webbcity

Hi all, I'm not new to the forum, but haven't posted here in a looooong time. My pal Thom said he thought I should check out this BFT, and I'm glad I did! Great stuff here Felser! I'm also a little late on this one, but I took a listen, shared my responses with Thom and then he asked if I'd share them here. I've already checked the answers but these are my responses from before I knew just how wrong I was... Also note that my comment on track 6 was because of course I knew immediately it was my friends Thom, Jonathan and Mike. And I was mortified to discover who I was maligning on track 7! --- Track 1 - Yes! First cut from Billy Parker's Freedom of Speech album... Dance of the Children, I think? This LP has some great stuff... I don't 100% love every track, but this particular one is a favorite. Track 2 - Wow...this is interesting. Wasn't too sure where it was going at first, but I LOVE the groove and the organ sound. I don't actually love what the horns add on the head. But the rhythm section is solid and beautiful...bass and drums have an effortless sense of feeling to them that is awesome. Well, hang on... I do like this flute solo. Trumpet... nice... I feel like I should know who this is. Sound is definitely Hubbard-esque. And there's no bass player...that's the organ. I'm guessing it's the organist's date, but I don't know my organ players well enough to know who it is. Killer organ solo though! Wild guess: Charles Earland? Don't love the guitar. Track 3 - Love the prominent bass...is it the bass player's date? Wish the tenor was a bit higher in the mix during the solo, wanted to hear the tone a bit more. Overall I really like this but can't make any guesses on the players. Sure sounds like a Black Jazz date or something like that though. Track 4 - Nice tune. I like the soprano/tenor combo. Bass player's sound & feel are fantastic. Drummer too... excellent. Sounds like Ndugu or someone like that. The tenor solo is super creative, wow... this person is on another planet. Wait a minute... Billy Higgins on drums! That's all I got. Really want to know who the others are... Track 5 - Oh man... yes. This is killer, from the get-go. Wow, who is this tenor player? Deep craziness. A bit of it reminded me of Jessica Jones but I'm sure it's not her. Love the push-pull of the rhythm section. What a great band. They're listening like devils and playing like it too. This is fantastic. Track 6 - Who are these clowns? Hahaha. This sax player sounds like Pharoah Sanders if he lived in Eliot, ME. KILLER! Track 7 - This is the first thing here that I'll admit I really don't like. The tune stinks and I hate that left hand Rhodes line that repeats throughout. This doesn't really go anywhere. For me anyway. The trumpet & tenor solos are great...tenor in particular...but the rhythm section is just bogging this way down for me. No room for anything to breathe here. And the elec. piano solo is boring as heck. I'm sure I'll regret saying some of these things as soon as I find out who this is. Track 8 - Whoa. Wait a minute... this is a David Murray tune, isn't it? But is this one of Murray's groups? I guess it must be, but it sounds...different. Something about the recording/production. NOOOO...hold everything! Art Ensemble! With a piano player. It's not Muhal. Not sure who the pianist is. This is definitely a Jarman tune. Not David Murray... don't know what I was thinking. Track 9 - Though I'm still far from being a Billy Harper expert, this really sounds very strongly of BH to me. Am I in the ballpark? Hmmm. That's probably wrong though. But this IS tenor, right? Or...no? Alto player? The range is all over the place, holy shit! Those high notes... yikes. This is pretty ridiculous. I'm digging it even more as it gets further out. Is there a bass player? I think so, but it's pretty buried in the mix. And is that a marimba in there too? This is really interesting. That trumpet player is off the charts. Maybe that's a balaphone, not a marimba? Love the interplay there at the beginning of the piano solo. I really need to know who this is. Ah, now I can hear the bass more too. Throughout the whole thing, the drummer is just driving this like crazy. Awesome. Track 10 - Overall I like this a lot. Love the feel-- great drummer-- and the sound. Nice & groovy. And the voices add the perfect amount of 70s soulfulness. Probably partly due to the production, nothing really stood out to me in terms of solos or individual players, but I like it. Track 11 - Ha! Well, the tune is "It's Love" by the Rascals. Yes (the band) actually did a version of this in the early days too and it's killer. So I partly think of it as a Yes tune even though it isn't. Is this the original version? I don't think I've heard it before. I like it but it will always be 2nd to Yes's version for me, though I'm sure for most everyone else it's the opposite. Thanks again Felser for putting this together!

