tkeith

You are most welcome and I'm sure all the musicians thank you for your purchases!

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

Welcome!

Happy to spend your money.

Felser is correct and this is my Favorite Frank Lacy release. Much to love on this record.

To access July’s BFT, please use the following link. http://thomkeith.net/index.php/blindfold-tests/ at the risk of stepping on KEN’s toenails, I’m going to start this today (not sure I am available tomorrow). Apologies in advance — this is a long BFT. I am usually better about that. Mostly long tracks, more of a listener than a fooler. Enjoy!

Frank Lacy is correct.

Older than that group... or at least, in a different loft. Yes, yes you do. It is available and I can provide you with the link in the reveal. Sorry about the dent. Not Roswell, and probably considered more mainstream than that, but actually covers a broader spectrum. One might (and this player DOES) argue that this trombonist is "the most widely idiomatically recorded musician of [their] generation".

Nailed it.

Man, you are so sniffing around the fire! Azar Lawrence DOES appear on this album, but this is not him. I'll be surprised if anyone gets this one. Your assessment that they are not Caribbean is correct. They seem to cover a fairly wide stylistic swath. Nothing about your reaction to this is a surprise, and yes, the bassist is INDEED a heavy musician. I would say the pianist qualifies, as well. This guy was a discovery to me about 20 years back. Haven't heard all that much from him recently, which could be as much my fault as his. I like where your ears took you, but this test does the impossible -- a BFT from me absent a John Hicks appearance.

Ding! Ding!

He is in there, and it is his composition, but the band operates under multiple names.

Not KB. I figured you'd dig this one and figured you for a lock to get it. Hint: Trumpet player identifies as something else and THEN a guy who plays trumpet. I'd be surprised if you're not correct about most of those.

Glad you could stop by! I think you called this one pretty well, though I think the perceived failure to pull it off is intentional. They call it something else, but parentheticaly "Yesterday". Pretty well assessed. Really don't expect this one to get ID'd. Certainly a period that influenced this band. That assessment comes as no surprise. I'm surprised this one hasn't been pegged, yet. Exactly. Seems to have been an occasional mark of the label that produced this music. In my mind, it was frequently the recording (there were some great drummers in the stable), but some of the recordings seemed to feature the "b" team. Appreciate that. This one, IMHO, gets better upon repeated listening. Another tenor who leaves it all on the field. I mostly agree on the composition, but the rhythmic pattern and the movement in the piano's left hand (freeing up the bass for ad-libs) make this one special to my ear. Composed by a GREAT musician and an underrated composer. Thanks, again!

Invisible Funk-A-Roonie-Peacock can be challenging, and the title track always seemed a bit short of the rest of the album to my ear, particular the A side.

Correct! My father picked this record out for me at Looney Tunes in Boston. At first, I didn't care for it. Upon repeated listenings, it became a favorite. There's a couple of filler tracks, but most of the album is excellent.

Spot on on track 9. LM was introduced to my via the BFT, and boy am I glad. LOVE this tune. And, I agree about how we are wired. Of course, I knew that the first time I saw your avatar! A few years back this happened:

Wow! Some definite surprises. Never would have gotten Alan Dawson, but feel pretty good about my assessment of James Williams. A lot of people saw him in a lower tier, but I've always felt he was under-respected within the genre.

Shoulda had your skates on!

A transcription of it is available on Scribd. Jim, What tunes have you transcribed, out of curiosity. Equal curious as to what your axe is (spend most of my time on the BFT thread and was not aware of this). Also, to the OP, you might have luck contacting him. For awhile he was offering to sell his arrangements on his website (I have a BH fetish and tried to purchase a slew of stuff, but it never materialized). I've lobbied him a couple of times about putting out a book of his material, but to no avail. He seems a pretty private guy.

