tkeith Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) 01 - El-P, Please Stay (Yesterday) from High Water (2004) From Thirsty Ear’s The Blue Series Continuum. This was an interesting project from Thirsty Ear that you can read more about here. I first heard some of this on Prime Cuts on MPBN back when Ken Eisen was hosting the show. Roy Campbell - trumpet, Steve Swell - trombone, Matthew Shipp - piano, Daniel Carter - woodwinds, William Parker - bass, Guillermo E. Brown - drums, El-P - producer 02 - Henry Butler, Fivin’ Around from Fivin’ Around (1986) This was a discovery back in my college radio days. Knew nothing about Butler, but fell in love with this track. Jeff Clayton - oboe, Henry Butler - piano, Charlie Haden - bass, Billy Higgins - drums 03 - Martina Almgren Quartet, Rumsia Samla from Unden (2009) I discovered this completely by accident back when I was subscribing to eMusic. It popped up and I listened to clips, liked it, took a chance. Nothing ground-breaking, but really enjoy most of this record. Björn Almgren - tenor saxophone, Tommy Kotter - piano, Owe Almgren - electric bass, Martina Almgren - drums 04 - Bridgewater Bros, Dear Trane from Lightning And Thunder (1978) I found my way to Cecil through Max Roach’s band, and then to this record via an article about the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis band. Cecil Bridgewater - trumpet/flugelhorn, Ron Bridgewater - tenor saxophone, Stanley Cowell - piano, Reggie Workman - bass, Michael Carvin - drums 05 - Robert Stewart, Get Out! from In The Gutta (1996) Robert Stewart is another guy I discovered through Ken Eisen. Robert used to have all of his stuff on his website. I sent him a message letting him know it was all downloadable. He said he knew. I told him I’d prefer to see him make a living and offered to pay for the downloads. He told me he wanted people to have his music. So I have it. (And yes, I have bought the albums, since). Robert Stewart - vocals & tenor saxophone, Ed Kelly - organ, Reginald Veal - bass, Jeff “Tain” Watts - drums 06 - Bobby Battle, To Wisdom, The Prize from The Offering (1993) This record showed up in my iPod rotation and never fails to send me to the screen to see what I’m listening to. Mapleshade really managed to capture that Prestige drum sound, and it frequently messes with me when trying to ID a track. Larry Willis - piano, Santi Debriano - bass, Bobby Battle - drums 07 - Sonny Fortune, Billy Harper, Stanley Cowell, Reggie Workman, Billy Hart, Awakening from Great Friends (1986) Billy Harper is a hero to me, but I like his own stuff usually much better than his stuff as a sideman. This one is is the middle ground. Sonny always leaves me a bit off, but again, he works in this setting. Sonny Fortune - alto saxophone, Billy Harper - tenor saxophone, Stanley Cowell - piano, Reggie Workman - bass, Billy Hart - drums 08 - George Adams, City of Peace from Paradise Space Shuttle (1979) My father picked this record out for me at Loony Tunes in Boston when I was… hell… 13? At first, I didn’t care for it, but George quickly became a personal favorite. This was the inspiration for my first attempt at improvising on the saxophone. Thanks to Richard Gardzina for his patience and support in that endeavor. George Adams - tenor saxophone, Rahn Burton - piano, Don Pate - bass, Al Foster - drums, Azzedin Weston - percussion 09 - Lloyd McNeil, Salvation Army from Treasures (1976) I became familiar with Lloyd through the BFTs. Man, am I glad I did! Covering this tune is a goal of the current quartet/quintet project I’m involved in. Lloyd McNeill - flute, Dom Salvador - piano, Cecil McBee - bass, Brian Blake and Portinho - drums, Ray Armando - percussion 10 - John Gordon, Making Memories from Step By Step (1976) I’m a sucker for most all things Strata-East, and this is no exception. John Gordon - trombone, Charles Tolliver - trumpet, Roland Alexander - woodwinds, Stanley Cowell - piano, Lisle Atkinson - bass, Andrew Cyrille - drums Probably a good time to mention that none of the reoccurring personnel on this BFT were intentional, excepting the two tracks from El-P. 11 - Charles Brackeen Quartet, Cing Kong from Worshippers Come Nigh (1988) available here: https://silkheart.bandcamp.com/ Brackeen is an under appreciated genius in my estimation. Here is the link to Silkheart's bandcamp page. Charles Brackeen - tenor saxophone, Olu Dara - cornet, Fred Hopkins - bass, Andrew Cyrille - drums 12 - Frank Lacy, Settegast Strut. 12:50 This is another tune I want to cover with the current project. I *love* Frank Lacy. I first heard this covered by Bluiett’s Baritone Saxophone Group, and they completely missed the feel of the song. This song has the strut, and Lacy feels the spirit. This interview may also be of interest. Frank Lacy - trombone, Katy Roberts - piano, Radu Olawu Ben Juda (Richard “Radu” Williams) - bass, Doug Hammond - drums 13 - El-P, Please Leave (Yesterday) from High Water (2004) Roy Campbell - trumpet, Steve Swell - trombone, Matthew Shipp - piano, Daniel Carter - woodwinds, William Parker - bass, Guillermo E. Brown - drums, El-P - producer Edited July 31, 2018 by tkeith Fixing a link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 I own or have owned 2, 5-10 , but didn't recognize some of those! The Lacy and Brackeen cuts are wonderful - I will hunt down those discs if not cost prohibitive. And that Bridgewater Bros. sure looks tasty. Thanks as always! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkeith Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Happy to spend your money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjazzg Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Just ordered a copy of the Bridgewater Bros. album off the back of enthusiasm for it here and a listen to some online clips. Thanks for highlighting its existence. I've also now dl'd the BFT which isn't really in the spirit, I know but want to hear some other things that have got such good reactions. I'd've only had a chance on the Brackeen which I own, I love the two McNeill albums I have and that El-p is about the only Blue Series I don't own. Wish I'd joined in at the beginning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkeith Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 3 hours ago, mjazzg said: Just ordered a copy of the Bridgewater Bros. album off the back of enthusiasm for it here and a listen to some online clips. Thanks for highlighting its existence. I've also now dl'd the BFT which isn't really in the spirit, I know but want to hear some other things that have got such good reactions. I'd've only had a chance on the Brackeen which I own, I love the two McNeill albums I have and that El-p is about the only Blue Series I don't own. Wish I'd joined in at the beginning "Asha" and "Washington Suite" are the two greatest McNeill albums, and thankfully both have had good CD reissues. "Treasure" and "Tori" are also both really good, but MIA as far as CD reissues. "Elegia" has some good stuff, but also some serious misfires with "classical vocals". But overall, McNeill is an underheralded renaissance genius who has also had some serious accomplishments in the worlds of painting (studied with Picasso IIRC), photography, and poetry. Also, remember that Kwanzaa postage stamp? That was his design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjazzg Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 2 minutes ago, felser said: "Asha" and "Washington Suite" are the two greatest McNeill albums, and thankfully both have had good CD reissues Those are the ones I have and really rate very highly. Thanks for the insights on the others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Ptah Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 On 7/31/2018 at 4:11 AM, tkeith said: My comments are in red after the selections. From Thirsty Ear’s The Blue Series Continuum. This was an interesting project from Thirsty Ear that you can read more about here. I first heard some of this on Prime Cuts on MPBN back when Ken Eisen was hosting the show. Roy Campbell - trumpet, Steve Swell - trombone, Matthew Shipp - piano, Daniel Carter - woodwinds, William Parker - bass, Guillermo E. Brown - drums, El-P - producer Oh wow, that is Roy Campbell? I like his albums. I did not recognize him. I have never heard of this project before. Very interesting. I will have to get the album now. 02 - Henry Butler, Fivin’ Around from Fivin’ Around (1986) This was a discovery back in my college radio days. Knew nothing about Butler, but fell in love with this track. Jeff Clayton - oboe, Henry Butler - piano, Charlie Haden - bass, Billy Higgins - drums I am more familiar with Butler in his New Orleans style music. So that is an oboe! I thought it was not a soprano saxophone. I struck out identifying any of these well known musicians. I need to get this album too! I really like this track a lot. On 7/31/2018 at 4:11 AM, tkeith said: 03 - Martina Almgren Quartet, Rumsia Samla from Unden (2009) I discovered this completely by accident back when I was subscribing to eMusic. It popped up and I listened to clips, liked it, took a chance. Nothing ground-breaking, but really enjoy most of this record. Björn Almgren - tenor saxophone, Tommy Kotter - piano, Owe Almgren - electric bass, Martina Almgren - drums I have never heard of these musicians, but I will need to investigate more music by them. I really like this track. 04 - Bridgewater Bros, Dear Trane from Lightning And Thunder (1978) I found my way to Cecil through Max Roach’s band, and then to this record via an article about the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis band. Cecil Bridgewater - trumpet/flugelhorn, Ron Bridgewater - tenor saxophone, Stanley Cowell - piano, Reggie Workman - bass, Michael Carvin - drums Oh, this is great stuff! I must buy this album! I love this. Now I see that I am quite familiar with all of the musicians and did not identify any of them. I saw Ron Bridgewater live with McCoy Tyner (OK, it was in 1976), Cecil Bridgewater live with Max Roach, Stanley Cowell live with the Heath Brothers, Reggie Workman live with Chico Freeman, and Michael Carvin live when he has played in a club in my city in the last ten years. This is a thoroughly enjoyable, and heavy, track! Somehow I missed it in 1978 when I was in a huge jazz record buying spurt. On 7/31/2018 at 4:11 AM, tkeith said: 05 - Robert Stewart, Get Out! from In The Gutta (1996) Robert Stewart is another guy I discovered through Ken Eisen. Robert used to have all of his stuff on his website. I sent him a message