Hi folks, Wanted to spread the word about a show that fellow board member Thom Keith and myself are presenting, this coming Saturday in Kittery, Maine...which is about an hour from Boston (it's not "real" Maine). AVANT COAST Creative Music Series #1! Saturday, March 21 @ 7:30 PM The Dance Hall, 7 Walker Street, Kittery. ME LUTHER GRAY TRIO Luther Gray - drums Allan Chase - saxophones Jim Hobbs - alto saxophone EQUAL TIME Thom Keith - saxophones Forbes Graham - trumpet Jonathan Paul - guitar Mike Walsh - drums Tim Webb - bass Acclaimed drummer Luther Gray brings his new trio featuring the incendiary horn duo of Jim Hobbs and Allan Chase for this show. The trio have just released an album on Skycap Music entitled "Horns and Drums, Drums and Horns" which showcases the near-telepathic interplay of this dynamic group. Individually, the members have performed with the likes of Anthony Braxton, Ken Vandermark, Joe Morris, Taylor Ho Bynum, Leroy Jenkins, Andrew Cyrille, Stanley Cowell, and many others. Also on the bill are local favorites Equal Time who have been performing their own brand of spontaneous music throughout the area since 2006. The current lineup of Thom Keith, Forbes Graham, Jonathan Paul, Tim Webb, and Mike Walsh have been together since 2009. Individually and collectively they have performed with Eddie Gale, Dick Griffin, Michael Gregory Jackson, Curtis Clark, Steve Lantner, Fiveighthirteen, and Shango, among others. Each group will play a set, and at the end of the evening all the musicians will play a final set of improvised music together. Anything can happen! Don't miss this folks! These shows are meant to represent the best in live, creative music-- events that will literally be one time only. Be part of this "in-the-moment" experience. And please help us spread the word. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1336997 More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/288547891268838/ https://www.facebook.com/avantcoast http://www.avantcoast.com http://www.thedancehallkittery.org Thanks! Tim

This was great, thanks Bill! Bunch of things here I need to put on my list, including #4, which I really should know better (though I think I did guess Sun Ra correctly). Also love this:

Finally posted my guesses, a few days late... Can't wait for the reveal on this.

Ah, I almost guessed Flanagan on #14...great! Coincidentally, I came across that album elsewhere online just recently. It's on my list to buy now. And I should have got #10... used to have this album! Need to get it back.

