tkeith

Welp, the original idea went a little whack. I was going to transcribe the conversation using YouTube, but there's a copyright claim, so... here's the evidence from Tim and myself. (audio gets a bit louder as it goes, but you'll do better with headphones) BFT 225 analysis and associated nonsense from two blokes in chairs.

Confirmed. The ID is still open, but that's because I only found it via sleuthing, so I didn't want to claim the glory.

I suppose I'd better get in here before all the glory is gone. Track 01 - Easy*. Can't miss Ari. With Kahil doing his best impersonation of Elvin. There's nothing I don't love about this. And, with due respect to Pharoah (and if you've known me 3 seconds, you know I absolutely LOVE Pharoah), this is absolute ownership. Pharoah acquits himself well, but Ari just... wow. Kahil certainly gets it. And let's not sleep on that bassist from Children of the Corn. Track 3 from this. *[inside joke between me and Tim] Track 02 - The head me thinking Ahmed Abdullah, but that tenor is throwing me. Sounds like Eric Alexander if somebody pissed him off (in a good way). Not Ahmed Abdullah. I'm liking the drums most prominently, but I can hear what you like about the bassist, who sure as hell sounds like Ron Carter at times. Wait, that's gotta be Tony Williams. Second listen... Art Farmer? What? Okay, sleuthing gets me to the answer, but I"m not posting that because I didn't KNOW it. That tenor player should take my comment as a HUGE compliment. Literally never cared for the guy, but this sure as hell works. Track 03 - Oddly, this track doesn't load into Apple Music for me, but I can play it in preview pane. Sax has a little Eddie Harris going for it, but the rest of it is like CTI mixed with that odd Trane 4tet recording of Nature Boy. I like it, but WHAT is going on here!?!? Now, that's GOT to be Eddie. Man, this is KILLIN'! Almost has the vibe of Joe McPhee's Nation Time. Love this. Track 04 - I mean, rhodes, that Guilherme Franco percussion vibe... I'm in . Man, this is bitching my brew. I mean, has to be Bennie Maupin, doesn't it? Well, that's Woody Shaw, so I'm probably on point with Guilherme Franco. Okay, another sleuth job. Under my radar so I'm not posting the answer, again, because I didn't *know* it. Not Maupin, but I'm still comfortable with what got me to that guess. Track 05 - I don't think I know this but it's lovely. Touches on some Mal Waldron feel at the end, but seems to lack that "thing" he has. Track 06 - Now, as many times as we've hung, we've never talked about stuff like this. Obviously Lockjaw. Ah! Jerome Richardson for sure, so this is from The Cookbook (one of them). JR works his butt off here, but man... that's Lockjaw. Track 07 - Something marchy about those drums. For sure I've heard this, but don't recall you playing it. Marchy + loose... Blackwell? Oh, wait. No. It's Air. Forget the track, but man, when I hear this, I sure hear Fred's influence on you. Man, Threadgill can write! Not to mention play. Really love his gritty tenor sound. Not an ounce of bullshit anywhere near this music. This is rapidly turning into one of my favorite BFTs. Track 08 - Not sure, but I love everything about it. Man, that interlude sounds like something else... Jesus this cooks! Second listen. Okay, that's definitely Harold Land. Third listen -- Rosolino, put the ranch on it. OH! CHRIST! Vic Feldman on Vibes! How dare you, sir! Track 09 - Okay, lots of piano, so it's gotta be the piano choir (because I'll eat my hat if that's not Cowell doing his Tatum impression). Man, this must have been something to see. AND they don't get in one another's way. Amazing stuff. Track 10 - I mean, it's Mal. Or is it. Could be Ibrahim, too. Now I'm thinking Embryo, so back to Mal. Hell, I give up. Track 11 - That opening vibe reeks of Ari Brown. Nope. Now you're just being difficult. Too commercial to be what I thought it was. Wait, that sure sounds like David Murray (because it is). What the hell IS this? Track 12 - Well, this escalated quickly. Heavily commercial featuring the unemployment stick. I mean, I don't hate it, but I could if pushed. Make that a bari, maybe a little John Surman, and I could be all in. I just loathe that flashy clarinet. Wait now, that could certainly be Sonny Sharrock, so I'm coming around. Yeah, if we can agree to blast the unemployment stick to another planet, I'll get onboard. Track 13 - Ominous. Then optimistic. Then slightly maudlin in a romantic vein. Okay, we need to pick a focus here. I'm warming to it to the point I want to like it, but... I just can't quite get to the vocalist. And the background... there's something that makes it feel like the Oscars' band. I just can't get to her. There's something almost Pharoah-ish about that sax player, so I'm thinking it's that Chicago guy that fools me and makes me think he's Pharoah. I see why you like it, but I just can't get fully onboard on this one -- it's the combination of the vocals and the poppy band behind it all. I'll never remember the guy's name I'm thinking of, but he was on a BFT within the past year and I didn't know him but you did.

