to hear EP in the role of partner rather than in quite so dominant role as he can sometimes take.

27. This reminds me of Andrew Hill. The bass sounds fairly muffled at first, so I’m guessing this is a live recording, although I’m hearing some noise now that suggests this might be from vinyl, rather than live. Either way, the playing isn’t bad, but the track doesn’t really seem to go anywhere. I get the sense that the pianist isn’t quite sure where to go with this one and seems to muddle about for a bit before wrapping up the song.

28. A very classical sounding piece. No clue who this is. Not something I really love, but the performance is interesting, especially later in the piece when the playing gets a bit looser.

29. Another piece that is heavily reminiscent of classical music, although this seems to have a lack of gravity that I wouldn’t associate with classical musicians. The ICP of classical, perhaps? No clue who this is, but I enjoyed the performance.

30. A very pleasant performance. This one sounds very familiar, but I’m not placing it. The rhythm section is serviceable, if unexceptional. I like the tenor here. Again, nothing really out of the ordinary on this track, but a nice enough way to spend a few minutes listening.

31. I was a little disappointed when I finally heard this album. No fault of the music, just too much hype for a disc that had been out of print for years and was very difficult to track down. That said, this is some fantastic playing off of a fantastic album by one of the great unsung cats. Cool? Sure. Cerebral? Sure. But, I think, full of emotion and nuance and humanity. Essential.

Edited August 2, 2007 by John B

[John B]

32. Very nice. I’ll guess this is off of this album. I’ve had this one on my “to buy” list for a few years and have never gotten around to it. I really love this track. He has a fantastic tone, and this tune is very well played. I’m not normally a huge fan of solo recordings, but this is outstanding. This is passionate, lyrical and very, very impressive.

33. An interesting track. The piano sounds somewhat odd, and the performance itself feels a bit “precious” at points. I’m not really sure what to say about this one. I’m wondering if this would make more sense in context of the album as a whole.

34. Tony Oxley on percussion, not sure who the pianist is. This doesn’t sound like Battaglia, whose duet with Oxley I chose for my BFT a while back. Both performances are impressive, although this sounds like two simultaneous solo performances rather than a true duet. Each player is doing their own thing and doing it well, but I don’t sense a lot of close listening and response here. Could this be von Schlippenbach on piano? If so, I’ll guess that it is this album but I’ll have to wait until I get home from work to check.

35. Is this AvS again? It sure sounds like it. I’m not very familiar with his solo works. Is this off of one of the new discs on Intakt? The playing is fairly blocky and abstract, but it also demonstrates some of the humor and quirkiness of his Monk tribute pieces. This one didn’t fully engage me for its duration, but I found much to appreciate here.

36. Very nice. This piece seems to contain elements of many styles. I’m hearing some references to stride, some show-tune like moments, some symphonic hints. No clue who this is, but it’s a fun way to end the BFT.

I had a wonderful time listening to your selections and am looking forward to reading the answers and your thoughts on each track. Thank you for sharing this music!

[king ubu]

ok, finally I'm having a first listen on the ipod while at work... haven't had a glance at this thread, here are some first impressions, more to follow:

#1 Very nice... a European take on the Monk/Nichols tradition? What's that guy's name... Dutch pianist? Can't remember the name I think of... nice short opener!

#2 A weird lullaby... not sure what the heck this is - much too lovely for its content, it seems...

#3 This picks up where #1 ended... this is definitely a Monk tune but I'm always having trouble pinning them down... "Off Minor"? Lovely! From the Enttäuschung/Schlipp project?

#4 Beautiful sounding tenor sax! I know this tune... one of those old Carmichael things? Bass does offers a nice boomy laid-back foundation, drums enter softly, very nice! This is a huge toned guy in his soft mode, I think, right? Makes me think of Bobby Jones here and there, of Bennie Wallace at his softest, too, but it's not him, he'd do his gruffy honk stuff now and then, at least... A very restrained performance, no need to show off, simply beautiful!

