BFT 94 Discussion

[jeffcrom]

Apologies for the absence on the last BFT. Time has been less than fleeting, but as I was typing that in the sign-up thread for BFT 95, I realized I had no excuse not to take this BFT this morning. Covered a bit of ground, didn't you? I've been listening to a lot of older (REALLY older) stuff of late, but that didn't help me a bit. I only had two positive IDs on this, but one I have no clue what the record is. Thanks for the ear food on this chilly morning in the northeast. Now I have to go run (brrrr!!!!).

BFT 94

Track 1 - Almost has that Johnny Griffin sound, but it's too sane. It's almost too polished. Sort of Branford meets JG. I feel like there *should* be recognition, there just isn't.

No pressure - this is not a player most folks are going to know. He's excellent, though, in my opinion.

Track 2 - Ain't Misbehavin'. I've been listening to a lot of stuff from this period lately, but I'm finding the sound quality hard to reconcile (and feeling very badly about that). Not a clue who we're hearing here.

Keep listening - you'll learn to love the surface noise before long.

Track 3 - Steve Lacy. Can't place the tune, but that progression is grabbing me and yelling at me.

Well, congrats! I was starting to think that nobody was going to identify one of my major musical heroes, Steve Lacy. This is from a pretty obscure album - more about it later.

Track 4 - A former student and member of the tribe told me once, "Keith, you know klezmer was initially a form of defense." Can't hear it now without hearing his remark in his voice and cracking up. No guesses.

Track 5 - Not diggin' this. It sounds like something the WSQ could make work, but this is to that what Robert Cray is to Lightnin' Hopkins. I just want somebody to let loose and play like they give a damn. Is this overdubbed?

So far I'm pretty much alone in liking this track. No overdubbing here, as far as I know. As I've said before, this group is pretty adventurous and uses lots of improvisation, but something about this odd little piece spoke to me.

Track 6 - Not a clue. Fits that Tom Rhodes bit about John Lee Hooker, though: "I LOVE John Lee Hooker, man... seen him four times, own 34 of his albums... near as I can tell, he's havin' some trouble with his lady."

The singer, Big Bill Broonzy, has been identified, as has the song. The trumpeter was one of my main motivations for including this track, though.

Track 7 - I was in love with this in about 2 seconds. That *is* a french horn I'm hearing, no? No guesses.

It's been ID'ed as J. J. Johnson. It is an unusual sound he's getting. I'm not sure what kind of mute he's using - it might be the old felt-beret-over-the-bell trick.

Track 8 - No idea. It has that abstractness of Kenton, but lacks the 88 trumpets most of his arrangements have.

ID'ed as Ray McKinley's 1940's big band playing an Eddie Sauter chart.

Track 9 - Void of clues.

But does ya like it?

Track 10 - Has the voicing of Gil Evans to my ear, but I'm not at all sure who this is. Bari player was an influence to James Carter, though. Trumpet is very familiar. The phrasing is similar to Kenny Dorham, but it's not him. A little like Art Farmer, but not quite. I like this a lot. Maybe it is Art Farmer?

Not Farmer. You are not likely to be familiar with the soloists on this, although they're good. The composer/bandleader is the star of this little-known masterpiece, in my opinion.

Track 11 - Sounds like one of Ken Vandermark's projects to me, but I'm not positive. Was that a cell phone at the end?

No to Vandermark, yes to the cell phone, which gave this improvised piece its name when it was all over. I'll go ahead and reveal that these are three giants of free jazz, not obscure local heroes or anything like that. I've never seen this album mentioned here, though, I don't think.

Track 12 - Impressive musicianship. No guesses.

Yeah, both of these guys can play!

Track 13 - I like the rhythm section, but the soprano isn't doing a thing for me. That's Billy Harper on tenor, which makes this very strange and instantly more interesting. Oh! Wait a minute. Of course! The marimba should have tipped me off sooner. It's The Actor from this. I never warmed up to Farrell on this, and I typically like him. It was the drumming that tipped me off. Something wasn't fitting with the Max-derivitive feel they had going.

You weren't the first person to figure this out, but it's impressive nonetheless.

Track 14 - No clue

See comment under track 9.

Track 15 - First alto has parts Sonny Fortune and parts Sonny Criss. Second dude is an absolute mother****er! Maybe Jimmy Heath? (Though he doesn't seem to rush the tempo like Jimmy) Is this some bad ass Charles Earland record I desperately need and don't know about? The tune is rather silly, but then, it's not really about the tune.

