BFT #56 Discussion Disc 1

[king ubu]

Not much time yet to really listen, but here's some impressions for #1-12 - very enjoyable so far, thank you, Conrad!

#1 The opening sounds mighty much like that country boy from Oklahoma, or wherever he came from... one of those Lionel Hampton sessions? The Mosaic shall one day be mine, but so far I'm not very familiar with these sessions. Clarinet has a nice, raspy sound, the rhythm goes chunck chunck, violin is interesting, gives it a slight Django/Grappelli touch, though it's played in a less technically ok manner than Grappelli did, sounds a bit tame for Stuff Smith, though... no clue who it could be, but I guess not Venuti or Nance? Hampton is great of course!

#2 Some Ellingtonian jungle-ism? I've played this one several times by now, fun stuff! That must be a bass sax, I think. The drumming is great, could be from one of those drummer-led big bands? Possibly Krupa featuring Roy Eldridge? Trumpet is nice, that's for sure!

#3 That bass clarinet thing makes this sound like a much more recent recording to me. Freddie Green/Basie like rhythm, nice clarinet noodling before the Hawkish tenor gets underway. No clue what this could be. Hm, the drummer banging away makes it sound like an older recording again. Ok alto solo, but tenor was better I found. A bit too whimsical for my taste (for instance the writing at the end).

#4 Boogie woogie time... nice but not something I could listen too often (reminds me of some of Hamp's Decca sides - though I only have that GRP 2CD compilation)

#5 Now this one sounds familiar but hell if I could place it. Piano goes some nice places. Interesting trombone, drummer gets busy on his cymbals, would be great to have this in better sound to hear more clearly what's going on there! Hawkish tenor again, but then at that time, what else was there, besides Prez... kind of pre-JATP? Or is this from an early JATP concert? Not enough wild tenor and not enough musicians present, but then what do I know... piano is most distinct, is my impression.

#6 Wow! Teagarden? Lovely combination there, acoustic guitar and trombone... and then the wah-wah trumpet, wow!

#7 "Tea for Two", of course. Exuberant piano... this is a bit too much just bobbing along for my taste, and in between those pseudo virtuoso boring runs... not a favourite, I'm afraid.

#8 Nice one, something from the late 20s I assume, no clue though...

#9 More similar stuff, though this might be a bit less old... good to hear some clarinet on this compilation, definitely an instrument that would deserve being used more often in contemporary music!

#10 Hm, these tracks just pass by too fast for me to really dig into them separately, they just of flow together... nice music, that's for sure, but I'm just not very familiar with much of it... on this one here the bass gets annoying, keeping on with the tonic and the fifth and some of those walking "fills" in between, just like in old european folk music, not really creative at all... Blanton must had quite some inpact when he arrived on the scene!

#11 Now this is something I can relate to a bit more again... sounds somewhat familiar, I think.

#12 Another boogie... fun!

[BERIGAN]

Track 8 is, I believe, Earl Hines & His Orchestra doing "Tea for Two." I've got this on one of those Readers Digest 6-LP sets called The Swing Years, with the big orange cover and the picture of Glenn Miller on the cover. Once I was able to transfer LPs to CDs, this was one of the first to be converted, and I fell in love with this song all over again! Anyway, I'll know who the pianist is when I get home tonight!

It's not Earl Hines, but I will be interested in hearing if you have this exact track on that set, or if Earl Hines recorded this track, and the band I put on the set ripped Hines off!

Holy shit! Stereojack NAILED this one! Yes, this is the track from the Reader's Digest box I was referring to. If you ever find that "flabbergasted" emoticon, let me know!

Way to go, Jack! How'd you know this one? For that matter, Berigan, how the heck do YOU know about it?

Zurke was the pianist in Bob Crosby's band in the late 30's. This is a band I've known and enjoyed for decades. I recognized Zurke's style. I do have the recordings he made with his own band as well, but I don't know them well enough to recognize the track.

Pity he didn't live long enough to enjoy much of a career: dead at 34 in 1944. Based on his piano playing on this track, he has a very nice, distinctive sound.

Yes Al, crying shame he died so young...ironic in that he filled in for Joe Sullivan, who was often too sick to play with Crosby(Sullivan was supposed to be their main piano man)

With Stereojack talking up Bob Crosby, I put on a cd I haven't heard in awhile. Hindsight is always 20/20, but I kinda wish I had put the track, Call me a Taxi on the BFT, a track Zurke co-wrote. Not quite as ornate piano work, but still very interesting, with a very good Eddie Miller solo.

From the liner notes on this ASV Crosby cd...

"Bob Zurke's piano style seemed to suit the band to near-perfection and his individual style was greatly admired by Jelly Roll Morton. His Technique was so prodigious that at times the hands seemed to operate apparently independent of each other, but the knots were always untied at the right time, be in in the blues or boogie woogie"

Al, because of my fondness of Crosby tracks, when I saw a Bob Zurke cd, I knew I'd better grab it, since I didn't imagine it would be in print a long time...well, I was wrong, it still is 7 years later, but glad I grabbed it, though his stuff with Crosby is a bit more consistent.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

BFT 56 Disc 1

First impression if this is that it’s a very enjoyable compilation – we’ll start with a vote of thanks, Conrad!

1 A very nice swing side that sounds as if it might have been recorded in Paris in the thirties. Is that Bechet on soprano sax?

2 Funny noises – thought at first it was a didgeridoo, but I couldn’t imagine you having a jazz record with a didgeridoo on it! So it was the trumpet player making those noises? I seem to remember that Miles Davis did something like that on “Quiet nights”. Turns into a large ensemble and swings along very nicely. No idea who it is, except it’s NOT Miles Davis.

3 Interesting big band track with a tenor solo by someone I ought to be familiar with. There’s quite a “modern” feeling to this band. A very good alto player. I’m thinking Jimmy Dorsey or Boyd Raeburn; for no really good reason.

4 Proto R&B! This is a band I want to hear a lot more of! The groove on this is fantastic! I have got to get this! Towards the end, I get a Basie feeling about it, but the pianist isn’t right for Basie.

