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BFT 105 Discussion Thread


JSngry

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First thing first - huge thanks to Jeff Crompton for his invaluable assistance in the finalization of this group of tunes. He had the skills, the software, and the time, to do some tweaking that I didn't, and his work made a difference, a very positive difference. Trust me. He also created the RAR file and the uploading to RapidShare. Jeff Crompton is a good guy.

Now, for the music itself...

Again, the emphasis here is on lighter things (I heard that purists won't like it, and they probably won't!), with a fair amount of whimsy as a chaser. Making it into a hard copy, a playlist, or an m3u file, starting it playing, and then doing nothing for the next 58:07 will give you the "full effect" (or as much of one as is there to be had) of all that. But if that's not an option/preference, no worries.

A few "warnings" - the tune that comes on after the Nat Cole piece (hardly giving anything away here, btw...) comes on SUPERLOUD due to it being a super-compressed Amazon MP3 file of a tune that was designed to be super compressed in the first place. Jeff & I both tried to make it a little less BOOOOOMMMM, but there was only so much that could be done. The contrast was intentional, an example of the aforementioned whimsy, but only up to a point, so..fair warning on that one.

Also, if you play the cuts individually, there will be a ten-second gap at the top of the last selection. That's intentional, and was put there to create a faux "hidden track" at the end of the disc.for those who might be listening uninterruptedly.

Other than that, enjoy!

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Well, here we go with BFT105, which I’ve been looking forward to a lot and I’m sure I shan’t be disappointed.

1 Wake up song from a radio station. Very cheerful.

2 Dunno. Good singer, interesting song. Wild soprano sax player. Interesting. Something I might go for.

3 ‘Loving you was like a party’. This is Marlena Shaw. A cut from her album ‘Who is this bitch, anyway?’ Oh yes, I’m glad you put this one in. You’ve been plugging it for a while. If the rest of that album is that good, I’ll go for it.

4 Phew, full of action. Guitar solo in search of a car chase! Is it Eric Gale? Is it Ronnie Cuber on baritone? Effin’ INSANE pianist! Jerry Lee Lewis!

5 A story. But it isn’t Al Jolson. Well, when the punchline comes, maybe it was.

6 Nat ‘King’ Cole, I’m sure. With Billy May arrangement, I’d guess. Oh, could this be an Earl Grant you’ve put in to fool us? I don’t think so. I think it’s Nat.

7 Don’t recognise the singer. Don’t know the song either. Interesting funky 70s type arrangement.

8 Sorry, the tag gave it away. It just came up when I opened the folder to play it. Funny, I’d checked the tags before, to make sure the download had worked and checked all the timings, but this track and #7 came up completely blank, so there was something wrong with the tagging. Oh, that was nice – Jimmy Owens on trumpet and I don’t know who on baritone.

9 Ray and Aretha. Never heard this before. Oh yes, ‘things go better with coke’. I knew they did an ad together for that. Wonderful.

10 This has to be Jug. I guess I’ve got it somewhere among all the compilations of his early material, but I don’t recognise it. One thing Jug did was write tunes that were utilitarian riffs, on which he could hang what it was he wanted to say. And they all worked, from that point of view; you always know who’s playing, it’s just WHAT utilitarian riff he’s playing that’s a mystery, because those riffs don’t have much individual character. So Jug never came close, except for ‘Hittin’ the Jug’, to writing a jazz standard.

11 Oh, here’s a thing. Yes, definitely a thing. Quite a groove to it, too. Now, where’s the tenor solo? Oh a vocal group. The technology says ‘eighties’ but the vocal group says ‘no, fifties’ :D Technology wins, however. Unfortunately. I just got bored through the guitar solo. And very bored through the bass solo. Oh well. Listened to it all, despite boredom, because I still love the groove. Well, if this is anyone well known, it’d have to be Sun Ra.

Right, off outside for a quick cough and drag.

12 ‘Lazy bones’. Wonderful talking trombonist. Phew, this is WUNNERFUL! And someone’s growling in the background. Singer sounds like Kay Starr. Is that possible or even rational? Could the trombonist be Britt Woodman?