No correct guesses, but yes - you need this record!

Track 16 - No idea, but I'm totally in. Love it.

Once again, I'm gratified at the reception this track is getting from folks with widely varying tastes.

Thanks for listening, Thom!

Track 15

Instead of the usual tenor and organ group, here we have organ and two altos. Drums as well, of course, and the organist sounds to be providing the bass line. Organist has a Jimmy Smith sound, but there were so many players like this in the 60s, particularly on Blue Note's books, that I could't hazard a guess as to identity. Altoists nicely contrasted: second soloist very boppish and could be Stitt, the other further "out" in the manner of James Spaulding. Structure seems to be 12 bar blues with an added bridge section. Full of verve and swing - love this one!

Glad you like it, and you're right about one of the saxophonists - Sonny Stitt. The other one is not James Spaulding, but that's a great guess - that probably would have been my guess if I was hearing this cold.

GAAAH!!! How could I miss STITT!?!?!??!?!

Because of the context - Stitt was not who you were expecting on this track.

[Big Al]

Yes it's me and I'm late again!

1. Well now, if this doesn’t sound like a vintage Sonny Rollins pianoless…. Nope, there’s the piano. Okay. Well then, I guess this could be anybody. This could be Hank for all I know. But for all I know, I sure am diggin’ the groove! More of this, please! Too much is never enough!

2. AAAAARGGHH!!!! I really hate when this happens: I know the song (“Ain’t Misbehavin’”) and I probably have it at home (or had it at one time), but can’t for the life of me remember who this is. Oh, I’m gonna be kickin’ myself hard on this one! Alright, Hail Mary time: Lester Young with the Kansas City Five.

3. No clue, but me likey!

4. First thought: Mahavishnu Klezmer Orchestra! Not a bad thing by any means! Ah, a man can dream.

5. Sounded like an extension of the previous track. I hope they had two bari players doing that riff over and over; one guy woulda passed out, I would think! That ending at 3:30 made all the dogs within a ten mile radius run screaming in the other direction!

6. Yes yes, y’all! I’m such a jazz dunce! I should know this! Fatha anyone? Maybe? I wanna says Fats Waller playing it ULTRA straight.

7. This is my man Greg Waits! I wish! Except that I’ve rarely heard him with a piano player. Maybe it’s the great Paul McKee! I should play this for them and see what they think.

8. OOOOOOOooooooohhh!!!!! Me likey a LOT! And I’ll bet I used to have this and foolishly traded it away at some point! Kinda reminds me of either Barney Kessell or Herb Ellis.

9. HA! Y’know what this made me think of as soon as it started playing? The opening to the Marx Bros. movie COCOANUTS. Couldn’t even begin to tell you who this is or who it reminds me of, but I dig it! Sounds like they’re interpolating that Hungarian Rhapsody you hear in various Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies!

10. Gil Evans. No, Allen Eager. No, Gerry Mulligan. No, Al Cohn or Joe Newman or Jack Sheldon. Pacific Jazz somethingorother. Am I even remotely close???

11. Have I mentioned how much I like bass clarinet? I haven’t? There’s a reason for that. Actually, there’s a BOATLOAD of reasons for that! And this is another one. NEXT!!!

12. MMMMMMmmmmmmmm, nice and swingin’ from the gitgo! Sounds pretty casual, though, now that it’s been revealed to be just piano & clarinet.

13. I must be getting old & losing my sense of adventure. Years ago, a track like this might’ve appealed to me on some kind of adventurous level. Nowadays, all I can muster is “Oh gee, you play soprano sax and you can play a million notes a minute, bigdealsowhat.” And as I type this, I come to the realization that this is probably Sam Rivers and could I be more disrespectful of the recently departed? Actually, yeah I could. But I won’t. And quit makin’ all that racket on my lawn! Pesky kids and their noisy saxes. Why, back in my day you had to know melody. You had to have the balls to let a note ring out and breathe. You had to…. Where the hell’s my Geritol???

14. See? THIS is what I’m talking about!!! Jeeezus, I think I’m channeling Leonard Feather here. All you noiseheads could take a lesion from this bunch. Melody, dammit! Beauty! I don’t know who this is, but I’ll buy it in a heartbeat! I could use more of this in my life, and this is why I loves the BFT! Just when I think I have all the music I could ever want or need, a gem like this reveals itself and I simply MUST own it! Must Must MUST!!!!

