BFT 213 Reveal - Pointer Sisters, Carpenters and other jazz faves

[felser]

Thanks to all who participated!

1 – “Funky Nassau” by The Beginning of the End, from the album ‘Funky Nassau’, 1971.  Great one-shot proto-funk number, love the rhythm.  Cut was well-received overall.  This went to #15 on the US pop charts in 1971.

 2 – “Fire” by Joe Henderson, from the album ‘The Elements’, 1973.  Alice Coltrane on piano/harp, Michael White on violin, Charlie Haden on bass.  Mixed reactions to this interesting cut.

3- “Black Coffee” by the Pointer Sisters, from the album ‘That’s a Plenty’, 1974.  Bonnie Pointer on lead vocal.  Again, mixed reactions to this cut, but almost no one realized who it was.  Bonnie left the group fairly soon afterwards, and their sound changed radically, but the first two albums have some very interesting material far from what you would expect.

4 – “Windy Mountain” by Charles Lloyd/Billy Higgins, from the album ‘Which Way is East’, 2004.  Not a lot of reaction to this cut, but mostly positive except for the one stunning and totally unexpected trashing of Higgins, the biggest surprise of the BFT to me!

5 – “Can’t Hide Love” by Don Braden, from the album ‘Workin’, 2006.   Kyle Koehler organ, Cecil Brooks III drums.  Wide range of responses, especially to Braden himself on this.  I love the song (a classic by Earth, Wind and Fire), and love how Brooks drives this track.

6 - “Little Sunflower” by Chuck Mangione, from the album ‘Chuck Mangione Quartet’, 1972.   Mutedly positive reviews to this.  Very few ID’d Mangione.  His two early 70’s quartet albums were very nice indeed, and much in need of CD issue, as are his epics ‘Friends and Love’ and ‘Together’, which different people have different thoughts about.  I like parts of them a lot.  With this cut, I wanted people to be able to listen without prejudice to Mangione the horn player.

7 – “Never Will I Marry” by Nancy Wilson + Cannonball Adderley from the album ‘Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley’ 1962.  Almost totally ecstatic feedback on this cut, though one listener trashed it.  Very few ID’d the artists involved.  

8 “James Baldwin to the Rescue” by William Parker, from the album ‘Raining on the Moon’ 2002.  Leena Conquest on vocals.  Almost total enthusiasm for this cut, one listener found it overlong and monotonous.  I love it myself.

9 – “Badi” by Sounds of Liberation, from the album ‘Unreleased (Columbia University 1973)’, recorded in 1973, released in 2018.  Mainly positive reviews.  Interesting Philly group with Khan Jamal on vibes, Byard Lancaster on flute and sax, and Monette Sudler on guitar.  Nice groove track.

10 – “All I Can Do” by the Carpenters, from the album ‘Offering’ (later retitled ‘Ticket to Ride’), 1969.  This was from their first album, before the gorgeous “Close to You” set their path.  They tried out a lot of different styles on this album, and on occasional album tracks later on.  And they had credible talent in many styles.  Again, wanted people to be able to listen without prejudice, and the response to this track was mutedly positive.   But they made the right career choice.  “Close to You”, “We’ve Only Just Begun”, and some of the other hits of the era constitute some of the most beautiful pop music ever recorded.

11 – “Free Spirits/ Unknown” by Steve Reid, from the album ‘Nova’, 1976.  Reid, drums, Ahmed Abdullah trumpet.  Reid did some fascinating albums in the late 70’s.   Overall positive response to this cut, though several noted that while energetic, it is also somewhat ragged.  But that’s part of the period charm.   

12 – “I Mani (Faith)” by Lonnie Liston Smith, from the album ‘Astral Traveling’, 1973.   George Barron tenor sax.  The most controversial track musically on the BFT, thoughts were all over the place, especially about Barron.  To me, he does a superior Pharoah Sanders on this track, and I’m surprised we never heard more by/about him.

13 – ‘Etymology’ by Rufus Harley, from the album ‘Re-creation of the Gods’, 1967.  Harley wind instrument (I guess it’s an electric sax), Bill Mason organ.  Mason is the one who caught my ear on this, and he is a subject for further research.  I saw Harley playing solo in Independence Park in Philly in the summer of 1980, as part of a street fair put on by the city.  Strange dude, but interesting.  Sort of Sun Ra’s nephew or something.

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by felser

[mjazzg]

Thank you, John. This was a fascinating listen from the off.

I have a few Steve Reid albums but not that one which will be remedied shortly.

I enjoyed the Mangione enough to investigate further and shall also check out the early Pointer Sister albums.

Harley is tremendous, I have the Atlantics and one other and loved this track 

As mentioned in the discussion, the Carpenters featured heavily in my childhood and that ID made me smile.

Can't wait for your next BFT, when are you booked in for? 😃

A happy and peaceful New Year to you and your family. 2022 with more great music listening and discovery.