#5 Piano duet or overdubbed? Reminds me (of course) of the Tristano Atlantic date in some spots, I guess that's an obvious reference for this kind of performance... starts sounding like it's three pianos after a while. Pretty intriguing!

#6 Ha, nice, some bossa... oh heck, another tune I ought to know... beautiful stuff, loveable.

#7 Sounds like a classic ICP opening... yeah! Great stuff! I love it! That's Michael Moore doing the whining alto part... trumpet is great as well!

#8 This leads nowhere, noodling around... still nice noodling, if that exists...

#9 I like this breathy kind of alto playing (also the really full-bodied, but not much most in between...) - Lee Konitz influence, I guess, though nowhere as idiosyncratic with those simple lines. Not going far, either, but a good example for well-structured improv, I guess. Like it a bit more than the one before.

#10 What the hell? Noise? He he... Brötz? Would be too obvious I guess... not bad at all, though the drummer isn't the most imaginative, I'd say. Nice how it goes in and out, or rather, how it makes you believe there's some kind of structure, in between, while the sax goes out now and then. Not my favourite cut, however... not exactly a nice sound on tenor and quite full of clichés in execution... those circular lines though, they got something that grabs me (not unlike some of Evan Parker's playing)

#11 Ha, one of my favourite Ellington ditties, "Angelica" I think... Love the version on Ellington/Hawkins! The pianist has a very nice touch, Great one!

#12 Not bad at all! Sounds quite great, in fact! Rollins-like tenor improvisation, though it goes farther out at some spots that I think I know of him (although that 1967 thing with Bennink...). I'd like to hear more of this!

[king ubu]

Ah, Michiel Braam on #1?

[king ubu]

#13 Nice how this mixes the plaintif trumpet soloist, the great tuba backing, and the orchestra - samples, overdubs? Sounds like a short take from one of those Winter & Winter "movie-like" albums... nice!

#14 Ooooh! Great! Masada String Trio, maybe? Ah no, some more than just strings... lovely track! Again a beautiful soft trumpet sound here. Too often those who play softly also play sluggish, nice to have someone pull all (most of) the stuff and still not play with steel chops (or not showing them off, at least).

#15 Very nice, that minimal groove thing in the intro. Another great one. Very loose drumming... hellyeah! Another of those euro circus tunes... the dutch touch... no idea who it is, but it's terrific! Bennink? A favourite!

#16 Sounds like it should have been on my BFT... lovely! Nice mix, baritone, trombone, trumpet, flute... love it! There's a voice in there, too. Clarinet solo? Weird intonation but I love it! I definitely want to hear more of this! Heart-warming stuff! Trombone is a bitch! Oh wait, that's bass clarinet, not barisax...of course, hence all the weirdo intonation things... great! Another favourite track! I like the fact that much of this is a group performance, this loose and open way of playing together is something I enjoy a lot in ZA jazz - no need for a long string of solos, just let everyone have his fun while playing together with the rest.

#17 More good pianistics... not a favourite, this time, though...

#18 Great! I think I know this but I'm not sure... sounds like a solo performance by Stephan Oliva to my ears. It's another Monk tune, one of those usually done in that mid Monk tempo... opening and execution all the way through makes it sound like a classical piece, almost... stunning! The mood it creates reminds me somewhat of Oliva's cover of "India Song" (from the artsy fartsy Duras flick) on his "Jazz 'n' (e)motion" disc.

#19 "What Is This Thing Called Love" - here's a tune I hardly ever fail remembering the title of... very nice tenor sound, somewhat old-fashioned, robust. Solid delivery, no-nonsense, I guess. Very good one... I have a feeling I ought to know this but I can't tell...

this is how far I came today - very enjoyable, with a purple patch (#15,16,18,19) just to end now!

[king ubu]

and here's the rest - thanks a lot for this fun compilation, Sir!

#20 More euro stuff, I assume? Trumpet is nice, so is flute and the whole sparse waltz-groove. Sounds like a modern day take on some John Lewis ideas to me...

#21 Doesn't do that much for me... I guess I'd need to hear more to judge.