5 Unexpectedly modern pianist. No idea who. Also a modern trombonist. Great character to the trombone solo. Oh, this is a long one! Must be from the LP era; the scratches (which I don’t mind at all) are coming at 33 1/3. And now there’s a nice tenor player, whom I feel I know. There’s a lot of Jacquet about him. But the rest of the cast seem wrong for a Jacquet session.It does sound a bit like a JATP job, though, especially in the fours. Ah, did you cut this off just before the applause and announcement of the players?

6 Sounds a bit like Ellington, but the guitar isn’t very Duke-like. I think this may be a European band influenced by Duke.

7 “Tea for two”. I’d like to say the pianist is Fats Waller, but I didn’t know he worked with big bands. Very nice.

8 This sounds pretty old. A guess would suggest it’s Paul Whiteman. Great trombone solo! It’s very well recorded; bass player coming through a treat. Perhaps it ain’t 1920s stuff. This sort of thing reminds me of what a jazz musician friend used to say – “if you can’t say something in half a chorus, you can’t say anything in seventeen” – and these guys are all full of their stuff and can get it out quick.

9 Very snappy brass section to this. The dancers would have had a hell of a time with this one! Oh, I really enjoyed that one! A bit too long for a 78; from a radio broadcast?

10 Another quite early (twenties?) disc, it seems to me from that kind of choppy arrangement. Another for the Black Bottom brigade. There are times when I wished I had lived in this era and had learned to dance to stuff like this. Those bap! chords from the band behind the tenor solo are killers!

11 Very strange little tune, this. I don’t like the tune or the arrangements much, but those two trumpet players are wonderful!!!!

12 European-sounding style with Latin-type drums in the intro. Good grown trumpet player. Can’t say the tenor man moved me much, but I enjoyed the trombonist. The pianist reminds me of some pre-Longhair New Orleans R&B pianists.

13 I recognise this tune. It’s a jazz version of a classical piece. Electrified guitar – nice solo. Oh, it’s Sig Romberg’s “All alone” – is that light opera or what do you call it? Well, I really liked this one; the piano and guitar are so into it together. Late forties European, I’d guess.

14 Something from the early thirties, I’d guess. Kind of honky pre-Hawk tenor sax. The trumpet and trombone players both sound very assured.

15 Coo! That crackle just after the start really got to me – listening on a walkman – and this is a LOUD CD! But what a track! Is that Benny Carter on alto? Hawk on tenor?

16 Intro is oh so funky. Then it isn’t. No solos except brief remarks by trumpet, trombone and clarinet over the funky bits at start & finish. It sounds like someone’s trying to arrange the sections as if they were a New Orleans band improvising all the way through. Very interesting.

17 Too MUCH band arrangement for me in this. When the clarinet comes in, it’s fine. Then the reed section bit is really lovely. No idea who this is. It’s a bit long for a 78. A broadcast? Perhaps Artie Shaw?

18 A shellac drop? Too much band for me, not enough solo. But what there is of the tenor player is really great!

19 Beautiful! It’s a Hawaiian band, I guess. Very accomplished. Love it!

20 A Latin bit coming in here. Not so keen on this one.

Very interesting. Looking forward to the results now.

MG

[jazztrain]

Berigan:

I've been a BFT lurker until now. Stereo Jack passed along copies of your BFT discs on Sunday, and they've been keeping me company during my commute this week. Thanks for your selections!

Here are my responses for Disc 1:

1-1: Sounds like Stuff Smith on violin, but with vibes? Doesn't make sense. Wait, that's Hampton on vibes. It's one of his west coast dates on Victor. That means it's Ray Perry on violin and perhaps Marshall Royal on clarinet. Good guitar and piano as well. I think the tune has "Fiddle" in the title. Is this the tune that was either left off or repeated on the left off the Mosaic box? Nice transfer. Will have to get the box.

1-2: Rex Stewart. Lion of Menelik. Carney on baritone. Sounds like Tizol on trombone. His tune perhaps?

1-3: Clarinet sounds a little like Bigard, but it isn't. Which means it's Woody Herman. Flip on tenor perhaps? Sounds like Woody again on alto as well.

1-4: Can't place the trumpet or piano. Wild guess: Freddie Slack?

1-5: Piano sounds familiar. Trombone sounds like Bill Harris but isn't. This is too long for a 78. I think I know. How about Earl Swope on trombone? Tristano on piano. Can't remember the tenor sax but he's wailing. Someone like Ray Abrams, perhaps?

1-6: I know this but can't place it. It's been haunting me. Eddie Lang is on guitar. Sounds like Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet and Venuti on violin. Is brother Tommy here as well? Maybe Arthur Schutt or Frank Signorelli on piano. What is this??? Argh!

1-7: Tea for Two. Can't recognize the trumpet. Nice piano. Bob Zurke perhaps?

1-8: Panama. What a bass! Has a New Orleans feel. Must be Pops Foster on bass. That could be Red Allen on trumpet. Yep. Luis Russel & His Orchestra. There's Higgy on trombone. Teddy Hill on tenor perhaps. Albert Nicholas on clarinet rather close to the mike. Charlie Holmes on alto.

1-9: I know the tune. Is it "Down South Camp Meeting?" Goodman and Henderson both recorded this tune but it doesn't sound like either. The tenor sounds like Charlie Barnet. Did he record this? The trumpet sounds like Bunny Berigan. Could it be his band?

1-10: Familiar chords. Can't place this. Not coming up with anything. Kind of a Will Hudson type arrangement. Don't know. Not coming up with anything.

1-11: Erskine Hawkins? Nice trumpet. Two trumpets? One open and the other muted. Very nice.

1-12: The tune reminds me of a Raymond Scott composition. Sounds like Bunny on trumpet (or am I being influenced by your avatar?). Good trombonist.

1-13: Art Tatum trio? Is that Everett Barksdale on guitar? Doesn't sound like Tiny.

1-14: Henry Allen and His Orchestra. One of the 1929 Victor sides. "Swing Out" perhaps? Great band. Teddy Hill on tenor? There's Red on trumpet. Higgy on trombone. Pops Foster booming throughout on bass. What drive! Go Red! Charlie Holmes on alto. Nicholas up high on clarinet. Wonderful recording. An old favorite.

