BFT #154 Sign-up, Discussion, Answers

[tkeith]

Well, since Felser has posted his reveal, I'll start up the discussion for my Dad's bft.  I need to get to his house to make sure he's setup to access the discussion (my guess is that he is, but I want to make sure he's comfortable with accessing the discussion).  Meanwhile, you can access the test here:  http://thomkeith.net/index.php/blindfold-tests/

Just know he won't be providing feedback for a few days until I get up to his house to make sure he's able to get in.

[Hot Ptah]

Thanks! I am really looking forward to this!

[felser]

Got through it on my first day back to work, and it certainly brightened my day!  Nothing I can ID, but so many good cuts I can't wait to learn about.  My favorites include

3 - Reggae/funk with amazing guitar and drum work

5 - "You Go To My Head" with a superior rhythm section.

7 - Love, right in my wheelhouse and so well done.

8 - The vibes and tenor sound on this is sweet!

12 - Solid in the tradition tenor - what's not to love?

Looking forward to the ID on these and other  cuts,  thanks so much for bringing joy and brightness to the toughest workday of the year! 

 

[randyhersom]

   1. Brassy big band.  Wild guess looking for a big tight brass section - maybe Bob Brookmeyer?
   2. Nice muted trumpet and tenor quintet.  Very familiar opening that goes in a different direction.  I kinda like Art Farmer here.
   3. That's tuba in that bottom!  Arthur Blythe?
   4. Killer baritone ballad.  Feels like complete mastery of the horn, so I'm not suspecting a doubler.  Pepper Adams?
   5. Really nice low smoulder groove going here.  I was about to guess Joe Locke, but it was a long time before the vibes came in.  How about Kenny Barron?
   6. Up Above my Head.  Jumping boogie beat. No Clue
   7. That groove again, this time with some horns in the theme.  No real clue but it could be a Criss Cross date, mabye David Hazeltine or Orrin Evans?
   8. I thought this was a repeat from a recent BFT but that theory didn't pan out.  Thought it was bass guitar at the beginning, but the solos sounds like amplified standup bass.  Feelin' the funk.  Buster Williams?
   9. Bass duet, mainstreamish. Did NHOP ever record bass duets
  10. Blues-Rockish beat.  Muted trumpet.  I'd expect more lead guitar if this was, say, Derek Trucks going jazzy, so I'll say its more like Wallace Roney.
  11. Alto flute.  Hubert Laws?
  12. Alto sax takes it to the edge of out in the coda.  Not sure if Lee Konitz took it that far out.
  13. Somebody's been studying them some Johnny Hodges.  The bass and drums don't seem to be in a Dukish style, but the alto is delightfully so.

 

[tkeith]

I dare say I did better as this went on.

Track 1 - I like the islandy feel of this.  Arranger is not revealing himself to me.  It’s not anybody I would be expecting it to be, but the overall feel suggests to me that it’s somebody I’m probably familiar with in another setting and that this is an anomaly among their output.  I really want a solo here, but this would be great to have on in the background at a party.  Terrific arrangement.  I also enjoy that the musicians seem to be enjoying themselves, though when the pianist takes the soli s/he reveals themselves to be less accomplished as a soloist.  Band is tight, though.  I’m sure I’m insane, but I swear I hear Norris Turney’s lead in there.

 

Track 2 - That vamp had me wanting to here, “It’s quarter to three…”  Still has that melancholy feel.  Nice.  That tenor is very recognizable to me.  A touch of J.R.?  Not him.  Don’t recognize the trumpet, great facility, though.  Aw, man!  No tenor?  

 

Track 3 - I like the reggae/tuba mix.  Horns are sloppy-ish (in a good way).  I know when you first played this for me my guess was Ahmed Abdullah.  I’m still leaning there, even though I know that’s not the case.  Those hyper-compressed drums have not grown on me.  The melody doesn’t excite me, but the feel is grooving.  My initial thought was Moondoc, but that’s most certainly not him on alto; someone much more inside.  Oh-for-three, damnit!