13 Outro for a fifties DJ. Agree strongly!

14 Oh, I know this tune, but the title eludes me. I think I’ve got it by the same tenor player. No, I don’t think I have any records by a tenor player who plays like this! But I want some. Oh, I know, it sounds like Marvin Cabell! Oh yes!

Real nice Jim, really real nice. Thank you.

MG

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Delighted that you enjoyed it!

1 Wake up song from a radio station. Very cheerful.

Neither, although when I was hearing it on the air, it was always in the morning. But it's not a radio ID jingle, if that's what you're thinking.

2 Dunno. Good singer, interesting song. Wild soprano sax player. Interesting. Something I might go for.

Interesting indeed (for me, anyway), for reasons I'll lay out on the reveal. But the players (all of them) might surprise some people. I will say this, though - although the soprano player is not a "big name", they're not an "unknown" either. And - they play "straight jazz" more or less how they play this solo, which is all part of the "interesting" thing...

3 ‘Loving you was like a party’. This is Marlena Shaw. A cut from her album ‘Who is this bitch, anyway?’ Oh yes, I’m glad you put this one in. You’ve been plugging it for a while. If the rest of that album is that good, I’ll go for it.

Well, that wasn't hard to ID, was it now! :g

It's mostly that good, that album. There's also been a UK issue of it, and it remains available: http://www.dustygroo...oos=1&incl_cs=1 so whichever one works out best pricewise would be the way I'd go. I bought the Japanese version hoping for a sparkling-ish remastering, but...no. Still, not a bad album at all.

4 Phew, full of action. Guitar solo in search of a car chase! Is it Eric Gale? Is it Ronnie Cuber on baritone? Effin’ INSANE pianist! Jerry Lee Lewis!

Insane pianist, possibly. Eric Gale and/or Ronnie Cuber...no. This one might surprise you!

5 A story. But it isn’t Al Jolson. Well, when the punchline comes, maybe it was.

The important thing is that you got that there was a punchline. I did a little "sequencing humor" with this one that will probably end up being a private joke between me and myself, until the reveal (and maybe ever after! senses of humor are even more subjective than musical tastes), but let's just call it Compiler's Prerogative and let it go at that. ;)

]6 Nat ‘King’ Cole, I’m sure. With Billy May arrangement, I’d guess. Oh, could this be an Earl Grant you’ve put in to fool us? I don’t think so. I think it’s Nat.

Right singer, wrong arranger, but big whoop about that, right? I was totally unfamiliar with this cut until about a year ago. Kind of slight as a song, but the tempo and phrasing (of both singer and band) is just freakin' awesome, imo. In this case, style trumps substance, and by a mile.

7 Don’t recognise the singer. Don’t know the song either. Interesting funky 70s type arrangement.

"70s type", yes, in a "Spiritual Jazz" type way. But the record itself is not quite six years old. I don't know how familiar anybody involved will be to anybody who 's gotten this BFT, but the singer has come up for a brief discussion here once upon a time.

8 Sorry, the tag gave it away. It just came up when I opened the folder to play it. Funny, I’d checked the tags before, to make sure the download had worked and checked all the timings, but this track and #7 came up completely blank, so there was something wrong with the tagging. Oh, that was nice – Jimmy Owens on trumpet and I don’t know who on baritone.

Tags are weird, you are correct on the trumpeter, no bari, and yes, nice indeed!

9 Ray and Aretha. Never heard this before. Oh yes, ‘things go better with coke’. I knew they did an ad together for that. Wonderful.

Ray Charles had no limits, and this is but further proof. :alien:

10 This has to be Jug. I guess I’ve got it somewhere among all the compilations of his early material, but I don’t recognise it. One thing Jug did was write tunes that were utilitarian riffs, on which he could hang what it was he wanted to say. And they all worked, from that point of view; you always know who’s playing, it’s just WHAT utilitarian riff he’s playing that’s a mystery, because those riffs don’t have much individual character. So Jug never came close, except for ‘Hittin’ the Jug’, to writing a jazz standard.

Correct on Jug, but this was actually a cover of a pop hit of the day!

