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BFT 27 - DISC TWO DISCUSSION


JSngry

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Track 9 “Db Waltz” from “Domino Theory” by Weather Report. I don’t know why I remember this track so well as if I had heard it yesterday. I have not heard it for a long time. Probably it is because I heard it when I was absorbing everything eagerly. Lately I am having a hard time remembering a new song. Ugh!

Is that "Ugh!" for the song, or for not being able to remember new songs? You're not alone either way, it seems to me! :g

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Going ass backwards, cuz my reactions to Disc 2 were a little more ... shall we say ... immediate and definitive, if not to say visceral. But it wasn't all :bad::)

1) Um ... I'll guess its Cannonball. Do I get a prize? ;)

Seriously, not my favorite Cannonball. It was OK, though, but probably something you needed to be there for ... or else not listen while sitting with a dog in your lap.

2) Uh ... NO THANKS!!!!!

3) After #2, this was a very welcome change of pace, if a bit jarring. Interesting sequencing, Jim. Back when I was on the radio at a Soft AC station, one of the discs we used as "instrumental filler" was David Sanborn, Pearls. Seeing that "Try a Little Tenderness" is in fact on that CD, and that the track times match up, I think we have a winner here! :excited::g:w

4) I enjoyed this ... is the tenor Stanley T.?

5) Gots to be Hubbard on trumpet.

6) See #2

7) Me likey but no guesses.

8) This rhythm track ain't doin much for me, I'm afraid.

9) through 11) NO no and Oh HELL no

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4)  I enjoyed this ... is the tenor Stanley T.?

No, not Stanley. Get the singer, and the odds are near 100% that you get the tenorist.

Maybe the dog was acting up during this one, because this is one I figured that you'd nail!

Seeing the other guesses, I realize I might have nailed it ... the problem is, believe it or not, I've only been getting the tenor's solo albums. But based on this tune, I think its time to start investigating his work with his long time musical partner. :tup

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A truly mixed bag here.

1. Okay, I'll believe the announcer, although this is not the sort of thing that comes immediately to mind when I hear the name Cannonball. This was a bit of light-hearted entertainment, almost self-consciously so. I enjoyed it for a while, but I was ready for it to be over long before it was.

2. This is an vexing piece, an odd orchestral number that shifts gears rather often over a short distance, never staying in one long enough for me to get in sync with it. Seems to be too much going on. It's as if the thing is daring me to like it. Just as I'm about to say, okay, I'll stop fighting this, maybe I might enjoy it, it turns into something else. Then, the naturally appealing part (appealing? it's stunning), the sax feature, starts and I think, yes, here's the payoff, the reward for sticking with this. But it comes to an exasperatingly quick end. A film score?

3. Try a Little Tenderness. More strings. Competent sax but very treacly. Puts me in mind of the more commercial stuff David Sanborn has done. Too sweet for me.

4. Etta Jones and Houston Person, from her Billie tribute album, I assume. I like them both, as a team and on their own with others. I might have picked something else as an example of their work together, but still this is a nice treat.

5. Without a Song. Sounds like Freddie Hubbard out front. But this is driving me nuts. I don't have Hubbard doing this tune, but I know this version as if I'd been listening to it every day.

6. Some highly enjoyable piano here. My first thought was Randy Weston, but I don't know his work well enough to be sure. I doubled back and listened again. Horace Tapscott?

7. No guesses here, just enjoying the lovely soprano.

8. I like steel pans, so I'm predisposed to like this. And I do. This cut has a somewhat darker cast than I associate with steel pans, but it fits the typhoon weather very well. I'm woefully ignorant of players. The only one I know of is Andy Narell, and I have no way to tell if this is he.

9. through 11. Having disclosed my aversion to electric/electronic instruments, I hope I may be excused from commenting. I did listen and for that I should get some credit, especially considering what a lengthy torture track 9 was for me.

An interesting and peculiar ride, Jim. I'm ready to learn the details, especially for tracks 2 and 6.

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I'm ready to learn the details, especially for tracks 2 and 6.

I can tell you that the answers for those two cuts will contain names that are very familiar to everybody here. In fact, one of the names will be that of somebody who is most likely represented in everybody's collection in some form or fashion...

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Has anybody spotted the farts on one cut from this disc?

I'm serious! There's one cut that has two sounds on it that I'd be hard pressed to identify as anything other than farts. They're buried in the mix, but they're there.

And it's not on Track Nine, either! :g This isn't a cut that has any instrumental noise that could be mistaken for a fart by anybody.

Again, I am serious.

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Okay - on to disc two - everything written without peeking or using AMG etc.:

EINS: C'mon Jim - you could have edited off the announcement - would have been a great teaser with the samba beginning and lots of guessing on the alto cat ..... "The Happy People" - George Duke I hear, and King Errison, who was the fastest man on congas before the arrival of Giovanni Hidalgo. This will be on CD soon, I hope.

