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tkeith

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  3. BFT 237 Discussion Thread

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    On 12/1/2023 at 1:50 PM, felser said:

    Consensus seemed to be that I was too far out of bounds on too many cuts last year, so I pulled it in some this year, which leads to less life-altering possibilities, though hopefully still makes for a good listen. 

    You know, I get it, but given some of the stuff that goes completely in the opposite direction in the tests of others, I don't think you need to tone any of it down.  We're allowed varied tastes, and participation is a choice.  But that's my 2¢.  ;)

    On 12/1/2023 at 7:43 PM, JSngry said:

    And that is where you tell them to go fuck themselves.

    And mean it. 

     

    Sngry2024

  4. BFT 237 Discussion Thread

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    I'm accustomed to doing my thing, but realize it couldn't hurt to have a blurb about process.  Stream-of-onsciience comments
    on the first listen, no peaking.  If I listen more than once, I'll say so.

    Track 01 - It's too late, she's gone too far, she's lost the sun... she's come undone.  I'm sure my chronology is backwards, but I can't unhear it.  Gets serious mileage out of the most basic formula.  No idea what I'm listening to, but no complaints.

    Track 02 - Not an Elvin project, but the owe him a tip of the cap.  Absolutely nothing wrong with it musically, but the tenor is living precisely in the neighborhood that turns me off these days.  All the note are right, but I'm not getting the story.  Amazing technician, but I liken him to reliever Joe "Fight Club" Kelly.  Yeah, you had the hardest fastball in the majors for several years, but if you took a little off, you were much more effective.  The tenor player has put many hours into the craft to get to a certain point (focusing on technique).  Now walk away from the practice room, forget all that, and tell me a story.  PLEASE!  Keys were there but didn't  make a huge impression.  Trumpet saves this for me.  Same chops as the tenor, but far more musical to my ear.  Drummer is busy doing the Elvin thing, but it works.  Maybe Blade?  Kiermayer?  Wait, a band where the guitarist has the least ego?  Actually my favorite of the group, which is rare.  I sniff a Martino flavor here.  So, clearly the tenor's date, as s/he/s hogging the solo time.  I'd rather have heard more of the trumpet and guitar.  Again, everything is 'correct', I just don't care.  Good tune, though!  

    Track 03 - Maybe Khan Jamal.  I like the ragtag feel of the rhythm section, and the odd vibes sound.  Not entirely in love with the alto (or, at all).  Kind of a James Spaulding sound with a Braxton-ish approach to rhythm, which is always a turn off for me.  It's got an honest feel, though.  Brutish tenor continues that trend.  Kind of feel like this is guys just off my radar.  It's close, but missing a bit too much of the blues to warm my belly.  Though, I confess to being an old fart in such matters.  Bari was my preferred solo, then tenor, but the quirky nature of the tune prevents me from completely getting there.

    Track 04 - I've just realized the majority of this song passed without impression.  No idea who it is, but it's in that contemporary category that just doesn't grab my attention.  Nothing wrong with it, just didn't make me care.

    Track 05 - I mean, 3/4, poppy late-60s/early-70s hippie feel -- I'm *SO* in.  

    Track 06 - These last two are right in the wheelhouse of Felser that I was anticipating.  There's nothing to NOT like here.  Tune, vamp, feel, it's all here.  Punchy alto.  Not a first-tier player, but it's honest and the player is working hard.  I'll take it.  If the tenor on the second track had done this, I'd have been all in.  This player is a notch beneath #2 technically, but this solo just works.  Musical, logical, interesting, and I feel a story.  Carter Jefferson's neighborhood, but not his house.  Pianist sounds like a poor man's Harold Mabern, which is to say, I like him (or her).  

    Track 07 - Not out, but slightly off the beaten path.  Like a cross between Bill Barron and a later Mingus project. Alright, I was going to say NOT Don Pullen, but as that's clearly George Adams, we'll go with Don Pullen and, despite the fact that I'm having trouble hearing the bass, I'll say it's a later Mingus project.  I haven't dug out Changes One & Two in years, but it could be from that.  

