billyboy

Found this on eBay -- looks like the new one.

No problem! Looking forward to it.

Here are my thoughts on BFT#9. Theme: Piano soloists or groups playing covers. 1. Body and Soul. Nice opener, no idea who it is, 2. No idea, but it sure seems like I have this one. 3. I like this one a lot, also sounds really familiar. If I don’t already have it, I’ll be looking for it. 4. I’ll guess Jess Stacy playing Bix’s ‘In a Mist’, not sure if this is the version on Commodore. 5. Nice rendition of Satin Doll 6. Just One of Those Things, I’ll guess Art Tatum, from the Pablo Group box. 7. Don’t know. 8. Like this one, too. 9. Albert Ammons and/or Meade Lux Lewis. 10. Blackbird, Brad Mehldau. Even my wife, who’s not the biggest jazz fan, said “That sounds like Brad!” 11. This cd arrived in my mailbox just before I was leaving to see Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, so I stuck in the car and listened to it on the way. On the way back I heard the telltale grunts and groans while listening to ‘Someday My Prince Will Come.’ I probably could have guessed it anyway, since Gary Peacock’s playing is so distinctive. 12. Enjoyable, but unknown. 13. Like it! After several standards and calm music, I really enjoyed the change in tone on this one. 14. An okay bluesy tune, but not my fave. 15. Nice closer, has a Body and Soul moment in there, but I’m not sure if that’s the tune or not. Overall, I’ve enjoyed listening to this disc many times, with my personal favorites being #s 3, 6, and 10. Thanks, Alexander! Anxious to read everyone’s comments.

Great job, Jim! Really, really enjoyed this one.

I've seen quotes that the Basie sets were poor sellers (!), and also that the Django set has been one of their fastest sellers. Whether it still is with the JSP sets available is anybody's guess.

That tiny little bit of hairy leg in the bottom corner should have been cropped out!

It has been so hard not to look at this thread while I found the time to write up my thoughts. Overall, I LOVE this cd! I don’t know any of the tracks, but a lot of them are going to go on my ‘to get’ list. So here goes: 1. Awesome track that made me smile. I love this great combination of scripted/improv. Has a Mingus-like quality, so even though I’ve never heard anything by them, I’ll guess it’s Mingus Big Band. Definitely a purchase! 2. Tight group, very entertaining interplay between all members. No idea who it is. 3. Larry Young? Enjoyable piece, I like the organ. 4. Great song, sounds like Nigerian 70’s funk. I’ll be picking this one up, if it’s still in print. 5. Fun tune with Eastern European-ish, Hava Nagila-ish feel to it. 6. Straight-ahead jazz which, while I feel I should like it, doesn’t completely do it for me. I think if I heard this song outside of this cd, I’d like it, but it’s almost boring compared to some of the other songs on here. Probably sacrilege, I know. 7. See above. 8. Hooray for Hollywood! It’s ok, very listenable, but not knocking me out. 9. This one has grown on me with a few listens. 10. Catchy enough tune, but a little boring. I’ll be hearing that two-bar melody in my sleep. 11. Sting’s mom? 12. Great ending to this BFT. No idea who it is, but I’ll be looking for this one. I’ve discovered how much I like the big, orchestral settings. I don’t often hear them on the same cd as trios and small groups, so they really stick out, in a good way. This is just what I was hoping for in the BFT; exposure to music I really like that I’ve never heard before. I’m very anxious to read everyone’s comments and find out what these songs are!

Tasty!

Nat King Cole set at Tower Records. Once you've gotten over the hump of paying over $250 for a box set, it's a lot easier to bite the bullet on those smaller sets, like the Capitol Jazz sessions and the Commodores.

Miles is hands-down my favorite musician. I didn't always feel like this (20 years ago I had ZERO Miles lps and probably 6 or 7 Spyro Gyra lps ). In my high school and college years I was pretty much anti-jazz, and I listened to a lot of different stuff, punk, alternative, funk, classical, but not jazz. My first exposure to Miles was, I think, Miles Ahead (not KoB!) and it knocked me out. I bought the 65-68 box set and I just didn't get it. There was nothing for me to hold on to melodically, and it annoyed me. Bitches Brew had a similar effect on me, but there was a groove that spoke to me underneath the cacophony. I picked up the Plugged Nickel box for 15 bucks and almost sold it. Once again, I could not decipher this music. When I heard In a Silent Way, something clicked. Here was something more accessible, kind of funky, that I felt like I finally knew where Miles was going and what he was doing. Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud was, for me, the missing link between the early Miles and the Plugged Nickel Miles. I can't explain it, but I felt the whole fabric of his music made a lot more sense and was a lot more satisfying. I heard the Plugged Nickel and 65-68 quintet boxes differently, somehow. I'm not going to say I completely 'get' them, but they're something more than noise now. I guess this is just a roundabout way of saying that I had to work to like him, and I feel the payoff was worth the investment. As I write this, I see I've focused more on Miles's albums rather than his personal playing style. C'est la vie. Got to get home and grab a seat at the Plugged Nickel!

Relistening to track one, and reading previous comments and hints, it has a Wax Trax sound to it, like an instrumental Revolting Cocks or Foetus.

I just received mine Saturday and hadn't had a chance to really listen to it until last night. Although I hadn't heard any of them before, I really enjoyed the groove and flow of the thing. Selected comments below: 1. Henry Mancini with a heavy, funky beat. In a good way. 2. Hip, 60's cool. 3. More hip, swinging cool. I hear this music playing behind the credits to a Matt Helm movie. 5. Like the dancing scene from Band of Outsiders. *clap!* Don't let my lack of comment imply I didn't like this cd. I don't currently have much, if any, of this type of music in my collection. All of it is very easy and pleasant to listen to, and none of the songs were challenging in an avant-garde kind of way. I feel like I 'got' this music right away, and repeated listenings won't reveal much more that I didn't already hear. And while I probably won't run out and buy any of these cds once I know what they are, I'm very happy to have this cd. Thanks!

Here are my thoughts on Disc One: 1) My first thought was Illinois Jacquet, but there's a little bit of a 'Salt Peanuts' thing going that makes me think of Dizzy. 2) Woody Shaw? It has a real 70's feel to it, and it just sounds like Woody. 3) I really like this one, with very appealing vibe work. Don't have it, but will check it out. Bobby Hutcherson? 4) Fabulous! No idea who it is, but dig it. 5) Not much to recommend this one, other than the drums. Uninspired piano work to these ears, and the noodling goes on way too long. 6) Not my cup o' tea. The guy sounds kind of like Betty Carter, though. Maybe Benny Carter? 7) Like it! Sounds like a cello. If so, need to beef up my jazz cello collection. 8) Can't quite get my head around this one. I'm not sure if I like it or not. It's a slow, spare, modern piece that isn't unappealing, but isn't going on my 'must-get' list. I'll definitely give it a few more spins. 9) Live Ellington? This one is great. Just when I thought I had enough Ellington... 10) Dexter Gordon? I'm not very familiar with Dexter, but it sounds kind of similar to a version of 'Love for Sale' I have on a compilation disc. 11) Don't care for this one. Am interested in who it is only to make sure I don't accidently pick this one up. On to disc 2 in a bit. So far a mixed bag, but a couple of real winners to add to my collection.

This appears to be only for disc VII, although the description refers to mulitple discs. The person who pays $43 for one in-print disc is going to be a bit miffed.