BFT 71 Discussion thread

[jeffcrom]

#7 Robin Kenyatta - "You Know How We Do" from Until (Rudd - trombone; Mike Lawrence - trumpet; Horacee Arnold - drums; Lewis Worrell & Don Moore - bass; Archie Lee - perc.)

I've always liked the tune & recognized it immediately from the theme!

Nicely done! I'm glad somebody likes this one. I'll have more to say later.

Carisi is a good guess from #6, I was trying to place it. Don't know personnel yet - have to give more listens.

I'm up through 7 right now and am enjoying it very much!

Glad to hear it!

Track 8 reminded me a little of some of Hannibal's playing, less bright however. I can't recall him and Clarke recording together, though, save for with Pharoah.

Not Hannibal. Since we're almost halfway through the month, I'll offer the slight hint that the trumpet player is the leader of this obscure date, and that everyone should give another listen to the saxophonist.

The Von track was deep; languid, but deep. My guess is it's something off of Birth Sign, which I don't own but would like to.

Nice (and correct) reasoning. It's from brother George Freeman's Birth Sign on Delmark.

I like #10 but I can't for the life of me figure out who the trombonist is. First pass had me thinking maybe Marty Cook, but I don't think it's him.

The trombone soloist is not Marty Cook (interesting guess!). Some big names here.

Thanks for posting - I'm looking forward to reading your further comments.

(Edited because I got the tracks of my own BFT mixed up and responded about the wrong track.

Edited January 14, 2010 by jeffcrom

[Spontooneous]

OK, my Part Two. Wrote this before Clifford Thornton ID’d track 7. I stand humbled.

7 The most literal Ornette imitation I’ve ever heard. I ain’t sayin’ that’s a bad thing. I just LOVE the trombone – is that you, Roz Rudd? The trumpet may or may not be Cherry, or Bradford. The two basses are good, but the extra percussionist doesn’t help much.

All in all, lovely. It’s got a good implied beat and you can dance to it in your head. I give it a 7.

8 That Miles in the Sky feel is here, but surely I’d recognize this if it were real Miles. The feel is captured perfectly. Wait a minute, that’s the real Joe Henderson, isn’t it?

9 The guitar sound says Frisell to me. Then there’s two guitars, or is he looping himself? Beautiful either way. Hey, I know this one: It’s track 3 here.

Yeah, it’s the real Frisell. The album cover says “No editing, no overdubbing.”

10 I’ve always loved the sound of trombone and tenor together. This one is making me think ECM for some reason. Starts out very well, but around the five-minute mark the tenor player throws too much paint onto the picture.

11 Seems trendy these days to have some singer ooh and aah along with the instrumentalists. I’m tired of that. I confess I’m also not a fan of comping on the vibes. Otherwise I like the writing here, and the trombone. And I very much like everything that happens in the last minute of this performance. Nicely rounded out. It’s a keeper.

12 Ahh, thanks Jeff! I always meant to give this record more attention someday. Why not today? The tenor obbligato behind Billy slays me, and going from Roy to Warne justlikethat is a trip, every time.

13 That organ isn’t being played through a Leslie, is it? The timbre is pallid. So it makes me think this recording comes from Europe. (Rhoda Scott? Eddy Louiss?) The bebop tenor is touching, and sounds more than a little like Johnny Griffin. The guitar is spot-on (Rene Thomas?). I admire the drummer’s restraint (Klook?).

14 The drumming reminds me of Shelly Manne. Something from the Contemporary studio?

(Edited to fix link.)

Edited January 15, 2010 by Spontooneous

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah, thought it might be Frisell, but I don't know that kind of music very well.

[clifford_thornton]

I'm going with my less-obscure guess on #8 and say that it's Freddie Hubbard.

If Henderson & Clarke are in the mix, it could be something like this, though the date is a little later.

[jeffcrom]

OK, my Part Two. Wrote this before Clifford Thornton ID’d track 7. I stand humbled.

7 The most literal Ornette imitation I’ve ever heard. I ain’t sayin’ that’s a bad thing. I just LOVE the trombone – is that you, Roz Rudd? The trumpet may or may not be Cherry, or Bradford. The two basses are good, but the extra percussionist doesn’t help much.

All in all, lovely. It’s got a good implied beat and you can dance to it in your head. I give it a 7.

I still give you points for recognizing Roswell Rudd before reading the ID of this track.