    Track 08 - Uhm, yes please.  More of this, all the time.  Had to rewind after the melody.  This is a Tolliver tune, is it not?  Explains why I'm instantly in love with it, if so.  So, that could be Hutch.  This is not the version I'm acquainted with.  I think the version I know is from one of those Arista/Freedome albums with the pink cover.   Paper Man or The Ringer.  LOVE the drums on this.  That could well be Jimmy Hopps.  Sure sounds like Charles.  Very in your kitchen (in a good way).  LOVE that guy.  SWAGGER!  But with purpose.  Joe, with a purpose of his own.  MUCH swagger here.  That piano sound suggests this is perhaps a Strata-East date.  

    Track 09 - Hang on, I have to tie my roller skates.  It's a pleasant enough feel, but nothing that makes it stand out.  I'd probably have more love for it without the vocals.  Rock-side band crossing over?

    Track 10 - Love right off the bat.  Really a lot to love about this feel. Open chords and relentless, energetic drums.  Tenor doesn't go freak out, instead locking into that vibe, maybe a little shy of what's been set up, but it works.  I respect the struggle of the tenor.  Like the technique is just a tick off from what he's hearing and he's (or she's) fighting for it.  Personally, I appreciate the struggle.  If track 2 had this energy, it would have been right in the wheelhouse.  This is honest, real and gets its point across for me.  Feel like I should probably know the tenor.  

    Track 11 - Guessing this is the same band as one of the other tracks... track 5 or track 9.  There's attitude in her voice, and I love it.  This is what I WANTED pop radio to be when I was a kid.  A little Purdie Shuffle never hurt anyone.

    Track 12 - Cerebral piano went in a different direction than I expected.  A bit too far in the funk direction for my preference, but certainly works.  Reminds me of that Roy Haynes band with George Adams, but seems a bit more toward the commercial side.  Okay, now I'm messing with myself.  I was going to comment that the keys reminded me of a Nat Adderley recording I had with Onaje Allan Gumbs.  I'm thinking this may actually be that record.  

    A good listen, if a bit less life-altering than past Felser BFTs.  :D 

  12. BFT 236 (4orda ppl EZPZ Mix)

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    Track 01 - I gotta go!  :D A for-real gunner here.  This is not tributary, this is the real thing.  I know a lot of guys it isn't, and they're all from a happy neighborhood (Buddy Tate, Budd Johnson).  There's almost a James Clay vibe here.  Mello sound here.  Could be flugelhorn, but sounds like a really mellow trumpet.  I think this is a younger player than the tenor, b/c there seems to be more focus on technique.  Setting is throwing me, and the sound isn't as warm as I'd expect, but could be Art Farmer.  Probably not.  Even though the solo was a tad showy, I liked it.  Don't place the alto, but an admirable solo.  Reminds me of Phil Woods before declared himself pope.  BURNIN' trumpet solo.  It's not Roy, but he likes Roy, and that's a good thing.  Not a fan of the organist.  Chopping the notes off and it does NOT have the desired effect.  Also, hate the sound he's getting.  VERY grating (as in I'm a few seconds short of putting my foot through the speaker).  Just, no.

    Track 02 - Recognize that trumpet player, but I'm not getting it.  Warm, fat sound.  Has balls, too, but without being in your face about it.  That tenor sure has moments of a Buddy Tate vibe, but doesn't seem to have the full power of his sound (or could be the speakers).  This is certainly someone I know, but I can't commit on Buddy.  Right neighborhood, though.  Very KC/Texas sound, but some modern-ish aggressive tendencies.  I could listen to this guy all night and smile the whole time.  That woman HURT this guy, and he's not happy about it.  Is this the same recording as first cut?  Players don't really sound the same to me, but the sound quality does.  In fact, that could be the slightly more showy trumpet from the first cut.  I like the guy, but I feel like he's a little hung up on who/what he is.  Like Faddis but with a better tone, which suggests someone of that older generation (as in, showy or not, he means it).  You know... better sound, showy, fair sized ego... *COULD* actually be later Roy.  Yeah, this HAS to be the same band/recording.  LOVE this alto player.  Has no time for BS.  I *want* it to be Phil Woods forgetting he's Phil Woods for a night, b/c that's about what I'm hearing.  There's nothing wrong with a single moment in this solo.  This solo is far more palatable.  Partly because the shrillness of the organ has been scaled back.  Ooof... just went into the toggle and, congratulations!  You've lost me.  This sounds like it could have been an epic recording if the organist had any taste.  The too-much factor here is akin to the jam session vocalist that feels the need to behave like they're on Broadway.  