15. Or this!!! Good greeeeeazy groovy keep that groove goin brother!!! Stitt/Jaws? Ammons/anyone? Okay OKAY pipe down there, Jackie Mac you ain’t, so just play yer blues and enjoy yourself! And what the hell was THAT???? Somebody slaughterin’ a pig in the corner there? Looks like I spoke too soon. To quote the immortal Fats, “Awwww I’m so glad THAT’S over!” Okay, so my rapidly decaying brain cells have figgered out this is a battle between two alto saxes. At least #2 is diggin’ the groove LIKE YER S’POSED TO DO IN A SITUATION SUCH AS THIS!!! Nicely wrapped up, though!

16. Starting out nice, gonna withhold enthusiasm for the moment. Dig the rap! Another thing I like about this song: it stuck with me! I was humming along the riff long after the song ended. Love it when that happens!

Overall, a VERY groovy BFT! One I’ll be returning to quite often! Great job as always, Jeff! Man, you sure know how to put ‘em together!

3) Sounds like some careless soul left his tenor lying around and Chet Baker stumbled upon it.

8) Some 50's Big Band getting into bop. I don't think the bagpipe-inspired drone underneath is really adding to the ambiance in positive ways. The guitarist I don't mind. Has listened to Charlie (who hasn't?). The rest of the band, or at least the arranger, I'd happily shoot.

11) Someone dropped an alto clarinet or something of that ilk down a hole filled with cymbals. Nice low register, though.

13) I once had a Casio keyboard with a drum mode. It sounded like this when my two cousins and I would all play it at once.

....and I enjoyed reading this!!!

[Big Al]

Track 13: Immediately recognized Joe Farrell on soprano. Reminded me of Moon Germs a little. Then googled Farrell plus marimba and found it.

Horacee Arnold: Tribe. Billy Harper is a bit overbearing for me but to each their own. Nice record - good writing. The next track has Mraz and David Friedman playing a mean unison line.

Oh dear.... I generally like Farrell, but when he starts screaming like this, he tends to lose me.

[Hardbopjazz]

#3 Steve Lacy, how could I not get this one? I had a Lacy track on my upcoming BFT but took it off the list. I thought his sound would be so familiar that it would be too east. As Homer Simpson would say,

Edited January 16, 2012 by Hardbopjazz

[NIS]

Been doing some more BFT listening. In particular, I've been playing track 11 several times and it has really grown on me. Bass and drums are really good for me. John Surman maybe. I guessed him on another BFT and was right so what the heck.

[tkeith]

#3 Steve Lacy, how could I not get this one? I had a Lacy track on my upcoming BFT but took it off the list. I thought his sound would be so familiar that it would be too east. As Homer Simpson would say,

Yeah, shocked nobody got Lacy. I figured I'd be way late on that one but that I might have a spike on the Horacee Arnold cut. The more I think I've figured out about this world, the less I actually understand.

[jeffcrom]

Yes it's me and I'm late again!

I'm glad the responses have been scattered through the month so far.

1. Well now, if this doesn’t sound like a vintage Sonny Rollins pianoless…. Nope, there’s the piano. Okay. Well then, I guess this could be anybody. This could be Hank for all I know. But for all I know, I sure am diggin’ the groove! More of this, please! Too much is never enough!

It's nobody that has been mentioned so far. I'm glad you like it as much as I do.

2. AAAAARGGHH!!!! I really hate when this happens: I know the song (“Ain’t Misbehavin’”) and I probably have it at home (or had it at one time), but can’t for the life of me remember who this is. Oh, I’m gonna be kickin’ myself hard on this one! Alright, Hail Mary time: Lester Young with the Kansas City Five.

Not Lester. And there's a good chance you've never heard this before - it's a fairly obscure recording, although it has been reissued on CD. The guitarist has been identified as George Van Eps.

3. No clue, but me likey!

I'm glad! Finally ID'ed as Steve Lacy.

4. First thought: Mahavishnu Klezmer Orchestra! Not a bad thing by any means! Ah, a man can dream.

I think these musicians would love your fantasy.

5. Sounded like an extension of the previous track. I hope they had two bari players doing that riff over and over; one guy woulda passed out, I would think! That ending at 3:30 made all the dogs within a ten m - ile radius run screaming in the other direction!

I knew the ending would curl some hair.

