webbcity

Thanks a lot for your great comments! I'm glad you found some things to enjoy here. You've also identified a few more of the tunes which I think only leaves us with...what, I think three unidentified tracks? Hopefully something will be left for the reveal.

I was a big big fan of Colosseum, where Hiseman and Heckstall-Smith did their best work. Also liked the era of Mayall they were involved with. Meant to comment on this earlier... Colosseum I should check out a bit more. I used to have a compilation of theirs on cassette that was great. I need to keep my eye out for some more stuff. Do you have a favorite album of theirs? I thought their version of "Rope Ladder to the Moon" rivaled Bruce's original. And I remember there were some other tracks I really liked..."Elegy" and "Jumping Off The Sun" were a couple. Didn't know about the Mayall connection so I'll have to look out for that too!

Thanks for your comments! Glad you enjoyed the music!

Gotcha. Oh, there are so many hints I want to give on that one-- and some of the others-- but I am going to remain strong and try to hold off on giving too much away for as long as I can.

Thanks for the participation and the thoughtful comments! Glad you found some things to enjoy here.

Thanks for the comments brotha!! I knew you would get a lot of these, and you didn't disappoint. However, rest assured that I will fail miserably at your BFT in a couple of months.

Hey, I know Dave Ballou-- great player, great guy! Been a long time since I've been in touch with him though. Enjoy the show!

Sorry for the lack of response, guys, I've been offline for a few days due to the holiday. But I will give some fuller responses shortly. Thanks so much for the comments!

Okay...wow. Some fantastic stuff here. I now need to go back through the recordings, and my comments, again and revisit everything. I'm especially surprised to see Oscar Peterson on there...I don't know that particular album but have seen it around. This was a blast, and I expect I will now have a bunch of things to add to my ever-growing list. Thanks again for a fun BFT!

Well, well...you guys are good. Two posts in and already two of the "tricks" I thought I had up my sleeve have been discovered. I'm not nearly as clever as I thought I was. Nice ears! And I wondered if #6 would be too easy. One of my favorites though. I can't disagree with any of the guesses so far, and that's all I'll say for now. Thanks for the thoughtful comments so far!

I will see what I can do!

Hi all, Thanks for participating in this! It's my first Blindfold Test and I'm hoping it's neither too easy nor too hard (though I seriously doubt it is the latter). But as others have said here recently, I'm more interested in your thoughts and reactions than in personnel guesses. Though I know a lot of you here are much better at that than I am. If you haven't received the link or are having any issues with it, please let me know. Other than that, hope you find something to enjoy here. Cheers! Tim

Ah, it was on Sound of Joy! That makes sense...I should have been able to ID that tune. Nice one Hot Ptah!

Hi all, This is my first BFT...I am putting the finishing touches on it this week and will have it up by the 1st of July. If all goes well I should have a streaming option as well as the download. Any takers?

Ah, of course, that makes total sense on #16! I have checked out little bits of that band but now I am long overdue for taking the plunge! Thanks!!