8 That Miles in the Sky feel is here, but surely I’d recognize this if it were real Miles. The feel is captured perfectly. Wait a minute, that’s the real Joe Henderson, isn’t it?

'Bout damn time somebody recognized Joe Henderson. This solo would have screamed JH at me, but I grew up on this era of Mr. Henderson's playing and only heard the Blue Note stuff later.

9 The guitar sound says Frisell to me. Then there’s two guitars, or is he looping himself? Beautiful either way. Hey, I know this one: It’s track 3 here.

Yeah, it’s the real Frisell. The album cover says “No editing, no overdubbing.”

Well done. Power Tools was a one-off project featuring Frisell and Ronald Shannon Jackson, along with Melvin Gibbs on bass. The album is kind of hit or miss, but I've always thought that this was a really nice, moody track. I'll talk more about why I chose it later.

10 I’ve always loved the sound of trombone and tenor together. This one is making me think ECM for some reason. Starts out very well, but around the five-minute mark the tenor player throws too much paint onto the picture.

Interesting comments.

11 Seems trendy these days to have some singer ooh and aah along with the instrumentalists. I’m tired of that. I confess I’m also not a fan of comping on the vibes. Otherwise I like the writing here, and the trombone. And I very much like everything that happens in the last minute of this performance. Nicely rounded out. It’s a keeper.

Glad you enjoyed it. The singer doesn't bother me.

12 Ahh, thanks Jeff! I always meant to give this record more attention someday. Why not today? The tenor obbligato behind Billy slays me, and going from Roy to Warne justlikethat is a trip, every time.

Yeah, this one's a blast.

13 That organ isn’t being played through a Leslie, is it? The timbre is pallid. So it makes me think this recording comes from Europe. (Rhoda Scott? Eddy Louiss?) The bebop tenor is touching, and sounds more than a little like Johnny Griffin. The guitar is spot-on (Rene Thomas?). I admire the drummer’s restraint (Klook?).

Not European, as you probably know by now. Not sure about the Leslie - it might just be the way it was recorded. Interesting comment about Johnny Griffin - around the time of Griffin's death I heard a connection/similarity between Griffin and Von Freeman that I had never noticed before. They were both students of Walter Dyett in Chicago, for what it's worth. Von is the more interesting improviser, in my opinion.

14 The drumming reminds me of Shelly Manne. Something from the Contemporary studio?

This one has been identified by Paul.

Enjoyed reading your comments - thanks for listening.

(Edited to fix link.)

I'm going with my less-obscure guess on #8 and say that it's Freddie Hubbard.

If Henderson & Clarke are in the mix, it could be something like this, though the date is a little later.

Not Hubbard. The trumpeter/leader is nobody that well-known. Now that Joe Henderson has been identified, that may help someone figure this one out. Or maybe it's even more obscure than I realized.

[clifford_thornton]

Dang - the only trumpeters I can think of that Joe recorded with in the 70s are Hubbard and Woody Shaw. It doesn't sound like Woody to me, but then again I've probably listened less to him than some others on the board.

[jeffcrom]

Dang - the only trumpeters I can think of that Joe recorded with in the 70s are Hubbard and Woody Shaw. It doesn't sound like Woody to me, but then again I've probably listened less to him than some others on the board.

Not Woody Shaw either - way less well known. It's not quite time for more hints yet, but it will be soon....

[Spontooneous]

Dang - the only trumpeters I can think of that Joe recorded with in the 70s are Hubbard and Woody Shaw. It doesn't sound like Woody to me, but then again I've probably listened less to him than some others on the board.

Not Woody Shaw either - way less well known. It's not quite time for more hints yet, but it will be soon....

I've heard Joe on Luis Gasca's LP, but I don't recall it sounding like this...

So I have to guess Terumasa Hino, who was WAY into this Miles in the Sky bag at one time.

[jeffcrom]

Dang - the only trumpeters I can think of that Joe recorded with in the 70s are Hubbard and Woody Shaw. It doesn't sound like Woody to me, but then again I've probably listened less to him than some others on the board.

Not Woody Shaw either - way less well known. It's not quite time for more hints yet, but it will be soon....

I've heard Joe on Luis Gasca's LP, but I don't recall it sounding like this...

So I have to guess Terumasa Hino, who was WAY into this Miles in the Sky bag at one time.

You got it, although you didn't think you did. It's Luis Gasca. Anyone familiar with the album? This track does have a somewhat different feel from the rest of the album.

