JazzAddict

Okay, now onto disc 2. 1. Wierd electric vibe here. What effect is that on the tenor sax? Some sort of reverb or something? Totally ruins the entire song. Nice bass solo, and that drummer is really smokin'..... 2.0 stars 2. Nice trombone playing and the performance has a good groove. This is just okay. Can't say that I enjoyed it or found it stimulating......just....okay. Oh yeah, that Ornette Coleman chant is really cheesy. 2.0 stars 3. Talking about cheesy vocals.......this may be the king of cheesy vocals. The tune has a nice beat. Who's the tenor saxophonist? Hmmm, another 2.0 stars 4. Laid back fusiony type thing. Sounds like the guitarist is the leader. Nice background music. 3.0 stars 5. This track really swings! Not what I typically listen to, but I enjoyed this track. 3.5 stars 6. Another big band recording. Nice arrangement, I like that unison saxophone line at the beginning. Decent solos, but nothing special. Average.... 3.0 stars 7. This is interesting..... a really uptempo big band piece. It has a kind of frantic theme or melody to it. Very interesting piece that must have been difficult to put together. Almost sounds like rush hour traffic from some movie. 3.5 stars 8. A big band in the classic swing style. There's a bit of a boogie woogie groove going on in the piano. 2.5 stars 9. Some Charlie Parker tune. Nice performance. I like how they didn't use a piano. Although I really like this performace, there's just something about the saxophonist that bothers me. I don't know if it's their tone or intonation, but somethings just a bit off. 4.0 stars 10. Now this piece has a sort of blues/funk vibe to it. Song has a nice beat and the electric guitar is nice. 3.0 stars 11. I believe this is Ornette Coleman. The instrumentation is very bass and percussion heavy. The song has a nice groove and an active rhythm. The use of guitars add some color to the song. I really liked the trombone solo. 4.0 stars Now to start reading everyone elses reactions....

Well, I finally had some time today to sit down and jot down a few notes while listening to disc 1 of Jim's Blindfold Test. Hopefully, I'll be able to listen to disc 2 later today. I would like to thank Jim for sharing this music with us and for opening up or minds and ears to a broad range of music. My reactions to the music were mixed. Some of it I like and some of it made me cringe. My thoughts on each track for disc 1 are below. 1. This song/performance didn't really do anything for me. It's as if the musicians were just going through the motions.....somewhat uninspiring. Makes for nice background music though. 3.0 stars 2. The melody in the piano part is somewhat interesting, but overall this is big......SO WHAT. Nothing I'd want to listen to again. 1.5 stars 3. Nice tenor and alto unison lines....interesting theme at the beginning and end of the song. The bending of the notes by the alto player is not very effective. Overall, I liked this song. 4.0 stars 4. Big band with a muted trumpet solo, muted trombone solo, bari sax solo, electric guitar solo, and even a clarinet solo. Now this is inspired playing. Very NICE! 4.5 stars 5. Female vocales with a big band. Not bad, but I didn't really care for the vocalist. 3.0 stars 6. Female vocales with a string section, harps and drum set. Nice plucked bass.....good arrangement. I liked this. 4.0 stars 7. Alto sax and piano. This is very much in the style of classical saxophone music. The piece reminds me of the Denisov Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano. Not a bad performance or song choice, but there is much better classical music out there for saxophone and piano. Hey Jim, if you like this, I suggest you give the Denisov Sonata a listen. 3.0 stars 8. Organ with tenor sax. Good performance, enjoyable. 4.0 stars 9. Male vocales and a drum set. This was just plain HORRIBLE! I give it 1.5 stars for the drum playing, but I have to subtract 1.0 star for the AWFUL vocals....who the hell would want to listen to this? 0.5 stars 10. Interesting percussion solo......for about 30 seconds. Then the solo get old.....very old. 1.5 stars 11. Early jazz with a male vocalist. Sounds like the soundtrack to some old TV show. Not my cup of tea. 2.0 stars 12. I did not find this interesting or appealing (except the very end). The music seems to be all written out. Not sure what the purpose is for this type of music, it just leaves me cold. There is no real harmony, no rhythim except for the bass player, and no melody. This music almost borders on pure noise. How can someone even enjoy playing this crap? The saxophonist sounds constipated......he/she can't even play a decent multiphonic or overtone. Who ever is doing that vocal part should be shot. This is avant garde music at its worst. However, the very end of the song is actually interesting and somewhat enjoyable (the quiet after the storm perhaps). 1.0 star for effort 13. Nice big band performance. The alto saxophonist has a very nice open sound and give a good solo to boot. 4.0 stars 14. This was my favorite selection on disc 1. The tenor saxophonist has a very nice smooth and open tone which I find very appealing. He/she almost sounds like Gerry Mulligan on Tenor (or what Mulligan would sound like on tenor). I really liked the arrangement and the trading of fours between the players. Very nice recording by all. 4.5 stars 15. I know this tune, but the name is not coming to me. Nice interaction between the vibes and piano, but overall there is nothing special about this performance. 3.0 stars