1-15: The alto sounds a little like Don Stovall. That's Roy Eldridge on trumpet! Can't mistake him when he goes up high (or will I live to regret that statement?). Was that his brother Joe on alto?

1-16: The mood of this changes dramatically after the intro. This has a Bob Crosby like feel in some ways. Is it his band?

1-17: That's Cootie but not with Duke. It's with Goodman. Can't think of the name of the tune but I think it may be an Eddie Sauter arrangement. There's Benny.

1-18: This could be Henderson. Or the Mills Blue Rhythm Band. Or Don Redman? One of the riffs sounds like "Christmas Night in Harlem." Was that Hawk? Doesn't sound quite like him. How about Buster on clarinet? I'll go with Henderson as a guess.

1-19: Mannie Klein with the Hawaiians. Boy could he play.

1-20: Coming up empty on this one. Drummer prominent. Krupa? I like the piano. Who is this? Perhaps listening fatigue has set in.

OK. Time's up. Need a break. Back for Disc 2 later.

Many thanks again for the selections.

Can I peek now?

Better late then never! Oh, and if you all feel like it, try guessing the years the tracks were recorded!

[BERIGAN]

Since several of the songs have been guessed now, (and because I have a headache )I'll be a briefer tonight...

BFT 56 Disc 1

First impression if this is that it’s a very enjoyable compilation – we’ll start with a vote of thanks, Conrad!

Glad people aren't vomiting in their mouths after hearing it! Always a good thing!

1 A very nice swing side that sounds as if it might have been recorded in Paris in the thirties. Is that Bechet on soprano sax?

Nope, but it sure has that Paris sound, doesn't it???

2 Funny noises – thought at first it was a didgeridoo, but I couldn’t imagine you having a jazz record with a didgeridoo on it! So it was the trumpet player making those noises? I seem to remember that Miles Davis did something like that on “Quiet nights”. Turns into a large ensemble and swings along very nicely. No idea who it is, except it’s NOT Miles Davis.

What do you mean you couldn't imagine me have a jazz record with a didgeridoo on it??? must have, dozens, dozens I tells ya! Not Miles, you are correct!

3 Interesting big band track with a tenor solo by someone I ought to be familiar with. There’s quite a “modern” feeling to this band. A very good alto player. I’m thinking Jimmy Dorsey or Boyd Raeburn; for no really good reason.

Checking out the Tenor players bio, I see he was in a few other bands which I didn't realize he was in, so maybe thats why folks are saying they recoginize the sound. Interesting how many people have commented on it. If you have read other folks guesses, you'd know the JD guess is pretty good!

4 Proto R&B! This is a band I want to hear a lot more of! The groove on this is fantastic! I have got to get this! Towards the end, I get a Basie feeling about it, but the pianist isn’t right for Basie.

Glad to see someone really like this one!

5 Unexpectedly modern pianist. No idea who. Also a modern trombonist. Great character to the trombone solo. Oh, this is a long one! Must be from the LP era; the scratches (which I don’t mind at all) are coming at 33 1/3. And now there’s a nice tenor player, whom I feel I know. There’s a lot of Jacquet about him. But the rest of the cast seem wrong for a Jacquet session.It does sound a bit like a JATP job, though, especially in the fours. Ah, did you cut this off just before the applause and announcement of the players?

Most of the players have been guessed, but not the pianist yet! Cd folks cut off the applause on this one...

9 Very snappy brass section to this. The dancers would have had a hell of a time with this one! Oh, I really enjoyed that one! A bit too long for a 78; from a radio broadcast?

Dancers would drop from this one, wouldn't they?? From a Transcription disc

12 European-sounding style with Latin-type drums in the intro. Good grown trumpet player. Can’t say the tenor man moved me much, but I enjoyed the trombonist. The pianist reminds me of some pre-Longhair New Orleans R&B pianists.

Interesting description!

13 I recognise this tune. It’s a jazz version of a classical piece. Electrified guitar – nice solo. Oh, it’s Sig Romberg’s “All alone” – is that light opera or what do you call it? Well, I really liked this one; the piano and guitar are so into it together. Late forties European, I’d guess.

Interesting everyone picked up on this being a jazzed up classical/light opera piece. I sure didn't know know the music...Not European.

14 Something from the early thirties, I’d guess. Kind of honky pre-Hawk tenor sax. The trumpet and trombone players both sound very assured.

Not a honky, a black dude!

16 Intro is oh so funky. Then it isn’t. No solos except brief remarks by trumpet, trombone and clarinet over the funky bits at start & finish. It sounds like someone’s trying to arrange the sections as if they were a New Orleans band improvising all the way through. Very interesting.

You put it better than I could!

17 Too MUCH band arrangement for me in this. When the clarinet comes in, it’s fine. Then the reed section bit is really lovely. No idea who this is. It’s a bit long for a 78. A broadcast? Perhaps Artie Shaw?

I can see where you are coming from. I see it as a young arranger trying to show off what he could do...

18 A shellac drop? Too much band for me, not enough solo. But what there is of the tenor player is really great!

I love the comments on how crappy the sound is on this one! It's from a cd, but those Columbia cds from the early 90's oh man!

19 Beautiful! It’s a Hawaiian band, I guess. Very accomplished. Love it!

Glad you do MG! It's a track I play twice every time it's on!

20 A Latin bit coming in here. Not so keen on this one.

No one is!

[JSngry]

Late to the party, but finally have some time, so, the usual thanks & disclaimers in place, here we go...

But not before saying that although the general time frame(s) of this music is not one which I consistently inhabit, it is nevertheless one which I always enjoy, and for several reasaons. One, it's "family talk", ancestral conversations that may or may not have had a lasting impact on the way that things are now, but family is family, and you can always learn something from listening to family. Second, this music, although in no ways "simple", was in so many ways more "direct" than what we get now, if only because it was from a time when the music and the culture(s) from which it sprung were still in the throes of self-discovery. Once the "self" was discovered, other issues arose out of necessity, and those issues were, again out of necessity, one which created all sort of ambiguities. So, yeah, it is all good, and it is all real, and that goes backwards and forwards equally. I have no real "expertise" in this type jazz, but the eternality of the music's spirit allows me to feel it more than just a little!