 

Track 4 - Killn’ bari tone.  Terrific ballad.  Want to say I know the song, but I think I’m lying.  Piano solo wanders a bit, but overall is solid.  This dude is a BEAST!  I dug deep on this, I don’t have it, and that irritates me.  I feel like I know this guy, but I dare not guess.

 

Track 5 - Tasty… right up to the entrance of the guitar.  Awful lot of chorus/reverb on that guitar.  Love the feel of the rhythm section, though.  Guitarist seems to be leaning on more of a “blues” feel.  I know you’ve been on an Ed Cherry kick, but I’m not familiar with him.  The niceness has worn off and my focus is wondering.  It went right past my head.

 

Track 6 - Don’t know what the record is, but that sure sounds like Lucky to me.  You’ll hate me for this, but the first verse brought me directly to the scene in Cool Hand Luke with Harry Dean Stanton playing and singing on the steps to the barracks as Luke is “get[ting his] dirt out of Boss Kean’s ditch.”  Fun song and I feel like I may have finally semi-gotten one.  A little sleuthing tells me it’s from this.

 

Track 7 - Transition to the solos the drums have that Roy Haynes snap, but that’s not who/what it is.  Trumpet player loves Miles.  Tenor sounds like Rouse at times and like Kamuca at other times.  Another terrific arrangement. 

 

Track 8 - There’s Moondoc!  “I is a artist!”  It’s track 8 from this.

 

Track 9 - Bass and bass — what more could you ask for?  Closing track from this stellar LP. 

 

Track 10 -  [In Bob’s laugh]  AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  

 

Track 11 - Bass flute!  That sure narrows down the options.  It’s not Richard Gardzina, so the obvious guess is gone.  Nice ballad, no clue who.

 

Track 12 - Nice, laid back feel for rhythm section.  Tenor is a bit raw, but still inside.  Not sure how I feel about him.  In fact, I find it odd that you like him, as he’s more down my alley, but he’s slightly missing for me.  Teases with being Tyrone, but not him.  

 

Track 13 - Ah, nice.  I actually included this on one of mine awhile back.  Rufus!  My man!  I have this on one of those boxes.  Private Collection: 1968, I believe.

Well played, fam.

[Hot Ptah]

I have listened to this Blindfold Test several times in the past few days, just because it is so pleasurable to listen to.

1.  A good opener, kind of a fanfare kind of opening. I think about programming a Blindfold Test and often try to start with something that hits the listener directly. I enjoy the feel of this song, but have no idea who it is.

2. I recognize the song, "Ill Wind." I can't place the trumpet player. He is obviously a higher tier player,. I am not familiar with ballad playing like this from the usual suspects among the top trumpet players.

3. I hear tuba, not bass, in the bass part. So it could be Bob Stewart or Howard Johnson. Bob Stewart was often used on tuba, to play bass parts in different ensembles. I can't quite place the rhythm. It is not quite reggae, not quite ska. It may be a style of music that I am not familiar with.

4. Duke Ellington's "Warm Valley", by a great saxophone soloist. I have to buy this. I don't know who it is and can't wait to find out, His playing is so moving.

5. "You Go To My Head", in a sort of CTI style. But I think that this came later than CTI. It sounds like the guitarist may be the leader, even though he plays more simple parts than the other musicians. This was a pleasant interlude. My attention would wander during an entire album of this sort of thing, but for one song it is nice.

6. That must be Sammy Price on piano. I am not sure about the saxophone player. This is very fun, very infectious. I need to buy this album too, the day that I find out the album title.

7. Wow, that is very beautiful! A wonderful track! I am totally unfamiliar with it. Another album I need to get, as soon as it is identified. This one song really stands out for me, in terms of not just Blindfold Tests, but in terms of all of my recent listening.

8. At first I thought that this was a cover of the Mamas and the Papas hit single, "I Dig Rock and Roll Music."  But the vibes are unmistakably Khan Jamal. I am not sure which album this is. I like the saxophonist a lot, and can't identify him.