I have to agree with Jim regarding the Harry Allen track. I have no respect for the guy and I'm sure Getz must be rolling in his grave. This track, if not the entire album in question, is not a tribute, but an insult. What Harry Allen did is identity theft . Two of the most personal aspects in music are the performers voice (there instrument in combination with their tone and overall sound), and their approach to the music (concept, idea's, etc.). Stan Getz had one of the most unique and personal tones of any tenor saxophonist. It takes years to develope a tone like that. Next, we have Getz's concept. His phrasing, the way he developes a solo, licks, and other identifiable trademarks that make Stan Getz who he is. Some of you mentioned that Harry Allen doesn't always sound like Stan Getz. If this is true, then why bother with an exact reproduction of Getz's sound for this recording? It would take months, if not longer, to be able to reproduce Getz's sound as well as Allen did. Then you have the question of the phrasing, idea's, and other characteristics that are trademarks of Stan Getz. Not only did Allen copy Getz's sound, but he also took Getz's idea's and musical concept. I'll go as far as saying that Allen almost stole Getz's memories and thoughts. It's as though Allen found a recording of Getz playing this tune, transcribed the entire performance note for note, put together a band and recorded the same song playing the transcription note for note, while having a perfect imitation of Getz's sound. Why go through the trouble? Why not take the recording of Getz, slap your name on it, and tell the producer to put it out on your album. How would Nike like it if somebody started up a company, copied their product line, slapped on the Nike logo and sold it as theirs? To me, the Harry Allen recording is no different. This is why I find it to be totally disrespectful and Allen should be ashamed of himself. Now I'll be quiet....

Just gave "The Other Side of Round Midnight" a spin. I don't think I've listened to this disc in over 10 years. The music on this disc is much better than I remember. Thanks Jim for including the Dexter track on your blindfold disc. I've also enjoyed reading everyone's comments thus far. I'm a little surprised that some people are doubting track 8 is Stan Getz. Although I don't believe I own a recording of this, if the saxophonist is NOT Stan Getz, then he/she is an exact clone of him. The sound, phrasing, inflections, idea's are all Stan's. I have a feeling this is from one of his more "commercial" albums due to the inclusion of voices on this particular track.

Thank you Jim for putting together this blindfold test. I'm really enjoying the opportunity to hear some great music that I might not otherwise be exposed to. I've had the disc for a few days now and jotted down some notes yesterday. 1. This track has a nice bass melody and I dig the percussion. However, there something about the melody or the pianist that's a little irritating. 2.5 stars. 2. Melody has a similar feel and character as track 1. I like the vibe player. They have a nice rich sound. Could the pianist be the same player as track 1? 2.5 stars. 3. This is nice. The trumpeter and tenor saxophonist sound familiar..... no one's name is coming to mind....I should now this, probably have a few recordings of each. I can definitely hear the Miles influence on the trumpeter in his idea's, phrasing, and sound. But I think it's a cat who came after Wallace Roney. 3.5 stars. 4. Interesting bass line. Drummer has nice groove going. Is the answering guitar an overdub or another player? 2.5 stars. 5. The tenor is influenced by Getz (sound wise), but also has his own voice. 3.0 stars. 6. Another nice groove between the bass and piano. The bass player is extremely forcefull when plucking the strings (or maybe he/she is over miked). 3.5 stars. 7. Nice relaxing ballad. 3.0 stars. 8. STAN GETZ. I liked everything about this track except for the unison lines between the voices and sax. I don't think the voices were used very well and actually weakened the song instead of adding to it. I have nothing against voices when used well, but this was not the case here. Nice guitar solo and good overall groove. 3.5 stars. 9. Sax ensemble with rhythm section. I like the instrumentation. I get the feeling that this was recorded by some college students. The first alto solo is a bit cut and dry. The player's tone is a little pinched also. It's nice to hear a bari sax solo. 2.5 stars. 10. This didn't do anything for me. 2.0 stars. 11. Not bad. 3.0 stars. 12. Another track with guitar. Enjoyable, but nothing special. 3.0 stars. 13. 2.0 stars. 14. I really liked this track, it has a haunting quality to it. The use of 2 guitars was nice, but it's the vocalist that catches my attention. I must admit that I've never heard a female vocalist with such a deep (low) voice. She could almost be a baritone her voice is so low. What stikes me more, however, is that she has a wonderfully rich and silky smooth voice which I really like. 4.0 stars. 15. DEXTER GORDON on soprano saxophone. I believe the tune is "Tivoli" from The Other Side Of Round Midnight. 'Nuff said. 3.5 stars. 16. Nice piano trio to end the disc. I know this song, it's very familiar, but I can't think of the name. 4.0 stars. Well, that's it for now.