Hi Bill, Sorry to be responding so late! November was a difficult month. But I was determined to get this in... better late than never I hope? Some really great stuff here, thanks for putting it together. I've just listened to everything today. Some notes were typed up while listening, others were done after the fact. I haven't peeked at any of the above yet, but will do so as soon as I paste my comments right here... Track 1 - Love the sound and feel of this...loose, dirty, full of joy and grit and the same time. Loving this. Hmmm...I'm also guessing this one is meant to be a trick? Is this Sun Ra? The organ sound has definitely got me thinking Sun Ra, though at first I might have guessed something in a different neighborhood. Plus I think I hear John Gilmore on there. This is terrific. Track 2 - Fantastic arrangement, definitely an epic performance. I really like the way this is structured, with the clarinet featured, followed by the vocals (which I love), and then the pause before the next section. And the solos are perfection. There's really nothing I don't like about this. Curious to know what it is, because I need more of this kind of stuff. Track 3 - This one isn't doing as much for me personally, but I don't dislike it. Just doesn't reach me like tracks 1 and 2 did. The piano player is very interesting though...by far the best part of this. He is saying something. Track 4 - Okay, here we go...right off the bat I love it. Nice feel and mood. This one is taking me to outer space...not Sun Ra again, is it? Oddly enough the piano first reminded me of Nina Simone's piano playing, as on tunes like "Sinnerman." The bass playing is great here...sinewy. Nice little epic piece with overtones of Egypt. Love it. Track 5 - Again the piano player stands out to me. Don't know if that's by design or not, but so far a lot of these piano players are hitting me in the right spot. The piano solo here is much more interesting than the trumpet solo, to me. Track 6 - I like this, but it doesn't really take off for me until the 2:20 mark, where the tenor solo starts and the drummer changes up his thing. At that point it feels like they let go of the reins a bit and start cookin. I'm a big fan of the tenor player, anxious to find out who it is. Track 7 - Another interesting arrangement. I like it when it's a surprise that there are horns... I thought it was a trio date initially. I like the piano player and the whole intro bit, but once again this really takes off about halfway through where the horns come in. Terrific solos. Man, who is the bass player? Love the bass solo. I'm sure I should know who this is, but I don't. Classic stuff. For a minute I thought it might be Cedar Walton on piano and Kenny Dorham on trumpet, but I have a feeling I'm 0 for 2 there. Track 8 - Great feel, swinging. I feel like there's a Billy Higgins influence in the drums, but it doesn't sound like Higgins. The piano player is good. The whole band swings in an effortless kind of way. Track 9 - Nice ensemble, interesting piece of music with a touch of the eastern. I like the improvised bit of this the best though, especially where things start getting edgy. I always want to say Billy Bang when I hear something like this, but I'm really not confident in that guess. That's really just based on some of the "effects" during the improv but the rest of it really doesn't sound like Bang. Track 10 - Okay, from the first notes this is very obviously Dave Holland, Barry Altschul, George Lewis and Anthony Braxton. But who is the piano player? Muhal maybe? I don't know this one, but I like it. Is this on one of the Arista albums? Holland's solo is mind-boggling as usual. And this is just a hell of an ensemble. Hang on, that's not Braxton. Hmmm...I figured there had to be a trick in here somewhere. Can't ID the tenor player, but whoever it is, this is five stars all the way. Track 11 - This pianist has an interesting approach that I really like...A nice meeting of soul, tradition and "outside" touches. Like constantly dipping in and out of different neighborhoods. This kind of approach always makes me think of Stanley Cowell, though this definitely isn't Cowell. But a similar kind of modus operandi. This is killer. Track 12 - Hmmm...this is an odd one. The intro fooled me, for one...I thought this was going to a much different place but then the tune comes in and we're somewhere else. This is a bit too "commercial" for me personally. The tenor player has chops a-plenty, but I'm not hearing a story. This just isn't my bag. Wait a minute...what the heck? Pat Metheny and his synth guitar? Now I am completely thrown. I was gonna place this in the mid to late 70s but now I don't know what's going on. This one just confuses me. Track 13 - This is cool. "Airegin," right? I always get this confused with other tunes but I think I got it right this time. Great arrangement for horns. While I like the performance overall, nothing really stands out in the solos for me. Hmm. Jury's out for me on this one. The ensemble playing is good but I don't feel like the improvising is at the same level. Track 14 - Beautiful...perfection. No guesses on the piano player, but I like this. Very emotional, deep playing. Excellent. Track 15 - I'll be honest, I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. Just because of the European/Classical influence...not usually my thing. However...this is very good. It builds nicely and the ensemble works incredibly well together. Couldn't begin to guess the players, but for some reason I wonder if it's the piano player's date? In any case, very nice, and a cool way to end the BFT. A very enjoyable bunch of tunes! Thanks!!

Thank you, I will do that!!

Felser, looks like this was a HELL of a BFT...apologies again for missing it!

Apologies from here too...October was a hell of a month and I just didn't have the time. But looking at the tracklist, I am seriously bummed that I didn't participate...some fantastic stuff here! And the Max Roach is a favorite of mine too...especially that particular tune. Nice one!

Bill, I will try a download and hope I have time to participate this month! Thanks...looking forward to it!!

Forgiveness is a powerful thing.

Hang on... on that Robert Stewart track, is that Stewart playing overdubbed flute also?

Nice. This was a killer BFT. I need to investigate 10-13 immediately, and likely some of the earlier tracks as well...want to hear more of that Shelly Manne, for one. Wendell Harrison doesn't surprise me...not saying I could have guessed it, but seeing the reveal made me go ahhhh...right. I don't have that album but need to put it on the list now. Great story about Jeff Coffin too, you never told me about that! Yes you have!

I'm so psyched for the reveal on this. I listened to some of these again to see if I could figure out ANY of the players, but no dice. Luckily it's only a few more days before we find out...

Although baseball references go right over my head, I agree!!