9. How many bass duos have been recorded in history? This one is surprisingly compelling and listenable. When I first started getting into jazz, in the mid-1970s, there were not that many ECM albums out yet and me and my friends knew them all by album title and number.  I mean, there were about 20 ECM albums then. One of the early ECM albums which I never bought or listened to was a bass duo album by Dave Holland and Barre Phillips. I don't know if this track comes from their album, but I can't think of any other bass duo albums.

10. Oh, I have this, and have always liked it! It is the 1990 soundtrack to the film "The Hot Spot," with John Lee Hooker on guitar and vocal, and Miles Davis on trumpet. I always thought that this was one of Miles' more unusual recording choices, to appear as a sideman so late in his career, with blues artists. I bought this when it first came out and have played it often.

11. I have this album too! It is James Spaulding's "Madeline" from his "Escapade" album. I bought it when it came out in the 1990s because the cover art reminded me of the cover art of Ben Webster's "See You At the Fair" album. Also because the sidemen included John Hicks, who I have always enjoyed a lot, and Ray Drummond.  This is a beautiful track.

12, Well, three in a row! I may have never been on a winning streak like this in any BFT before. I have this album and played it often when it first came out. It is saxophonist Zane Massey's 1990s album "Brass Knuckles." This is the opening track, "Nu Kingdom."  I like William Parker's bass playing here, as well as Massey's soloing. This was a favorite of mine when it first came out. What has Zane Massey done recently? He seems to have fallen out of sight.

13. That is Johnny Hodges for sure. That is later Duke Ellington for sure. It has that unique feel to it. But Johnny Hodges died during the recording of the "New Orleans Suite" album, so it has to be from before then. I have the official Ellington releases from that period and this is not on it. It must be from a later release of unreleased sessions. I have many of those, including from this time period, and enjoyed them when I played them, But I can't remember which album this is from. I like it a whole lot!

This is one of the Blindfold Tests I have enjoyed listening to the most, of all time.

Edited January 17, 2017 by Hot Ptah

[jojazz]

On 1/3/2017 at 1:54 PM, felser said:

Got through it on my first day back to work, and it certainly brightened my day!  Nothing I can ID, but so many good cuts I can't wait to learn about.  My favorites include

3 - Reggae/funk with amazing guitar and drum work

5 - "You Go To My Head" with a superior rhythm section.

7 - Love, right in my wheelhouse and so well done.

8 - The vibes and tenor sound on this is sweet!

12 - Solid in the tradition tenor - what's not to love?

Looking forward to the ID on these and other  cuts,  thanks so much for bringing joy and brightness to the toughest workday of the year! 

 

Sorry for the delay in response (computer luddite, here).

Glad it made your day better. I chose the material with that objective. Revelations, to come. Thanks for listening.

[jojazz]

On 1/8/2017 at 5:11 PM, randyhersom said:

   1. Brassy big band.  Wild guess looking for a big tight brass section - maybe Bob Brookmeyer?
   2. Nice muted trumpet and tenor quintet.  Very familiar opening that goes in a different direction.  I kinda like Art Farmer here.
   3. That's tuba in that bottom!  Arthur Blythe?
   4. Killer baritone ballad.  Feels like complete mastery of the horn, so I'm not suspecting a doubler.  Pepper Adams?
   5. Really nice low smoulder groove going here.  I was about to guess Joe Locke, but it was a long time before the vibes came in.  How about Kenny Barron?
   6. Up Above my Head.  Jumping boogie beat. No Clue
   7. That groove again, this time with some horns in the theme.  No real clue but it could be a Criss Cross date, mabye David Hazeltine or Orrin Evans?
   8. I thought this was a repeat from a recent BFT but that theory didn't pan out.  Thought it was bass guitar at the beginning, but the solos sounds like amplified standup  bass.  Feelin' the funk.  Buster Williams?
   9. Bass duet, mainstreamish. Did NHOP ever record bass duets
  10. Blues-Rockish beat.  Muted trumpet.  I'd expect more lead guitar if this was, say, Derek Trucks going jazzy, so I'll say its more like Wallace Roney.
  11. Alto flute.  Hubert Laws?
  12. Alto sax takes it to the edge of out in the coda.  Not sure if Lee Konitz took it that far out.
  13. Somebody's been studying them some Johnny Hodges.  The bass and drums don't seem to be in a Dukish style, but the alto is delightfully so.