    Track 03 - No mistaking that guy.  I've always wanted to like this record more than I do, and yet I seem to get back to it with fond ears when I hear it one cut at a time.  Forget the name of the tune.  The cover of Are You Ready was always a hit with me.  When I first bought this in the early 80s, I was too young to appreciate the ballad work.  When I reaquired it... WOW!  

    Short and to the point, sir.  Well done.  Interested to find out what the all-star session was on the first two tracks.

     

     

    DAMN IT!  I almost said Mingus but figured I was sure to be wrong because of the setting!

  13. BFT235 Link & Discussion

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    Late to the party.  I'm certain I should have done better on this than I did, but so be it. 

    Track 01 - Like the groove (bass clari?), but less so the drumming and the unemployment stick. Oh wait... that's a dark unemployment stick, isn't it.  It's close, but I'm going to pass on this one.  Sounds a bit too commercial leaning to be Douglas Ewart, so I'll not guess.

    Track 02 - Perdido.  You know I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff.  Burly tenor, but not entirely sure who.  VERY familiar.  Fat, round trumpet.  Has me thinking Clark Terry based on the sound.  Yeah, there's nothing I don't like about this.  Tone could almost be Getz, but I really like this player more than him.  And what I'm about to say will now make no sense, but maybe Budd Johnson?

    Track 03 - Well, no mistaking Jackie, obviously.  Recognize the trumpet, but I'm having an off day.  I'm certain I have this, but can't peg it.

    Track 04 - First thought (during head) was Frank Lowe, which is wrong.  Has that Chicago sound.  Ari Brown is certainly a possibility.  LOVE that bass.  I'm going with younger Ari.  So, maybe Harrison Bankhead?  Very much in my happy zone.

    Track 05 - Not sure what this is.  Pretty heady.  

    Track 06 - Is that NOT you on bass?  Sounds like Erica Lindsey's tenor to me.  If I'm right about that, it could be Baikida Carroll.  But no, there's something Freddie-ish about that trumpet.  Not sure it's someone I'm familiar with.  I like this, but it's toward the academic end of my tolerance.  Love the rhythm section, though.

    Track 07 - Something in the choice of lines has me hearing Ron Carter on the lead (solo) bass.  Cello, no?  Not Diedre Murray.  This works, though.  Every bit of it.

    Track 08 - This sounds instantly familiar.  Phil Ranelin?  Love the feel of this rhythm section, particularly the drummer.  Not sold on the tenor.  Budget Elvin on drums?  Love the bass. If I have this, it's not in the regular rotation.

    Track 09 - Song is conjuriing numerous titles that it is not.  Almost an Ibrahim feel to the piano.  Nice song, no idea who it is.

    Track 10 - No idea who.  Interesting, but not riveting.  

    Track 11 - In from the get go.  Busy drums, but it works.  No idea.

    Track 12 - Now this is SUPER familiar.  Guessing it's something you laid on me, but I've been derelict in my listening duties.  So, we've got Purdy Purdie drums, what sounds like Bennie Maupin on bass clari, a very aggressive, post-Coltrane tenor, and it all seems to work quite well.  I feel like I'm watching a tail in the rearview mirror, perhaps an early 70s Lincoln, who doesn't seem to care that I know he's following me.  but I can't say who it might be (in the car OR on the recording).

  15. BFT 234 Link & Discussion

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    Track 01 - No idea what this is, but I absolutely love it.  Very clean recording -- you reallly hear each instrument on its own as well as the collective mix.  All sorts of varied percussion, and the guitarist does not sound like a "jazz" guy to me, and I think that's helpful, here, because he doesn't fall into guitar-player-patterns.  This all feels very organic.  Reminds me a touch of Embryo's record with Mal Waldron.  I don't feel like I've heard this before, and I like that.  The feel of the band reminds me a bit of the John Handy Quintet.  

    Track 02 - It's different, but I don't care for the "math-y" feel of the rhythm.  It's not bad, just strikes me as... poppy?  Inorganic, I guess is a better way to put.  This the music a lot of musicians love to play because it challenges their mind, but I don't hear the gut, and that's what I'm looking for.  This doesn't put me off, it just doesn't reach me.  I'm at 2:16 and think a fade would be wonderful.  This goes on quite long for what it is, what it's doing.  I just want to hear Noel Fielding say, "What are you on about!?"  I made it, but I'm not happy about it.

