webbcity

I'm honestly shocked that #11 is Mal and that I didn't love it. Clearly I have something stuck in my ears. Let the public shaming begin!

Here are my thoughts, jotted down as I listened. I haven't looked at any of the above to see if I'm at all in the right ballpark on these, but I didn't have a lot of guesses. For me though the point is usually to hear & enjoy some new music without prejudice. Track 1 - This is the kind of stuff I love. Right off the bat I'm thinking Hutcherson, Tyner, Higgins... but it becomes quickly clear none of those guesses are right! The vibraphonist is a lot stiffer, more analytical than Hutch. As much as I love the overall sound here, the solos aren't really grabbing me. So I have mixed opinions on this one. It never fully gets off the ground for me. Curious to know who it is though. Track 2 - At the start I'm hearing hints of Jaco, enough to make me think this is an electric bass, but in fact I think it's just a very "electric" sounding upright. Beautiful tone. I really like the little chord sequence a few minutes in, with the soloing over the top. Sounds to me like that's overdubbing and not 2 bass players. Any chance this is Eberhard Weber? I'm not really confident in that guess though... I suspect that's wrong. Whoever it is, I really enjoyed this. Track 3 - I'm drawn in by the trumpet player, who has a beautiful, tender approach to his/her instrument. I'm hanging on every note. Nice subdued piano solo also. No guesses on this one, but I'm very curious. This took me to a nice place. Track 4 - This is interesting! The only point of comparison I have is Masada, who I haven't listened to in years. But this sounds like a different bag really, way more "authentic," to my ears. I love the rhythms and the lines. And that's some kind of middle eastern stringed instrument in there too? Hmmm... the approach of the tenor player certainly sounds western though. Great solo! And the next solo too. So is that an oud? I should know this. Damn this is great. What a trumpet solo! OK...there is not a weak soloist on this. The bass player is ridiculous! Anxious for the reveal on this one. Track 5 - Well this already sounds like it's going somewhere I like. Right out of the gate, loving the bass/drums groove and those harmonized horn lines. Really getting into that ride cymbal! I should absolutely know this tenor player, this is so up my alley. Not sure I can ID him though. Damn!! This thing is lifting up into the sky. Oh now hang on. This has got to be McCoy? Burnin! And now this is one hell of an athletic drum solo. It sounds so much like one of Tyner's groups, but it can't be, can it? I'm a little baffled. I need this though! Track 6 - The whole-tone-ish intro led me to believe we were going elsewhere, kind of interesting the way it settled out into more standard territory. That's making it a little difficult to place for me, but I do really like how a lot of ground is covered in this short time. Ultimately it sounds like a 60s recording I think? Very nice stuff. Track 7 - Well if throat singing and trombone isn't a great combo, I don't know what is. The hardest part with this for me is that the throat singing draws my attention so much that I worry I'm not paying enough attention to the trombonist. But that's a beautiful trombone sound. I really like the freedom too, the moves they're making over the top of the drones. The overtones from the throat singer are wild! Some great stuff happening here. It also makes me want to hear the trombonist in a different group setting. This is cool! Track 8 - Nice space, respect for silence and openness. The sound of the group is very European to me. I'm also not hearing a lot in the way of strong melodies and it's a little clinical for my tastes. They obviously play well together, it's very well done, just doesn't really reach me personally. Track 9 - Ooooh, this is nice, I really like this piano player. Beautiful! Ah! In a Sentimental Mood. The bass sure is high in the mix... not that it's a bad thing. This has got to be from the 70s. Wasn't expecting a saxophonist too. What a great, breathy sound. This is called really inhabiting the tune... I'm kinda liking how they stay so close to the theme, with some nice touches added. I honestly want to hear more from the pianist, I think I got faked out by that long intro and was hoping for more piano solo. But that's not to take away from this stunning tenor player. Love this all the way around. Track 10 - This one is kind of rhythmically interesting but it's in that space of Too much head, not enough heart for me. Technically very good but it doesn't say a lot to me. Track 11 - This isn't hitting me either, but it could be the mood I'm in. Definitely a dark, foreboding kind of feeling here. This person definitely knows how to get a "big" sound out of the piano. All in all, some excellent music here. As I noted there are several tunes I'm dying to learn more about. Thanks so much for your efforts putting this together!