11 Oh, here’s a thing. Yes, definitely a thing. Quite a groove to it, too. Now, where’s the tenor solo? Oh a vocal group. The technology says ‘eighties’ but the vocal group says ‘no, fifties’ :D Technology wins, however. Unfortunately. I just got bored through the guitar solo. And very bored through the bass solo. Oh well. Listened to it all, despite boredom, because I still love the groove. Well, if this is anyone well known, it’d have to be Sun Ra.

Neither 50s nor 80s, somewhere in-between. The guitarist has since gone on to become pretty well-known, but definite not in anything even remotely resembling a Sun Ra-related orb.

And I hear you about the solos, but knowing the players, the time, and the place, I'm much taken by the sheer...naive goofiness, not just of the solos, but of the entire project. But more on that as we go on.

12 ‘Lazy bones’. Wonderful talking trombonist. Phew, this is WUNNERFUL! And someone’s growling in the background. Singer sounds like Kay Starr. Is that possible or even rational? Could the trombonist be Britt Woodman?

Possible, rational and correct! No idea on the trombonist, though. Got this one from an Amazon download of an album of "questionable pedigree".

Also, there is a connection between this tune and the previous one...

13 Outro for a fifties DJ. Agree strongly!

Not a DJ, not the 50s. A bandleader in the 1960s. And it cracks me up!

14 Oh, I know this tune, but the title eludes me. I think I’ve got it by the same tenor player. No, I don’t think I have any records by a tenor player who plays like this! But I want some. Oh, I know, it sounds like Marvin Cabell! Oh yes!

I think you probably do have some records by this tenor player (and it's not Marvin Cabell, although I do wish I could have found a place in this compilation for one of the cuts from his solo album)...and definitely by this piano player...and probably at least one of them together. But this tenor player was quite often a whole 'nother thing in a live setting than on his records, as evidenced here (and elsewhere!).

Real nice Jim, really real nice. Thank you.

MG

Thank you for participating (and for being the icebreaker in the responses!), and again, glad that you enjoyed it.

Edited by JSngry
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1. The Mazola tv ad, featuring the unmistakeable Jon Hendricks. Haven't heard this in ages, and… why would I have? And why do I suddenly have the urge to go make some popcorn the old fashioned way?

2. I have to admit to being skeptical at first, with the smooth-jazz-ish elements going on. However, sticking with it and paying attention, I found this to be rewarding in a very groovy retro almost nostalgia-inducing kinda way (for some reason, I'm assuming that the recording isn't that old (...??), but I was reminded- whether directly or indirectly- of several things from the early-to-mid 70's. The vocal arrangement almost sounds like it could be from a Stevie Wonder LP from that era (without Stevie's voice, of course). There's also kind of a "Midnight At The Oasis" vibe going on here for me (probably just for me). Really nice composition, and a nice arrangement. I like the way the singers don't try too hard to impress. Instead, the soprano saxophonist takes care of that. In this setting, I wouldn't have expected this degree of real jazz chops (conditioned to expect otherwise, I guess). The chops, combined with the soprano sound in this general context brings back memories of listening to Gerry Niewood on the "Land of Make Believe" recording with Esther Satterfield and Chuck Mangione. But I digress. I dug this, and I'm glad I stuck with it.

3. This is really nice. This does sound like it's from the 70's, and I feel like I should know who this singer is. I don't think I own this, though. Again, there are elements here that remind me of Stevie Wonder. The backing is also reminding me of The Crusaders. Downright groovy, and I will probably look for this if I don't have it already.

4. I got a Deodato vibe at the top of this, but not so much after the guitar kicked in. I can't say I recognize the recording or the guitarist, but names start to pop into my head... names that I probably never fully explored, but came across many times, like Boogaloo Joe Jones, Melvin Sparks, O'Donell Levy, Freddy Robinson... Can't glean anything from the bari... The overall groove puts me in the mind of Les McCann & Eddie Harris, but that's not a guess. Like it.

5. This isn't Imo Phillips, right? No, of course not. There are similarities in the sound & phrasing at times, though. Anyway, I don't really have a clue. I was expecting more of a surprise at the end (a stronger punch line), so I felt a little disappointed when he just repeated what he had already stated (that he didn't think about Lou during the act). Hmmm... just hmmm on this one.