 

I'm a bit dumb with the computer, sorry for the delay.

#1- Not BB, but good guess; #2- Not Art, just a bit earlier in conception; #3- No on Arthur Blythe, tubaist is a compatriot; #4- bari is a multi-reedman;

#5- Kenny Barron is on piano, but it's the guitarist's date; #6- "Up Above My Head" is correct, famous tenor; #7- Grove is the right word, much earlier, '61;

#8- Not BW on bass, sort of avant-funk?; #9- Two great bassists, not NHOP though; #10- Stylistically close to Roney, more original source. Odd mix of guys;

#11- Not HL, but very under-the-radar musician; #12- Not alto; modernist tenor player (somewhat famous-composer dad from Trane's early orbit);

#13- Johnny Hodges it is, accompanied by some other great Ellingtonians, circa '68. Love this composition by late Duke.

Thanks for listening, Randy. Answers to come soon.

[jojazz]

20 hours ago, Hot Ptah said:

I have listened to this Blindfold Test several times in the past few days, just because it is so pleasurable to listen to.

1.  A good opener, kind of a fanfare kind of opening. I think about programming a Blindfold Test and often try to start with something that hits the listener directly. I enjoy the feel of this song, but have no idea who it is.

2. I recognize the song, "Ill Wind." I can't place the trumpet player. He is obviously a higher tier player,. I am not familiar with ballad playing like this from the usual suspects among the top trumpet players.

3. I hear tuba, not bass, in the bass part. So it could be Bob Stewart or Howard Johnson. Bob Stewart was often used on tuba, to play bass parts in different ensembles. I can't quite place the rhythm. It is not quite reggae, not quite ska. It may be a style of music that I am not familiar with.

4. Duke Ellington's "Warm Valley", by a great saxophone soloist. I have to buy this. I don't know who it is and can't wait to find out, His playing is so moving.

5. "You Go To My Head", in a sort of CTI style. But I think that this came later than CTI. It sounds like the guitarist may be the leader, even though he plays more simple parts than the other musicians. This was a pleasant interlude. My attention would wander during an entire album of this sort of thing, but for one song it is nice.

6. That must be Sammy Price on piano. I am not sure about the saxophone player. This is very fun, very infectious. I need to buy this album too, the day that I find out the album title.

7. Wow, that is very beautiful! A wonderful track! I am totally unfamiliar with it. Another album I need to get, as soon as it is identified. This one song really stands out for me, in terms of not just Blindfold Tests, but in terms of all of my recent listening.

8. At first I thought that this was a cover of the Mamas and the Papas hit single, "I Dig Rock and Roll Music."  But the vibes are unmistakably Khan Jamal. I am not sure which album this is. I like the saxophonist a lot, and can't identify him.

9. How many bass duos have been recorded in history? This one is surprisingly compelling and listenable. When I first started getting into jazz, in the mid-1970s, there were not that many ECM albums out yet and me and my friends knew them all by album title and number.  I mean, there were about 20 ECM albums then. One of the early ECM albums which I never bought or listened to was a bass duo album by Dave Holland and Barre Phillips. I don't know if this track comes from their album, but I can't think of any other bass duo albums.

10. Oh, I have this, and have always liked it! It is the 1990 soundtrack to the film "The Hot Spot," with John Lee Hooker on guitar and vocal, and Miles Davis on trumpet. I always thought that this was one of Miles' more unusual recording choices, to appear as a sideman so late in his career, with blues artists. I bought this when it first came out and have played it often.

 

11. I have this album too! It is James Spaulding's "Madeline" from his "Escapade" album. I bought it when it came out in the 1990s because the cover art reminded me of the cover art of Ben Webster's "See You At the Fair" album. Also because the sidemen included John Hicks, who I have always enjoyed a lot, and Ray Drummond.  This is a beautiful track.