Oh man, the Pyramids!! I've wondered about that album. Guess I need to check it out. Some really interesting reveals here. This was a fabulous BFT. Thanks for your efforts!

Finally finished this one up! Here are my notes as I was listening... Track 1 - Aha! I know this one... was just listening to this LP not too long ago actually. The mighty Clifford Jordan from "Starting Time." I think this is the lead off track? This is a killer tune. Jordan's solo on this is epic, and Wilbur Ware & Tootie are laying it down with conviction. Damn I love this. Off to a great start! Track 2 - Oh wow... that's a harp, yes? And some seriously great sounding upright bass. The pocket is deep here. I suppose there are only so many jazz harp players so I should be able to guess this, but I'm sorry to say I'm not really familiar with *any* jazz harpists. Maybe Dorothy Ashby? But that's a pure wild guess. Whoever this is, I'm really digging it. Soulful, groovy stuff, nice tune. Again I really love the bass player's sound and feel. And is there actually a drummer who's sitting out on this? I feel like I heard a couple of cymbal hits in there. Track 3 - Three for three... loving this one as well. Beautiful sounding trio. I like how the bassist is filling in a lot of the space with runs while the pianist and drummer lay down that open, groovy but spacey kind of feel. This is some great stuff. My only complaint is that I wish it could be longer! Some fabulous communication between the 3 musicians here. Track 4 - I'm really digging this neighborhood we're in. This is "In a Sentimental Mood" of course, and I am. Beautiful piano work. I love that this isn't overly flashy... it's an interpretation that really lets the beauty of this tune shine through and it's deeply felt. Another winner! Track 5 - I like this, but after the last four tunes it feels like a pretty abrupt change. A bit more outside of my wheelhouse, but I enjoy it. Just haven't dug into this era of the music as much. Track 6 - Boy this sounds familiar. It's bugging me that I can't think of the name of the tune. Love the nice easy feel. Some very tasty drumming. And I've rarely heard a soprano sax sound that beautiful, wow! Really nice. Anxious to find out who this is. Track 7 - That hint of wah tells me we're in the 70s possibly? No, this sounds more modern actually. Love the space they're setting up here. Hooo man! This is deep. Digging the piano solo. And I love the synth interlude too. Track 8 - There are clear nods to Ayler and Ornette here... for a moment I was thinking David Murray or Jemeel Moondoc but it's not either of them. But stylistically they're close to early David Murray trio. This might be a European group though? I'm impressed with the facility of the bassist. Track 9 - Ahhh... what is this tune? Another one that's on the tip of my brain. I like the way they're doing this, the Ahmad Jamal kind of vibe. I both love what the drummer is doing, and am a bit tired of it after a while... might be nice to change it up at some point. But overall this is a really nice rendition. Track 10 - Well this has got to be Gary Burton and Steve Swallow. Ah, and Pat Metheny! I actually haven't listened a lot to this group but it's clearly them. This is really good. A nice reminder that I need to dig into this stuff a bit more. I do love the beautiful floaty feeling of this. It's funny, I love the vibes as an instrument but don't know a lot of Burton... I tend more towards Hutcherson, Dickerson, Jamal... but this is great. Track 11 - I like this vamp a lot. And I dig this saxophonist! Strong Chicago vibe happening here. Oh hell yes... now we're rockin! Who *is* this tenor player? This thing is just simmering like mad and I love it. No guesses on the players but this is right in my neighborhood. I need this! Track 12 - This is nice, but it doesn't do a ton for me if I'm honest. I loved so much of this BFT... this one just doesn't hold up to the rest of the tunes for me personally. Overall, holy cow... great selection of music here. There's so much I loved that I both look forward to and fear the reveal as it will probably put a dent in my wallet! Thanks so much for putting this together!

I'm still planning to do this one! Haven't peeked at any of the guesses but I noticed a reveal and then saw your post above. So I have 2 hints at least. Going to try to get to this in the next couple days while avoiding spoilers...

Thanks for your efforts, Dmitry, some great stuff here. Very much enjoyed it.