[clifford_thornton]

I'd heard the name but never consciously checked out any of his music. It's pretty swell, at least judging by this track.

[jeffcrom]

Okay boys and girls, the allotted time for BFT 71 is half over. Many tracks have been completely or partially identified, but I'd love to read more comments about any or all of them.

[clifford_thornton]

I really like that Carisi track. All I'd heard was off of "Into the Hot," so this is a clearer & non-relative picture of some of what he was up to.

It's hard for me to characterize my feelings about pre-1950s music other than that I enjoyed everything you put on the BFT on its own terms, and through (especially) Allen Lowe's project(s), my definition of jazz as a music has been broadened (i.e., improvisation as we normally think of it doesn't have to be part of the equation).

Is that 90s track British? Reminds me of Alan Skidmore, though less Trane-y in the initial tenor sound, or Paul Dunmall - though only in parts. There's also something New York-ish about it, but it doesn't sound specifically like any of those guys. I'm stumped, especially because it sounds like something I would own & listen to though clearly I don't.

[jeffcrom]

I really like that Carisi track. All I'd heard was off of "Into the Hot," so this is a clearer & non-relative picture of some of what he was up to.

It's hard for me to characterize my feelings about pre-1950s music other than that I enjoyed everything you put on the BFT on its own terms, and through (especially) Allen Lowe's project(s), my definition of jazz as a music has been broadened (i.e., improvisation as we normally think of it doesn't have to be part of the equation).

Is that 90s track British? Reminds me of Alan Skidmore, though less Trane-y in the initial tenor sound, or Paul Dunmall - though only in parts. There's also something New York-ish about it, but it doesn't sound specifically like any of those guys. I'm stumped, especially because it sounds like something I would own & listen to though clearly I don't.

The 90s track is New York all the way - nothing British about it, and not Skidmore. It's an album that I was extremely excited about when it first came out - several of these giants had been kind of under the radar for awhile.

Yeah, I love Carisi's stuff, hard as it is to find. When I do the reveal (I hate using that word as a noun!), I'm thinking some folks may seek out the album that track came from.

Glad you enjoyed the earlier stuff, too.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Okay, late to the party (as usual!). Here goes... I haven't opened this thread until now and have resisted reading any of the previous comments.

______________________

BFT 71

1. Harry Reser? This is really cool and amazingly good recording quality for the time.

2. James Reese Europe is my left-field guess. I like the violin (at least I think it's a violin) and the

insanely busy drumming. Kinda like Han Bennink might have occasionally sounded if he'd been born a few years

earlier?

3. Perry Bradford I believe. Never heard this before but I'd guess that it is the original recording of this

tune.

4. Whoa! Lovely trumpet. Could this be Erskine Hawkins perhaps? Helluva arrangement. This really motors right

along. The reed players sound positively primitive compared to the trumpet.

5. Sounds like Diz. Was this one of those dates he made with the "holdovers" from the Swing Era? Nice guitar

intro and brief (really brief!) solo. Remo Palmieri? I know that I've heard this before but can't place it

exactly. Clyde Hart on piano?

6. Not a clue but I really like the guitar. Was it the guitarist's date? West Coast cool kinda thing. Nice but

I didn't find it completely memorable.

7. Sounds like an Ornette tune but I don't think that it's him. Whoever it is copped some shytt from him, that's

for sure. The balance of structure and near anarchy is quite appealing. Is this Roswell Rudd on trombone? I like

this a lot, especially the trombonist. Afterthought: British or European group?

8. "Dissonance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" to cop the title from Dom Minasi's recent CD. This sounds like

Freddie Hubbard on trumpet. Don't think that I've ever heard this before. Joe Henderson? There are parts of this

that remind me of CTI, but "edgier." Maybe it's the Fender Rhodes... Yeah, I'd say that this is Joe Henderson.

Yuccch! A fade ending... I hate fade endings! Wonder what happened after the engineer cut 'em off.

9. At first I was thinking Gabor Szabo in one of his more aggressive moods, but then I realized that Szabo passed

in '82. I think that there's more than one guitarist here. Or one guitarist with a lot of different stylistic

approaches. It's okay, but doesn't really reach me.

10. Interesting composition. Not a clue as to the players. Perhaps Ellery Eskelin on tenor? I really, really

like the trombonist, who has a great sound, strong chops, kind of a "legitimate" tone that contrasts nicely with

some of the rather "out" ideas. Man, I'm scratchin' my head on this one! Who is this on trombone? A fine track.

