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And so you have🎄🎄🎄

I already posted the answers in a separate post!

First things first, I'd like to thank Thom for giving me the opportunity to put this blindfold test together. AND NOW, YOUR REVEAL!   Track #1: Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few/AmeriKKKa The Ugly/The World Is On Fire/Division 81 Records, 2024 I saw Isaiah Collier this past winter at the Detroit Institute of Arts. It was the second time I had seen him overall, and both sets were mind blowing. When he performed this song, it was truly one of the highlights of his set in February of 2025. Track #2: Lakecia Benjamin feat. Gary Bartz/Liberia/Pursuance: The Coltranes/Ropeadope, 2020 Lakecia Benjamin is another musician I recently saw, this time in December of 2024. She put on an amazing show. Since she didn't bring any CD's, I ordered two from Bandcamp and also got the digital downloads. In fact, many of the songs on this list are from CD's I either had digital downloads or doubles of. Track #3: A. Spencer Barefield Quartet/Black Diamond/Soul Steppin' Through The Fabulous Ruins/CAC-Xenogenesis, 2004 Spencer Barefield is one of Detroit's best guitarists, and he and his wife Barbara are very active within their community. Two of the nicest and most talented people I've met (Barbara is a photographer). This remake of a song that's been recorded by Rahsaan Roland Kirk features two other Detroit guys who I've come to know well...Dave McMurray on tenor sax and Djallo Djakate on drums, as well as Canadian bassist Dave Young. (You should have seen his reaction when I brought the liner notes for one of his albums to a gig for him to sign...for whatever reason he couldn't believe I had found it. That happens a LOT when I bring liner notes/records to shows.) You guys got the song right, but not the artist...I recommend checking as much of their music out as you can, if you haven't already. Track #4: Jason Moran/Bloody Sunday, Parts 1-3/Selma/Paramount Pictures/Pathe Productions Limited, 2015 Not the U2 classic here, folks. Jason Moran is slated to be the artist-in-residence at this year's Detroit Jazz Festival, which will be on Labor Day weekend, and I wanted to include something by him. For those who asked "where's the movie"...there you go. I was a sports bar DJ for years and downloaded the "Selma" soundtrack for the John Legend/Common song, and I was also following advice of a wise man who once told me that sometimes the best songs on an album aren't the hits. Besides, I like to get the whole thing when possible and practical. Track #5: The Gene Harris Quartet/Straight, No Chaser/It's The Real Soul/Concord Jazz, 1996 Several people guessed that it was either Herbie Mann, James Spaulding, or Frank Wess playing the flute on this Monk classic. To those who guessed Frank Wess, you're right. For some inexplicable reason, I find a lot of Gene's CD's either used, sometimes in "mystery bags" bought at record shops, and I don't know why. He was one of the best. Track #6: Beastie Boys/Song For Junior/Hello Nasty/Capitol/Grand Royal, 1998 I wanted to slip this song in there to see how you'd react. It really does go to show how much the Beastie Boys evolved as musicians...they even got some of the best jazz musicians to help them with this one...Eric Bobo, a second-generation Latin percussionist (son of Willie) and frequent collaborator, Joe Locke on vibraphone, and Steve Slagle on flute. Nuff respect to Joe for throwing that "A Love Supreme" quote in there. I've actually met Joe at several shows and this is the one song I asked him about the most...and even beat boxed it for him! Track #7: Kenny Garrett/Back Where You Started/Simply Said/Warner Bros., 1999 Tick tock, ya don't stop. I saw Kenny Garrett perform this song at the 1999 Detroit Jazz Festival, part of a mind-blowing set. It was the first time I had ever seen Kenny perform live and he did NOT disappoint. Most of the songs were from the album "Back Where You Started" was on ("Simply Said") as it was his latest at the time...but he rocked the house with "Giant Steps" and "Sing A Song Of Song" too. In fact, my buddy and I decided we wouldn't listen to any music on the ride home after that. I wanted to show Kenny some love (I've seen him several times since) and use a song that's a little off the beaten path for him. Track #8: The RJ Spangler Trio/Cease The Bombing/This Is What We Do/Eastlawn Records, 2012 More Detroit jazz here, folks! This one features drummer and bandleader RJ Spangler, Duncan McMillan on organ, and Ralph Tope (late of the band the Wrong Numbers) on guitar. I've seen them, especially RJ, more times than I can count...three very knowledgeable and nice guys. Yes, this is a song commonly associated (as much as is) with the underrated Grant Green. Track #9: Dave McMurray/Truckin'/Grateful Deadication 2/Blue Note, 2023 I could tell you some stories about Dave McMurray...he and his wife Garzelle are beautiful people. Having friends in both the local jazz and jam band scenes makes any show where he focuses on the Grateful Dead covers a LOT of fun. I loved this arrangement of "Truckin'" from the moment I first heard it, in fact, it made me think that this is what it would have sounded like had Stevie Wonder covered it in the 1970's. Even before he recorded the two Dead tribute albums (and one time in between the two), he sat in with Bob Weir and Wolf Bros., of whom Don Was is the bass player. Did Don Was put Dave up to this? I never asked. Much like the Dead themselves, Dave's Grateful Dead tribute albums are amazing, but even better live. Track 10: Ernest Dawkins' Chicago 12/Make It Stop/Un-Till Emmett Till/DAWK Music, 2009 I wanted to throw another one which I deemed "obscure", but it looks like a lot of you guys got it from the jump. My friend Rebecca, may she rest in peace, knew a lot of the Detroit and Chicago musicians, and showed me that there was much more to loving jazz than collecting CD's and knowing who and what is on each one. She got me going to more live jazz and when she was unable to get out as much as she wanted to, I started writing trip reports on my Facebook page so she could read all about whatever she missed that I made it to. When she passed, I got her CD's, and she had a ton of Ernest Dawkins' albums, and this was one of them. So there you go. I enjoyed doing this, and am looking forward to doing more. As Mike D from the Beastie Boys said, I got a million ideas I ain't even rocked yet.    

“Basie in London” Verve cd Apparently not recorded in London (was recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden) but man what a performance!  

Playing this one later today!