Jumping in at the last minute here... busy couple of months, and I was sorry to miss last month's BFT but wasn't going to miss another if it killed me. I haven't read the above posts yet, just pasting my impressions here, which I wrote as I listened... I look forward to going back and seeing people's guesses & comments... Track 1 - Wow... now that's a tempo. Burning! First thing it reminds me of is the Booker Ervin quartet from the mid 60s with Jaki Byard, Richard Davis, and Alan Dawson. And it does kinda sound like Book to me. I'm not confident in that guess though. But I like this a lot, great overall feeling and some very free improvising, in the non-literal sense of the word. Nice track. Track 2 - Honest to god... I used to know the names of all those Bird tunes but I'm blanking on this one. This is a tight trio. Really loving the drummer especially. Tasty, tasty stuff. Louis Hayes? Some really interesting lines in the piano solo. Is this the Barry Harris Trio? BH is someone I'm no expert on, need to listen to more. This could be Sam Jones on bass then. This is excellent. Track 3 - Sounds like we're jumping to the 70s now, and that's no bad thing! Beautiful trumpet sound! Or fluegelhorn? I'll note that I am not listening on a great sounding device unfortunately. The bass player sounds a bit Buster Williams-esque. Nice solo! Another winner for me. Track 4 - "A" Train of course... solo piano? Damn solid, beautiful feel and total command of the instrument. Whoo! That ascending bit around 1:38. This is killer. Huh... there are definitely bits here that sound like OP to me, but it couldn't be him... could it? This is so damn good. Whoever it is, they're absolutely swingin their ass off. Outstanding! Track 5 - Arg... having another memory lapse in trying to remember the name of this tune. That sure sounds like Jim Hall on guitar. No, wait a minute... I don't think so. It gets a bit less interesting to me once the guitarist gets into the continuous fast lines. Whoever this is has certainly listened to JH though. Overall I do like this but it maybe gets a little too clever for me. And I feel conflicted about the drummer...probably need to listen again to absorb all that's going on. Track 6 - This is cool! It's landing somewhere between Mingus, Muhal, and Roscoe Mitchell for me... those are just initial impressions, people who are jumping to mind, not actual guesses though. This is wild! First solo is fantastic, hearing a lot of Dolphy influence there. OK, now that trombone player has THE SOUND. This is one I'll need to hear again to really process what the rhythm section is doing. This is a very happening track. I'm sure I know who these folks are but it's not coming to me at the moment. Track 7 - Bass player sounds very Scott LaFaro to me. "Someday My Prince Will Come." Interesting guitar player. This is kind of fascinating... I'm having trouble placing it historically because of the recording. But the guitarist has my attention. Definitely some unpredictable twists and turns. It's funny, there are some bits here that sound like Jim Hall to me too. Maybe every guitar player sounds like Jim Hall to me? (No, not really...) Definitely curious about the reveal for this one! Track 8 - This one is kind of a puzzle... it's the first track that doesn't really speak to me. The players are all clearly good, and style-wise it appeals to me, but to my ears, nobody is really saying anything. I'm probably gonna regret saying that, but that's how I'm hearing it right now. As I mentioned above, I did not have a great listening device at my disposal when listening to this-- I listened through a TV. No, I don't normally listen on a TV. Long story, not very interesting. But I hope to go back and check it out again on some decent headphones. Thanks for your efforts Dmitry, a very enjoyable BFT!! EDIT: See? I told you I'd regret my comments on #8!

It will be merely an opening act for the epic BFT that I hear is coming in December!

Fantastic! Needless to say, loved this BFT. You have impeccable taste, my friend. Thanks for putting this together!

Ahhh! I have that CD!! Well that's embarrassing. I guess I know what I need to listen to more of...

And Thom, we talked about this but I forgot to put it in writing-- I'll be happy to take November's BFT. Thanks!

And to be extra fair, I gave you track 7 too! So... if I hadn't ID'd both of those, a public shaming would have been in order!

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear this. I still remember a nice discussion I had with him years ago on this forum (which I think I shared with you Thom), just around music and the Blindfold Tests. He was so enthusiastic about music and seemed like such a kind person.

Cheers! First time I heard Bowden was with Douglas Ewart's group at Chicago's famous Velvet Lounge (R.I.P.) in the early 2000s. That was a mind-blowing and ear-opening show. The second time was with the AACM Great Black Music Ensemble at the Chicago Jazz Fest. Bowden was magnificent and had a way about him on stage that was impressive to say the least. He led the group with a combination of youthful vigor and ancient wisdom, and successfully communicated what could be considered "difficult music" to the large and enthusiastic audience, in an accessible way, while still pulling no punches. It made a big impression on me. As I think I mentioned earlier, it's hard to find a lot of Bowden on recordings, apart from Ed Wilkerson's 8 Bold Solds or Shadow Vignettes. But this disc comes closest to the energy I've seen from him in a live setting. Except that's it Billy Higgins...