    Track 03 - Initial feel I thought Larry Young.  I want it to be Joe Henderson w/Larry Young.  It is not that.  I think it's honest, but it's not quite Big League.  Tenor play is not convincing me.  It could almost be Sam Rivers on an off day, but I'm just not hearing the ferocity.  Then, I did.  Then I thought I heard Elvin.  But none of this is right.  Not Elvin, but really wants to be, but doesn't have the poly-rhythms going.  Could be Sam Rivers.  I thought for sure that was Woody Shaw.  Weird guess -- could this be a Japanese band?  I know Hino can do Woody Shaw as well as anybody, but there's something in the rhythm of the tenor, I just don't think it's someone I know.

    Track 04 - Mid-to-late 50s sound.  Straight ahead, but I'm not getting a clear peg on anybody.  Tenor is WAY hot in the mix.  Could be young Knepper on trombone, but I don't think these are guys I know.  Really like the pianist and the snappy drums (the breaks notwithstanding).

    Track 05 - Could well be the band from track 1.  Pianist likes Mal Waldron (and who could blame 'em!).  Thinking somebody like Hal Galper that kind bridges that cerebral feel with an abstract flavor of the blues.  

    Track 06 - Almost sounds like Jameel Moondoc, but I'm quite able to find that *thing* he does.  This is an interesting track.  It's got a rawness I like (I assume it's live, or at least direct-to-disc),  but it doesn't quite do what I'm thinking it will.  I like it, but it's confounding at the same time.  These guys are weird... in a good way.

    Track 07 - Has a vaguely Zappa feel.  It doesn't offend me, but I've kind of lost the thread 5 minutes in.  It's a good feel, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere.  

    Track 08 - Clean soprano sound, full and not squealy.  Very European feel to it.  If I could get that sound on the unemployment stick, I'd probably play it, too.  It's not Lacy, but it's that brand of timbre. Could be John Tchicai, but there are rns that don't hit me that way.  Likewise, could be Curtis Clark, but it's not quite right.  I like this, but I'd hit a limit on it fairly quickly, I think.  Very musical interplay, here.  And crystal clear sound.  

    Track 09 - Bass clari is such a unique sound.  This just turned in an odd direction.  I like it, but in an odd way.  And now it's a tenor, not the bass clari.  The sound is odd.  The bass clari and tenor have been very upfront, not a lot of reverb.  The background is very muffled, with seemingly lots of reverb.  Tenor sounds a bit brutish for the environment.  Hits a bit like later Illinois Jacquet, in that sort of brutish vein.  Almost has moments like it's Johnny Griffin, but the sound is wrong.  Right ahead of 4:30 for instance.  Could be later Johnny, but seems to have a harder edge than that.  Seems like Johnny Grffin slowed down.  That should give me an obvious name, but it doesn't.  Certainly a beast of a player, though.

    Track 10 - Well, that's Oliver Lake.  Can't say for sure if I have this.  This just works.  Not John Hicks.  Could be Curtis Clark.  Literally nothing about this misses for me.  Bassist is killin'!  I've liked a lot of this test, but nothing to this level.  This is damned near a perfect cut.

    Track 11 - What's going on, here?  At first, I thought someone was vocalizing over flute.  Now it sounds like a wood flute.  Is that an effects pedal or something else going on?  Definitely a different vibe on this.  Towards that European end of things, but not in anyway that puts me off.  I feel like they're being honest and I'm buying it.  At times, that flute sounds like a cello or viola.

    Track 12 - Very odd.  I like it.  Ellington adjacent.  Maybe Danny Bank on bari?  Or could be Mr. Blount's band.  Love that heavy fall of the bass.  Yeah, more of this, please.

    Track 13 - Wow!  Levels on that last cut are WAY higher.  Good thing it's a trio cut!  Somebody out of that Barry Harris school.  Could be Billy Higgins, defitely getting that gallop vibe.  I don't think it's Billy, but that gallop is there.  Maybe Farnsworth.  Hmmm... maybe Alan Dawson, at that.  Nice cut, nice tune.  It's got the history, but it's a unique song.  

    This might be my favorite test this year. [Come on, Tim, Felser!  Whatdya got!?]

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  18. 2024 BFT Sign-up

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted · Edited by tkeith

    It's that time, again.  I know there was some confusion about where to find last year's list, so for 2024, assuming I can edit this post continually, it'll be right here.  It's first-come, first serve, but as much as possible I'd like to keep a year between hosts, please.