6. Wow. Oops, I mean WOW! I have a lot of Nat, but this doesn't even sound familiar. WTF? I love great discoveries, but I also hate discovering that I've been missing something like this for so long. I also hate it when I do stupid things, like losing my database to a hard drive crash, or upgrading to a new version of iTunes which now doesn't allow me to search my ****ing files the way I used to. I'm not even sure what the title of this song is ("Win Or Lose"? "I Can't Help It"? ???), so a search would be tricky nonetheless. Oh well, the good news is that this is tremendous, and now I've heard it.

7. Once again, I'm getting a vibe right at the top... this time, the keyboard sound I associate with Brian Auger. I'm not feeling this vocalist, nor the background vocalists, for some reason. Not quite as attracted to the composition here, either (as compared to tracks 2 and 3, for example). This isn't bad, by any means, but just not as appealing as those, to my ears.

8. I'm no connoisseur of this style, but this is pretty hard not to feel/dig. Nice composition, great execution and a strong groove. The momentum is maintained all the way through by the fine soloists. The only thing missing here is not being able to watch the dancers.

9. This is strange... I don't think I could have missed this the first time around, and yet it's not sparking any memories. I have the sense that they didn't let this ad run for nearly as long as some of the garbage we're being bombarded with these days.

10. This is bugging me, just trying to identify the tenor. I feel like I own this. Gotta clear my brain (not hard to do) and come back to this one.

11. The keyboard really reminds me of the sound that Tom Coster got with Santana. Haven't heard this much wah-wah in years. For whatever reason, I'm reminded of some early Larry Coryell stuff I used to have. Not really something that would have been on my radar recently enough to be able to muster much more of a reaction...

12. Sounds like mid-50's...? The singer has a little bit of a Dinah Washington sound happening, but it's not Dinah. Sounds more caucasian, and there's even a touch of a country feel in her voice. I'm pretty much stumped on it, without using the internet to try to figure it out. Was Johnny Mercer involved with this song (if not the recording)?

13. The tune I recognize from the score of "The Aviator", but I've never known what it was. Stan Kenton? I like the tune, which has a haunting quality about it, but the comments are a little bizarre.

14. Ah, recognized this tune immediately. Back in the 70's, I had it on an LP called "Second Movement". Although this was my favorite track on the record, I couldn't have told you what the title was, but I just checked my iTunes library, and I see that it's called "Samia". This live version is a nice treat, and a nice way to wind down at the end of this grueling exercise. ;) Jk, this hasn't been grueling at all, just fun. Thanks for the adventure.

Edited by Jim R
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14. Ah, recognized this tune immediately. Back in the 70's, I had it on an LP called "Second Movement". Although this was my favorite track on the record, I couldn't have told you what the title was, but I just checked my iTunes library, and I see that it's called "Samia". This live version is a nice treat, and a nice way to wind down at the end of this grueling exercise. ;) Jk, this hasn't been grueling at all, just fun. Thanks for the adventure.

Shit, I HAVE got this and didn't recognise it. OBO110X.

Or maybe I haven't - if it's live. I'm not aware that Les made a live version of this with Eddie, unless it's maybe on one of those albums recorded in Africa. Must have another listen to check.

MG

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1. The Mazola tv ad, featuring the unmistakeable Jon Hendricks. Haven't heard this in ages, and… why would I have? And why do I suddenly have the urge to go make some popcorn the old fashioned way?

Correct ID all the way. Feeling fried by the end of it? :g

2. I have to admit to being skeptical at first, with the smooth-jazz-ish elements going on. However, sticking with it and paying attention, I found this to be rewarding in a very groovy retro almost nostalgia-inducing kinda way (for some reason, I'm assuming that the recording isn't that old (...??), but I was reminded- whether directly or indirectly- of several things from the early-to-mid 70's. The vocal arrangement almost sounds like it could be from a Stevie Wonder LP from that era (without Stevie's voice, of course). There's also kind of a "Midnight At The Oasis" vibe going on here for me (probably just for me). Really nice composition, and a nice arrangement. I like the way the singers don't try too hard to impress. Instead, the soprano saxophonist takes care of that. In this setting, I wouldn't have expected this degree of real jazz chops (conditioned to expect otherwise, I guess). The chops, combined with the soprano sound in this general context brings back memories of listening to Gerry Niewood on the "Land of Make Believe" recording with Esther Satterfield and Chuck Mangione. But I digress. I dug this, and I'm glad I stuck with it.