ANYWAYS...

TRACK ONE - Hamp, unmistakably, and Christian, most likely. Been a while since I listened to that old RCA box of Hamp's small group sessions, but if I was a betting man, I'd say that this was on it. Hell, let me go look...

Ok, not Christian, but Irving Ashby. And Marshall Royal on clarinet, nice! Ray Perry on violin, I don't know too much about, but he impresses here, as does Vernon Alley's driving bass. Hard to beat this!

TRACK TWO - Rex Stewart, gotta be, probably in an Ellington showcase (those ensemble voices like Lawrence Brown are pretty hard to miss...). Any elements of"contrivance" are far outweighed by the sheer effectiveness of the entire performance. There's a story to be told, and damned if I know how it could be told any better.

TRACK THREE - Seems like I've heard this one before, might even have it somewhere...Also seems like the tempo accelerates a little as it goes on...altoist sounds like Jimmy Dorsey...excellent writing, with execution to do it justice...nice.

TRACK FOUR - Another one I think I've heard and/or have. Lips Page? Hard not to dig this...you can feel that dance pulse, something I still like to feel somewhere in any music I here, no matter how "abstract" or whatever it gets. It really don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing, somewhere, somehow...Hey, my foot is patting and my ass is shaking - Mission Accomplished!

TRACK FIVE - Now this one kills me! Seems like I should've heard about this a long time ago, but no....Bill Harris? Tenor sounds like Lockjaw on the head, but not on the solo...Dodo Marmarosa on piano? Very modern, free-thinking, not unlike him at all, I think, especially on the comp...Tenor...first guess would be Flip Phillips, given the presence(?) of Bill Harris, but I think not, the opening phrasing is a little "prissy" for Flip. I'm thinking more along the lines of Georgie Auld or Charlie Ventura, although towards the end of the solo, he gets back into the Lockjaw Zone. Nice long cut, doesn't sound live, but I guess it could be...V-Disc or airshot maybe...This is really good stuff here, with ideas just coming out open & unforced. If this is part of a concert/broadcast/whatever, and everything played is of this nature, not constrained by time, and full of this type of swing-to-bop-to R&B playing, I would like to know so I could get it!

TRACK SIX - Not really feeling this one, although I can appreciate it, and the tune itself is deceptively "tricky" in spots. Actually, the more I listen to it, the more I like it, although as far as feeling it goes...well, let's just say that if I needed to go there, I could. There is a definite vibe going on, though, a real mood. Eddie Lang on guitar?

TRACK SEVEN - "Tea for Two", and that really sounds like Earl Hines, one of the more amazing musicians this music has produced. What's not to like? So much music in just a little over three minutes!

TRACK EIGHT - Flagwaver! That trombonist, hey! Scoring & execution are both on the..."basic" side, but the feel is there, and in a social setting, where this was going to be heard (in its time), that's what puts it over. Good spirit by all, and the trombonist FEELS it Jack!

TRACK NINE - Jesus Chirst what a band! Sax section in particular, tighter than a gnat's X%$@>! Tenor/soprano player sure sounds like Charlie Barnet, so this might be his band, he always had a good one, but what I want to know is who the arranger is, and who the lead altoist is, because those two people are the real heroes of this cut (and probably of this band in general!). Them and the rhythm section for not letting the time get on top of itself, which a lot of bands from this time let happen.

TRACK TEN - See track Eight, and I can feel the time getting on top of itself all through this one. "Rushing" is the wrong word, it's more like how you feel the first attack of the beat in relation to the duration of it. Even if you never literally speed up, it feels rushed because you're getting there before it get there. Even by a microsecond, if you do it systematically, hey, you notice it. But damn, that outchorus, hey, they lay into it, and again, in a social setting, I bet everybody got whatever they wanted.

TRACK ELEVEN - Yet another one that sounds familiar...Ellington(ia) of some sort, I think, although the soring is not unlike Sy Oliver, so it might be Lunceford or Dorsey...great pocket, right in there, and the band finds it to their liking. GREAT trumpet breaks...gotta be Cootie, so Duke it (probably) is...Damn, I love Ellington & get all of it I can, but there is just so much of it...Oh well, add another one to the list!

TRACK TWELVE - Oh HELL yeah - for the first part. Solo section is a little mundane, but that ensemble stuff...WHOA! No idea who it is, but there's some shrewd musicians involved.

TRACK THIRTEEN - Tatum w/Tiny Grimes? No, I don't think so...Tatum had flashier and more variated runs, and a lighter touch...but still, in that vein. No idea, but it's good playing by all.

TRACK FOURTEEN - More WayBack...I always get an image in my mind of the players on these things making the gigs, and it being like so many other gigs in all times, you show up and play what you play for the people, try to get your kicks doing it, sometimes more better than others, but still better than working for a living , and yeah, it's jsut cats playing the pop music of their day for people to whatever to, but now, it's...this! And try as ?I do, I can not put myself in the mindset of playing this type music and having it being workaday, pop, gig music without projecting my feelings from my experience in my time onto it. Which, I think, complicates matters more than they should be complicated. So, yeah, I like it, but I also find it a bit of a trip as well, in a good way, true, but still a trip. I mean, I can't imagine what it would be like wearing those type clothes & playing htis type music and have it being anything other than...not of my lifetime. So I learn, both about myself, and about them, hopefully.

TRACK FIFTEEN - Well hey, you got your Roy Eldridge, and that makes it a keeper right there. Is that Benny Carter? Thosw two from this time I only relaly know with Hawk on board, and that darn sure ain't Hawk...Once again, the time stays within itself, which is something that we take for granted now, but was not a task readily or easily accomplished. It took some time. But anyway, Roy, YEAH!

TRACK SIXTEEN - Really not feeling this one, and not just because the record itself is a tad off-center... Sorry.