6. Yes yes, y’all! I’m such a jazz dunce! I should know this! Fatha anyone? Maybe? I wanna says Fats Waller playing it ULTRA straight.

ID'ed as Big Bill Broonzy. The piano player and trumpeter have not been identified.

7. This is my man Greg Waits! I wish! Except that I’ve rarely heard him with a piano player. Maybe it’s the great Paul McKee! I should play this for them and see what they think.

Identified as J. J. Johnson.

8. OOOOOOOooooooohhh!!!!! Me likey a LOT! And I’ll bet I used to have this and foolishly traded it away at some point! Kinda reminds me of either Barney Kessell or Herb Ellis.

Ray McKinley's band playing Eddie Sauter, but the guitarist hasn't been identifed - not Kessell or Ellis.

9. HA! Y’know what this made me think of as soon as it started playing? The opening to the Marx Bros. movie COCOANUTS. Couldn’t even begin to tell you who this is or who it reminds me of, but I dig it! Sounds like they’re interpolating that Hungarian Rhapsody you hear in various Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies!

Glad you dig it!

10. Gil Evans. No, Allen Eager. No, Gerry Mulligan. No, Al Cohn or Joe Newman or Jack Sheldon. Pacific Jazz somethingorother. Am I even remotely close???

You're closer than anyone else by guessing Pacific Jazz. They were indeed the perpetrators of this recording.

11. Have I mentioned how much I like bass clarinet? I haven’t? There’s a reason for that. Actually, there’s a BOATLOAD of reasons for that! And this is another one. NEXT!!!

Well... NIS likes it! So there!

12. MMMMMMmmmmmmmm, nice and swingin’ from the gitgo! Sounds pretty casual, though, now that it’s been revealed to be just piano & clarinet.

Casual it might be - these guys can knock out amazing stuff at the drop of a hat.

13. I must be getting old & losing my sense of adventure. Years ago, a track like this might’ve appealed to me on some kind of adventurous level. Nowadays, all I can muster is “Oh gee, you play soprano sax and you can play a million notes a minute, bigdealsowhat.” And as I type this, I come to the realization that this is probably Sam Rivers and could I be more disrespectful of the recently departed? Actually, yeah I could. But I won’t. And quit makin’ all that racket on my lawn! Pesky kids and their noisy saxes. Why, back in my day you had to know melody. You had to have the balls to let a note ring out and breathe. You had to…. Where the hell’s my Geritol???

14. See? THIS is what I’m talking about!!! Jeeezus, I think I’m channeling Leonard Feather here. All you noiseheads could take a lesion from this bunch. Melody, dammit! Beauty! I don’t know who this is, but I’ll buy it in a heartbeat! I could use more of this in my life, and this is why I loves the BFT! Just when I think I have all the music I could ever want or need, a gem like this reveals itself and I simply MUST own it! Must Must MUST!!!!

Yep, it's a masterpiece. Alex knew that it was "Donegal Cradle Song" by Spike Hughes - 1933. He didn't reveal the all-star cast.

15. Or this!!! Good greeeeeazy groovy keep that groove goin brother!!! Stitt/Jaws? Ammons/anyone? Okay OKAY pipe down there, Jackie Mac you ain’t, so just play yer blues and enjoy yourself! And what the hell was THAT???? Somebody slaughterin’ a pig in the corner there? Looks like I spoke too soon. To quote the immortal Fats, “Awwww I’m so glad THAT’S over!” Okay, so my rapidly decaying brain cells have figgered out this is a battle between two alto saxes. At least #2 is diggin’ the groove LIKE YER S’POSED TO DO IN A SITUATION SUCH AS THIS!!! Nicely wrapped up, though!

Stitt, indeed. The rest of your comments were pretty entertaining, even for someone who likes the other altoist.

16. Starting out nice, gonna withhold enthusiasm for the moment. Dig the rap! Another thing I like about this song: it stuck with me! I was humming along the riff long after the song ended. Love it when that happens!

Overall, a VERY groovy BFT! One I’ll be returning to quite often! Great job as always, Jeff! Man, you sure know how to put ‘em together!

Thanks for listening - enjoyed your comments, even the curmudgeonly ones.

3) Sounds like some careless soul left his tenor lying around and Chet Baker stumbled upon it.

8) Some 50's Big Band getting into bop. I don't think the bagpipe-inspired drone underneath is really adding to the ambiance in positive ways. The guitarist I don't mind. Has listened to Charlie (who hasn't?). The rest of the band, or at least the arranger, I'd happily shoot.