Now that's a real ending!

11. Beautiful! Reminds me of Bob Moses's large ensemble Gramavisions. This is SWEET!!!!! Great trombone solo!

The way the chart builds and then subsides is infectious. Whew. Fine writing. John Hollenbeck?

12. Eckstine? Not my "thing."

13. A tad too sleepy for me at 7:00 a.m. I'll listen at another time... Nice guitar. 3:00 p.m. another day:

Still too sleepy for me. Yawn...

14. I think that I have this recording but can't place it right now. Great stuff! A+ track! Clifford Brown?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This was a very enjoyable and occasionally puzzling listen, jeffcrom. Some particularly tasty trombone playing in here... Thanks!

[jeffcrom]

Okay, late to the party (as usual!). Here goes... I haven't opened this thread until now and have resisted reading any of the previous comments.

I appreciate your participation, Bill. I'm still a relative newbie (less than a year), and yours was the first BFT I participated in.

As you probably know by now, many of these tracks have been fully or partially identified.

______________________

BFT 71

1. Harry Reser? This is really cool and amazingly good recording quality for the time.

Good guess, but Spontooneous guessed Vess Ossman or Fred Van Eps, and it's Ossman. Yes, good recording and remastering.

2. James Reese Europe is my left-field guess. I like the violin (at least I think it's a violin) and the

insanely busy drumming. Kinda like Han Bennink might have occasionally sounded if he'd been born a few years

earlier?

Not so left-field - it's James Reese Europe. More about this manic recording later.

3. Perry Bradford I believe. Never heard this before but I'd guess that it is the original recording of this

tune.

You're right, but others beat you to it.

4. Whoa! Lovely trumpet. Could this be Erskine Hawkins perhaps? Helluva arrangement. This really motors right

along. The reed players sound positively primitive compared to the trumpet.

Spontooneous knew that it's Ellington's "Merry-Go-Round." I'll talk about the soloists later, maybe.

5. Sounds like Diz. Was this one of those dates he made with the "holdovers" from the Swing Era? Nice guitar

intro and brief (really brief!) solo. Remo Palmieri? I know that I've heard this before but can't place it

exactly. Clyde Hart on piano?

Spontooneous knew it was Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, but didn't reveal it, so you get points. It's not Palmieri (although that would have been my guess, too!) or Clyde Hart.

6. Not a clue but I really like the guitar. Was it the guitarist's date? West Coast cool kinda thing. Nice but

I didn't find it completely memorable.

This has been identified as John Carisi. That may or not help folks figure out who the guitarist is.

7. Sounds like an Ornette tune but I don't think that it's him. Whoever it is copped some shytt from him, that's

for sure. The balance of structure and near anarchy is quite appealing. Is this Roswell Rudd on trombone? I like

this a lot, especially the trombonist. Afterthought: British or European group?

Many folks have commented on the Ornette-ishness of this recording, which was part of the point of my picking it. Good work on recognizing Rudd, but Clifford Thornton beat you to it and has ID'ed this Robin Kenyatta track.l

8. "Dissonance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" to cop the title from Dom Minasi's recent CD. This sounds like

Freddie Hubbard on trumpet. Don't think that I've ever heard this before. Joe Henderson? There are parts of this

that remind me of CTI, but "edgier." Maybe it's the Fender Rhodes... Yeah, I'd say that this is Joe Henderson.

Yuccch! A fade ending... I hate fade endings! Wonder what happened after the engineer cut 'em off.

So far we have: Luis Gasca, leader and trumpet; Joe Henderson, tenor sax; Stanley Clarke, bass.

9. At first I was thinking Gabor Szabo in one of his more aggressive moods, but then I realized that Szabo passed

in '82. I think that there's more than one guitarist here. Or one guitarist with a lot of different stylistic

approaches. It's okay, but doesn't really reach me.

This has been identified by Spontooneous as by the band Power Tools with Bill Frisell. I'm definitely in the minority in liking this one.

10. Interesting composition. Not a clue as to the players. Perhaps Ellery Eskelin on tenor? I really, really

like the trombonist, who has a great sound, strong chops, kind of a "legitimate" tone that contrasts nicely with

some of the rather "out" ideas. Man, I'm scratchin' my head on this one! Who is this on trombone? A fine track.