With apologies, Jim -- I've been in home improvement project hell for most of the month. If not for a text exchange with WebbCity today, I might have completely forgotten about this. Track 01 - Pretty straight forward stuff. Organ is VERY heavy in the mix, so I assume the leader. The tenor players time suggests Jimmy Heath, but it's a bigger sound on the laptop speakers, closer to Gator, but not him. Switching to ear buds to see if that helps. Hmmm... that's a little cleaner, but that organ is still WAY too bright. Love that fool-you ending. Drums are quite busy, but no idea who. Track 02 - I hope it's rooted in sarcasm. I was listening to The Nylons, who do a great cover of the song being borrowed, yesterday. Track 03 - Sure sounds like George Braith to me. Organ is prominent here, as well, but it works a bit better to my ear. Love the overall feel. Not particularly deep, but I don't care -- it makes me happy. Weird for me to say as a horn player, but the horn is the least appealing thing to me here. That rhythm section sets up a great feel, but I want more done with it. Track 04 - Dmitri from Paris? Can't say I love it, but it also kind of works. I was being cheeky with my original comment, but I'm going to go ahead and double down on it, because it's precisely the sort of thing DFP does. Hard to tell what's being sampled because they've tweaked the sound so much, but first impressions were Mulligan w/Brookmeyer. Track 05 - What my brain experiences internally whenever somebody puts on 80s cheeze metal like Foreigner or Def Leppard. Wait, I take that back. This is more serious than that, but not my thing. Mix this with Yoko and THAT'S what my brain experiences when being forced to sit through either of the aforementioned bands. Track 06 - Reminds me of Ahmed Abdul Malik's stuff on Prestige. I find it interesting, but I have to be in the right mood. I don't THINK this is that. Kind of loses me just before the 3 minute mark. No guesses other than NOT AAM. Track 07 - Voice sounds like Amiri Baraka. Perhaps the New York Art Quartet? Could be Roswell. Amiri sounds older here. Nope, that's sure sounds like young Shepp. Unsure, but I'm listening multiple times. Track 08 - Now, I know that vocalist. AND that tenor. Damn it. Oh, Christ! Of course. That's Sonny with Earl Coleman. I bought this when I was a kid for Ee-Ah, and even though I tended to not care for vocals (blame my old man), I always loved this. And MAN! I forgot how much Sonny is killin' it on this! Great pick! Can't say it's what I was expecting, which, I guess, is precisely what I was expecting! Thanks, Jim! Welp, after pawing through the comments, I guess I need to go back and dig out the New York Art Quartet recordings and lay ears on them, again. Re-listening to track 1. I would never have gotten the tune from this version, but I actually like what they did with it. Also, COMPLETELY concur with your assessment of Sonny's work on that track.

WebbCity in November and Felser in December.

Beautiful. Thanks, dudes.

No worries -- I was asleep at the wheel on the thread. (That's a lie... I never sleep... I wait.) Updated the master list: Tim in October, Jim in November.

Tim, Jim said "please," so I'd like to give him October, though you technically laid claim, first. Please advise.

Guy definitely hears things his own way (and I mean that as a positive). Really something to see him live -- has a physical presence that cannot be ignored.

Awfully quiet in here...

Last entry on Page 1, bud. Long one.