Edited December 31, 2021 by mjazzg

[felser]

4 minutes ago, mjazzg said:

Thank you, John. This was a fascinating listen from the off.

I have a few Steve Reid albums but not that one which will be remedied shortly.

I enjoyed the Mangione enough to investigate further and shall also check out the early Pointer Sister albums.

Harley is tremendous, I have the Atlantics and one other and loved this track 

As mentioned in the discussion, the Carpenters featured heavily in my childhood and that ID made me smile.

Can't wait for your next BFT, when are you booked in for? 😃

A happy and peaceful New Year to you and your family. 2022 with more great music listening and discovery.

Thanks Mark, I'm up for December 2022, greatly appreciate your friendship and kind words - may you and yours also have a blessed 2022!

[mjazzg]

3 minutes ago, felser said:

Thanks Mark, I'm up for December 2022, greatly appreciate your friendship and kind words - may you and yours also have a blessed 2022!

But that's a whole year away!

[felser]

2 minutes ago, mjazzg said:

But that's a whole year away!

I know, but once a year is the rule, and it's a good one.  I'd do this every month if I was allowed, but others deserve their chance also.   Dan Gould needs to give us our annual Gene Harris fix! 

[tkeith]

Love the subject header on this thread.  Well played, sir.

3 minutes ago, felser said:

I know, but once a year is the rule, and it's a good one.  I'd do this every month if I was allowed, but others deserve their chance also.   Dan Gould needs to give us our annual Gene Harris fix! 

Heck, I'd sign up for a monthly foray into the Felser collection!   

 

[Dan Gould]

43 minutes ago, felser said:

I know, but once a year is the rule, and it's a good one.  I'd do this every month if I was allowed, but others deserve their chance also.   Dan Gould needs to give us our annual Gene Harris fix! 

And I promise there is at least one Gene Harris on BFT 214!

I should point out that I did like the Mangione trumpet, the track was only ruined by that Gerry Neiwood noodling and note-running. Someone once sent me two of the three earliest Mangione records and I always thought they were enjoyable if hardly groundbreaking.

[felser]

13 hours ago, tkeith said:

Love the subject header on this thread.  Well played, sir.

Thanks, gotta have some fun with this stuff!

12 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

And I promise there is at least one Gene Harris on BFT 214!

Good to know there's some certainty in life as we nervously enter 2022...

Edited January 1, 2022 by felser

[Dan Gould]

3 minutes ago, felser said:

 

Goid to know there's some certainty in life as we nervously enter 2022...

 

Actually I think it's been a while since I did anything but Faux Gene rather than the real thing, so I figured definitely time to bring him back.

[mikeweil]

I should have taken part. The Pointer version of Black Coffee ist the best ever, IMO.

Edited December 31, 2021 by mikeweil

[felser]

57 minutes ago, mikeweil said:

I should have taken part. The Pointer version of Black Coffee ist the besr ever, IMO.

It's a good one.  I probably like Peggy Lee's best (I'm a fan of her, almost included her in this BFT).

[Milestones]

An interesting BFT, for sure.

Anyone trashing Billy Higgins, one has to at least suspend the jazz card.

 

[Dub Modal]

Nice, interesting set. I didn't like that Mangione very much. Seemed stuck in a cul de sac, doing circles until they finally decided to drive up closer to the street...only to sit and wait longer. If they'd just made a turn either way on the avenue...

[Д.Д.]

On 1/1/2022 at 6:34 PM, Milestones said:

Anyone trashing Billy Higgins, one has to at least suspend the jazz card.

Yeah, let's ban this earless pseudo jazz fan from JAZZ for life and beyond! No one shall doubt the jazz party line (as formulated by Milestone)!  

felser, thanks for the BFT. For me, the biggest surprise was Ahmed Abdullah's trumpet playing on track 11. I heard his nice (but not exactly earth-shattering) "Diaspora" album on CIMP - his playing is much more mellow there, didn't even consider it might be him. And I still have his Silkheart CD lying around sealed - probably about time I give it a listen. I have another Steve Reid record from the same period (with Arthur Blythe), haven't listened to it for 20 years or so. I seem to remember there were some sound balance issues there.       

[felser]

42 minutes ago, Д.Д. said:

Yeah, let's ban this earless pseudo jazz fan from JAZZ for life and beyond! No one shall doubt the jazz party line (as formulated by Milestone)!  

felser, thanks for the BFT. For me, the biggest surprise was Ahmed Abdullah's trumpet playing on track 11. I heard his nice (but not exactly earth-shattering) "Diaspora" album on CIMP - his playing is much more mellow there, didn't even consider it might be him. And I still have his Silkheart CD lying around sealed - probably about time I give it a listen. I have another Steve Reid record from the same period (with Arthur Blythe), haven't listened to it for 20 years or so. I seem to remember there were some sound balance issues there.       

This album is also a mess on the mixing, but the music is so exciting l overlook that.