ZWEI: Apart from the machine gun collage at the beginning this reminds me of Stan Getz' record with Eddie Sauter (maybe this was an inspiration). My guess would be this album. I always loved this player - very passionate and personal style. This should be an LPR reissue soon! (If it is the one I linked too ...)

DREI: On to the next saxist in unfamiliar context. Hank Crawford was the first to come to my mind, but some sounds very very much like David Sanborn, who was influenced by Crawford. Great, tasteful, classic string arrangement. Grand stuff. I would buy this.

VIER: Should be Etta Jones with Houston Person - a great pairing. Person is one cat that is taken for granted, but evolved into one of the great classic tenors around, and this one here shows how good he is at playing obligato, finding his place and saying his part without obscuring the singer.

FÜNF: Ah - the drummer actually was the first I recognized, and that led me to the rest. There was some discussion about this drummer on the "least favorite drummer" thread. Now here you can find everything that makes him unique. They all were in top form on that day, I even like the trumpeter (whose record date it was and who is not among my favorites - his solo is like a textbook of his trademark tricks). A splendid album made in one day - hell, they even cut another great album on that December 9th, 1969 date! Another one that should be on CD!!! (Both of them would nicely fit on one ... that Blues would have been my choice, Jim.) One of the greatest jazz pianists ever at work. They swing like mad!!!!!

SECHS: The first track on this disc that leaves me clueless. Two pianists ..... that theme the left one plays sounds strangely familiar. No clue, but I kind of like it. obsessive ostinatos vs. lyrical powerplay - curious who this is.

SIEBEN: Again, no idea, although I'll kick myself for not recognizing the saxist. (My backside still is aching from the kicks after reading it was Rollins and Maupin on disc one ....) He sounds to me like soprano is not his first horn. Big band feature track?

ACHT: Steeldrum, bass and congas. The pans tend to sound bangy when you hit them too hard, which is the case here. Not all the notes on this pan are properly tuned - wouldn't have happened with a pan made by Germany's leading pan maker, E.C.S. :g

Nice combination, nicely played. Ray Anderson? Does the bonist play the steeldrum? And the drummer doubles on congas? Whew? Who is this?!!!! In case this is Ray Anderson, he plays the congas, and the drummer the pan - BassDrumBone?

NEUN: Yesteryear's forecast - the tempo is somewhat heavy-footed. The edition with Alphonso Johnson and Ndugu? The synth sounds are somewhat corny on this one, but Shorter plays some of his greatest R&B styled solos ever. But the vocals are superfluous ..... okay this was supposed to be fun music. This track shows some of the best and some of the lesser sides of the band. The clap machine belongs to the latter.

ZEHN: Another band I probably know. The congas are awfully high in pitch. 1970's stuff, good players, perhaps a little over-energized, but well done, as far as the horns are concerned. This is the kind of Rhodes I like. The drummer plays as if the conga drummer wasn't there - I would have given up after a track or two.

ELF: ......................................... (insert smiley drifting off into space)

Thanks, Jim, for this again very enjoyable trip - looking forward to your next one ;)

p.s.: edited as I forgot the link re track 2 ... :rolleyes:

Edited by mikeweil
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EINS: C'mon Jim - you could have edited off the announcement - would have been a great teaser with the samba beginning and lots of guessing on the alto cat .....

Yeah, but hey, that's not what The Happy People would do now, is it... :g

ZWEI: My guess would be this album. I always loved this player - very passionate and personal style. This should be an LPR reissue soon! (If it is the one I linked too ...)

You're getting warm, a little warm. But not REAL warm!

Thanks, Jim, for this again very enjoyable trip - looking forward to your next one  ;)

Yeah, that should be, what, 2035? Let's how we're both alive then! :g

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Listening to disc two reminds me of a quote from Lester Bangs (which I don’t have in front of me; I’m going by memory and hope to place the actual quote here later on), when he was reviewing the Stones’ Sucking in the Seventies (NOT, mind you, a swipe or even a remote comparison to the present BFT): “I mean, you can tell they (the Stones) programmed this for maximum inconvenience. You knew at some point during each song you’d have to get up and move the record needle to the next track to escape whatever annoyance was on at that point. And yet, you gladly do it because it’s THE STONES!!!” Same here: I’d listen to TV static if I knew it was coming from JSngry, there’s gotta be SOME reason for this.

So with that in mind, for once, I could care less how clueless I am!

Track 1: Mid-70’s Cannonball. Gad, this is bad. Vocals on a Cannonball record? Sounds like an unreleased outtake from Woodstock, and the band invited the audience on stage! OUCH!!!

Track 2: Sounds like it’s from some film score. Gato Barbieri on downers? “Last Tango in Paris” played backwards, or worse yet, diagonally? NEXT!!!

Track 3: Now this is pretty nice. Sounds like Wayne Shorter. Oh wait, what’m I saying? That’s an alto sax, fercryinoutloud!!! Scott Hamilton, then? :g :g :g Seriously, a very nice tune with some lovely orchestrations subtly coloring the background.