TRACK SEVENTEEN - Another tight band, always a thing of beauty as long as it swings, which this does. Goodman? That's some interesting, involved writing...one of Eddie Sauter's charts? Yeah, that's it. That guy...wow...the sax soli is just beautiful. This guy knew how to write, not just score, but write for a band...In it's own really quiet way, the Goodman band playing Sauter's charts was pretty avant-garde, those charts...not at all "dance material" in terms of what was going on over the beat, very, very "orchestral", demanding listening, although the beat was still danceable, although certainly not aggressively so. The chart he did on "Perfidia" (w/Helen Forrest's vocal) is still one I listen to regularly, as is "La Rosita". The guy was a master, and this band gave his charts the love they deserved. Say what you will about Goodman, but when he gave it up, he gave it up with full love and props attached, and you can hear that here - this is in no way an easy chart to play, yet the band has every little nuance down pat. that takes time, rehearsal, love, and a helluva good ear and soul. Much love for this one here!

TRACK EIGHTEEN - Oh hell, I should know this one...Henderson? Yeah, that's Hawk, early in his first prime, just CHARGING through the changes like he owned them, which he did, god do I love me some Coleman Hawkins...hey, this is da' bomb as my kids used to say, hellaceous writing & playing, life at its finest!

TRACK NINETEEN - Charlie Shavers? Getting lei-ed? Now this is a trip! FLUENT!

TRACK TWENTY - Prototypical Horace Silver! This computer isn't showing the tag, but this is Charles Lavere right? No I'd not have known otherwise. Again, the record is off-center, but oh well about that...I really dig this one, the tune, the playing, and above all the spirit. It's loose, down-home yet cosmopolitan, it's smart, it's hip, it's nasty but not vulgar, hey, you could lead a life like that doncha' know..

Kudos to those who have, those who are, and those who will.

Well hey, a GREAT Disc One, and although I don't know squat about most of the music, I really, really dug it!

Thanks, B, and off to Disc Two.

[JSngry]

Took time to read responses before going on to Disc Two, and...wow...Jack nailed this stuff, I see that (too) many of my guesses were easy but worng, and....LENNIE TRISTANO!

NOW on to Disc Two...

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

and....LENNIE TRISTANO!

Apparently it's not Lennie. That pianist remains unidentified (unless it's Dodo )

MG

[BERIGAN]

and....LENNIE TRISTANO!

Apparently it's not Lennie. That pianist remains unidentified (unless it's Dodo )

MG

Not Dodo! Love that no one has guessed the pianist for track 5, and love that JS has finally chimed in!!! Wish I didn't have to work on my taxes right now, but I got to work on my Taxes...RIGHT NOW!

[BERIGAN]

Berigan:

I've been a BFT lurker until now. Stereo Jack passed along copies of your BFT discs on Sunday, and they've been keeping me company during my commute this week. Thanks for your selections!

Hey Jazztrain, glad you were interested!!! Won't comment on all, since I have overdone that...but will probably still comment more than I should!

1-1: Sounds like Stuff Smith on violin, but with vibes? Doesn't make sense. Wait, that's Hampton on vibes. It's one of his west coast dates on Victor. That means it's Ray Perry on violin and perhaps Marshall Royal on clarinet. Good guitar and piano as well. I think the tune has "Fiddle" in the title. Is this the tune that was either left off or repeated on the left off the Mosaic box? Nice transfer. Will have to get the box.

WOW!!! First one to get this one right! Right on all counts! You get gold stars like your friend did as well!

1-3: Clarinet sounds a little like Bigard, but it isn't. Which means it's Woody Herman. Flip on tenor perhaps? Sounds like Woody again on alto as well.

Funny, we all can get fooled at times with clarinet players, if we haven't just listened to a bunch of tracks from X, Y or Z. I was just listening to Herman (On Satellite TV I guess) and was thinking how he sounded like Goodman. Of course, this is neather Goodman or Herman!

1-4: Can't place the trumpet or piano. Wild guess: Freddie Slack?

Nope

1-5: Piano sounds familiar. Trombone sounds like Bill Harris but isn't. This is too long for a 78. I think I know. How about Earl Swope on trombone? Tristano on piano. Can't remember the tenor sax but he's wailing. Someone like Ray Abrams, perhaps?

Should have stayed with the first guess, as you probably know by know!

1-6: I know this but can't place it. It's been haunting me. Eddie Lang is on guitar. Sounds like Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet and Venuti on violin. Is brother Tommy here as well? Maybe Arthur Schutt or Frank Signorelli on piano. What is this??? Argh!

Correct on both brothers, Signorelli on piano!

1-7: Tea for Two. Can't recognize the trumpet. Nice piano. Bob Zurke perhaps?

1-8: Panama. What a bass! Has a New Orleans feel. Must be Pops Foster on bass. That could be Red Allen on trumpet. Yep. Luis Russel & His Orchestra. There's Higgy on trombone. Teddy Hill on tenor perhaps. Albert Nicholas on clarinet rather close to the mike. Charlie Holmes on alto.

Right on everything but the Tenor player!!!

1-9: I know the tune. Is it "Down South Camp Meeting?" Goodman and Henderson both recorded this tune but it doesn't sound like either. The tenor sounds like Charlie Barnet. Did he record this? The trumpet sounds like Bunny Berigan. Could it be his band?

DAMMIT!!!! You are right on the band, and of course the(trumpet) player!!! First one again to guess correctly! I thought no one would get this one. Now you have 2 things to brag on with SJ! Well, you guessed the wrong song

1-11: Erskine Hawkins? Nice trumpet. Two trumpets? One open and the other muted. Very nice.

Nope. Answer above, somewheres...

1-12: The tune reminds me of a Raymond Scott composition. Sounds like Bunny on trumpet (or am I being influenced by your avatar?). Good trombonist.

I Raymond Scott wrote the tune. Not Bunny.

1-14: Henry Allen and His Orchestra. One of the 1929 Victor sides. "Swing Out" perhaps? Great band. Teddy Hill on tenor? There's Red on trumpet. Higgy on trombone. Pops Foster booming throughout on bass. What drive! Go Red! Charlie Holmes on alto. Nicholas up high on clarinet. Wonderful recording. An old favorite.

Yep! Funny, I didn't write down a tenor player! Will check later.

1-15: The alto sounds a little like Don Stovall. That's Roy Eldridge on trumpet! Can't mistake him when he goes up high (or will I live to regret that statement?). Was that his brother Joe on alto?