My comments may be shorter than usual this month because I am busy preparing my own BFT for July. There is some fantastic stuff here and I look forward to coming back to listen more, and finding out who/what these are. Track 1 - This is fantastic, but I want more! Too short. LOVE the piano player...some wonderfully soulful, gritty playing. And the overall feel from the rhythm section is perfect. Feeling a South African vibe here. Track 2 - Another winner. Nice ensemble sound. The drummer is reminding me of Billy Higgins. I am loving the groove on this. Am curious about the trumpet and tenor player especially...I feel like I should know who this is. Track 3 - This one never totally got off the ground for me. It's a good groover though, and I particularly dig the electric bass playing. But I kept wanting it to go somewhere else. The changeup around the 4 min mark seemed promising but then things sort of stayed at the same energy level. So I'm not sure about this one. Track 4 - Okay, I cheated and looked this one up...sorry. I won't say who it is, but it fit in with the era & scene I expected. Fun tune. Track 5 - Is that first solo on bass clarinet or he is just really sticking to the low register? Interesting. I like this one a lot. Love the tenor player's sound too! Track 6 - Hey, I know this tune...oh man, this is gonna kill me. I am thinking Sun Ra...if not something he wrote, maybe something he played early on? Wow, what a cool rendition of this! The version I am familiar with is much faster. You've got me very curious about this one! This is a beautiful performance. Track 7 - This sounds like something out of the Lee Konitz school to my ears, though I'm venturing into territory I'm not super-familiar with here. Whatever it is, I like it. The alto solo especially. Very smooth. And the blend of the two horns on the head is just great. Track 8 - This one didn't really reach me. Nothing wrong with it per se, it's pleasant enough but just didn't hit me at all emotionally. Nice playing from everyone though. Track 9 - What I wrote above could apply to this track too. I dig the 70s vibe, but it just feels a little too detached for me. Track 10 - This is great...diggin it. And boy, it sounds really familiar, but I can't place it. Some fantastic interplay between the Rhodes and the drums, especially towards the end of the solo. I'm a fan of the bass & drum solos too. Good grief, I know this drummer. Really anxious to find out who this is. Track 11 - I like the tune a lot. Some interesting lines from the trumpet...a very thoughtful player. I am really enjoying this. Beautiful sound too. Hmm...the tenor solo is much less interesting to me though. Even though the sound of this track overall is reminiscent of the 70s, I'm guessing that this is a much more recent recording done in 'retro' style. Track 12 - This is fantastic. Love the way it builds...when they first settle into the groove after the 2 minute mark is a great moment. And again later when things really start to take off. This is fantastic stuff. The tenor player has incredible command of his instrument. As a unit these guys are really in sync. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess Thomas Chapin? Track 13 - Love it, love it, love it. Is this the Art Ensemble? Sure sounds like them...maybe with Muhal on piano? Hmmm...well, I am not 100% sure on that, I don't think I am hearing Mitchell in there. Even if it's not, it's terrific. Love the melody, and the different textures they create in just a short amount of time. This is one of those short tunes that feels like a longer "epic" (in a good way) because of all they put into it. Very cool. Track 14 - I am loving the way this starts out, with the layers of percussion, handclaps...into the bowed bass. And I like the simplicity of the tune. Nice vibes solo, and I really like the energy in the tenor player's sound. Very curious about this one. A decidedly lo-fi sound too, which only adds to the charm. I am really enjoying this. The tune is totally infectious, from the descending bass line on up to the quirky little melody. And I must know who some of these people are, especially the tenor player...but I've got no guesses. Track 15 - That bass vamp is killer. One of those things that I could listen to forever. Trombone solo is flat-out awesome. Great track all around, love the urgency of it and the creative soloing. I could be way off base on this but am wondering if this is Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd. Track 16 - Another killer. Wow...I am not sure what to make of this one...sounds like Miles? But it can't be. Somewhere between Miles and Freddie Hubbard? Boy, I am going to regret not being able to guess this, I just know it. This has sort of an early Weather Report feel to me too. I am very confused. What the heck is this??? I need it. God, I should know this. Track 17 - Not really my bag. Obviously well done for what it is, but it just feels too safe to me. Track 18 - Words like tight, crisp, and tasty immediately come to mind. This is a well-oiled trio. Hmmm...I didn't expect that at the 1:15 mark. Eh...I don't know, feels a little too schizophrenic to me. I'm not really sure what they're saying. This one missed the mark for me. Track 19 - In my opinion the production overshadows the playing on this one. The groove is fun and it's a nice little curiosity, but if I'm honest I didn't find the performance all that interesting. Track 20 - The organ playing and the tune itself are reminding me of Doug Carn somehow. The tenor solo is a trip! Fantastic...really enjoyed that. Yeah, this one is a keeper! Am looking forward to finding out who it is. Track 21 - There's a reason the bass player is featured out front...he's really stinkin' good. Those are some deep bass lines. This is an interesting track, I like the different chords on the blues. The tenor player is outstanding, tremendous sound and concept. This is a hell of a band. Can't wait for the ID of this one. Track 22 - Hmmm...interesting, not sure what I think of it yet...I like the sounds. The soprano solo is good but I think the flute solo is where it clicks a bit more for me. I'm a little mixed on this one, probably would have to listen to it a couple more times to make up my mind. It feels a little bit directionless. I do appreciate what they're trying to do though. Would like to hear the flute player in a different context. Track 23 - This is pretty cool. Wasn't sure where it was going to go at the beginning, I thought we were suddenly in the realm of European electronic music, which it sounds like we kind of are, but once the sax comes in it all comes together in a really interesting way. I really, really like the sax player. This is heavy stuff. Track 24 - These guys are burnin...I am on the edge of my seat. Holy crap. Hard to single any one particular thing out here because it's all good. The rhythm section is just killer. I KNOW that bass player. There are a few things the trumpet player plays that remind me of Woody Shaw. And I LOVE the way the tenor solo starts...and continues...and finishes! This is awesome on every level. Track 25 - Nice groover, love the kalimba. The people that first come to mind when I hear thumb piano are Phil Cohran, Maurice White, Stanley Cowell and Kahil El'Zabar, but this is none of those. So I'm curious to find out who it is. Great way to end the BFT! Joe, many thanks for putting this together...there is so much here that is right up my alley. In terms of my own tastes, this has been one of my favorite BFTs. Unfortunately that means by the time everything has been ID'd, I will have lots to add to my list! So my wallet will be a lot lighter. Thanks for that. But seriously...awesome stuff here, thanks for sharing!! And I just hope I haven't embarrassed myself too much with my lousy guesses.

Hey Jeff, thank you again for all of your efforts on this! Some terrific stuff here, and definitely a few folks I need to explore further.