Finally got a listen in. No mining (well, a little where it will be obvious), just first impressions. Track 01 - Old Devil Moon by a vibist I’m not familiar with. Modern recording, in that it’s too clean. The drums seem to lose something in the modern recordings, IMHO, as a result of the sound being *too* clean. Drummer seems like he comes out of Billy Higgins. Piano speaks to me most, here. Not quite John Hicks, but definitely out of that school. Track 02 - Not feeling this one. Keep waiting for it to go somewhere, but it never seems to get there. Muhal Richard Abrams has some stuff like this and it’s the stuff that least reaches me. Track 03 - Sounds like Gilmore’s tenor in the mix. This has PRECISELY what the last track lacked. That IT factor… or maybe it’s just that it swings. That’s NOT Gilmore. Very distinct tenor sound, almost like he’s holding it back. Ballsy… sort of like a ballsy Oliver Nelson. Particularly dig the drums on this cut. That’s Paul Gonsalves right there. Man, that right hand on the drummer is THICK! I like this a lot! This is must have material. Track 04 - Overall, this seems too abstract for the sake of being that. Sounds like Dolphy playing a clarinet, which I’ve only heard once or twice. Doesn’t really click for me. Seems absent the blues. Track 05 - If You Could See Me Now (did Tadd Dameron write any songs that WEREN’T great?!). No idea who the flugelhorn player is. Didn’t really grab, but was perfectly pleasant. Not a criticism, just an observation (hell, Art Farmer does that to me all the time!). Track 06 - Expressive, warm soprano sound. Inability to get that body in the tone is precisely why my soprano sits fallow most of the time. Can’t come up with the name of the tune, which frustrates… Short, sweet, to the point. Quite enjoyed this one. Track 07 - Surrey With The Fringe On Top. Cooking trio, but can’t say I know the players. Track 08 - Unclear on the tune, don’t know the players. Not a clarinet guy, but oddly, I like this. Track 09 - It’s a unique composition, but not in a way that makes me care. I do like the blending of the instruments within the arrangement. Liked it more as it went on, though the arrangement remains clunky. Soloists all seemed to work well against the backdrop of the band, particularly the alto, Bari, and trombone. Track 10 - “Warming up in the bullpen for Cincinnati…” No idea. Track 11 - I believe this one was on a previous test (118). I believe it’s track 9 from this. Love the song, love the movie, love the version. Track 12 - Interesting instrumentation. Not sure where I am on the composition, but love the blend of the three voices. Not feeling the organ, at all. Track 13 - Just friends. Dual vibes? Triple vibes? Or two vibes and a marimba, anyway. Three it is. Seemingly older recording (I’d guess late 50s/early 60s from the sound of the rhythm section; either that or it’s Mapleshade doing their thing even better than usual). Don’t know who. Of there three, I prefer the third; first two are a bit bouncy in their style for my taste. Rhythm section is right there, though, making this a good listen. Track 14 - Georgia a la Big Ben (who fools NOBODY). I know this is on multiple compilations. I’m familiar with it from The Complete Recordings of Ben Webster on Enlightenment. That seems to be Art Tatum on piano. Track 15 - I like the piano, crisp yet swinging. Not enamored of the guitar sound. Track 16 - I do NOT like harmonica. And yet, you’ve done it again: this, I like. Strange instrumentation, but I’m all in.

I didn't see the pinkish shade until the response. I took my notes in an app called Sticky Notes on my Chromebook at work. It copies the color of the note when you copy and paste and I can't figure out how to get it to NOT do that.

A bit delayed and getting ears on this one. Once I had the chance, I was mostly confounded. Weak pocket of the genre for me, so always an education. Track 01 - No idea Track 02 - No idea Track 03 - Honeysuckle Rose. No idea Track 04 - Honeysuckle Rose, again. No idea Track 05 - That sure sounds like Edward Kennedy Ellington on piano, and Honeysuckle Rose. Track 06 - This BFT is in full bloom. No idea. Track 07 - And the Sunny Side of the Street is leading to all those flowers. Sounds like Rabbit to me, but almost too clean. Track 08 - More sun! Could there be more flowers to follow!? Track is this, though I know not from which source. Track 09 - More sun. Not sure. I was thinking Jerome Richardson on flute/bari, but more due to context than any sure feeling. Trumpet sounds familiar (like, should have had him). Track 10 - Hmmm... theme is in full force. Obvious guess would be Fatha Hines, but I think it's more likely someone playing like EFH. Track 11 - No idea. Track 12 - Sounds like Django to me, but no further guesses. Track 13 - No idea. Track 14 - No idea. Track 15 - No idea.