    January - Dan Gould

    February - Tony Jerant Tribute BFT (Part 1)

    March - Tony Jerant Tribute BFT (Part 2)

    April - randyhersom

    May - Mjzee

    June - Dub Modal

    July - tkeith

    August - Ken Dryden

    September -

    October - WebbCity

    November - JSngry

    December - felser
     

  19. BFT 233 Link & Discussion

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    Had to get this one in as things keep getting in the way and I want to be able to read the thread and make sure everybody has access.

    Track 01 -  Off the bat had an Ellingtonian quality, then the unemployment stick came in there was a touch of Harold Vick, but that's not right, either.  There's a lot of precision here, and that's just not what I think of when I think of Vick.  Could be one of Toshiko's bands, but doesn't have the edge her stuff seems to have.  I'm resigned that I don't know who this is, but I like it.  That piano is certainly paying homage to later Duke.  Hmm... some of the polish comes off the soprano in the improv section (and that's probably a good thing).  Not Vick, but maybe Vick-adjacent?  Almost sounds like Ricky Ford playing soprano.  Arrangement sounds like a studio date more than a working band.  Mayhaps a cover of a later Ellington tune?

    Track 02 - Could certainly be Ike Quebec, though I don't readily recognize it.  Find myself enjoying this sort of thing and lamenting its absence from modern recordings all at the same time.  Sing me a song.  After the piano, that certainly has the phrasing of Hawk.  If that's the case, there's zero chance I don't have this, and I'm ashamed I can't place it.  Hmmm... not enough breath + vibrato at the end to be Hawk.

    Track 03 - A Day In The Life of a Standard.  Busy drums, rubbery-sounding bass.  Sound of bass pushes me towards Stafford James (not his style) or George Mraz.  Not one of the view vibists I'm comfortable IDing.  Maybe a Chico Hamilton date?

    Track 04 - Lots of effects and production, but I like it.  Reminds me of Nat Adderley's Soul Zodiac a bit.  Not sure what it is, but I want to hear more.

    Track 05 - I know the tune, but couldn't give you a title to save my life.  Something Philly Joe about those drums -- burnin'!  Dizzy?  Jerome Richardson?  Not Jerome.  A doubler, though.  Very nice.

    Track 06 - To be honest, I zoned through most of this while reading a geocache log.  Didn't put me off at all, but didn't make an impression, either.

    Track 07 - Derivative as hell.  I think they mean it, but it's not theirs.  Affected phrasing -- it's a modern player playing the style.  Loses steam in the double-time because it reeks of the practice room instead of the music.  Could be Eric Alexander, but doesn't sound enough like George Coleman.  Big voiced second tenor is more convincing -- wondering if this is one of those pair-the-young-lion-with-the-old-guy cuts.  Really enjoying second guy.  A bit of Hadley Caliman in there, a bit of Frank Foster, but a clear and unique message.  I should get this guy.  Given the lack of a definitie identity on the first guy, I'll guess Josh Redman.  Pianist is giving me nothing... maybe a touch of gas.  Newer recording because the drums lack subtlety.  It's not the drummer, it's the recording.  That bigger tenor is giving me a Plas Johnson vibe here on the outchorus.  

    Track 08 - Is this the same album as Track 03?  Similar feel.  Sounds like Pat Martino to me, and the drums cook like hell.  Not sure how I feel about the bass, but it's doing its job.  This is not a vibist in the stable of those I recognize.  Really enjoying the guitar solo.  Overall tune loses me a bit at the end.  Live, though, that earns it some respect.  

    Track 09 - I like the looseness of this (and really feel like this is close to another tune but can't say which one).  A little too much in the way of effects on the guitar.  Almost sounds like one of those later Coltrane cuts done as a traditional jazz tune.  A hungry tenor coming out of the post-Coltrane bag.  Lovano-adjacent, but to be frank, this has what I WANT to hear in Lovano's stuff, but excepting the earlist stuff, seems missing to my ear. That could sure be Dave Holland, has that kind of approach and facility.  Yeah, I like this.  Seems to have too much edge to be Potter, Lovano, who-have-you.  That 80s guitar sound that I've never warmed up to.  The longer this goes, the more I'm appreciating what the tenor brings to the table.  Without the tenor, the intensity fades.  Sounds like a Gato tune, but damned if I can name it.  Definitely hear a Dewey Redman influence in that tenor.