Track 01 - Barbados. Obvously J.J. Ah, okay. That's Elvin, so this is from Dial. "Respectable" band is putting mildly. Funny, when gleeful 14-year-old me told my friends I got to meet Tommy Flanagan, they just weren't that excited. I don't get it. It's interesting to hear Elvin *almost* rush the tempo on the fours section. He's him, but he's not HIM, yet. Track 02 - A tasteful arrangment of Moonlight In Vermont. I don't fully recognize this. Almost had me leaning Mal Waldron on the piano intro, but the rest of the fit is all wrong. It's clearly Lee Konitz, but that sounds like Giuffre's arranging. A little sleuthing turns up a YouTube link from a compilation with very little info, so I'll stop there. Track 03 - Tune is obvious (though I swear my vinyl copy called it "Miles". Snappy drums. Okay, I know these guys, but not together, and it's throwing me. Bassist is spending a lot of time in the middle range, but there's something about those strings that pinging and I can't find it. Drums have taken me from Shelly Manne to Philly Joe, but neither is there. Second listen: that Walter Bishop, early. That's clear, and I'm annoyed it took two listens. I've gotten no further on the sidemen without cheating, so I'll stop there. Track 04 - Where or When? Okay, at 3 minutes he can't hide anymore -- that's Lucky. Not sure the correct source, but I have it on the eponymous album, digitally. Can't explain why, but I just love that cover. Track 05 - I'm listening... That sure sounds like Andrew Hill's chord voicings. Not sure if I've got this one in the archives or not, but I know it's One For One. There will never be enough Andrew Hill. Track 06 - Obviously Walt Dickerson, just need to parse out who and what. Okay, Sun Ra, so it's Jazz Impressions of A Patch of Blue. Ah, yes, Bacon and Eggs. Track 07 - Huh! No you don't. This was available at Loony Tunes for $1.99, used, or $1.88 new. I bought the new. Originally from Now Is The Time, easily one of the most played records in my collection. Dick Griffin is highly underrated, particularly as a composer. He's also an incredibly nice person and provided me with one of the conversations I will cherish for the duration of my time on this planet. A failing of humanity that this is not more well known. Track 08 - Tune sounds like Spiritual. Tenor is not giving me the tell-tale IDs I'm looking for. Not Frank Lowe, which was where it seemed headed. I'm in full sleuth land and coming up with nothing. Did discover a Dwight Trible recording I need, but this isn't that. Voice reminds me of the guy on the Mwata Bowden's 1 Foot In-1 Foot Out. But it's not him. I'm perplexed. I should be able to get the tenor, but I'm not finding him. I is stumped. Track 09 - Man, I want this to be a lot of things it isn't, and it's getting to me. I want that to be Dave Holland, but it isn't. No, it HAS to be. Alright, deep dive into the interwebs, and I found it. Roy Haynes from Love Letters. I wanted to guess Sco, but figured it was my bias based on the test creator. Just listen, fool. It's CLEARLY Sco. At least my faith in the humanity of Dave Holland's sound is restored. Track 10 - You'll never believe it, but I had the song, composer from the first two notes. This version is from Water From An Ancient Well. I recall him telling Eric Jackson in an interview that he'd had a hit with this song. Eric assumed he was speaking hyperbolically; he was not. Really wish the world would discover his compositions. Track 11 - J-Griff fools no one. I know this from Live in Tokyo, but that version is much slower. This is earlier. I want it to be Abdul-Malik, but it's not. Not even sure if I have this, but one can never go wrong wtih Johnny Griffin. Track 12 - Not sold on the drummer. Has the feel of the South African stuff from the 60s/70s but this is newer. Feels like the drummer is out of element playing this constrained beat, and it makes it sound a little... not comical, but like a sitcom soundtrack. More so when the tenor comes in -- precisely why I dread rock gigs. Don't know the tenor. Gun to my head, I'd throw out a guess of Winston Ngozi, but I don't think it's him. That's Hugh Ragin. So, this has to be one of his things I'm less familiar with. That's Jaribu Shahid -- can't hide him once those syncopated lines around 5:10 start. I know he did a record with Craig Taborn's trio, so I assume this is that. I forget who the tenor is on that... Assif? This doesn't sound like him to me, but could be -- the song really has an out-of-context feel. Track 13 - Wait, I know the song, not the version. I'm going to guess later Ellington. That piano sounds like a beat up studio piano, though. But the harmonies on the crescendo really sound like later Ellington (piano doesn't, at all, though). Are you perhaps sneaking in a contemporary classical thing for all the reasons listed above? Track 14 - Obviously Johnny Hodges (and Woodyard). Not sure which of these records it is, but that's gotta be Jimmy Hamilton on tenor. Piano ALMOST sounds like Ellington, so I'll guess Strayhorn. Before Anatomy of a Murder, but not by much -- that's really what this reminds me of. Couple of surprises, couple of unknowns. Given that it began with, "You'll probably know 'em all," [no pressure], feel okay about this one. Tim always says the same thing and somehow, half of it is always a mystery. Change of Pace. Christ! How did I miss that?