Now that's a real ending!

This seems to be the big mystery track of this BFT. Eskelin is not involved.

11. Beautiful! Reminds me of Bob Moses's large ensemble Gramavisions. This is SWEET!!!!! Great trombone solo!

The way the chart builds and then subsides is infectious. Whew. Fine writing. John Hollenbeck?

Good work - it's John Hollenbeck's Large Ensemble. I'm glad you like this one - I absolutely love Hollenbeck's writing.

12. Eckstine? Not my "thing."

But, Bill! There's so much more than Mr. B here!

13. A tad too sleepy for me at 7:00 a.m. I'll listen at another time... Nice guitar. 3:00 p.m. another day:

Still too sleepy for me. Yawn...

Well, I thought I needed a ballad. ID'ed as George Freeman. Give another listen to brother Von's 16 bars.

14. I think that I have this recording but can't place it right now. Great stuff! A+ track! Clifford Brown?

Paul figured out that it's Charlie Persip's group, but I don't think anyone has ID'ed the trumpeter. Not Clifford, but a follower.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This was a very enjoyable and occasionally puzzling listen, jeffcrom. Some particularly tasty trombone playing in here... Thanks!

Thanks again for listening.

Edited January 22, 2010 by jeffcrom

[Hot Ptah]

Is #8 from this album?

I shared a small apartment in college with two other jazz fans, and one of them had that album, but for some reason we never played it even once. I remember the cover art though.

Is Freddie Hubbard the trumpet player on #14?

Edited January 22, 2010 by Hot Ptah

[Guest Bill Barton]

6. Not a clue but I really like the guitar. Was it the guitarist's date? West Coast cool kinda thing. Nice but

I didn't find it completely memorable.

This has been identified as John Carisi. That may or not help folks figure out who the guitarist is.

Barry Galbraith?

12. Eckstine? Not my "thing."

But, Bill! There's so much more than Mr. B here!

True... Admittedly my ears tend to close a bit as soon as I hear most singers. I'll give this one another chance

9. At first I was thinking Gabor Szabo in one of his more aggressive moods, but then I realized that Szabo passed

in '82. I think that there's more than one guitarist here. Or one guitarist with a lot of different stylistic

approaches. It's okay, but doesn't really reach me.

This has been identified by Spontooneous as by the band Power Tools with Bill Frisell. I'm definitely in the minority in liking this one.

Oh, crap! There goes my Pacific Northwest cred, right out the window... Never in a million years would have guessed Frisell, even after hearing him do some similar stuff live. The man is a shape-shifter.

13. A tad too sleepy for me at 7:00 a.m. I'll listen at another time... Nice guitar. 3:00 p.m. another day:

Still too sleepy for me. Yawn...

Well, I thought I needed a ballad. ID'ed as George Freeman. Give another listen to brother Von's 16 bars.

Will do... Another somewhat embarrassing one for me, taking into consideration the fact that Vonski is one of my musical heroes. Hell, he's the star of my avatar (a photo I took of him at Tula's in Seattle).

[jeffcrom]

Is #8 from this album?

I shared a small apartment in college with two other jazz fans, and one of them had that album, but for some reason we never played it even once. I remember the cover art though.

Is Freddie Hubbard the trumpet player on #14?

Yes and yes. This Luis Gasca album is the source of track 8. The album is either untitled, called Luis Gasca, or called For Those Who Chant. Really - it's hard to tell, especially since my copy does not have Gasca's name on the cover like your picture has. Track 8 is, in my opinion, by far the best of the four long tracks on this album.

Young Mr. Hubbard is indeed the trumpet player on the Charlie Persip album.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oh wow! One from every decade! What a really nice thing to set before us!

1 Banjo with band – and swing it does! Is this Vess Ossman?

2 Now this one reeks of the military band, but there’s a lot more going on. I’m going to take a guess that this is James Rhys Europe.

3 Now this is more like New Orleans Jazz. Well, it is NO Jazz. Warmly raucous. Much to like about this. I suppose it’s really a Chicago band, though.

4 Early thirties. And what a lovely alto player! And a terrific baritone player! No idea which band it is.

5 “Melancholy baby” by a stride pianist – not typical of the forties. But a surprisingly modern trumpet player comes in. Then a modern guitarist and bass player. Oh, and is that Pee Wee Russell on clarinet? And they all try to ride out of town on the same horse.