#22 More Monkish piano... guess you really like piano-centred jazz? The tune's an old one, "Just You, Just Me", and the performance goes quite far at some spots... yet the touch remains delicate most of the time. Nice one, I think... is this one to deceive? Something much older than most of the music on this BFT? Maybe the Monkish touch goes much farther back (I thought of Tatum at some moments)?

#23 More tenor trio... sounds vaguely familiar... not bad at all!

#24 "What Is This Thing Called Love" again? Definitely like this more than #21... nice one, how he(?) plays the full piano, left hand walking, chords, melody/single-note lines etc.

#25 A two tenor free improv? Or is it three? (Would make the Brötzmarksson trio an option, Sonore - but did they ever do such short tunes? I only have live recordings by them.) Hm, no, it's just two... good one, starts very abstract but gets quite beautiful and then some as it continues!

#26 Nice programming, I guess (had a break in between, alas). Nice one, these descending runs make for a good structure...

#27 More slick programming, back to piano... nice one!

#28 An almost seemless segue... into what? An etude? Hm, pretty weird...some moaning in there? Keith Jarrett? Not bad how it evolves! Is this an improvisation based on a classical/notated piece? Quite ok, whatever it is.

#29 More slick programming... does this sound familiar? Friedlander?

#30 So then here's some more traditional stuff again. Very nice sound on tenor. I've heard this tune before but can't pin it down... Dexter like lines (and phrasing?) but very different sound. Pretty good, but sounds a bit retro-like to me?

#31 he he... nice - probably a transcription of some classical piece for soprano/tenor duo? Sounds a lot like some of those Bach things I used to play to practise on tenor... nice, and sounds indeed pretty good!

#32 Hm... not going very far. Another one that's more a teaser for more, to me. I'd not be opposed to hear more, though...

#33 Again this doesn't go anywhere far to my ears, sorry... it still has something I like, those slightly off lines, the way how the "accompaniment" adds and intervenes with the "melody" or "lead"...

#34 Could be Tony Oxley? With Cecil? Could well be them two old farts... good one!

#35 A very freeish take of "Thelonious" (I think that's the name of this Monk tune, but I'm not quite sure, as usual with Monk - one of my favourite versions of this one-note theme is on Bud Powell's Columbia album with Monk compositions). Starts rather unmotivated, I found, but gets more and more concentrated as it slowly approaches the theme, touches it from different sides and goes on embellishing and improvising.

#36 A groovy and fun closer... that nervously punctuaded accompaniment is quite nice... not sure where to put this, but it's nice one to ease out of an entertaining, at times challenging, but very rewarding compilation of music!

[king ubu]

hm, a guess on #36: Fritz Pauer?

[king ubu]

32. Very nice. I’ll guess this is off of this album. I’ve had this one on my “to buy” list for a few years and have never gotten around to it. I really love this track. He has a fantastic tone, and this tune is very well played. I’m not normally a huge fan of solo recordings, but this is outstanding. This is passionate, lyrical and very, very impressive.

If that's it, I have it and it's worth getting (CDBaby should have it)!

[king ubu]

another wild guess, this time on #25: Evan Parker & Joe McPhee?

[king ubu]

another wild guess, this time on #25: Evan Parker & Joe McPhee?

I see I'm not alone with this guess...

Hope this won't be too embarassing for me, once the results are out... I shall probably know many of the musicians, though not necessarily many of the discs the tunes have been taken from.

[gnhrtg]

Thanks for posting more of your thoughts, everyone.

I'm happy to see that you had the time to listen to & comment on the music, ubu.

[king ubu]

Thanks for posting more of your thoughts, everyone.

I'm happy to see that you had the time to listen to & comment on the music, ubu.

Yes, I enjoyed it a lot! Looking forward to the answers thread to know what all these things were! Great idea to have so many short tracks, even though there's the risk that some don't really grab the listener, torn out of their larger context (at least I thought maybe that was why I didn't like some of the tracks better).

[gnhrtg]

Any other thoughts or guesses before I post the answers?

Edited August 18, 2007 by gnhrtg