Half right -- I'm going to take the leftovers, but that guy needs to claim his month.

Excellent!

Yours, cap'n!

Yours, sir.

Done, sir.

January - Dan Gould February - Mike Weil March - Randy Hersom April - Big Al May - mjzee June - Dub Modal (flexible) July - Thom Keith August - Ken Dryden September - Joe October - Webb City November - JSangry December - Felser

Well, it seems like I should probably start a sign-up list for 2023. I'd like to stick with the format Bill setup leaving a calendar year between tests by the same author. If you positively can't do that, please message me privately. I'll work with everyone to do my best to make sure you get the month you want, or failing that, a month that works for you. Happy compiling!

Apologies for a very late go this month. Not a lot of IDs for me on this -- definitely off the main drag of my listening, which is a healthy thing. Track 01 - Uhm... no idea. Not my bag, though. Interested in the story behind its inclusion, for sure. Track 02 - Mathy-Monkish feel. Vijay is always the first guy who pops into mind for this type of stuff, but seems to lean a bit further away from the protractor than his stuff. This feels closer to someone who listened to a lot of Woody Shaw. Settles into a good feel, though the drums feel like they're pushing to me. Loses steam during the trombone solo. I wanted a Roswell vibe, and it just wasn't there. Trumpet is the star here, and my guess is it's the trumpeter's date. Certainly a nod is due to Kenny Wheeler, this is a tick below that level of mastery of the instrument, but that's no criticism. The time seems a bit loose during the trumpet solo -- again, not a negative, just not KW. I know I'm on my porch with a shotgun yelling at kids, but the drummer is just too busy. It's an interesting composition. Track 03 - A different take on Naima. Carla Bley meets a standard? Clearly an accomplished pianist, and a melodic improvisation, but that pulse is off-putting. I recognize that's also what sets it apart, but I just can't warm to it. Perhaps repeated listenings would change that (it did for Eastern Rebellion's version), but here, it seems to distract from a really well executed solo. Could this be Toshiko? Track 04 - Very familiar sound to this opening, but it's not what it's reminding me of. Someone to Watch Over Me. Very capable trio. It's a BFT, so I'm prompted to assume it could be Gene Harris. No new ground broken here, and that's fine, because it's doing what it does admirably. Don't know if I want two full sets of this, but right now, it's fitting perfectly. The exchange with the drums gets a bit hokey, but it still works. No further guesses, though. Track 05 - Nice compositional nod to Bud Powell. Arrangement is nice, too. Bassist is extremely capable, but spends too much time up the neck for my taste. Mind you, the facility makes it okay. Loses some steam on the alto solo. Player has all the facility, none of the feel. Has that thing that rubs me badly about Rudresh and TK Blue -- relax. Hell, inhale if you have to, but calm down. Tenor: yeah, I love Joe, too, dude. Unsure who the players are, but the whole feel is hurried, and it just misses the nerve it's going for. Maybe it's because I drank iced coffee instead of the real thing, but this one has left me feeling uneasy -- not the vibe or a Tuesday. Really nice tune, though. Maybe slow it a bit? Maybe I'm just old. Track 06 - If I'm wrong, I'll be disowned for typing this, but the feel of the phrasing says Zoot Sims to me. Tune is obvious, The Very Thought Of You. I'll commit to the Zoot guess. As such, I believe it's from this which I do not have, but have heard some of. Track 07 - This feels like the player is reading the chart (doing incredibly well, but that's the feel). Sound here is odd. Sounds like it was a room recording from a different time, but there's also a lot of effects on that guitar. No idea what the tune is, but I