11) Someone dropped an alto clarinet or something of that ilk down a hole filled with cymbals. Nice low register, though.

13) I once had a Casio keyboard with a drum mode. It sounded like this when my two cousins and I would all play it at once.

....and I enjoyed reading this!!!

Been doing some more BFT listening. In particular, I've been playing track 11 several times and it has really grown on me. Bass and drums are really good for me. John Surman maybe. I guessed him on another BFT and was right so what the heck.

It's not Surman. This track has proven controversial - not surprisingly, given the diversity of tastes here. I'm glad that someone likes it as much as I do. Again, these guys are masters at what they do.

[Hardbopjazz]

#1 could the tenor player be Benny Waters? He played a lot of alto, but he also played tenor of many recordings.

[Hot Ptah]

Jeff, I have listened to this BFT many times, hoping that some inspiration will come my way. I enjoy every song on this BFT, in all of its styles. I have zero clue who is playing any of it. Usually I can identify some of the musicians on your BFTs, but this one really has me stumped. I am looking forward very much to learning who is playing on every cut, as I do enjoy them all.

[jeffcrom]

#1 could the tenor player be Benny Waters? He played a lot of alto, but he also played tenor of many recordings.

No, it's a more modern tenor player than Waters. He's not a player who would be instantly recognizable to most folks, but some people around here are familiar with him - I've seen his name in the "now playing" threads on occasion.

Jeff, I have listened to this BFT many times, hoping that some inspiration will come my way. I enjoy every song on this BFT, in all of its styles. I have zero clue who is playing any of it. Usually I can identify some of the musicians on your BFTs, but this one really has me stumped. I am looking forward very much to learning who is playing on every cut, as I do enjoy them all.

I'm glad you like the music. Some of the musicians and selections have been identified, so read the rest of this thread if you want to get a head start on finding out who folks are.

Edited January 19, 2012 by jeffcrom

[Big Al]

10. Gil Evans. No, Allen Eager. No, Gerry Mulligan. No, Al Cohn or Joe Newman or Jack Sheldon. Pacific Jazz somethingorother. Am I even remotely close???

You're closer than anyone else by guessing Pacific Jazz. They were indeed the perpetrators of this recording.

HMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm...... Booker Ervin?

Thanks for listening - enjoyed your comments, even the curmudgeonly ones.

My pleasure! Oddly enough, it would seem I enjoy writing the curmudgeonly ones more than the ones for tracks I dig: being able to get animated like that is enjoyably cathartic!

[Spontooneous]

I've been slow on this one. Here's the first half.

1 The tune is Jackie McLean's "Donna." I don't respond much to the tenor, but I'm not bothered by it. The tenor-and-drums chorus is pretty nice. The tenor's high notes remind me of Bennie Wallace, but I don't think it's him. I like the many details of the piano solo, which reminds me of Martial Solal. I see my responses are all over the place here.

2 "Ain't Misbehavin'", in a fine transfer from 78. The piano isn't Fats, but the tenor might be the real Gene Sedric. I get more out of 16 bars of this than I did out of all of Track 1. The guitar solo is really creative, and the piano is pretty wonderful too.

3 Yeah, that's gotta be Lacy. Fact remains that the soprano never sounded quite like that in anybody else's hands. It's Track 3 here. It's great to hear him relax and really dig into the changes of this Jobim song.

4 Something from Eastern Europe, I guess. The tuba is rockin', though perhaps overplayed in a few spots. The clarinet is very good, the alto not on the same level. I hope I didn't just diss Mr. Zorn there.

5 Maybe it's one of those Joel Forrester things, or something by somebody who hangs out with Joel. I like. The tune itself sounds like one of those Radiohead-inspired compositions that I'm hearing more and more of. I'll probably get tired of those Radioheadish things soon.

6 Wonderful 78. Can't ID the singer. But I sure do like the pianist, who's grappling a little bit with Basie. Trumpet is lovely. If they'd contoured the rhythm differently, this would sound very Kansas City.

7 It's "You've Changed" on trombone. A forthright performance. I hear a Dicky Wells influence in the first eight bars of the second chorus, but obviously it isn't him. A few trombone tricks later in the solo come close to wearing out their welcome.