As Billie Holiday sang, no regrets.....That's his bro as well.

1-16: The mood of this changes dramatically after the intro. This has a Bob Crosby like feel in some ways. Is it his band?

Not his band

1-17: That's Cootie but not with Duke. It's with Goodman. Can't think of the name of the tune but I think it may be an Eddie Sauter arrangement. There's Benny.

Right on all counts! More gold stars for you!

1-18: This could be Henderson. Or the Mills Blue Rhythm Band. Or Don Redman? One of the riffs sounds like "Christmas Night in Harlem." Was that Hawk? Doesn't sound quite like him. How about Buster on clarinet? I'll go with Henderson as a guess.

Or a guy who you kept guessing above.

1-19: Mannie Klein with the Hawaiians. Boy could he play.

Oh man, know I see why you and SJ are friends!!! Excellent ears there! And he sure could play!

1-20: Coming up empty on this one. Drummer prominent. Krupa? I like the piano. Who is this? Perhaps listening fatigue has set in.

Glad someone liked something about this tune!

OK. Time's up. Need a break. Back for Disc 2 later.

Many thanks again for the selections.

Can I peek now?

Peek to your heart's content! You got several songs no one else did! Do you listen mainly to older jazz, or all jazz???

[BERIGAN]

Late to the party, but finally have some time, so, the usual thanks & disclaimers in place, here we go...

But not before saying that although the general time frame(s) of this music is not one which I consistently inhabit, it is nevertheless one which I always enjoy, and for several reasaons. One, it's "family talk", ancestral conversations that may or may not have had a lasting impact on the way that things are now, but family is family, and you can always learn something from listening to family. Second, this music, although in no ways "simple", was in so many ways more "direct" than what we get now, if only because it was from a time when the music and the culture(s) from which it sprung were still in the throes of self-discovery. Once the "self" was discovered, other issues arose out of necessity, and those issues were, again out of necessity, one which created all sort of ambiguities. So, yeah, it is all good, and it is all real, and that goes backwards and forwards equally. I have no real "expertise" in this type jazz, but the eternality of the music's spirit allows me to feel it more than just a little!

JS, better late than never! I was really hoping you'd get a chance to comment, cuz I know you will see and hear things no one else will...Will try not to repeat myself...too much.

ANYWAYS...

TRACK ONE - Hamp, unmistakably, and Christian, most likely. Been a while since I listened to that old RCA box of Hamp's small group sessions, but if I was a betting man, I'd say that this was on it. Hell, let me go look...

Ok, not Christian, but Irving Ashby. And Marshall Royal on clarinet, nice! Ray Perry on violin, I don't know too much about, but he impresses here, as does Vernon Alley's driving bass. Hard to beat this!

Cheater!

I truly didn't know who was on this track(Since it's on a sampler cd) but, after listening to it a bunch of times recently, I really want to hear more by Ray Perry!

TRACK TWO - Rex Stewart, gotta be, probably in an Ellington showcase (those ensemble voices like Lawrence Brown are pretty hard to miss...). Any elements of"contrivance" are far outweighed by the sheer effectiveness of the entire performance. There's a story to be told, and damned if I know how it could be told any better.

Well put! A story only they could tell....

TRACK THREE - Seems like I've heard this one before, might even have it somewhere...Also seems like the tempo accelerates a little as it goes on...altoist sounds like Jimmy Dorsey...excellent writing, with execution to do it justice...nice.

Yep, Dorsey as you know now...

TRACK FOUR - Another one I think I've heard and/or have. Lips Page? Hard not to dig this...you can feel that dance pulse, something I still like to feel somewhere in any music I here, no matter how "abstract" or whatever it gets. It really don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing, somewhere, somehow...Hey, my foot is patting and my ass is shaking - Mission Accomplished!

Mission Accomplished indeed!

TRACK FIVE - Now this one kills me! Seems like I should've heard about this a long time ago, but no....Bill Harris? Tenor sounds like Lockjaw on the head, but not on the solo...Dodo Marmarosa on piano? Very modern, free-thinking, not unlike him at all, I think, especially on the comp...Tenor...first guess would be Flip Phillips, given the presence(?) of Bill Harris, but I think not, the opening phrasing is a little "prissy" for Flip. I'm thinking more along the lines of Georgie Auld or Charlie Ventura, although towards the end of the solo, he gets back into the Lockjaw Zone. Nice long cut, doesn't sound live, but I guess it could be...V-Disc or airshot maybe...This is really good stuff here, with ideas just coming out open & unforced. If this is part of a concert/broadcast/whatever, and everything played is of this nature, not constrained by time, and full of this type of swing-to-bop-to R&B playing, I would like to know so I could get it!

You will know...soon!

TRACK SIX - Not really feeling this one, although I can appreciate it, and the tune itself is deceptively "tricky" in spots. Actually, the more I listen to it, the more I like it, although as far as feeling it goes...well, let's just say that if I needed to go there, I could. There is a definite vibe going on, though, a real mood. Eddie Lang on guitar?

Right on Lang. I think the Trumpet playing is the most dated part of this tune. Of course, as I think I mentioned before, the guy predates most everyone.

TRACK SEVEN - "Tea for Two", and that really sounds like Earl Hines, one of the more amazing musicians this music has produced. What's not to like? So much music in just a little over three minutes!

One thing I really have enjoyed is seeing the reactions to some of the songs. Some songs get little reaction....but this one is either loved or hated, and I never would have guessed that!

TRACK EIGHT - Flagwaver! That trombonist, hey! Scoring & execution are both on the..."basic" side, but the feel is there, and in a social setting, where this was going to be heard (in its time), that's what puts it over. Good spirit by all, and the trombonist FEELS it Jack!

A Trombonist that seems to be overlooked for no good reason!

TRACK NINE - Jesus Chirst what a band! Sax section in particular, tighter than a gnat's X%$@>! Tenor/soprano player sure sounds like Charlie Barnet, so this might be his band, he always had a good one, but what I want to know is who the arranger is, and who the lead altoist is, because those two people are the real heroes of this cut (and probably of this band in general!). Them and the rhythm section for not letting the time get on top of itself, which a lot of bands from this time let happen.