6 I heard something like this once on a Capitol EP a girl friend had.

7 I think I recognise the intro, then I realise I don’t recognise it at all. I have the feeling that the trumpet player is one of them as was on “Free Jazz”. All those bells and percussion stuff make me thing of Sun Ra, though, or Pharoah Sanders. But I haven’t heard Pharoah, who is usually most recognisable. The major, and terrific, role of the trombonist makes me think he’s the leader. A St Louis recording? Damn good, but I hope there’s some Disco for the seventies track

8 Sounds like Freddie Hubbard. As the solo develops, he seems to be too much under control to be Hubbard, but he does have that sound. Cecil McBee on bass? Joe Henderson on ts – I recognise him from his work on Kudu with Johnny “Hammond” Smith So, close to Disco. Thanks Jeff

9 The tune sounds something like a rock tune, to me. I guess this is someone like Pat Metheny or the other guy I don’t like much, Paul Scofield. Oh, there are apparently two guitarists of the same ilk. Totally out of sympathy with this; for me, it’s as bad as listening to Queen or Meat Loaf on my wife’s ipod.

10 This one ain’t doin’ it for me, either. Why that should be so, when tracks 7 and 8 did get through, I don’t know, can’t say. Well, perhaps it’s the deliberateness of the trombonist. There’s this tenor player with a very nice sound and a trombonist who sounds as bland as they make ‘em and he’s trying to play licks like the tenor player. But they MEAN something different when a tenor player does them. Oh well.

11 Are there some singers on this, or is it the voicing of the horns? Takes a long time to get there. Oh yes, there are singers. This seems to be determined to be pleasant while it’s kind of on the edge of exploration. Don’t like the trombonist again. I much prefer the older guys who sounded really rough than these smooth post JJJ players.

12 “How high the moon” sung by Billy Eckstine? Anyway, by one of the East Coast Sepia Sinatras. Very lovely. Eckstine on trumpet, too? Nice sounding trombonist, too. Very Hampton-ish ending. Could it have been him on vibes? Didn’t sound like him.

13 Instantly George Freeman. Beautiful. Beautiful. “My ship” from “Birth sign”. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.

14 “The song is you”. A charming and hot arrangement. Cracking trumpet solo. Well, they’re all cracking solos. Not my kind of thing at all, but it’s great! And great fun, too.

What an interesting BFT, Jeff! Thanks very much for this.

MG

[jeffcrom]

6. Not a clue but I really like the guitar. Was it the guitarist's date? West Coast cool kinda thing. Nice but

I didn't find it completely memorable.

This has been identified as John Carisi. That may or not help folks figure out who the guitarist is.

Barry Galbraith?

Yep, that's Carisi's frequent partner Galbraith on guitar.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Dang - the only trumpeters I can think of that Joe recorded with in the 70s are Hubbard and Woody Shaw. It doesn't sound like Woody to me, but then again I've probably listened less to him than some others on the board.

Not Woody Shaw either - way less well known. It's not quite time for more hints yet, but it will be soon....

I've heard Joe on Luis Gasca's LP, but I don't recall it sounding like this...

So I have to guess Terumasa Hino, who was WAY into this Miles in the Sky bag at one time.

You got it, although you didn't think you did. It's Luis Gasca. Anyone familiar with the album? This track does have a somewhat different feel from the rest of the album.

Ah Luis Gasca - more Disco

Gasca was on JH's "Canyon lady", which is where I've heard him before.

MG

[Hot Ptah]

I believe that this is the album for #14.

[jeffcrom]

Oh wow! One from every decade! What a really nice thing to set before us!

1 Banjo with band – and swing it does! Is this Vess Ossman?

It is Vess Ossman - nice unequivocal guess!

2 Now this one reeks of the military band, but there’s a lot more going on. I’m going to take a guess that this is James Rhys Europe.

You Europeans and your crazy spelling! Good guess - it's James Reese Europe, as guessed by you and Bill Barton.

3 Now this is more like New Orleans Jazz. Well, it is NO Jazz. Warmly raucous. Much to like about this. I suppose it’s really a Chicago band, though.

Recorded in New York, but the guys are from all over. The leader and the trumpet player have been identified.

4 Early thirties. And what a lovely alto player! And a terrific baritone player! No idea which band it is.

Identified by Spontooneous pretty early on.