like it. Almost feels like this is a rehearsal take. Very curious about this -- feel like I want to hear more of the session. Track 08 - Sleeping Bee. Not a version I'm familiar with. Only thing I can say for sure, it's not Tommy Flanagan's version. Harold Arlen wrote such nice tunes. Drums here feel a bit rigid. Can't tell if it's the style or intent in the version, but I'm sensing that trend with a number of the cuts on this BFT. It settles down once the ride starts. Then it has kind of a Connie Kaye vibe. Pianist doesn't rush at all, which suggests a certain time period to my ear. I believe these are players from that 70s/80s generation (maybe roots further back). I could listen to a lot of this -- really strong take on the tune. Sound suggests Concord. Maybe Jamil Nassir on bass? Actually feeling pretty strong about that one. Track 09 - Lover Man. No idea who. Has an older sound to the recording. Sounds like a young player of the time playing a tribute to their idol. Nothing wrong with that, but not sure I'd give it multiple spins. Track 10 - Early reaction to this is strongly positive. Bass + space. What's that I hear? Why, it's a rhapsody, of course. This is doing different right. It works from the get go. On the laptop, now I hear a lot of reverb on the bass. Not a problem, but definitely a choice. Have an Art Davis recording like that -- very heavy on the verb. Was almost thinking an older Dizzy on trumpet, but I think it's just someone expressing love for same. I want it to be Konitz, but it's not. Similar vintage of player, perhaps? I mean, this works. Everything about it just works. I'm thinking it's high-tier players who lie just off the course of my listening. Track 11 - This is fun. I see Peter Sellers snooping through a alley. Like it, no idea what it is. Track 12 - That Muse sound right of the bat. Or perhaps better sound than that. The patience of that warm, mellow flugelhorn has me thinking Art Farmer. Nope. The precision of attack just isn't there. Very strong player, though. 80s tenor guy. Could be Brecker, because it strikes me like that. I'm not really buying any of it. Oddly, project the same lines coming out of Johnny Griffin, and I'd be all in. I'm just not in favor of the tenors out of this particular school -- I don't hear the uniqueness. This falls into the category of a nice jazz record. Bass seems fairly prominent in the mix, which makes me wonder if it's the bassist's record. I don't know this bassist. Very busy. Perhaps Bobby Shew on trumpet? Writing feels like his style. Track 13 - On The Sunny Side of the Street. Odds of me getting a violinist are extremely low. Pianist is not Ellington, which eliminates my top guess of Ray Nance. I could cheat and guess Grapelli for even odds, but I don't think it's him. Nice version, not trying to outdo itself. Track 14 - Not something in my collection. Maybe Gary Burton? I'm not getting a strong identifier out of the vibes. Solid piano solo, but not getting an ID there, either. Can't even nail down the tune, but it sure is familiar. Nothing wrong here, just not really grabbing me. Track 15 - I wanted it to be Harold Alexander, but it's not. Upbeat, interesting arrangement. Before the vocalist solo, I was wondering if perhaps it was Christine Corea, but this seems more Flora Purim in nature. Not sure this is a scat solo I needed. Just doesn't really do anything. Again, sorry for the late participation, and thanks for putting together this month's challenge! I'll be damned. Farmer fooled me and I was thinking Paul Horn but couldn't pull the name from the recesses of my brain.

Huge kudos for at least four tracks of people I'm familiar with and feel I should have gotten and didn't. All four will need to be added to the collection. Well done.

Not yet, bud. Still in the think of it. Anybody tells you it's just a bad cold can go stuff themselves. #thisAintNoJoke True, but I'm probably closer than most!