    Track 10 - Slight familiarity of melody, but that's it.  I got nothin'.  Very pleasant.

    Track 11 - Bloodcount.  I haven't heard this tune the same since I heard Getz do it.  Not a huge Getz fan, but he absolutely ended this song for me.  I can't give you the player, but he doesn't have a strong upper-register.  Could be later Dewey, but really doesn't seem to have the power he has (hence 'later').  The more I'm focusing on trying to make Dewey fit, the less I feel that's right.  It's there, but doesn't seem nearly strong enough.  I can't tell if I'm okay with this one or it misses.  It has at least earned a second listen.

    Track 12 - This is infuriating. I'm literally singing along with this and can't place the name of the tune.  #maddening  AH!!!!  Horace!  My mind said this has the sound of those Tapscott Sessions recordings on Nimbus West, and then I realized the tune is Horace Silver's Peace.  It's not Tapscott.  More polite.  I hear some vocalizing, but it's not that vocalizing pianist who shall not be named.  Kind of stiff, almost stride-like time.  European pianist if I'm hearing this correctly.  Very busy and classically influenced.  Not a bad thing, but it's in the same category as the one above -- I'll give it a second listen, but can't decide if I like it.  I think so, but... ain't easy bein' me.

    Track 13 - Not a fan of the recording. Hyper-compressed drums sound fussy.  I want this to be Sonny Criss from the mid-70s, but it's not that.  I'm not warming to the alto.  Dude can play, but I'm not feeling touched by it. Hits me the exact way Phil Woods post-1968 does.  Damned near flawless, but can't make me care.  Marsh disciple, but not Marsh.  Had a recording of Warne with one of these guys, but can't recall his name (and no longer have the recording, but we won't get into that).  Thoughtful tenor player perhaps punching a bit above his weight class.  Or, could be a guy who's just a tad past prime pushing himself.  The story is there, though.  Piano is in the correct pocket.  I assume that's a guy from an era that I know.  Alto has all the lines, I just don't believe them.  Tenor is there.  Based on the sound of the drums, I'm gonna guess Alan Dawson.  Bass is lost in the mix.  I like this for the tenor/piano and overall feel.  Alto seems to be the leader, but just doesn't reach me.  

    No full IDs for me, but made for a nice morning soundtrack.  Definitely a few I need to know more about.

    On 8/2/2023 at 12:33 AM, JSngry said:

    TRACK THREE - If that's not Bags, the vibist should be shot for plagiarism. And that's not Bags.

    You never disappoint, Jim.  :D

    On 8/2/2023 at 12:05 PM, Dan Gould said:

    So wait a sec, my info was wrong but I get detention?  My Daddy is going to talk to the principal. 

    Why I quit the biz.  ;)

     

    Oof!  I was thinking James Carter and talked myself out of him because he didn't lose his cool.  Second listen, it's obvious, but not at his best. 

    Shame on me for missing J-Griff.  The fact that I couldn't nail Woods tells you everything wrong with his playing from that era, and I stand by that.

  20. BFT 233 Link & Discussion

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    Trying not to read the thread, here.  Are we good with the online player and download?  I hadn't published the edits (what I get for working tired).

    Also, please ignore Dan's advice about the spoiler alert -- that's just where I stash things for the presenter to check in advance of the test.  Dan, you have detention.

  21. BFT 232, The Reveal

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    Thanks for the heads up on TLC!  As for how the session came to be, I think of the sessions Christopher Hollyday had back when he was the young gun. Also, Kenny & Buster did a LOT of one-off dates (Buck Hill (2, technically), Les Arbuckle for example) around that time.