Okay... **tenor** player on track 1...hello?

Okay, here goes everything. Thom, I gotta say, you have outdone yourself...there is some killin, killin stuff here...wooo!! I am loving this. Well done. First off, I love the photo and am tempted to make that the new profile photo for the Equal Time Facebook page. Track 1 - Love the bass player, right off the bat...terrific feel and sound. Okay...the alto player is no slouch either. That is a fiery solo. Damn, this is nice! The piano solo starts off with a bang too. I'm guessing this was recorded in the first half of the 60s so I should be able to come up with some names here but I'm failing. Sounds like a Riverside or Prestige date? Not sure, but I need to know who this is. Track 2 - The trombonist stands out right away, both in the ensemble playing at the beginning (which is perfect), and the solo. A thoughtful, musical player. Oh man...and that tenor player!! I KNOW who this is, I must...I recognize some of those licks. This is great. Definitely detecting a Rollins influence, but it's not him. I like this. Solid groove throughout too...love the drummer. Sounds Elvin. As in Elvin Jones, not like an elf. Track 3 - Groovy, baby! I'm guessing this is the guitarist's record? The tenor player is a better soloist than the guitarist though. Tight rhythm section for sure. Overall I like this. Track 4 - Okay...this is confusing. This has GOT to be Coltrane...but what the hell? This is truly bizarre. The piano player is definitely doing all sorts of Tynerisms, but it's not him...which is especially clear when it comes time for the piano solo. And I've no idea who the bass player and drummer are. This is a real mystery. Wow. Track 5 - I like this a lot. Love the way it builds just a bit after the 1:00 mark, with those rolling chords...man! And then it comes right back down again. A dynamic performance. Touches of the traditional and the modern here. I'm a fan of the composition too, interesting chord progressions. Very curious to know who this is. Beautiful. Track 6 - Damn, you are pulling out some great stuff here. LOVE this! Okay...every time you do a BFT I have to guess Mal Waldron somewhere, so...Mal Waldron? Man, this is killin. I love it all...the horn solos are perfect, and I am really down with the whole bass and drums thing, that is fantastic. Some more crazy guesses: Roy Haynes? Richard Davis? Kenny Dorham?...no, Lee Morgan? Okay...I may just be off my nut. But I love this. There is literally nothing that I don't love about this track. Track 7 - Some familiar-sounding players here but again I'm having trouble with names. Actually I am now getting a message from beyond that the tenor player could be Frank Foster, but those messages sometimes come through a little garbled so it could be way off. All standard disclaimers apply. Hmmm...the piano solo is pretty outstanding, and I am now wondering if it's the piano player's date. This is good. The drummer sounds like a slightly unstable Philly Joe (and I don't mean that as a negative, just a descriptor...). Track 8 - Nice bass solo. Honestly I am listening at the moment on really crappy speakers (another excuse, I know)...but it sounds kinda like Sam Jones. Could the fluegel player be Art Farmer? This has a nice easy feel to it, very enjoyable. Clearly recorded in the 70s or early 80s, which honestly I think was a great time for jazz despite what most say. But I know I'm preachin to the choir here. Track 9 - Hmmm...this could be the first real miss for me. I like the overall feel of it, and there are bits of the tune that I like, but I am not crazy about the singer or the lyrics. Kinda making a guess that you included this for the sax player though? That's one of the best parts of this, to me. That and the rhythm section. Track 10 - Awesome. This is a great improvisation. Oddly, the repeated motif on its own isn't all that interesting to me, but whoever is playing this is doing a hell of a job building from it. Very cool. No guesses, but I love it. Track 11 - Good grief man...just stop it, seriously. I don't know where you are pulling all of this stuff from...so much of this is my bag and you haven't shared it with me yet...what the hell dude? Well, okay, maybe you did share it with me but I forgot. Anyway...my guess on this one is Khan Jamal with Johnny Dyani. Dudu Pukwana on alto? I might be mistaken, but whatever it is, it kills and I need to hear more of it. Track 12 - Wow, okay...honestly...I give. This is too much. Who in God's name is that tenor player? Good lord...I am not trying to be funny here, but really, I am running out of superlatives. I just need this right now. Un-friggin-believable. I got so excited listening to this I almost hurt myself. Track 13 - An interesting twist here, we are now in different territory...but in some ways, we aren't really. I like this a lot. Sounds like a tune I should be familiar with, or it is just a familiar-sounding tune. Damn...this is really beautiful. Wasn't expecting the sax to come in, that only adds to the magic of this one. I swear, I am going to have a long shopping list after I find out what all of these are. Well done brotha!!