Track 4: ARRRGHH!!! More vocals! Alright, I’ll try & stick this one out! Ehhhh, it’s okay. I like that sax player, and the drummer sounds awfully familiar. Jimmy Cobb maybe?

Track 5: Well now, who could this be? I s’pose a search would lead me to the answer, but what fun is that? Besides, at this point, I’m sure SOMEONE’S already linked to it. Hmmmm, I dunno. Woody Shaw? Sure has his nice brassy tone, and this sounds like it came from sometime in the 70’s. WAIT!!! Check it: there was a little trill in there that tells me this is UNDOUBTEDLY Freddie Hubbard! Maybe DeJohnette on the drums, too! Now THAT sounds like Wayne Shorter on tenor! I’m guessing some CTI date that DIDN’T have strings on it. How did Creed let THIS one slip by? :w

I liked this so much I went and listened to it again. This sounds like a Straight Life outtake! I’ll bet this is OOP, drattit!

Track 6: A two-piano drone. If I was in the right mood, I might like this. Right now, it’s kinda boring; or rather, it’s not holding my attention, and the only reason I made it all the way through was because I was distracted by work. Could be anybody, I s’pose: Herbie & Chick? Cecil & Mary Lou? Rowan & Martin?

Track 7: Some elemental blues jam during the Africa/Brass sessions that was left off the album? :g Seriously, I don’t know. Wait, y’know what this sounds like? One of those 1:00 Lab Bands that KNTU is always stuffing down our throats. Heck, for all I know, this is probably from the 70’s and that’s probably Sangrey on the soprano! He can cut up a racket something fierce on that instrument, doncha know!

Track 8: HA! This is great! A steel-tuned drum and a conga!!! Who’da thunk it’d be so melodic? Have NO idea who this is, and I don’t care! GIMME MORE!!!! :excited: Man, I can’t stop smiling, this is so cool!!! Ah, so there’s a bass on there; I’m at work, so I can’t listen to it too loud, but Itellyouwhat: come this afternoon, I may just put this over the intercom and set EVERYONE a-dancin’ on this Friday afternoon!!! Hmm, and a trombone, too. Well, now my guess is Ray Anderson. I dunno, I was having so much fun with the steel drum that the ‘bone kinda killed the mood. Ah well!

Track 9: Sounds like a recent big band. Or the kind of thing Herbie was doing in the 80’s. And there’s ELEVEN minutes of this? Lovely. Where’s my gun? It’s like listening to Styx try and play jazz. Oh GOD make it stop!!! Heck with it, I’m not sticking around for this. Ahhhh, wait a second..... what’m I saying? It’s live Weather Report, who I normally like, but this sounds like when Jaco started taking over its sound. Alright, I’ll try and stick with this one. Is that Chet Thompson on the drums? LOVE his sound!!! Especially on Black Market. Dammit, I wish Zawinul hadn’t foisted that electrophonicphaserdoublerwhateverthehellmakesthatsound on Shorter’s tenor sax. Oh great, vocals. Did Zawinul lose a bet with someone? Actually, this sounds like Mysterious Traveller- or Tale Spinnin’-era, cuz I’m wrong about thinking Jaco’s on this. No wait, maybe this was right AFTER Jaco joined the band, cuz that’s definitely him there. DAMMIT JIM!!!! Why’dya hafta put such a confusing piece on here? I just killed ten minutes trying to figure out the obvious, and I don’t even like this track!!!!!! GEEEEEZ!!!!

Track 10: Now THIS sound I enjoy! I’m a sucker for electric piano anyway (you’d never know it from the rant during the previous track). Sounds like one of those Muse things from the 70’s. Maybe Woody Shaw & Joe Henderson? If so, then I’d change my guess to one of Joe’s Milestone-era sides! Nice & fiery! Those two sound like a big-band all by themselves! (Woody’s my go-to guy when I blank out on anyone else!)

Track 11: Huh? Lalo Schifrin meets Gil Melle? Sounds like the mothership’s about to leave, and I better get my tail on board!

Okay, so it wasn’t as bad as I remembered it when skipping through it the first time. There were some real gems on here, and others that were downright maddening. And I guess that’s what made this THE most challenging disc of all the BFTs: there wasn’t anything that I outright HATED; but at the same time, the temptation to skip to the next song was so great, that the only thing greater was my curiosity to see where it actually went, just so I can say, “Hey! I made it!”

Was it worth the trip? You betcha! Thanks for the ride, Jim! :tup

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Anybody sound REALLY familiar on Track 4, Al? :w:w:w

(and no, not "local" familiar...)

Anybody find the farts yet? I'm serious.

And nobody's ID'ed the tune of Track 11. I wasn't expecting anybody to ID the artist, but I thought somebody might glom the song.

Somebody may yet!

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