  22. BFT 232, The Reveal

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted · Edited by tkeith
    trying to get YT video to preview

    The REAL, reveal, not Jim's homemade one! 🤪

    BFT232:  The Reveal


    track 01 -
    Radio Citizen            Test Me (feat. Ursula Rucker)    (2010) Hope And Despair
    Ursula Rucker - vocals

    RCHaD.jpg

    My wife and I went out to dinner at a chic gastro pub in nearby Amesbury, MA, one night.  We were greeted by a host in a Euro-cut suit who, while polite, still managed to be a snooty douche.  After we were seated, I looked around and said to her, "We're not nearly young enough, nor pretty enough to be in here."  The food was pretty epic, so we stayed.  This disc was spinning and I asked what it was, because it was way more interesting than the faux chic ambience of the place.  The host informed me, as though we were both super-hip enough to know the recording, that it was Radio Citizen.  I wrote it down and looked it up when I got home.  It's not heavy listening, but I do enjoy it when it pops up in the rotation.  The gastropub is long since out of business, which, no doubt, has impacted sales at The Men's Warehouse.


    track 02 -
    Dizzy Gillespie    Serenade to Sweeden (Duke Ellington)    (1960) Portrait of Duke Ellington

    DizDuke.jpg

    Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet; Bennie Green - trombone; Robert de Dominica - flute; Stan Webb, Paul Richie, John Murtaugh, Erenst Bright - woodwinds; Richard Berg, Ray Alonge, Joe Singer - french horns; John McAllister - tuba; George Devens - vibes; Hank Jones - piano; George Duvivier - bass; Charlie Persip - drums

    This one came on in the car and spoke to me enough to write it down for inclusion.  Nothing superlative, just a solid cut from a master.  Fun to see the bassist and drummer unwittingly make double appearances (yet no John Hicks!).


    track 03 -
    Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers    Sleeping Dancer Sleep On    (Wayne Shorter)    (1960) Like Someone In Love

    ArtBJM.jpg

    Lee Morgan - trumpet; Wayne Shorter - tenor saxophone; Bobby Timmons - piano; Jymie Merritt - bass; Art Blakey - drums

    We all know Shorter's significance as a composer, but forgetting the hype, this is just a beautiful tune by a Hall of Fame band.  


    track 04 -
    Blue Mitchell        Heads Up!  Feet Down (Jimmy Heath)        (1968) Heads Up!

    Blue.jpg

    Blue Mitchell, Burt Collins - trumpet; Jerry Dodgion - alto saxophone, flute; Junior Cook - tenor saxophone; Pepper Adams - baritone saxophone; McCoy Tyner - piano; Gene Taylor - bass; Al Foster - drums

    This one came on in the car, and made an instant impression as a booty shaker.  Looking at the personnel, pretty easy to see why.  I know there's always a bit of smirk when discussing the Liberty era of Blue Note, but never mind that -- this is a damned fun ride.


    track 05 -
    Richard Pryor    Nobody Loves You When You're Down And Out        From the Kraft Summer Music Hall w/John Davidson

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiP5rGCm9pE

     

    Richard is my all-time favorite comedian, an absolute genius.  When I saw this, my head literally exploded.  He's not Johnny Hartman, but he means it, just like he did with his stand-up.  Guy belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of the entertainment world, and this just serves to line his image in platinum.


    track 06 -
    Arnett Cobb        All I Do Is Dream Of You (Arthur Freed/Herb N. Brown)    (1960) Movin' Right Along

    Cobb.jpg

    Arnett Cobb - tenor saxophone; Bobby Timmons - piano; Sam Jones - bass; Art Taylor - drums; Buck Clarke - congas

    I figured this for a Dan-approved cut.  What's not to love?  Cobb's brash, ballsy tenor smoking through a nothing tune somehow injecting it with meaning and a heavy dose of soul.  Dig!


    track 07 -
    The Budd Johnson Quintet        Uptown Manhattan (Budd Johnson)    (1960) Let's Swing!

    bjls.jpg

    Keg Johnson - trombone; Budd Johnson - tenor saxophone; Tommy Flanagan - piano; George Duvivier - bass; Charlie Persip - drums

    Budd Johnson is an underappreciated beast.  He fits into his own pocket within the history of the music and pretty much stays there, but always brings a good feeling when I hear him.  


    track 08 -
    Hank Mobley        Avila and Tequila (Hank Mobley)    (1955) Hank Mobley Quartet

    Mob.jpg

    Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone; Horace Silver - piano; Doug Watkins - bass; Art Blakey - drums

    Early Mobley?  Yes, please.  The Latin-flavor of this BFT was totally coincidental, and probably a little too heavy, but how was I going to cut a track like this?


    track 09 -
    Dizzy Gillespie    Kush (Dizzy Gillespie)    (1961) An Electrifying Evening with the Dizzy Gilespie Quintet