8 A supremely weird thing. Circa 1946-48? Is this Boyd Raeburn? Have we hit all the key centers yet? Note at about 1:20 an idea that would pop up again in the Ellington/Jimmy Hamilton "Ad Lib on Nippon." It would be a hoot to find out that Jimmy Hamilton was connected to this side somehow.

[jeffcrom]

10. Gil Evans. No, Allen Eager. No, Gerry Mulligan. No, Al Cohn or Joe Newman or Jack Sheldon. Pacific Jazz somethingorother. Am I even remotely close???

You're closer than anyone else by guessing Pacific Jazz. They were indeed the perpetrators of this recording.

HMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm...... Booker Ervin?

Sorry about the late reply - no, not Booker Ervin.

[jeffcrom]

I've been slow on this one. Here's the first half.

1 The tune is Jackie McLean's "Donna." I don't respond much to the tenor, but I'm not bothered by it. The tenor-and-drums chorus is pretty nice. The tenor's high notes remind me of Bennie Wallace, but I don't think it's him. I like the many details of the piano solo, which reminds me of Martial Solal. I see my responses are all over the place here.

Not Bennie Wallace or Martial Solal. And interesting that you attributed the tune to McLean. Everyone else who recognized the tune called it a Miles Davis tune. For that matter, so did Miles, but you're apparently right about McLean.

2 "Ain't Misbehavin'", in a fine transfer from 78. The piano isn't Fats, but the tenor might be the real Gene Sedric. I get more out of 16 bars of this than I did out of all of Track 1. The guitar solo is really creative, and the piano is pretty wonderful too.

Thank you for that first sentence, since I did the transfer. Not Fats (as you knew) or Gene Sedric. I like this one a lot, too, and have said that the guitar player is the star for me.

3 Yeah, that's gotta be Lacy. Fact remains that the soprano never sounded quite like that in anybody else's hands. It's Track 3 here. It's great to hear him relax and really dig into the changes of this Jobim song.

Congratulations on the ID of a pretty obscure track. It took halfway through the month for anybody to recognize Lacy, and I wasn't sure anyone would figure out what album this is from. It's the only time Lacy recorded a Jobim song, as far as I know.

4 Something from Eastern Europe, I guess. The tuba is rockin', though perhaps overplayed in a few spots. The clarinet is very good, the alto not on the same level. I hope I didn't just diss Mr. Zorn there.

No, not Zorn, but I dig the alto. The tune is from Eastern Europe, the band from my side of the pond.

5 Maybe it's one of those Joel Forrester things, or something by somebody who hangs out with Joel. I like. The tune itself sounds like one of those Radiohead-inspired compositions that I'm hearing more and more of. I'll probably get tired of those Radioheadish things soon.

Interesting guess - no connection with Forrester, though, as far as I know.

6 Wonderful 78. Can't ID the singer. But I sure do like the pianist, who's grappling a little bit with Basie. Trumpet is lovely. If they'd contoured the rhythm differently, this would sound very Kansas City.

This one has been ID'ed (see above), but nobody has named the trumpeter or pianist yet. As I've said before, the trumpet player was one of the primary reasons I included this.

7 It's "You've Changed" on trombone. A forthright performance. I hear a Dicky Wells influence in the first eight bars of the second chorus, but obviously it isn't him. A few trombone tricks later in the solo come close to wearing out their welcome.

ID'ed as J. J. Johnson. I guess I know what you mean with your last sentence, but I think this is beautiful all the way through.

8 A supremely weird thing. Circa 1946-48? Is this Boyd Raeburn? Have we hit all the key centers yet? Note at about 1:20 an idea that would pop up again in the Ellington/Jimmy Hamilton "Ad Lib on Nippon." It would be a hoot to find out that Jimmy Hamilton was connected to this side somehow.

The band has been identified as Ray McKinley's but no other info has come forth. You got the year - 1946. No connection to Hamilton; I'll have to go back and listen for the "Ad Lib on Nippon" bit.

Enjoyed your comments - look forward to what you have to say about part two.

[Big Al]

10. Gil Evans. No, Allen Eager. No, Gerry Mulligan. No, Al Cohn or Joe Newman or Jack Sheldon. Pacific Jazz somethingorother. Am I even remotely close???

You're closer than anyone else by guessing Pacific Jazz. They were indeed the perpetrators of this recording.

HMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm...... Booker Ervin?

Sorry about the late reply - no, not Booker Ervin.

Crud! Oh well, I'm happy with the consolation prize of ID'ing the label!