Wow, #5 was Joe McPhee!! Some interesting stuff here. I need to keep an eye out for that Perry Robinson. I'm not familiar with Irene Schweizer but I enjoyed that track. And the Tchicai/Kohlhase/Fewell is something I should already have. That track is flat-out awesome. I will mention this to Charlie actually, if Thom Keith doesn't first. Thanks for this...really enjoyed a lot of what was here and appreciate your efforts in putting together this BFT!

All very interesting. So hang on a minute...track 8 must be Charlie Kohlhase, John Tchicai and Garrison Fewell...aha! I'm kicking myself for not getting the Perry Robinson or the Sun Ra. I've heard of that Sun Ra thing before, but never actually heard the track. Will have to listen to it again. There's a lot of Sun Ra that I love, but honestly that particular track didn't do too much for me on the first listen.

Um... yes.

Okay, here we go... Track 1 - Wow...off to an interesting start! I don't know this, but I like it. Something is telling me Black Saint label here...some of those folks. And the violinist's sound reminds me of Leroy Jenkins at times, but on the other hand, it's too "inside." I love the arrangement. I must know this tenor player, at least. Love the sound when he comes in after the 4:30 mark. This is very cool...lots of soul in this performance. Track 2 - Is that a bass clarinet? I like this. Way too short though, needed to hear more! Track 3 - Okay, this is happening...this is just the kind of stuff I love, forward-thinking and backward-looking at the same time. Love the clarinet player, once again. There's a lot of familiar-sounding playing here, but I struggle to come up with names. I'm kinda thinking Cecil McBee on bass, but it's a little hard to tell from the recording. I like this a lot. Track 4 - While I did enjoy this, and definitely appreciate/respect it, overall it didn't take me anywhere special. Didn't "grab" me. Still, curious as to who it is and what is the story with the singing that comes in after the 2-minute mark...sounds like a sample from an old record. Track 5 - I Remember Clifford. Always loved this tune. This is a nice version, but I wish it was longer and went somewhere...not enough "meat" for me, but it was nice. Great sounds from both the tenor player and the bass player. Track 6 - This is not really to my taste, but the musicianship is fantastic...terrific interplay, the players are wonderfully in sync. Track 7 - Hmmm...I am a little puzzled/baffled by this one to be honest! The one thing I do want to say is that I really like the piano player and was hoping to hear more from him/her...what was there was really interesting. Track 8 - Wow, this took me to another place. And I was happy to be there. This is fantastic, just love the mood and feel of it. Beautiful playing from the alto player especially, he is really feeling it here. The tenor player is coming from a totally different place but sounds great also. Overall this is pretty stunning. Anxious to find out who it is. I feel like I should know who the alto player is, but I'm coming up blank. Track 9 - This is a fun one. Great energy, nice feel. This sounds somewhere halfway between New Orleans and South Africa. Cool stuff. Track 10 - This never totally got off the ground for me, but at the same time I'd like to hear more from these folks to really try and key in on what they're doing. This particular piece felt somewhat aimless to me. But the piano player has something to say. I'm just not sure the cellist and drummer are fully involved in the conversation. Hmmm...don't know. I am conflicted about this. Track 11 - I like it. Some terrific ensemble playing here. And they really settle into a nice groove once the "solos" start. Something about the tenor player makes me think John Tchicai, but I'm sure that's wrong. I really like the trumpet player too...he/she has a very fluid sense of phrasing and note choices. This is cool. I really like the way things start to cook from 6:45 on! The concept here sounds very European, so maybe these are European players, at least the rhythm section. Track 12 - Ack, the name of this tune is escaping me! This is a very creative take on it though...old meets new. Nicely done. I like the ending bit especially where they fall out of time and then back in at a faster tempo. Track 13 - This is really good. The first person I thought of was Mal Waldron, but I'm not sure that it's him...though it certainly sounds like someone who is influenced by him. Great performance, and the tune is hypnotic. Curious to find out who this is. Overall, some terrific stuff here! Thanks so much for the fun!