Zorn can be enjoyable... and he can be un-enjoyable. This one was enjoyable, even where I differed with choices. Track 01 - West coastiness. Something very... proper(?) about the arpeggios in the alto player's solo. It's not stiff... but it's close. Track 02 - This sounds familiar rather quickly. I knew there was something quirky in that mix. Is that a banjo? No... brass guitar? Something odd in that bass, too. Acoustic bass guitar, maybe? Pizzacato cello? This is intriguing. It's odd, but remains musical. There's something almost Kenny Wheeler-ish about the trumpet, in a very good way. Like Kenny and Freddie Hubbard produced an offspring. Aha! Well, that's Oliver Lake. So maybe that could be someone along the lines of Hugh Ragin on trumpet. That strange-ish bass sound could be Abdul Wadad on cello. And the more I'm hearing the drummer, the more I'm getting a Cyrille vibe. Track 03 - Solo piano, older. Unsure. Track 04 - I like the vibe of this from the git go. Tenor has that vibrato quality that Byard Lancaster had on alto. Players struck me as avant garde players, but that's not the vibe, at all. Track 05 - Early on with the dogs was just weird enough to get me thinking Bill Dixon, but then it got all groovy. Hell, I like dogs -- I'm in. I was almost leaning Eddie Harris, then it hit me, that sure sounds like Rahsaan. And then, it sounds a little more controlled than Rahsaan. Definitely not Eddie. Okay, definitely Rahsaan, but not sure of the recording. Dig the groove, though. Is that a bassoon in my left ear? Intriguing. Can only name two guys who play that in the genre and I don't think it's either. Track 06 - That IS a different direction. Pretty straight forward swing, after the head. Maybe Budd Freeman on tenor? Not sure the band. Track 07 - Ooooo.. tasty. Man, this feels very LA to me. It's not Tapscott, but I think it's a disciple. It's not Adele Sebastian, so that leaves me wondering which of the doublers it might be (though, in truth, this sure sounds like a flute player to me). More polish on the piano than the Tapscott crowd, but I'm realling thinking Roberto Miquel Miranda on bass and Sonship Theus on drums. Very snappy drums, digging them a lot. That McCoy-ish lefthand is a big selling point for me, as well. Yeah, I'm going to commit and say flute is the main axe for this player. Some groaning in there, but not quite to the level of Harold Alexander. Perhaps James Newton? This is an absolute keeper for me. Track 08 - Odd. Heavily brass ensemble, heavily arranged, busy drums, but it works. Not sure how often I'd go to this well, but it's a refreshing drink at the moment. Get's a bit more common when it breaks into the Jazz waltz feel, but still works. The opening section had me thinking of Charles Tolliver's Brass Company. I'm almost wondering if this might be from Charles' current big band, as that sounds like Donald Harrison on alto. Arrangement has a bit of an edge to it, as well. Track 09 - HANK JONES! The Great Jazz Trio. This is SUCH a great track! Track B1 from this. One day, I WILL cover this tune. Hank is a forgotten hero of this music. Should be mentioned as frequently as Barry Harris or Tommy Flanagan. Stellar! Track 10 - Niceness. Very tasteful ballad. Not sure who the 'bone player is, only who it isn't. It's pleasant, but not overly memorable. Certainly a nod is due to Freddie Hubbard. At first I was thinking a controlled Hannibal, but that's not the case. Maybe Jeremy Pelt? Again, seems a bit more controlled. I like this, but prefer the trumpet player to the trombone (though that's purely preference -- both are fine efforts). So refreshing to hear a ballad that REMAINS a ballad. Track 11 - Has a very Vijay Iyer feel to it (and I mean that in a good way). It's complicated rhythmically, but remains musical. Vijay manages that where so many fail. Piano solo gets VERY busy, but that bugs me less than the putrid electric bass. Again, just a preferential thing, but I truly loathe that instrument 99% of the time. About 4:58, I turned into Montgomery Burns - "Alright... it's beginning to grate a little..." Almost wondering if this might be Martina Almgren's band. Seems like they may be a couple of steps ahead of that from a technical standpoint. Clearly, these are good players, but... I hate to be the curmudgeon, but... "sing me a song, baby." Gets a little too into the world of Chris Potter towards the end. I think I would have been wowed if the whole thing were about 5-1/2 minutes. This is just too busy for too long to suit my tastes. Sorry about the color background, it's a Chromebook thing, and I got paid to take this test. Ah... I see I'm not as isolated in my appreciation of Hank Jones as I thought. Got to see him towards the end, and glad I did. A true master.