The "nostalgic" thing is built into the lyrics, btw, so that's intentional, kinda the root purpose of the song. The singer does all the vocals, btw, lead and background.

3. This is really nice. This does sound like it's from the 70's, and I feel like I should know who this singer is. I don't think I own this, though. Again, there are elements here that remind me of Stevie Wonder. The backing is also reminding me of The Crusaders. Downright groovy, and I will probably look for this if I don't have it already.

Mr. TMG already (and readily!) ID'ed this one. Not The Crusaders, but part of the overall time & place anyway.

4. I got a Deodato vibe at the top of this, but not so much after the guitar kicked in. I can't say I recognize the recording or the guitarist, but names start to pop into my head... names that I probably never fully explored, but came across many times, like Boogaloo Joe Jones, Melvin Sparks, O'Donell Levy, Freddy Robinson... Can't glean anything from the bari... The overall groove puts me in the mind of Les McCann & Eddie Harris, but that's not a guess. Like it.

Sounds like you too will be surprised when you find out who this is!

5. This isn't Imo Phillips, right? No, of course not. There are similarities in the sound & phrasing at times, though. Anyway, I don't really have a clue. I was expecting more of a surprise at the end (a stronger punch line), so I felt a little disappointed when he just repeated what he had already stated (that he didn't think about Lou during the act). Hmmm... just hmmm on this one.

For me, the humor is in the dialect, the rhythms and inflections of the speech, coupled with the totally wack content. The punch lines are aural in nature, not verbal, and they're running throughout the monologue instead of being saved for the end. It took me a little while to pick up on this, but once I realized that that was how it was being played, I started laughing my ass of at lines like, "Helloo Loou..." "Jolie was wanted out there" "Oh, Lou...I forgot about you" How it's being said is what gets me to LOL-ing

But nothing is more subjective than humor. Nothing.

6. Wow. Oops, I mean WOW! I have a lot of Nat, but this doesn't even sound familiar. WTF? I love great discoveries, but I also hate discovering that I've been missing something like this for so long. I also hate it when I do stupid things, like losing my database to a hard drive crash, or upgrading to a new version of iTunes which now doesn't allow me to search my ****ing files the way I used to. I'm not even sure what the title of this song is ("Win Or Lose"? "I Can't Help It"? ???), so a search would be tricky nonetheless. Oh well, the good news is that this is tremendous, and now I've heard it.

One of your proposed titles is almost correct! And I had never heard this one either, just found it out of the blue. Not a commonly anthologized tumne for some reason. Probably never made it onto a single, or if it did, never made it as a hi. A B-Side, maybe? Or just an album cut? I don't know.

7. Once again, I'm getting a vibe right at the top... this time, the keyboard sound I associate with Brian Auger. I'm not feeling this vocalist, nor the background vocalists, for some reason. Not quite as attracted to the composition here, either (as compared to tracks 2 and 3, for example). This isn't bad, by any means, but just not as appealing as those, to my ears.

Nor Brian Auger, not anybody of that generation.

8. I'm no connoisseur of this style, but this is pretty hard not to feel/dig. Nice composition, great execution and a strong groove. The momentum is maintained all the way through by the fine soloists. The only thing missing here is not being able to watch the dancers.

I thought the tenor player played in a very intriguing manner, highly suggestive of somebody else?

9. This is strange... I don't think I could have missed this the first time around, and yet it's not sparking any memories. I have the sense that they didn't let this ad run for nearly as long as some of the garbage we're being bombarded with these days.

Nobody pours you a glass of coke anynore, that's why. You just gulp it straight outta the can. And then burp. No time for romance.

10. This is bugging me, just trying to identify the tenor. I feel like I own this. Gotta clear my brain (not hard to do) and come back to this one.

It's a well-known player, identified by MG. But the song, like I said, was bit of a pop hit in its day.