Glad you like this one!!! I knew you would notice the stuff many of us(Well, me at least) wouldn't on this BFT. Jazztrain derailed my hopes of no one guessing, but hey most have been fooled! The Tenor player is just a little younger than Barnet, but you do feel he listened a lot to him, don't you???

TRACK TEN - See track Eight, and I can feel the time getting on top of itself all through this one. "Rushing" is the wrong word, it's more like how you feel the first attack of the beat in relation to the duration of it. Even if you never literally speed up, it feels rushed because you're getting there before it get there. Even by a microsecond, if you do it systematically, hey, you notice it. But damn, that outchorus, hey, they lay into it, and again, in a social setting, I bet everybody got whatever they wanted.

You get it better than I word it!

TRACK ELEVEN - Yet another one that sounds familiar...Ellington(ia) of some sort, I think, although the soring is not unlike Sy Oliver, so it might be Lunceford or Dorsey...great pocket, right in there, and the band finds it to their liking. GREAT trumpet breaks...gotta be Cootie, so Duke it (probably) is...Damn, I love Ellington & get all of it I can, but there is just so much of it...Oh well, add another one to the list!

Ha! Somewhere Miller is smiling...hopefully smiling down, and not up!

TRACK TWELVE - Oh HELL yeah - for the first part. Solo section is a little mundane, but that ensemble stuff...WHOA! No idea who it is, but there's some shrewd musicians involved.

I think the one track no one has guessed yet...or have they??? I'll check back....that beginning is just amazing to me...another tune that if I play it one, I have to play it twice...

TRACK THIRTEEN - Tatum w/Tiny Grimes? No, I don't think so...Tatum had flashier and more variated runs, and a lighter touch...but still, in that vein. No idea, but it's good playing by all.

TRACK FOURTEEN - More WayBack...I always get an image in my mind of the players on these things making the gigs, and it being like so many other gigs in all times, you show up and play what you play for the people, try to get your kicks doing it, sometimes more better than others, but still better than working for a living , and yeah, it's jsut cats playing the pop music of their day for people to whatever to, but now, it's...this! And try as ?I do, I can not put myself in the mindset of playing this type music and having it being workaday, pop, gig music without projecting my feelings from my experience in my time onto it. Which, I think, complicates matters more than they should be complicated. So, yeah, I like it, but I also find it a bit of a trip as well, in a good way, true, but still a trip. I mean, I can't imagine what it would be like wearing those type clothes & playing htis type music and have it being anything other than...not of my lifetime. So I learn, both about myself, and about them, hopefully.

Well, I think you more or less described the fact that this was a learning experience for everyone then...You didn't know, what you didn't know...you know??? But interesting to hear them learn more each and every time they recorded(and played live, which we sadly will never get to hear from most of these guys)

I also worried about playing too many 20's tracks in a row...but there is also the way the ear adjusts...easier IMO to listen to early stuff, then later, than the other way around.

TRACK FIFTEEN - Well hey, you got your Roy Eldridge, and that makes it a keeper right there. Is that Benny Carter? Thosw two from this time I only relaly know with Hawk on board, and that darn sure ain't Hawk...Once again, the time stays within itself, which is something that we take for granted now, but was not a task readily or easily accomplished. It took some time. But anyway, Roy, YEAH!

Roy IS the man! Not little Jazz, BIG jazz!

TRACK SIXTEEN - Really not feeling this one, and not just because the record itself is a tad off-center... Sorry.

The one track I have kind of wished I hadn't put on, but some people have liked it....it's different if nothing else!

TRACK SEVENTEEN - Another tight band, always a thing of beauty as long as it swings, which this does. Goodman? That's some interesting, involved writing...one of Eddie Sauter's charts? Yeah, that's it. That guy...wow...the sax soli is just beautiful. This guy knew how to write, not just score, but write for a band...In it's own really quiet way, the Goodman band playing Sauter's charts was pretty avant-garde, those charts...not at all "dance material" in terms of what was going on over the beat, very, very "orchestral", demanding listening, although the beat was still danceable, although certainly not aggressively so. The chart he did on "Perfidia" (w/Helen Forrest's vocal) is still one I listen to regularly, as is "La Rosita". The guy was a master, and this band gave his charts the love they deserved. Say what you will about Goodman, but when he gave it up, he gave it up with full love and props attached, and you can hear that here - this is in no way an easy chart to play, yet the band has every little nuance down pat. that takes time, rehearsal, love, and a helluva good ear and soul. Much love for this one here!

Very good ear to figure out it was a Sauter chart! But then again, you already knew that, didn't ya?

TRACK EIGHTEEN - Oh hell, I should know this one...Henderson? Yeah, that's Hawk, early in his first prime, just CHARGING through the changes like he owned them, which he did, god do I love me some Coleman Hawkins...hey, this is da' bomb as my kids used to say, hellaceous writing & playing, life at its finest!

Lesser known band with some name names....Not Hawkins, but surely a guy who was indebted to him.

TRACK NINETEEN - Charlie Shavers? Getting lei-ed? Now this is a trip! FLUENT!

Nope! Answer above...

TRACK TWENTY - Prototypical Horace Silver! This computer isn't showing the tag, but this is Charles Lavere right? No I'd not have known otherwise. Again, the record is off-center, but oh well about that...I really dig this one, the tune, the playing, and above all the spirit. It's loose, down-home yet cosmopolitan, it's smart, it's hip, it's nasty but not vulgar, hey, you could lead a life like that doncha' know..

Finally, someone likes this track! Excellent taste of course!!!

Kudos to those who have, those who are, and those who will.

Well hey, a GREAT Disc One, and although I don't know squat about most of the music, I really, really dug it!

Thanks, B, and off to Disc Two.

Thanks for coming to the party!

[BERIGAN]

Ok, is that everyone??? Should I get the answers up for disc one now???

[Guest Bill Barton]

Ok, is that everyone??? Should I get the answers up for disc one now???

Looks good to me... Read 'em and weep. Or not.

[jazztrain]

Berigan:

Thanks for the gold stars.