    Diz.jpg

    Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet; Leo Wright - alto saxophone, flute; Lalo Schifrin - piano; Bob Cunningham - bass; Chuck Lampkin - drums

    This was one of the albums I got in my first couple of years of building my collection.  Somehow, I went about 35 years without playing it and this showed up in the rotation in the car.  I was a damned fool for 35 years, because this is killin'!  #MissionImpressive


    track 10 -
    Count Basie        Amoroso (Benny Carter)    (1961) The Legend

    cbtl.jpg

    Al Aarons, Sonny Cohn, Thad Jones, Snooky Young - trumpet; Henry Coker, Quentin Jackson, Benny Powell - trombone; Benny Carter (arranger), Frank Wess - alto saxophone; Frank Foster, Budd Johnson - tenor saxophone; Charlie Fowlkes - baritone saxophone; Sam Herman - guitar; Count Basie - piano; Eddie Jones - bass; Sonny Payne - drums

    I've always been an Ellington-over-Basie guy, but my Dad had this on an early CD, and it's always spoken to me.  To find out it was penned by Benny Carter, man, it just keeps getting better.  Completely unique in the realm of what this band did, but they did it with aplomb!


    track 11 -
    Terri Lyne Carrington    La Bonita (Terri Lyne Carrington)    (1981) TLC and Friends

    TLC.jpg

    George Coleman - tenor saxophone; Kenny Barron - piano; Buster Williams - bass; Terri Lyne Carrington - drums

    Never released stateside, I got this through the magic (and perhaps ill-gotten gains) of the web.  I'd heard a few cuts when the album was released, and saw her with George, James Williams and John Lockwood on my first visit to a Jazz club back in 1982.  I'd seen Art Farmer play at a local high school, and the Air Force Band, but this was the first time I got to see live Jazz in its natural setting.  Terri Lyne was 16 at the time, and her Dad was talking with a group that included my Dad, and he told them that Harry Belafonté had offered $900/week to bring her on tour for the summer.  Her father turned him down, saying, "It's good money, but it won't help develop her drumming."  I've only seen her on TV since, but back then, she was studying with Alan Dawson, and coming straight out of Tony Williams.  In her solos, she'd get this Michael Jordan thing going with her tongue hanging out, and I'm not stretching to tell you she was completely bad-ass!  I think the music that night was a tick above this recording, but I'm glad to finally have this in the collection.  Bob Mover sat in later that night as they played Maiden Voyage (with house manager Bob Merrill on trumpet).  


    track 12 -
    Azar Lawrence    Bridge Into The New Age (Azar Lawrence)    (1974) Bridge Into The New Age

    albina.jpg

    Jean Carn - voice; Woody Shaw - trumpet; Azar Lawrence - tenor saxophone; Woody Murray - vibes; Clint Houston - bass; Billy Hart - drums; Guillerme Franco - percussion

    No hiding anything in this one, but I've really been on a Doug Carn kick the past 2-3 years, and Jean *kills* it on this.  Not a desert island record, but this cut will always be on my playlist of this sub-genre.


    track 13 -
    Radio Citizen            Mondlicht                (2006) Berlin Serengeti

    RCBS.jpg

    Niko Schabel - woodwinds, keyboards, percussion; Wolfgang Schlick - woodwinds, percussion; Klaus Janek, Thomas Myland - bass; Julian Waiblinger - drums

    Why 2 from these guys?  Well, they were short, and it shows a bit of the range of what they do.  


    track  14 -
    Frank Lowe    Some Do, Some Don't (Frank Lowe)    (1981) Skizoke

    fls.jpg

    Butch Morris - cornet; Frank Lowe - tenor saxophone; Damon Choice - vibes; Larry Simon - guitar; Wilbur Morris - bass; Tim Pleasant - drums

    The world will never have enough Frank Lowe, and this track is everything that is good about music, to me.  Bad sound, rough edges, a bit of anger -- just like life.  Frank's perspective has served to open my mind about how to approach music.  I think he's one of the most thoughtful players I've ever heard, and I'm always here for this kind of stuff.

    Thanks to all that participated and hopefully something tickled your belly!

     

  23. BFT232

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    Yeah, Dad took this privately (he's not comfortable posting here).  He did note quite as well as Jim, and to my surprise, missed #10 (he's the one who introduced it to me and we've spoken about it at length).  His comment was, "Ellington tune not Ellington."  #AnyGivenSunday

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