11. The keyboard really reminds me of the sound that Tom Coster got with Santana. Haven't heard this much wah-wah in years. For whatever reason, I'm reminded of some early Larry Coryell stuff I used to have. Not really something that would have been on my radar recently enough to be able to muster much more of a reaction...

No keyboards! And it wouldn't really have been on anybody's radar (to put it mildly) until just the last few years, although it's a lot older than that.

12. Sounds like mid-50's...? The singer has a little bit of a Dinah Washington sound happening, but it's not Dinah. Sounds more caucasian, and there's even a touch of a country feel in her voice. I'm pretty much stumped on it, without using the internet to try to figure it out. Was Johnny Mercer involved with this song (if not the recording)?

Singer ID-ed by MG, but yes, I've often heard that Dinah Washington flavor in her voice as well. But I think that chronologically they are more or less peers(?). And this singer actually had a pretty good jazz pedigree before making her career moves. But - no to Johnny Mercer.

13. The tune I recognize from the score of "The Aviator", but I've never known what it was. Stan Kenton? I like the tune, which has a haunting quality about it, but the comments are a little bizarre.

Bingo on Kenton, and bingo on the moments being a little out there.

14. Ah, recognized this tune immediately. Back in the 70's, I had it on an LP called "Second Movement". Although this was my favorite track on the record, I couldn't have told you what the title was, but I just checked my iTunes library, and I see that it's called "Samia". This live version is a nice treat, and a nice way to wind down at the end of this grueling exercise. ;)

You nailed the tunes and the principles...now, do you know this album? If not, it comes recommended.

Jk, this hasn't been grueling at all, just fun. Thanks for the adventure.

Thank you for participating, hope it was indeed fun. Also know you to have a bit of detective in you, so if you have the time and/or inclination, keep listening, and sleuthing, see what comes to you. You might be surprised!

14. Ah, recognized this tune immediately. Back in the 70's, I had it on an LP called "Second Movement". Although this was my favorite track on the record, I couldn't have told you what the title was, but I just checked my iTunes library, and I see that it's called "Samia". This live version is a nice treat, and a nice way to wind down at the end of this grueling exercise. ;) Jk, this hasn't been grueling at all, just fun. Thanks for the adventure.

Shit, I HAVE got this and didn't recognise it. OBO110X.

Or maybe I haven't - if it's live. I'm not aware that Les made a live version of this with Eddie, unless it's maybe on one of those albums recorded in Africa. Must have another listen to check.

MG

Released on an American label. Twice, in fact!

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14. Ah, recognized this tune immediately. Back in the 70's, I had it on an LP called "Second Movement". Although this was my favorite track on the record, I couldn't have told you what the title was, but I just checked my iTunes library, and I see that it's called "Samia". This live version is a nice treat, and a nice way to wind down at the end of this grueling exercise. ;) Jk, this hasn't been grueling at all, just fun. Thanks for the adventure.

Shit, I HAVE got this and didn't recognise it. OBO110X.

Or maybe I haven't - if it's live. I'm not aware that Les made a live version of this with Eddie, unless it's maybe on one of those albums recorded in Africa. Must have another listen to check.

MG

Released on an American label. Twice, in fact!

'Soul to soul' was, I think the title of the concert. In Ghana? Nigeria? Anyway, on Atlantic. Ike & Tina were there, too.

MG

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12. Sounds like mid-50's...? The singer has a little bit of a Dinah Washington sound happening, but it's not Dinah. Sounds more caucasian, and there's even a touch of a country feel in her voice. I'm pretty much stumped on it, without using the internet to try to figure it out. Was Johnny Mercer involved with this song (if not the recording)?

Singer ID-ed by MG, but yes, I've often heard that Dinah Washington flavor in her voice as well. But I think that chronologically they are more or less peers(?). And this singer actually had a pretty good jazz pedigree before making her career moves. But - no to Johnny Mercer.

I don't think I've heard Kay Starr since the fifties so, that I can recognise her voice at this temporal distance says something about the talent and persona;l distinctiveness that she (and others of the time, who for all their crappy records, could SING) had, as opposed to the songwriters. (Of course, the fact that I've got Dinah's version of 'Wheel of fortune' and play it regularly, could account for Kay Starr being kept in the back of my mind all these years.)