Apologies for the delay in getting to this. I had a good start, then life through curves (including Covid), but I finally got my ears to the rest of it. Track 01 - Yes, please. Sound is a little strange (VERY strong channel separation), but music is spot on. Drums have that light sound of a Theresa Records recording. Not much in the way of effects on the vibes, a very clean sound. Patient improviser, as well. Pianist is a bit over-zealous at times, but this really works. Hmmm... who it isn't: Joe Bonner, Cecil McBee... who it is? Having a bit more trouble there. Almost wondering if this might be Embryo doing another crossover project, but this sounds definitively like a group of Jazz players. Track 02 - It's interesting, but I don't care for that bass. Electrified of some sort. Doesn't quite hit the mark, but it IS interesting. Track 03 - Like the understated trumpet, but unsure who it is. Something very Brubeck about the piano. Like the use of the arco bass on the melody, too. Nice cut, but I can't put a finger on it. I don't think I know these players. Track 04 - This is pretty tasty. A bit busy, but works quite well. Writing makes me think Jerry Sabatini, but that doesn't sound like his trumpet work. The setting is nice for the soloists, but feels like they didn't really make the most of it. I wanted the tenor player to cut loose, but all I'm hearing is the practice room, and I'll never understand why this happens. Overall, this seems like it wants to be in the vein of Old and New Dreams, but to my ear, doesn't quite make it (despite the stellar bass work). Track 05 - First impressions were 70s Messengers. Then the horns came in and it felt almost like Elvin's Jazz Machine. It's neither of those, but seems heavily indebted to both (not a bad thing at all). Maybe Franklin Kiermyer on drums? I like this better than the last cut, but the tenors, particularly the second, seem to suffer from the same issue. There's a great energy built up for them to plug into, then they just don't. By the time the second guy digs in, he's lost me. If you cut the first section of his solo out, you've got a pretty good solo. As it stands, it just misses the mark, despite the drummer absolutely kicking their ass. Some definite McCoyisms from the pianist, but I don't think it's the Master himself. Still, nice open chord voicings, struck convincingly, and it fits the mood built by the drums/bass. Really like this pianist. Like McCoy on decaf! Oh wait, the espresso just kicked in. If the tenor players could match this fire, this cut would have been something intense. As it is, it's a good track, but it had the potential to be epic. That surely sounds like Kiermyer going full Elvin. Track 06 - Almost has me thinking Hank Jones when he gets into the stride feel. No idea, but this is very nice. Track 07 - Actually really appreciate Tuvan throat singing, but frustrated that I can't do it. This person clearly can. I'm not convinced it works, here, but neither am I convinced it doesn't. I like the understated trombone work, but I'm not fully feeling the mix of these two voices. It's neat, but not sure I need it. Track 08 - Certainly has an ECM feel. Not as flashy as Michel Petrucciani, maybe Bobo Stenson? It's nice, but that's also where it's problems lie -- it's a bit polite. Track 09 - Wait, I have this. I know I do. AH! At 2:17-2:38 it reveals itself distinctly. It's from this, one of my favorite albums from my early teen years. Of course, if it hadn't revealed itself, once the big guy comes in, you'd know it. Track 10 - Quite reminiscent of a tune from a Connecticut band in the early oughts called The Jazz Aesthetic. They showed up on one of my BFTs. I will guarantee this is NOT them. Something about the feel has me leaning Vijay Iyer. A bit mathjazzy for my liking, but I know a lot of folks I play with would love it. Given that statement and the busy drumming, I have to wonder if that's Brian Blade. Track 11 - Nice voicings. I desperately want this to be a Mal Waldron cut, but it isn't. Surely has his feel, though. Wait! At 2:14, there's no way this ISN'T Mal! But what? Digging through my Mal stash, I don't have it. Perhaps just a sycophant's take? It's excellent, whatever it is, but now I'm going to not sleep.

Oooooo! Usenet! I wasted a LOT of time in that neck of the woods back then (not that group, but others). Miss those days. Seems like the text interface made for better conversation. :/

Or my ears are (very distinct possibility). My mind was blown about all things string when I watched a kid playing an acoustic hollow body through a distortion pedal. I've trusted nothing since.