letting him know it was all downloadable. He said he knew. I told him I’d prefer to see him make a living and offered to pay for the downloads. He told me he wanted people to have his music. So I have it. (And yes, I have bought the albums, since). Robert Stewart - vocals & tenor saxophone, Ed Kelly - organ, Reginald Veal - bass, Jeff “Tain” Watts - drums I have never even heard of this guy. I need to listen to more of him. 06 - Bobby Battle, To Wisdom, The Prize from The Offering (1993) This record showed up in my iPod rotation and never fails to send me to the screen to see what I’m listening to. Mapleshade really managed to capture that Prestige drum sound, and it frequently messes with me when trying to ID a track. Larry Willis - piano, Santi Debriano - bass, Bobby Battle - drums I have this album, but forgot about this track without David Murray. I enjoyed this track a lot. The Mapleshade releases are always at a high level, I think. 07 - Sonny Fortune, Billy Harper, Stanley Cowell, Reggie Workman, Billy Hart, Awakening from Great Friends (1986) Billy Harper is a hero to me, but I like his own stuff usually much better than his stuff as a sideman. This one is is the middle ground. Sonny always leaves me a bit off, but again, he works in this setting. Sonny Fortune - alto saxophone, Billy Harper - tenor saxophone, Stanley Cowell - piano, Reggie Workman - bass, Billy Hart - drums have this album too. Sonny Fortune's playing on this album reminds me of how he played when I saw him in a quintet with Frank Morgan--two alto saxophonists with very different approaches that night. I forgot how good this album is. I have listened to it again thanks to your Blindfold Test.I 08 - George Adams, City of Peace from Paradise Space Shuttle (1979) My father picked this record out for me at Loony Tunes in Boston when I was… hell… 13? At first, I didn’t care for it, but George quickly became a personal favorite. This was the inspiration for my first attempt at improvising on the saxophone. Thanks to Richard Gardzina for his patience and support in that endeavor. George Adams - tenor saxophone, Rahn Burton - piano, Don Pate - bass, Al Foster - drums, Azzedin Weston - percussion I have already written about how much I love this album. George Adams was really on a roll in this period. He also had an excellent ECM album, "Sound Suggestions," and I saw him several times with McCoy Tyner when he simply blew the roof off of the club during his solos. 09 - Lloyd McNeil, Salvation Army from Treasures (1976) I became familiar with Lloyd through the BFTs. Man, am I glad I did! Covering this tune is a goal of the current quartet/quintet project I’m involved in. Lloyd McNeill - flute, Dom Salvador - piano, Cecil McBee - bass, Brian Blake and Portinho - drums, Ray Armando - percussion I had never heard of Lloyd McNeill before. Thanks for introducing him to me ! 10 - John Gordon, Making Memories from Step By Step (1976) I’m a sucker for most all things Strata-East, and this is no exception. John Gordon - trombone, Charles Tolliver - trumpet, Roland Alexander - woodwinds, Stanley Cowell - piano, Lisle Atkinson - bass, Andrew Cyrille - drums Probably a good time to mention that none of the reoccurring personnel on this BFT were intentional, excepting the two tracks from El-P. As I stated in the Discussion, I just love this. I have never heard this album and want to buy it now. I almost always love anything that Andrew Cyrille plays on, I have noticed! 11 - Charles Brackeen Quartet, Cing Kong from Worshippers Come Nigh (1988) available here: https://silkheart.bandcamp.com/ Brackeen is an under appreciated genius in my estimation. Here is the link to Silkheart's bandcamp page. Charles Brackeen - tenor saxophone, Olu Dara - cornet, Fred Hopkins - bass, Andrew Cyrille - drums I love this one, too, as I said in the Discussion. I said in the Discussion that I loved the drumming, and here it is Andrew Cyrille! I have to get this album. On 7/31/2018 at 4:11 AM, tkeith said: 12 - Frank Lacy, Settegast Strut. 12:50 This is another tune I want to cover with the current project. I *love* Frank Lacy. I first heard this covered by Bluiett’s Baritone Saxophone Group, and they completely missed the feel of the song. This song has the strut, and Lacy feels the spirit. This interview may also be of interest. Frank Lacy - trombone, Katy Roberts - piano, Radu Olawu Ben Juda (Richard “Radu” Williams) - bass, Doug Hammond - drums This is great music. I have some of Frank Lacy's albums but not this one. I have to get this one. 13 - El-P, Please Leave (Yesterday) from High Water (2004) Roy Campbell - trumpet, Steve Swell - trombone, Matthew Shipp - piano, Daniel Carter - woodwinds, William Parker - bass, Guillermo E. Brown - drums, El-P - producer Once again, I had never heard of this but need to buy it! This is the Blindfold Test most in my listening area of preference, in some time. I must buy at least seven albums here! Thanks for an incredible Blindfold Test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkeith Posted August 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 You are most welcome and I'm sure all the musicians thank you for your purchases! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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