Ah, no wonder that Jarman composition sounded familiar to me! I bought that Art Ensemble album, "The Third Decade", when it first came out and played it often right after that. I did not remember the song though, when I heard it on your BFT. Among other recordings in his career, Jerome Richardson is featured as a saxophonist quite a bit on Charles Mingus' "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" album. Thanks for the tip on the Harold Land songs on CD. You mentioned that you were not familiar with trombonist Paul McKee. He is an Organissimo board member, who goes by the handle Free For All. Wow, no kidding! Small world here. He sounds very good on the Jodie Christian CD. That Mingus album is one I should know (esp. as a bass player)...will need to correct that soon. Cool, I will investigate that one. I have Tiny Grimes on some Charlie Parker stuff and I really like his playing (and singing).

Here it is folks...Most of these have been ID'd in one form or another, but here is the full info, personnel, etc. in one place. And there are still a few surprises to be revealed. There ended up being a few different mini-themes to this BFT-- (1) Harold Land, (2) Chicago/the AACM, and (3) Delmark Records. Here we go... 1. Harold Land - “Outlandish” (Land) from Black California (Savoy) April 25, 1949 Harold Land (tenor); William Doty (alto); Froebel Brigham (trumpet); Russell B. Campbell (trombone); Fred Jackson (piano); David Dyson (bass); Leon Pettis (drums) I have this on the 2 LP pictured above, but it has been reissued in a few different places. This is the earliest Harold Land that I know of on record...there are 4 tracks from this group and all are outstanding. Wish there was more! I got into Land's playing initially through his incredible work with Bobby Hutcherson in the 60s and 70s. Not long after that I continued exploring, trying to pick up everything I could find, and was pretty well blown away when I first heard this-- not only because it is so different from anything else in his catalog but because it is so damn killin!! 2. Harold Land - “Chocolate Mess” (Ndugu Chancler) from Damisi (Mainstream) 1972 Harold Land (tenor); Oscar Brashear (trumpet); William Henderson (elec. piano); Buster Williams (bass); Ndugu Chancler (drums) Land's Mainstream recordings are among my favorites, particularly the album "Choma (Burn)". I wanted to put on something without Hutcherson though, purely because I thought he would be a dead giveaway. Love this track though. As Thom Keith pointed out, it features another very underrated musician-- Oscar Brashear on trumpet. 3. Gerald Wilson Orchestra - “The "IT's" Where It's At” (Harold Land, arr. Wilson) from Live and Swinging (Pacific Jazz) 1967 Gerald Wilson (conductor); Al Porcino, Alex Rodriguez, Charles Tolliver, Dick Forest, Gary Barone, Larry McGuire (trumpet); Anthony Ortega, Ray Bojorquez (alto); Hadley Caliman, Harold Land (tenor); Howard Johnson (bari, tuba); Don Switzer, Lester Robertson, Mike Barone, Thurman Green (trombone); Phil Moore III (piano); Jack Wilson (organ); William "Buddy" Woodson (bass); Carl Lott (drums) The third and final cut in the "Harold Land" set, this time in the context of the great Gerald Wilson Orchestra. This is one is came across relatively recently (last year sometime) and it knocked me out. This is a Land composition I hadn't heard before...love the tune, and Land's performance on it. Also of note: Charles Tolliver!! His track "Paper Man" is on this album too. 4. Joseph Jarman - “New Prayer for Jimbo III” (Jarman) from LifeTime Visions for the Magnificent Human (Bopbuda Music) 2000 Joseph Jarman (soprano); Myra Melford (piano); Rob Garcia (drums) And here we have one of my absolute favorite releases of recent times...though not a very well-known one. This was recorded live at the Vision Festival in 1998 and 1999. Thom, you are no doubt slapping yourself in the forehead right now. It seemed like a lot of you dug this track...if so, I highly recommend seeking it out, the whole thing is fantastic. Only thing I will mention is that Jarman does some singing/chanting on a couple of the tracks which I really like, but is not everyone's bag. The first time I went to Chicago was I think shortly after the release of this CD. I heard Jarman play with Robbie Lynn Hunsinger, Tatsu Aoki, and Avreeayl Ra at the Chicago Cultural Center. They did an amazing rendition of the title track from this CD. It was one of the great musical moments in my life. 5. Chico Freeman - “Conversations” (Freeman) from Morning Prayer (Whynot) 1976 Chico Freeman (tenor); Henry Threadgill (bari); Muhal Richard Abrams (piano); Cecil McBee (bass); Ben Montgomery (drums) Douglas Ewart and Steve McCall also appear on this album, but I don’t hear them on this track. I love this whole album but this track in particular is a killer. Threadgill's solo especially is a highlight for me (not to mention his signature playing on the head of the tune). This was reissued a couple years back on Candid with their other "WhyNot" reissues, which is how I heard it-- had not come across it before that point. Highly recommended. 6. Prince Lasha Quintet feat. Sonny Simmons - “Green and Gold” (Lasha/Simmons) from The Cry (Contemporary) November 21, 1962 Prince Lasha (flute); Sonny Simmons (alto); Gary Peacock, Mark Proctor (bass); Gene Stone (drums) A lot of you got this one. This album is chock full of great tunes and playing, and I love the two basses of course. This one has gotten a little more play at my house than the better known "Firebirds" on the same label, but saying that reminds me that I should go back and check out the other one again. I like pretty much everything I've heard from this duo. Somehow Simmons on his own has never clicked with me fully, but with Lasha it's a different story. Awesome stuff. 7. Jackie McLean - “The Collective Expression” (McLean) from Rhythm of the Earth (Antilles) 1992 Jackie McLean (alto); Steve Davis (trombone); Roy Hargrove (trumpet); Steve Nelson (vibes); Alan Jay Palmer (piano); Nat Reeves (bass); Eric McPherson (drums) Aha! Kudos to Ronald for getting this one. I'll admit it made me kind of happy that it took a little while...I expected people to recognize McLean right away, but maybe to be less sure about the band here. I think this was actually the first McLean album I bought, right around the time it was released. I was still a relative newbie to jazz. A few years prior I was looking at colleges and had auditioned for McLean at the Hartt School of Music, but funnily enough, I didn't know who he was yet! Which in retrospect was a really good thing because I would have been terrified. Even though I didn't end up going to Hartt (possibly a mistake), he was really cool in the audition (and I did well too ). So there's something special about this album for me...I knew I wanted to include something from it, and there were several possible contenders. McLean is in top form, the band is cookin' and at the same time one of the things I like most about this album is the tunes-- there is some top-notch writing here. Not sure if Alan Jay Palmer is still around, but he wrote some fabulous stuff for this record, and McLean's contributions in that department are stellar also. And it sounds like a 60s Blue Note record (Van Gelder was involved in recording). Highly recommended! I will post the rest soon, but it may not be until tomorrow...stay tuned!