MG

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Here's an $0.89 Amazon download of a Kay Starr thing recorded live at an early Gene Norman "Just Jazz" concert: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W5HE1C/ref=dm_ty_trk It was originally released on a Modern 78.

The way she sings the line " instead of sympathy, he beats the hell outta me" and the lingering murmur of the audience response it gets is pretty remarkable, I think. Like, oh, she just said that? whoa...This was the tune that made me start to erase memories of all the jukebox fodder that had accumulated to form my aural image of her.

Hell, she's from Oklahoma, with some Native American ancestry. "Lots" of jazz folk came out of that Oklahoma paradigm.

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1- Very Lambert, Hendricks & Rossish through the crackles. No music sounds more joyous to me than something like this.

2 - I liked this quite a bit. But is it jazz? I think not. Anyways, I have listened to and enjoyed a lot of this sort of thing since the 70's (though I think this is a somewhat later cut). Wonderful singer, and I know who it is (ain't nobody sings like her), have both her 70's group albums and her subsequent solo albums. BTW, the best gems by the group were found buried on the album sides rather than in the hit singles. You cheat yourself if you just go for a greatest hits collection. Very interesting lyrics.

3 - Jim "Quiet Storm" Sangrey, who knew? I know the answer to "Who is this singer, anyways". And the label purists ain't gonna be happy about this one (a new note indeed), but I like it quite a bit. The studio guys are so tight and solid on this.

4 - Good times. Love the guitar. Again, 70's rooted, again, I really like it.

5 - I can't begin to describe on how many levels this Al Jolson story troubled me, but then I'm also not a performer, and I guess maybe that's what it takes? The show must go on, but at what cost? And at who's expense?

6 - Nat King Cole, of course. Interesting how the lyrics tie into the Jolson story before it. "I'd give my soul...I can't control my perpetual need for her" indeed. Excellent for what it is of course, but I get limited (not zero, but limited) mileage from this sort of thing.

7 - Well, the singer sort of can't carry a tune, and the lyrics are the usual cliched "I miss you and can't live without you", but I really like the electric piano and the tune. And it sort of ties in with the previous two selections in an allegorical sense.

8 - Well enough done, but this sort of rhythm thing drives me a little crazy in anything other than very small doses. Best part is the bull-in-a-china-shop tenor entry. Again, very 70's rooted, though it may have been done later.

9 - Apparently Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, "the king and queen" :-). Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of either except for their respective classic heydays on Atlantic. But gotta say, I bet this is the first time a coca-cola commercial ever made a blindfold test.

10 - At last, some BFT conformity! There were a thousand albums like this recorded in the 50's, and it's been my goal to own and continually listen to all thousand of them. Whoever the sax player is, he's heard Sonny Stitt.

11 - And JS follows conformity with perversity. I don't like ring modulators, so this doesn't work for me. YMMV. This style is from a very specific place and time in the first half of the 70's, where jazz and rock collided before they then again went their separate ways (though there remains a niche market where this sort of thing is still done). This cut is further proof that many bass players should never take solos.

12 - I sort of never really "got" a lot of what Dinah Washington and others did at times on cuts like this. Again, YMMV, and I know my tone probably seems harsh, but for my ears and psyche, something like this is personally unlistenable. Though it no doubt sold 50 times more than any Blue Note album of the same era.

13 - Stan Kenton. I thought his music was often unique and awesome. And what a great penultimate bit for this BFT!

14 - Whoever it is has heard Sonny Rollins and has heard the R&B players of the late 40's/early 50's (Eddie Vincent, Earl Bostic, etc), and nothing wrong with that!

Summary: What an interesting, interesting BFT! A work of art in and of itself, thanks! Musically, the biggest winners for me were the first four selections, #10, and the snippet on #13.

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1- Very Lambert, Hendricks & Rossish through the crackles. No music sounds more joyous to me than something like this.

John Hendricks, yes. And given the nature of the song, there should be crackles no matter what!