Yes, it's a price thing for me... Being in the US, most options are shipping from overseas and that makes the total cost a minimum of $40-45 with shipping. That seems like a lot to me, even for a CD I really want. But we'll see... it may be that I'm just going to have to pay a lot no matter what, and I can get myself used to that idea eventually...

Oh man, thank you! Did not see that! Time to go digging for the best price I can find...

Do you happen to have the Ensemble Al-Salaam? As I'm thinking about these, that's one that I recall actually having good sound. I'll have to pull it out & play it again to make sure I'm remembering correctly though... In the World has been on my want list forever! I missed that CD when it came out... I really hope someone reissues that again someday.

For whatever it's worth, I have this cheap LP reissue from 2002 and always thought it sounded pretty good... which surprised me considering the cost, and assuming it just came from a digital master... https://www.discogs.com/release/2026710-Doug-Hammond-David-Durrah-Reflections-In-The-Sea-Of-Nurnen But having said that I'm going to go back & listen again. Seeing that the Now Again reissues were cut by Bernie Grundman, I can only imagine that his cut will be an improvement on what I have. Decisions, decisions... I think that might explain it. While I haven't heard this particular album on P-Vine, I've had others from the same series and they sounded horrible. I had the P-Vine "mini-LP" CD version of A Message From the Tribe and it was compressed to hell, no-noised to death, and the high end jacked way up. It was seriously painful to listen to.

Same! Where do we sign up?? That is a lot. It's too bad Asian Improv doesn't have a Bandcamp page... huge missed opportunity IMO. The quality of music on that label is very high but accessibility seems to be quite low...

The odd thing about the Bowden is that it only seems to be available through Amazon. I was looking at other options myself, after I bought my copy... but the label (Asian Improv, Tatsu Aoki's label out of Chicago) seems to use Amazon as pretty much their sole distributor from what I can see. I did a quick look and it does appear to be available at Amazon UK-- https://www.amazon.co.uk/FOOT-n1FOOT-OUT-Mwata-Bowden/dp/B081WPWM5F/ Nice!! I am *definitely* gonna dig into this. So, no "official" release on this one then, I guess?

Thanks for sharing those! I do have the "complete edition" of A Message From The Tribe but didn't realize they had expanded all of these... will have to give a closer look to the bonus tracks. And yes, I definitely have my eye on that Harrison release!

Big fan of both of these labels. In fact, I must have posted in this thread years ago but I'm too lazy to look... hopefully I'm not about to repeat myself... Very happy with the latest Black Jazz reissues from Real Gone... a lot of those have been unavailable & hard to find for a few years. I was able to fill some holes in my collection. Favorites for me are all of the Doug Carn records, both LPs from The Awakening, both from Rudolph Johnson (talk about someone who deserves wider recognition! ), and the two Henry Franklins. There are still a bunch I'm not familiar with yet though. As far as Tribe goes, A Message From the Tribe is one of my all-time favorite records. Reflections in the Sea of Nurnen is right up there also. And there's a lot of Wendell Harrison's work post-Tribe Records period that is outstanding.

Going back through the posts, I see nobody has ID'd the Waldron album and I forgot to do so above, so I'll do it here: BOOM