12, Well, three in a row! I may have never been on a winning streak like this in any BFT before. I have this album and played it often when it first came out. It is saxophonist Zane Massey's 1990s album "Brass Knuckles." This is the opening track, "Nu Kingdom."  I like William Parker's bass playing here, as well as Massey's soloing. This was a favorite of mine when it first came out. What has Zane Massey done recently? He seems to have fallen out of sight.

13. That is Johnny Hodges for sure. That is later Duke Ellington for sure. It has that unique feel to it. But Johnny Hodges died during the recording of the "New Orleans Suite" album, so it has to be from before then. I have the official Ellington releases from that period and this is not on it. It must be from a later release of unreleased sessions. I have many of those, including from this time period, and enjoyed them when I played them, But I can't remember which album this is from. I like it a whole lot!

This is one of the Blindfold Tests I have enjoyed listening to the most, of all time.

Sorry for the delay, computer Neanderthal here! Glad you enjoyed the BFT and appreciate your enthusiasm (it helps).

#1- I think this tune really pops, love the arrangement. You're right about it being a good opener. On the fringe big-band of pianist-leader from'56;

#2- "Ill Wind", of course. Under-rated well-known trumpeter (and tenor); #3- Right on! Bob Stewart stepping' out with a great altoist in tow. Love it!;

#4- A great version of "Warm Valley" by a multi-reedman of some renown from '59; #5- Your comment perfectly befits the music and the guitarist;

#6- Sammy Price it is, with a very rollicking tenor solo from a great one; #7- Such a great feel to this one. A (famous) drummer-led combo from circa '61;

#8- Khan Jamal, indeed, with an avant-garde altoist from the ESP days; #9- You got it! Dave Holland/Barre Phillips "Song For Clare". Deep stuff;

#10- Miles & Hooker. Could never figure out why it works, but it does; #11- Agreed. Spaulding's flute work is special, especially in later years;

#12- Zane Massey's kind of an enigma. A solid player with little exposure. I didn't think anyone would get this one (smile);

#13- Hodges (who else!) with sensuous help from PG, Harold Ashby, and Procope. Duke amazes me still. Who could write this type of composition

at the end of a lifetime of such creativity, and still have something in the tank. Soulful and revealing. We owe it all to Ellington.

Again, thanks for listening and glad you enjoyed it so much.

 

[mjzee]

Just listened to the whole BFT.  I really liked it - excellent playing, nice arrangements, great mood.  Couldn't identify any of the tracks.  Track 3 had a reggae beat, and sounded like some no wave from 1980.  Was it Joseph and Lester Bowie with Bob Stewart?  Was track 4 Pepper Adams with Roland Hanna?  Track 8 had a James Brown influence; was it Maceo?  And was track 6 sung by a man or a woman???

[jojazz]

3 hours ago, mjzee said:

Just listened to the whole BFT.  I really liked it - excellent playing, nice arrangements, great mood.  Couldn't identify any of the tracks.  Track 3 had a reggae beat, and sounded like some no wave from 1980.  Was it Joseph and Lester Bowie with Bob Stewart?  Was track 4 Pepper Adams with Roland Hanna?  Track 8 had a James Brown influence; was it Maceo?  And was track 6 sung by a man or a woman???

#3- It is Bob Stewart, but no Bowies; #4- Not Pepper or Roland Hanna, but a multi-reedman on bari; #6- Bluesy male singer, aided by a famous saxman;

#8- Not James Brown, nor Maceo, and more avant-garde

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for listening. Answers forthcoming soon.

[Hot Ptah]

On ‎1‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 5:23 AM, jojazz said:

Sorry for the delay, computer Neanderthal here! Glad you enjoyed the BFT and appreciate your enthusiasm (it helps).

#1- I think this tune really pops, love the arrangement. You're right about it being a good opener. On the fringe big-band of pianist-leader from'56;

#2- "Ill Wind", of course. Under-rated well-known trumpeter (and tenor);

    That really intrigues me. I am wracking my brain as to who it could be!