I'm a graduate of Stereo Jack's school of music appreciation. I guess it shows.

In answer to your question, I listen to a fairly broad range of jazz in addition to other genres, with a focus, perhaps, on older music. I think I share your opinion of Mannie Klein as well.

Wild guess: Freddie Slack?

Nope

1-5: Piano sounds familiar. Trombone sounds like Bill Harris but isn't. This is too long for a 78. I think I know. How about Earl Swope on trombone? Tristano on piano. Can't remember the tenor sax but he's wailing. Someone like Ray Abrams, perhaps?

Should have stayed with the first guess, as you probably know by know!

1-6: I know this but can't place it. It's been haunting me. Eddie Lang is on guitar. Sounds like Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet and Venuti on violin. Is brother Tommy here as well? Maybe Arthur Schutt or Frank Signorelli on piano. What is this??? Argh!

Correct on both brothers, Signorelli on piano!

1-7: Tea for Two. Can't recognize the trumpet. Nice piano. Bob Zurke perhaps?

1-8: Panama. What a bass! Has a New Orleans feel. Must be Pops Foster on bass. That could be Red Allen on trumpet. Yep. Luis Russel & His Orchestra. There's Higgy on trombone. Teddy Hill on tenor perhaps. Albert Nicholas on clarinet rather close to the mike. Charlie Holmes on alto.

Right on everything but the Tenor player!!!

1-9: I know the tune. Is it "Down South Camp Meeting?" Goodman and Henderson both recorded this tune but it doesn't sound like either. The tenor sounds like Charlie Barnet. Did he record this? The trumpet sounds like Bunny Berigan. Could it be his band?

DAMMIT!!!! You are right on the band, and of course the(trumpet) player!!! First one again to guess correctly! I thought no one would get this one. Now you have 2 things to brag on with SJ! Well, you guessed the wrong song

1-11: Erskine Hawkins? Nice trumpet. Two trumpets? One open and the other muted. Very nice.

Nope. Answer above, somewheres...

1-12: The tune reminds me of a Raymond Scott composition. Sounds like Bunny on trumpet (or am I being influenced by your avatar?). Good trombonist.

I Raymond Scott wrote the tune. Not Bunny.

1-14: Henry Allen and His Orchestra. One of the 1929 Victor sides. "Swing Out" perhaps? Great band. Teddy Hill on tenor? There's Red on trumpet. Higgy on trombone. Pops Foster booming throughout on bass. What drive! Go Red! Charlie Holmes on alto. Nicholas up high on clarinet. Wonderful recording. An old favorite.

Yep! Funny, I didn't write down a tenor player! Will check later.

1-15: The alto sounds a little like Don Stovall. That's Roy Eldridge on trumpet! Can't mistake him when he goes up high (or will I live to regret that statement?). Was that his brother Joe on alto?

As Billie Holiday sang, no regrets.....That's his bro as well.

1-16: The mood of this changes dramatically after the intro. This has a Bob Crosby like feel in some ways. Is it his band?

Not his band

1-17: That's Cootie but not with Duke. It's with Goodman. Can't think of the name of the tune but I think it may be an Eddie Sauter arrangement. There's Benny.

Right on all counts! More gold stars for you!

1-18: This could be Henderson. Or the Mills Blue Rhythm Band. Or Don Redman? One of the riffs sounds like "Christmas Night in Harlem." Was that Hawk? Doesn't sound quite like him. How about Buster on clarinet? I'll go with Henderson as a guess.

Or a guy who you kept guessing above.

1-19: Mannie Klein with the Hawaiians. Boy could he play.

Oh man, know I see why you and SJ are friends!!! Excellent ears there! And he sure could play!

1-20: Coming up empty on this one. Drummer prominent. Krupa? I like the piano. Who is this? Perhaps listening fatigue has set in.

Glad someone liked something about this tune!

OK. Time's up. Need a break. Back for Disc 2 later.

Many thanks again for the selections.

Can I peek now?

Peek to your heart's content! You got several songs no one else did! Do you listen mainly to older jazz, or all jazz???

[mikeweil]

Thanks for this intriguing BFT! I find it rather hard to say anything specific about these tracks, I did recognize only one track and find it once more amazing how much great music there is that I never heard. I find all tracks interesting, and some are truly fascinating, especially # 2, 16, 17, ... all I can do is draw my hat and eagerly await the answers! Quite a lesson in pre-war jazz stylings.

The one I did identify was # 12: Tommy Dorsey & his Clambake Seven, Twilight in Turkey. I bought a double LP of this band after a few tracks were featured in a Sunday jazz radio show. This remains my favourite track from that album.

p.s. I should add this track is from 1937, and it's Dave Tough on drums.

I wish had more time and energy for more concentrated listening and commentary, but some unexpected dental problem that resolved yesterday in removal of the tooth causing the problem, threw me off course during the last two weeks.

Edited April 15, 2008 by mikeweil

[BERIGAN]

Thanks for this intriguing BFT! I find it rather hard to say anything specific about these tracks, I did recognize only one track and find it once more amazing how much great music there is that I never heard. I find all tracks interesting, and some are truly fascinating, especially # 2, 16, 17, ... all I can do is draw my hat and eagerly await the answers! Quite a lesson in pre-war jazz stylings.

The one I did identify was # 12: Tommy Dorsey & his Clambake Seven, Twilight in Turkey. I bought a double LP of this band after a few tracks were featured in a Sunday jazz radio show. This remains my favourite track from that album.

p.s. I should add this track is from 1937, and it's Dave Tough on drums.

I wish had more time and energy for more concentrated listening and commentary, but some unexpected dental problem that resolved yesterday in removal of the tooth causing the problem, threw me off course during the last two weeks.

Hey Mike! Glad you got a chance to listen to it, sorry about the teeth issues, they are no fun, to say the least!

You got about the only track not yet guessed, congrats ! Some smart jazz folks here, for sure!

And if folks are wondering where the answers are...I have all the info, except the photos of the albums on the web...well, some I have found out, are out of print...and the one thing I forgot was to put titles with the songs....not an issue if you can find the album cover, but if not....no big deal, will finish it up late tonight, or tomorrow morning...