Wow, this really shows what can happen with these Blindfold Tests. I purchased "Porto Novo" in the 1970s, but for some reason just did not warm to it. I have not heard it in many years. Then when I heard this cut #11 on this Blindfold Test, I thought, what a great cut, with an Ornette influence but not Ornette, clearly--who IS that? I really liked it immediately upon hearing it. I probably would have never played "Porto Novo" again, but now I am going to give it another chance. That kind of thing happens to me all the time. Sometimes you're just not ready for certain music; later it floors you, and you think, "What was my problem?" Same here...I seem to remember not digging Ornette's Free Jazz or Song X at all when I first listened to them. Some of my favorite albums now are albums that I really disliked at a previous point in time.

Nice!! Just went on the list. And I am looking up some Charles Earland and Budd Johnson.

Oh man...that's not Marion Brown on #11, is it? That thought had crossed my mind but I stopped short of making an actual guess before... Porto Novo? I don't have this one...if that's the album, I definitely need to get it.

Okay, here are my observations...not much in the way of guesses, but there was a lot here to enjoy and I am looking forward to finding out who some of these are. Thanks for your efforts Jeff! This was a lot of fun. 1 - There's something very familiar sounding about this tune but I can't place it. I do like the head, some interesting lines. Performance-wise it's a mixed bag for me. I do like the trumpet player and the piano player. The trumpet player has kind of a buttery, syrupy tone that I like, and I like the phrasing and choice of notes on the solo too. The guitar I don't particularly care for...sound-wise it is akin to an electric banjo and I just don't find the solo very interesting. The drummer seems a little unstable on the 4's. 2 - Okay...this is a Monk tune but I can't think of which one it is...gonna drive me crazy. This is a thoughtful and emotional reading of this tune...very well done. 3 - I am far from an expert on this kind of music, but I do feel there's a certain excitement and newness here that not many people have captured in recent years. I really like this. Some great playing and interaction...these guys are really saying something. 4 - That is one hot clarinet player. He is the highlight of this track for me...what a solo! 5 - I wish I could like this, I really do...but the klezmer thing is just not my bag. But I respect this more than I like it. 6 - Nice! Some serious grooviness. Hmmm...the horns and the guitar actually aren't blowing me away--the organist is the whole show here. Holy crap...he really knows how to build a solo. And big props to the drums & percussion for keeping the groove and the energy up...this is seriously intense. Ah..."I Get A Kick Out of You"...interesting. To be honest, LOVE the organ solo, but everything on the front and back end I could do without. Really interested in finding out who the organ player is. 7 - This is nice and pleasant but not something I would probably listen to more than once. But it's obviously done very well, just not really my thing. 8 - I like the feel on this a lot...and by that I mean both the rhythmic feel and the mood of the piece. I'm really enjoying the sax player...even more so when he/she returns for another go around at the end. Some really nice, energetic moments there. Everyone sounds great here...perfect solos from the piano and trumpet...and there is a real cohesiveness to the whole group. There's something about the whole performance and the piece that sounds Mal Waldron-esque to my ears, but I don't think the piano player is Waldron. Overall I am dying to know who this is...and then I'll slap my forehead as I'm sure these are folks I do or should know. Great stuff! 9 - "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"...this is beautiful, but it ultimately doesn't quite hit that 'sweet spot' for me. I hate to say anything bad about it because it's a flawless performance in many ways, but I am missing an emotional depth somehow. The playing is spot-on, it just doesn't move me like I want it to. I have no doubt I'll regret having said that once I find out who it is. 10 - Okay...this has everything I was missing in the last one. Fantastic. I am really loving the alto player...such an expressive tone. And the guitarist is the perfect complement, really listening, responding, and supportive. Superb. 11 - The Ornette influence is clear off the bat, but it quickly takes an interesting detour. Holy cow. This has got to be an ESP recording, no? Maybe the sound quality is throwing me off...I'm having a hard time telling whether this was recorded in the 60s or much more recently. Either way, I really dig it. The bass player certainly sounds like he could be Alan Silva. The rhythmic feel of this tune combined with the disjointed phrasing of the alto player is really compelling to me. And I'm a big fan of the bass playing too. Dying to know who this is!! 12 - This is just a barrel of fun with a killin groove underneath. Love it! This thing grooves so hard you could drive a truck through it. I have no idea what that means, but someone I know used to say that. 13 - Well, obviously it's Louis Armstrong..."Dream a Little Dream of Me." Not sure what can be said about Louis that hasn't already been said...this is perfect, classic. 14 - Hoo boy. Wow... yeah, I cannot do this one, sorry! Wait a minute...this is a joke, right? Okay...haha. If it is, it's a good one. I have done some gigs like this and they were somewhere between funny and excruciating!

Thanks for this MG! Some really cool things here. Can't believe I hadn't heard Grady Tate's singing until now...that is some great stuff!! I feel similarly embarrassed about this one. Haven't listened to Soul Fountain myself more than once though, I think.

Okay, you've sold me. I'm in for a download, thanks!!

Thanks for the heads up, that looks pretty fantastic.