Haven't been 'round these parts for a while, but decided I wanted to jump back into the BFTs this month, even before I knew my buddy Thom was doing it. Bonus! I wrote these comments as I was listening, and was careful not to read any previous posts first (but will go back and do that now)... Track 1 - Gotta love the simplicity of the intro. April in Paris, of course. Beautiful tone on the trumpet player! Oh man... and let's say the same for the tenor player as well, that is gorgeous. Any chance this is Chet Baker? Not very confident in that guess, but it's something. That's a beautiful trumpet solo. Lyrical, dynamic, emotional. The rhythm section is flawless and supportive throughout. Hard to guess on a lot of the players but I really enjoyed this. Track 2 - Ah! Harold Land. Jim, I can name that sax player in 3 notes. That sound!! And it's Alone Together. Hmmm...what group is this though? Maybe Curtis Counce? Oh interesting... a medley. Whoa! That trumpet player sounds from another era. Roy Eldridge? Is this one of those "Jam Session" recordings? Oh wait, would that be Clifford Brown then? Doesn't sound like him though. Holy high notes, Batman! I love how into it the crowd is. Oh yeah... so this must be Dinah Washington singing, on Come Rain or Come Shine? This is good overall... the Land portion at the beginning is definitely my favorite part though. Washington sounds pretty fantastic on that too. Track 3 - Well this is off to an interesting start. What A Difference A Day Makes? I think I have that right. That *is* a soprano, right? The tone is amazing! Soooo smooth, I was questioning whether it was an alto at first. No hard edge at all. Wow. I don't think I've ever heard a soprano sound quite so beautiful. Also hard to tell if that's a bass or a cello underneath. Oh no, it does sound like a bass... he hit a low note right as I typed that. Well, I don't think I have any guesses but I love this a lot. I am floating... Track 4 - Damn, what an intro... that left hand... the bass... wait a minute. Mal Waldron. I think I just listened to this recently. Reggie Workman on bass and Smilin' Billy on the drums. What can I say? A 10 out of 10. Who else can build a tune like this, out of so few raw elements? This performance was forged in fire. Such a simple tune, and they take it to so many different places over the course of the 13 minutes. Track 5 - Hahaha, this is the Jeff Lebowski Quintet - Live at the Bowling Alley. I can't really say too much on this one because I have inside info. But I will say that these are some BAAAAAAAD mofos!! 11 stars out of 10. In all seriousness, I loooove this tune and every one of the musicians here. Track 6 - Right from the get-go, we're dancing... ooooh, this is good. What a beautiful feeling the rhythm section has. I find the "B" section a little jarring and out of character with the rest of the tune. I'm sure that's the point but it doesn't totally work for me. Very nice flute playing. Piano solo--excellent. I feel like this is a bass player I know. Great sound and feeling. And a fantastic solo. Too short! Getting a bit of Buster Williams in there, but I don't think it's him. No guesses, but I liked this a lot. Track 7 - Boom! Boy, now we're in different territory. I love the nebulous, broken-up, and spacey feel of this groove. Oh yes!! William Parker, Mayan Space Station! With Ava Mendoza SHREDDING on guitar, and Gerald Cleaver on drums. The groove on this is SOOO deep, oh my god I love it. I couldn't wait to get this one when I saw it announced. I caught Ava Mendoza at a local show years ago, with her trio at that time. Unfortunately there were only about 4 or 5 of us in the audience but Sweet Jesus, they had to peel us off the back wall. It was a night I won't ever forget. Hearing her in this trio is even more mind-bending. Another 10 out of 10, easy. Track 8 - The tune is Motherless Child and I am loving this alto player out on a limb here... putting it all out there. Oh wow... is this the World Saxophone Quartet or something? This is magical. Talk about ears! Whoever this is, they're playing like they're of one mind & body. ...okay... wow. I had to stop typing for a minute while absorbing the singer & the tuba player. Hell yes, here we go. Um... this is so good I am going to just stop again now. And listen. ... So... KILLER, KILLER sax solo...two drummers... the band is ON FIRE. The bass solo is next level. WTF!? I am at a loss for words to exptess how much I love this. This has Tapscott written all over it to me, but I don't know it. I need it!!! Track 9 - Aha, again! This is Mwata Bowden, 1 Foot in 1 Foot Out, with Harrison Bankhead, Avreeayl Ra, Ari Brown, and Khari B with some powerful words about "Mama Ann" Ward. Oh shoot, I've forgotten the name of the trumpet player... not a well-known name I don't think, but I presume one of the AACM guys. This album is one of my favorite recent discoveries. Bowden isn't well known outside of Chicago and that's a shame. He's one of the most formidable and generous musicians I've ever had the privilege to see perform. Another 10 out of 10, 5 star, A+ record, however you want to put it. This has everything I want from music. I feel a little like I cheated on this, because a couple of these you got from me, and the others... well, our tastes are obviously very similar. But I can't remember another BFT where I pretty much loved every tune. Great stuff man. Thanks for your efforts, will be anxiously looking forward to the reveal on the stuff that I don't know here!!

Great stuff as always Thom, this was a blast! I loved just about every track. Already picked up the Jazz Crusaders record thanks to this, and a bunch more of these are on my want list now. Thanks for putting this together!