#3- Right on! Bob Stewart stepping' out with a great altoist in tow. Love it!;

     Oh, who is the alto player? I thought that I had heard most of Bob Stewart's recorded output. This is a pleasant discovery.

#4- A great version of "Warm Valley" by a multi-reedman of some renown from '59;

      That really has me curious. I cannot think of a multi-reedman from that era who sounds like this.

#5- Your comment perfectly befits the music and the guitarist;

#6- Sammy Price it is, with a very rollicking tenor solo from a great one;

      I like Sammy Price and always feel like I want more of his music, so this is a welcome discovery. A great tenor player! I can't imagine who.

#7- Such a great feel to this one. A (famous) drummer-led combo from circa '61;

       All right, Now I am really intrigued. I love this recording. At the end of the month Reveal, I will find out which album this is and order it that day.

#8- Khan Jamal, indeed, with an avant-garde altoist from the ESP days;

      Really? A avant garde ESP alto player? I would have thought that he was a soul jazz player.

#9- You got it! Dave Holland/Barre Phillips "Song For Clare". Deep stuff;

       As I previously posted, I have never heard this album. I must rectify that. I had no idea it was so appealing to listen to.

#10- Miles & Hooker. Could never figure out why it works, but it does;

         It really does work. To my ears it works much better than some of Miles Davis' other forays into various forms of electric music.

 

#11- Agreed. Spaulding's flute work is special, especially in later years;

#12- Zane Massey's kind of an enigma. A solid player with little exposure. I didn't think anyone would get this one (smile);

#13- Hodges (who else!) with sensuous help from PG, Harold Ashby, and Procope. Duke amazes me still. Who could write this type of composition

at the end of a lifetime of such creativity, and still have something in the tank. Soulful and revealing. We owe it all to Ellington.

    I agree completely. I think that Duke's recordings from 1967 to his death are underappreciated. There is so much great music from him in that era.

Again, thanks for listening and glad you enjoyed it so much.

     I have listened to over 90 Blindfold Tests and this is one of my very favorite ones ever. You hit a grand slam home run in your first at bat in the league.

 

 

[felser]

#3 has to be Arthur Blythe doesnt' it?  I should be able to run down the tune.  And  #8 is "Hucksterman" from Khan Jamal's 'Dark Warrior' album, Charles Tyler on alto.  Great choice!  #7 is killing me, I need to figure it out!

[jojazz]

5 hours ago, felser said:

#3 has to be Arthur Blythe doesnt' it?  I should be able to run down the tune.  And  #8 is "Hucksterman" from Khan Jamal's 'Dark Warrior' album, Charles Tyler on alto.  Great choice!  #7 is killing me, I need to figure it out!

#3- Unfortunately, it is not, but he's got the soul; #7- This one is bugging everyone. This leader-drummer's group was always under appreciated;

#8- Jamal/Tyler is correct. A great song, too

[jojazz]

6 hours ago, Hot Ptah said:

 

Thanks again for the "home run" on my first at bat (big smile!) in the league. I started listening to jazz at age 10, in '52. I was fortunate to see the Ellington band in its great period when I was 17-20 years old, 1957-1960. Wow! These guys could really roar when they felt like it. Truly a band of unique soloists with a genius at the helm.

If you wish, I could reveal the total BFT info to you now?

[tkeith]

On 1/3/2017 at 1:54 PM, felser said:

6 hours ago, felser said:

#3 has to be Arthur Blythe doesnt' it?  I should be able to run down the tune.  And  #8 is "Hucksterman" from Khan Jamal's 'Dark Warrior' album, Charles Tyler on alto.  Great choice!  #7 is killing me, I need to figure it out!

I knew the record, but in my mind, I was thinking it was Moondoc.  My apologies to Charles Tyler (who also occupies a fair amount of shelf space in my collection).  This tune is a bitch.  Reminds me a lot of Billy Bang's Saigon Phunk, except THAT is Frank Lowe at his [in my opinion] expressive best.