5 “Melancholy baby” by a stride pianist – not typical of the forties. But a surprisingly modern trumpet player comes in. Then a modern guitarist and bass player. Oh, and is that Pee Wee Russell on clarinet? And they all try to ride out of town on the same horse.

Not Pee Wee, as you probably know by now. It's Dizzy on trumpet. The stride piano is nice, isn't it?

6 I heard something like this once on a Capitol EP a girl friend had.

This is the most enigmatic response to a blindfold test selection yet. What happened to the girl? Did you break up over the Capitol EP?

This has been identified as John Carisi - not on Capitol.

7 I think I recognise the intro, then I realise I don’t recognise it at all. I have the feeling that the trumpet player is one of them as was on “Free Jazz”. All those bells and percussion stuff make me thing of Sun Ra, though, or Pharoah Sanders. But I haven’t heard Pharoah, who is usually most recognisable. The major, and terrific, role of the trombonist makes me think he’s the leader. A St Louis recording? Damn good, but I hope there’s some Disco for the seventies track

Clifford Thornton nailed this track. The ill-fated Mike Lawrence is on trumpet. Glad you enjoyed Roswell Rudd.

8 Sounds like Freddie Hubbard. As the solo develops, he seems to be too much under control to be Hubbard, but he does have that sound. Cecil McBee on bass? Joe Henderson on ts – I recognise him from his work on Kudu with Johnny “Hammond” Smith So, close to Disco. Thanks Jeff

It took a while for folks to start recognizing Mr. Henderson. Hope this was close enough to disco for you to put on your white leisure suit and platform shoes.

9 The tune sounds something like a rock tune, to me. I guess this is someone like Pat Metheny or the other guy I don’t like much, Paul Scofield. Oh, there are apparently two guitarists of the same ilk. Totally out of sympathy with this; for me, it’s as bad as listening to Queen or Meat Loaf on my wife’s ipod.

Your lack of sympathy for this track is par for the course - I'm the only one who likes it.

10 This one ain’t doin’ it for me, either. Why that should be so, when tracks 7 and 8 did get through, I don’t know, can’t say. Well, perhaps it’s the deliberateness of the trombonist. There’s this tenor player with a very nice sound and a trombonist who sounds as bland as they make ‘em and he’s trying to play licks like the tenor player. But they MEAN something different when a tenor player does them. Oh well.

Everyone's ears are different, but I really like this track and the album it came from.

11 Are there some singers on this, or is it the voicing of the horns? Takes a long time to get there. Oh yes, there are singers. This seems to be determined to be pleasant while it’s kind of on the edge of exploration. Don’t like the trombonist again. I much prefer the older guys who sounded really rough than these smooth post JJJ players.

You are determined to be difficult, aren't you?

12 “How high the moon” sung by Billy Eckstine? Anyway, by one of the East Coast Sepia Sinatras. Very lovely. Eckstine on trumpet, too? Nice sounding trombonist, too. Very Hampton-ish ending. Could it have been him on vibes? Didn’t sound like him.

Paul Secor had this one pegged right away. Interesting that you liked Winding's trombone solo, since he's so closely associated with JJJ. I've always thought that Kai had a rougher edge than J.J., which I guess is what you responded to.

13 Instantly George Freeman. Beautiful. Beautiful. “My ship” from “Birth sign”. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.

Agreed!

14 “The song is you”. A charming and hot arrangement. Cracking trumpet solo. Well, they’re all cracking solos. Not my kind of thing at all, but it’s great! And great fun, too.

For me this kind of hard bop is not a sustainable musical diet by itself, but I sure like it when it's this good.

What an interesting BFT, Jeff! Thanks very much for this.

Thanks for participating, MG.

MG

I believe that this is the album for #14.

That's the one.

[Hot Ptah]

You were so quick on #14. I was looking at the CD cover to type in the names of the other musicians. Freddie Hubbard--trumpet, Roland Alexander--tenor saxophone, Ronnie Matthews-piano, Ron Carter-bass, Charlie Persip--drums.

While I have the album, I did not recognize it when I played your BFT. Maybe I have way too many albums!!!

[jeffcrom]

You were so quick on #14. I was looking at the CD cover to type in the names of the other musicians. Freddie Hubbard--trumpet, Roland Alexander--tenor saxophone, Ronnie Matthews-piano, Ron Carter-bass, Charlie Persip--drums.

That's it.

While I have the album, I did not recognize it when I played your BFT. Maybe I have way too many albums!!!

I know the feeling!