[Big Al]

3 Yeah, that's gotta be Lacy. Fact remains that the soprano never sounded quite like that in anybody else's hands. It's Track 3 here. It's great to hear him relax and really dig into the changes of this Jobim song.

Congratulations on the ID of a pretty obscure track. It took halfway through the month for anybody to recognize Lacy, and I wasn't sure anyone would figure out what album this is from. It's the only time Lacy recorded a Jobim song, as far as I know.

This.... THIS is why I love the BFT!!!! First of all, I'd never even heard of this Jobim song, so now I'm gonna be on the lookout for any of his versions! Second, I followed Spoon's link and previewed all the tracks on that album, and now I wanna get THAT album as well!!!

[Spontooneous]

Time for the last half.

9 I should know the tune, a standard that the Dixielanders like, but I don't. The quote from Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in the second strain is always a hoot. This is a wonderful performance circa 1928. The accordion is not a drag. The bassist is superb, really driving this thing – he sounds like he time-warped in from a few years later. The last chorus is a delight.

10 It probably isn't Gil Evans, but it's arranged by someone who paid a lot of attention. The bari solo, probably not Mulligan, starts well but runs out of ideas. Very nice trumpet solo. And during the trumpet solo, the whole band starts to relax and really swing. There's probably more intellect than soul behind this piece, but somehow it's still cool.

11 A real sense of instrumental dialogue here. I like how the bassist takes his time before entering. The portion with bowed bass I like less, but that's often the case with me. After he puts the bow away, things are better. The piece comes to a satisfying end. The ringtone or electronic toy is a funny touch or a happy accident. Don't have a guess as to anyone's ID.

12 Wow. The piano groove for the first two choruses is just great. He has some other grooves up his sleeve too, but that first one just slays me. Is that Henry Butler? Got no problem with the clarinet either.

13 I'm not feeling it today, but maybe that says more about me than about the music. It sounds like the mid-'70s, and maybe they're trying too hard, or maybe it's just my mood and next week this will sound wonderful.

14 This is my favorite thing on the whole BFT. Wonderfully mysterious. Circa 1930-32, bowed bass and all. Is the tenor perhaps young Chu Berry? There's a teasing melodic resemblance to "Some Other Spring" for a couple of bars, but just a couple. Not Duke, but it seems as if somebody was out to make a record that sounded as Ellingtonian as possible – very interesting at this early date. Think I'll play this one a few more times.

15 Two altos, each determined to show up the other. Quien es mas macho? It's fun, and an interesting clash between the bebopper on the left and the cat on the right who's trying to be "modern," whatever that means.

After a while, it occurs to me: It's track 5 here.

16 A New Orleans-blues-gospel-jazz-hiphop combination that sounds really organic. I've been waiting for something like this to happen – I've heard too many jazz-plus-hiphop attempts that have sounded forced. I hope these guys have done more of this, because it needs to happen.

This is a good time, Jeff, and 14 and 16 are altering my brain.

[Spontooneous]

Reading back, now I see somebody beat me to the ID on 15. You guys are good.

Somebody please get 14 now!

[jeffcrom]

Time for the last half.

9 I should know the tune, a standard that the Dixielanders like, but I don't. The quote from Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in the second strain is always a hoot. This is a wonderful performance circa 1928. The accordion is not a drag. The bassist is superb, really driving this thing – he sounds like he time-warped in from a few years later. The last chorus is a delight.

Folks have figured out that it's "That's a Plenty," and that the trumpet player is Muggsy Spanier. You're close on the year - 1929. I'll have to go back and listen with your comments on the bassist in mind.

10 It probably isn't Gil Evans, but it's arranged by someone who paid a lot of attention. The bari solo, probably not Mulligan, starts well but runs out of ideas. Very nice trumpet solo. And during the trumpet solo, the whole band starts to relax and really swing. There's probably more intellect than soul behind this piece, but somehow it's still cool.

This seems to be one of the big mystery tracks of this BFT. Not Evans or Mulligan, as you suspected. I don't know if this writer was influenced by Evans or if they were just thinking along the same lines. He would have known Evans' work, I think.

11 A real sense of instrumental dialogue here. I like how the bassist takes his time before entering. The portion with bowed bass I like less, but that's often the case with me. After he puts the bow away, things are better. The piece comes to a satisfying end. The ringtone or electronic toy is a funny touch or a happy accident. Don't have a guess as to anyone's ID.