DUH! #7 is definitely "Billie's Bounce" (a lot of those Parker tune's sound alike). #8 is definitely "Since I Fell for you" I must agree that I find the comments for #13 especially interesting. This track really grabbed me upon my first listen. I'll have to see if my opinion changes after repeated listenings. The more I listen to #4, the more I like it. Great tune and some fine playing.

Hello, I'm a new member to this board and would like to add my thoughts to these Blindfold discussions. Thanks to the kindness of Dan, I've had my disc for about a week now, although I've only had a chance to really listen to it once. Before I get to the disc, I'll give a brief introduction of myself. I became interested in jazz around 8th grade. Primarily because I played the saxophone in the school's concert and jazz bands. I love the sound of the saxophone (at least with most players), and because of that i wanted to find recordings that featured the saxophone. Thus, my 8th grade band director gave me the names of Paul Desmond, David Sanborn, and Charlie Parker. Since then, I've been buying jazz recordings on a regular basis. Although I love jazz, my musical background has been mainly classical. During high school, I had the good fortune to study with one of the best classical saxoponists in the world. I later went on to get a BM in saxophone performance from Indiana University while studying with Eugene Rousseau. By the end of my senior year, I was burned out from the daily routine of practicing and rehearsals. After graduation, I went back to school, got a degree in computer science, and I'm now employeed as a software engineer. Some of you may know me from the bluenote bulliten board. At that board I posted under the name of "DeweyDex." Although not frequently. To make this more like a real blindfold test, I have not read any of the discussion up to this point. So here are my thoughts. In general, I really liked the selection of music that Dan put together for us. #1 - This was a nice piano trio. There is a definite gospel influence, especially with the trills and runs from the pianist. No idea who the performers are, but I enjoyed it. #2 - From the lyrics, I would guess that the title is "Drink Muddy Water." A simple tune base on the Blues. Very repetitive. I didn't care for the vocalist and I didn't care for the tune. This one would go back into the bins. #3 - The name of the song is on the tip of my tongue, but just can't think of it at the moment. It's one of those popular "oldies" songs that get played on the radio often. Sounds like the recording was dubbed from vinyl. Not sure who's playing alto (need to get some recordings from this era/style), but I'll venture a guess of Earl Bostic or Tab Smith. #4 - I found the Tenor saxophonist enjoyable, but somewhat limited in their abilities. Not sure who the performer is, but they have a rougher tone (not heavy, but unrefined). I hear bits and pieces of a younger Joshua Redman, but the performer is obviously from before Joshua's time. The song was probably recorded in the 80's or 90's. I'd have to guess that's it's one of the elder jazz performers. #5 - Horrible acoustics. You can tell this was recorded in a Hall somewhere. Didn't really care for this, and I'm not sure who the musicians are. #6 - Another one that sounds like it was dubbed from Vinyl. Again, not really sure who the performer's are. #7 - "Moose The Mooche" An enjoyable rendition, although the altoist did too many embellishments. Sounds as thought the altoist is either a japanese player or a smooth jazz player trying to do some staight ahead jazz. Two names that came to mind were Najee and Sadao Watanabe. Even though Sadao has done some pretty good staight ahead dates, he has a very distinctive sound that I did not hear in this recording. Whoever the performer is, I found that they used too many embellishments to cover up their lack of ideas. #8 - "Flamingo" I really enjoyed this. A nice relaxing organ and sax combo. I'm pretty sure the altoist is Hank Crawford. Possibly Jimmy McGriff on organ. #9 - Nice Ballad. No idea who the musicians are. #10 - Again, I really liked this track. #11 - "Footprints" It was interesting to hear this performed by only a rhythm section. I liked it. #12 - Interesting combination of a Big Band with an organ soloist. I liked the instrumentation, but the performance was dull. #13 - Good sounding recording. I'm definitely going to buy this recording once I find out who it is. The tenor player has a nice full tone. I'm interested to find out who it is. Well, that's all for now.