[Hot Ptah]

6 hours ago, jojazz said:

Thanks again for the "home run" on my first at bat (big smile!) in the league. I started listening to jazz at age 10, in '52. I was fortunate to see the Ellington band in its great period when I was 17-20 years old, 1957-1960. Wow! These guys could really roar when they felt like it. Truly a band of unique soloists with a genius at the helm.

If you wish, I could reveal the total BFT info to you now?

I envy you that you saw the Ellington band in that period!  

About you revealing the BFT to me now: oh no, that would be like the Red Sox leading the Yankees 7-2 in the sixth inning, and the Yankees agreeing to just not play the last few innings and concede the game! I am going to keep listening and researching for the rest of the month!

[jojazz]

9 hours ago, Hot Ptah said:

I envy you that you saw the Ellington band in that period!  

About you revealing the BFT to me now: oh no, that would be like the Red Sox leading the Yankees 7-2 in the sixth inning, and the Yankees agreeing to just not play the last few innings and concede the game! I am going to keep listening and researching for the rest of the month!

I had a feeling that would be your response (smile). It would have been mine, too. 

Just a comment or two about the Ellingtonians: Johnny Hodges was probably the most "perfect" musician (in the best sense of the term) that I ever had the pleasure of listening

to in person. Just consistent, consummate artistry, regardless of the situation of the moment (or the mood swings). What a SOUND! Paul Gonsalves (despite his demons) was devoted, as in idolatry, to the Man and his music- an artistic love affair. Carney was the rock upon which it existed. Most impressive, however, was Duke's ability to ignore all the annoying idiosyncrasies of his band of "misfits?" (Ha!) and continue the quest of his aesthetic visions, night after night. A great human being. He meant it when he said, "They get the money, I get the kicks!"

-Also, the double bass cd by Holland/Phillips is truly not for everyone. I'm a bass freak and I love it, but "Song for Clare" was perhaps the most melodic tune of the session and most of it is more exploratory of the bass and its potential. Just a caveat. You might like it, however (another smile).

[felser]

#7 is probably one of those really cool esoteric names like Lenny McBrowne or Charli Persip.  I've never  heard the  couple of McBrowne albums from that period.

[jojazz]

6 hours ago, felser said:

#7 is probably one of those really cool esoteric names like Lenny McBrowne or Charli Persip.  I've never  heard the  couple of McBrowne albums from that period.

Actually, the drummer was quite well known at the time of this recording.

[Hot Ptah]

13 hours ago, jojazz said:

I had a feeling that would be your response (smile). It would have been mine, too. 

Just a comment or two about the Ellingtonians: Johnny Hodges was probably the most "perfect" musician (in the best sense of the term) that I ever had the pleasure of listening

to in person. Just consistent, consummate artistry, regardless of the situation of the moment (or the mood swings). What a SOUND! Paul Gonsalves (despite his demons) was devoted, as in idolatry, to the Man and his music- an artistic love affair. Carney was the rock upon which it existed. Most impressive, however, was Duke's ability to ignore all the annoying idiosyncrasies of his band of "misfits?" (Ha!) and continue the quest of his aesthetic visions, night after night. A great human being. He meant it when he said, "They get the money, I get the kicks!"

-Also, the double bass cd by Holland/Phillips is truly not for everyone. I'm a bass freak and I love it, but "Song for Clare" was perhaps the most melodic tune of the session and most of it is more exploratory of the bass and its potential. Just a caveat. You might like it, however (another smile).

I would like the Holland and Phillips album if it was more exploratory!

[felser]

On 1/20/2017 at 4:53 PM, jojazz said:

Actually, the drummer was quite well known at the time of this recording.

I'm now thinking Shelley Manne, but can't locate what the recording would be.

[jojazz]

3 hours ago, felser said:

I'm now thinking Shelley Manne, but can't locate what the recording would be.

You got it! "The Isolated Pawn" from Checkmate.

[felser]

3 hours ago, jojazz said:

You got it! "The Isolated Pawn" from Checkmate.

I agree with your evaluation of Manne.  Those were some fabulous quintets he led in that era, the whole much greater than the sum of the parts (though the parts were also pretty substantial).  Great cut, and I really like the whole body of work he made with those groups.