I love your first sentence - that's one reason I like this track so much. And yes, that's a cell phone at the end.

12 Wow. The piano groove for the first two choruses is just great. He has some other grooves up his sleeve too, but that first one just slays me. Is that Henry Butler? Got no problem with the clarinet either.

Not Henry Butler, but that's a very good guess - you're kind of one the right track.

13 I'm not feeling it today, but maybe that says more about me than about the music. It sounds like the mid-'70s, and maybe they're trying too hard, or maybe it's just my mood and next week this will sound wonderful.

This has been ID'ed - see above. Others have, in whole or part, shared your ambivalence about this one.

14 This is my favorite thing on the whole BFT. Wonderfully mysterious. Circa 1930-32, bowed bass and all. Is the tenor perhaps young Chu Berry? There's a teasing melodic resemblance to "Some Other Spring" for a couple of bars, but just a couple. Not Duke, but it seems as if somebody was out to make a record that sounded as Ellingtonian as possible – very interesting at this early date. Think I'll play this one a few more times.

You have good taste, in my opinion. Alex knew this underrated masterpiece - "Donegal Cradle Song" by Spike Hughes from 1933, but didn't reveal any of the personnel. Chu Berry was in the sax session, but the solo is by someone even more masterful.

15 Two altos, each determined to show up the other. Quien es mas macho? It's fun, and an interesting clash between the bebopper on the left and the cat on the right who's trying to be "modern," whatever that means.

After a while, it occurs to me: It's track 5 here.

Yep.

16 A New Orleans-blues-gospel-jazz-hiphop combination that sounds really organic. I've been waiting for something like this to happen – I've heard too many jazz-plus-hiphop attempts that have sounded forced. I hope these guys have done more of this, because it needs to happen.

I totally agree with you - nothing artificial about this. And part of that comes from the fact that these are indeed New Orleans guys, for the most part - something I thought would be obvious, but which no one else has mentioned. Down there none of the musicians think about dividing music into strict genres - it's all just music.

I knew everybody wouldn't like everything in this collection of music, but I'm extremely gratified that everyone seems to dig this track - the trad guys, the soul-jazz guys, the beboppers, the avant-garde guys, etc.

This is a good time, Jeff, and 14 and 16 are altering my brain.

Thanks for listening and for the great comments.

[Hardbopjazz]

Any hints for #4?

[jeffcrom]

Any hints for #4?

Sure - it's pretty late in the month, so I'll drop hints on any tracks when requested.

It's a New Orleans band, one I try to hear every time I visit my favorite city. They play traditional jazz, klezmer and Balkan music, and have three albums out - all self-produced, I think. The clarinetist is the bandleader; I spotted him briefly in the first season of Treme (which is the only one I've seen). The female alto sax player had a more extensive role that season, including several spoken lines. I've got a crush on her, as does every heterosexual male who has seen her play.

I've expressed my enthusiasm for this band a few times here, but most folks are not likely to have heard of them.

[Hardbopjazz]

I'm still clueless. I need to do some resarching now.

[lipi]

The female alto sax player had a more extensive role that season, including several spoken lines. I've got a crush on her, as does every heterosexual male who has seen her play.

Ah, Aurora!

That gave it away: it's the the Panorama Jazz Band. Ben Schenck is the clarinet player and Aurora Nealand the alto sax player. (She plays great soprano, too.) Now I can easily find the recording, too: it's Romski Chocheck. I'd never heard this particular track before, and Panorama sort of slipped my mind. Good stuff!

[Michael Weiss]

#10: Marty Paich? Bill Russo? (in London?) How about Bill Mathieu?

Edited January 26, 2012 by Michael Weiss

[jeffcrom]

The female alto sax player had a more extensive role that season, including several spoken lines. I've got a crush on her, as does every heterosexual male who has seen her play.

Ah, Aurora!

That gave it away: it's the the Panorama Jazz Band. Ben Schenck is the clarinet player and Aurora Nealand the alto sax player. (She plays great soprano, too.) Now I can easily find the recording, too: it's Romski Chocheck. I'd never heard this particular track before, and Panorama sort of slipped my mind. Good stuff!

Bingo! I should have known that if anybody would know about this band, it would be you. I'll go into more detail in the "reveal" thread, but in the meantime everyone who likes this track should check out the Panorama Jazz Band.

Edited January 26, 2012 by jeffcrom