Bill, thanks for your thoughts! I'm really glad you enjoyed so much of this. On #1, the Land track...it looks like 3 of the 4 tracks from that session are available here on CD and MP3: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000C7PU5/ref=dm_dp_cdp?ie=UTF8&s=music ... not sure why they left the 4th one off. On #4, the Jarman...I am really you liked that one-- absolutely one of my favorites. There are 2 bands on that CD, as it was recorded at 2 different Vision Festivals in NYC, in 1998 and 1999. The first group is the trio here and the second is the trio plus Jessica Jones on tenor and flute (who sounds phenomenal here) and Alan Silva on bass. This tune, "New Prayer for Jimbo III" originally appeared as "Prayer for Jimbo Kwesi" on this album: http://www.amazon.com/Third-Decade-Art-Ensemble-Chicago/dp/B00002MYHH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375789729&sr=8-1&keywords=art+ensemble+third+decade Regarding Roscoe Mitchell, I have always liked him in the context of the Art Ensemble, but on some other recordings his playing is not exactly my taste (though I always respect what he's up to). On the Jodie Christian track here, I love it...I think he adds a lot. And I learned something from you about Jerome Richardson, because I think I have ever only known him as a flute player-- did not realize he was primarily a saxophonist. Thanks again for your comments!

Indeed...Charlie is awesome! Always a great show. Listening right now.