[JSngry]

Late to the party, sorry, kind of an "eventful" month. But here were are, the usual thanks and disclaimers firmly in place, so let's play!

TRACK ONE - Son (or grandson) Of "Bijou". A very Woody-esque sound to the chart, except there's altos. If that's a working band, they're really together...I don't know that it is, this sounds like it comes from the time when all the older working band players had become studio players and already knew how to play like a working band. The drummer is kicking like it's Tiny Kahn, almost...only Tiny never lived to get that quality of studio sound. A Chubby Jackson band, maybe? I hear chatter during the piano, Mister Cheerleader? Anyways, it's got spunk.

TRACK TWO - "Ill Wind". KD-ish trumpet, Jordan-ish tenor (tonally, anyway, otherwise, pure Bird). Gorgeous arrangement, the solos get a little arbitrarily double-time-y for my taste, but a gorgeous arrangement, and the melodies are all played just right. I like it.

TRACK THREE - That's nice. Doesn't really seemed to be geared towards "listening", so I think I'd probably enjoy hearing it more in a room with people dancing, but hey, you take what you can get these days. I never could dance worth a damn myself, so I always enjoyed being in a band where people could (band and audience alike!).

TRACK FOUR - I'll take "Warm Valley" and stop the guessing there! That's nicely fluent and coherent from start to finish. Sounds like somebody who needed the bigger horn to not get silly with the chops/licks. I mean, they come close, but that big horn keep 'em real! And the pianist is soooo tasty! a-HA! Seek and ye shall find: http://www.allmusic.com/album/roamin-with-richardson-mw0000177242

I'll stand by the comments about the bigger horn. Jerome has always been a great player, but his definitely matured with time.

TRACK FIVE - Chico? Nah. "You Go To My Head". I'm kinda funny about that tune, it's perfect as is, one of those standards that don't need any real help. Leave it be, it can handle it by itself. This version seems kind of neo-Shearing in intent as it goes along, only it's the guitarist's date. Can't say that I'm really feeling this one. Kudos to the drummer, though, for the mallets chops, he/she know how they work, not all do!

TRACK SIX - No idea. I really dig that tenor player. Everybody else, hey, they don't fuck up the tenor player, so they can stay.

TRACK SEVEN - Again, no idea, but I really like the way the composition develops. Sounds like some mid-60s Polish stuff, maybe. Soloing nicely, if sometimes barely, avoids Modal-y Impressionistic Wandering, and much happiness about that. Nice.

TRACK EIGHT - I Dig Rock & Roll Music. And I love to get a chance to sing (and play) it! Ok,, soling begins, that's better. MUCH better! But you know, if they really say it, the radio won't play it. So they have to lay it be-tween the lines.

TRACK NINE - Well, that's some bass. Can't say that it really does avoid Modal-y Pastoral Wandering, but there was a time when that was all the rage, and for there to be all this bass doing it, I'd guess it was from that time.

TRACK TEN - Well, this I recognize. They weren't really in the studio at the same time, were they? For Miles, it must have seemed like a return to Jack Johnson, for Hooker, it must have seemed like a return to the bank after the check came. I like it if I don't try to make it mean more than it means, because if I do that, I'll stop liking it pretty soon. But, you know, it's Miles and Hooker doing movie music, that's means what it means, and really, ain't that enough?

TRACK ELEVEN - Bass flute? I never could understand how anybody plays those things, I mean, I had enough of a hard time getting past the hyper-ventillating when learning regular flue, never mind one of these ginormous tube things. But this is very, very nice. And again, exquisite piano playing, that seems to be a recurring theme of this collection,

TRACK TWELVE - Sounds like John Klemmer with a David Murray vibrato. And then he growls! Mind if I pass?

TRACK THIRTEEN - whoa....Elos, sloe/slow/sole/soul, damn. DAMN.

That last cut, the Duke, that's truth. I enjoyed almost everything else, but I will lay down my eternal soul for that Duke cut without a moment's hesitation or doubt. Thank you, sir, for that one.