2 - I liked this quite a bit. But is it jazz? I think not. Anyways, I have listened to and enjoyed a lot of this sort of thing since the 70's (though I think this is a somewhat later cut). Wonderful singer, and I know who it is (ain't nobody sings like her), have both her 70's group albums and her subsequent solo albums. BTW, the best gems by the group were found buried on the album sides rather than in the hit singles. You cheat yourself if you just go for a greatest hits collection. Very interesting lyrics.

I am really glad that you like this, and yes about the lyrics (and to the "is it jazz?" question my answer is "no, but..."), but here's the funny part - I don't know who the hell you think it is! So the shoe's on the other foot now. That may well be a BFT first!

3 - Jim "Quiet Storm" Sangrey, who knew? I know the answer to "Who is this singer, anyways". And the label purists ain't gonna be happy about this one (a new note indeed), but I like it quite a bit. The studio guys are so tight and solid on this.

Hey, we're both old enough to remember before the Storm got Quiet. Legit!

4 - Good times. Love the guitar. Again, 70's rooted, again, I really like it.

No guesses as to who it might be? At least two very well-known names taking solos here. three if you count the insane guy. :g

5 - I can't begin to describe on how many levels this Al Jolson story troubled me, but then I'm also not a performer, and I guess maybe that's what it takes? The show must go on, but at what cost? And at who's expense?

If you take it at face value, yeah, it's troubling. But you probably should take it more as dark comedy...

6 - Nat King Cole, of course. Interesting how the lyrics tie into the Jolson story before it. "I'd give my soul...I can't control my perpetual need for her" indeed. Excellent for what it is of course, but I get limited (not zero, but limited) mileage from this sort of thing.

You picked up on the "sequencing humor", even though I don't think you realized that it is humor (yet?). But still, nice catch, works either way.

7 - Well, the singer sort of can't carry a tune, and the lyrics are the usual cliched "I miss you and can't live without you", but I really like the electric piano and the tune. And it sort of ties in with the previous two selections in an allegorical sense.

This tune was originally released by the same group in a significantly different version (I mean, completely different) with a significantly different vocalist. I like this singer's kind of deepish voice sexiness (but that's totally subjective) and the conscious choices made in the arrangement. And there is a little bit of "irony" to the sequencing here as well, so, yeah, good instincts!

8 - Well enough done, but this sort of rhythm thing drives me a little crazy in anything other than very small doses. Best part is the bull-in-a-china-shop tenor entry. Again, very 70's rooted, though it may have been done later.

1968, to be exact. Different strokes, eh?

9 - Apparently Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, "the king and queen" :-). Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of either except for their respective classic heydays on Atlantic. But gotta say, I bet this is the first time a coca-cola commercial ever made a blindfold test.

Might be...but I did include Patty Waters doing a Jax Beer commercial on one of my earlier BFTs. Gotta make a buck, ya; know. :smirk:

10 - At last, some BFT conformity! There were a thousand albums like this recorded in the 50's, and it's been my goal to own and continually listen to all thousand of them. Whoever the sax player is, he's heard Sonny Stitt.

More than a few times, I assure you!

11 - And JS follows conformity with perversity. I don't like ring modulators, so this doesn't work for me. YMMV. This style is from a very specific place and time in the first half of the 70's, where jazz and rock collided before they then again went their separate ways (though there remains a niche market where this sort of thing is still done). This cut is further proof that many bass players should never take solos.

No ring modulator that I'm aware of..again, different strokes..I just enjoy the innocent goofiness of it all but I'm fully aware that one man's innocent goofiness is another man's WTF IS that bullshit?!?!?!?! :g

12 - I sort of never really "got" a lot of what Dinah Washington and others did at times on cuts like this. Again, YMMV, and I know my tone probably seems harsh, but for my ears and psyche, something like this is personally unlistenable. Though it no doubt sold 50 times more than any Blue Note album of the same era.

This one was included primarily because of the connection of it and the previous song (and the "unlikliness" of the singer).

13 - Stan Kenton. I thought his music was often unique and awesome. And what a great penultimate bit for this BFT!

That's him, alright!

14 - Whoever it is has heard Sonny Rollins and has heard the R&B players of the late 40's/early 50's (Eddie Vincent, Earl Bostic, etc), and nothing wrong with that!

He's heard a lot of people, believe me! And has been heard by a lot of people as well!

Summary: What an interesting, interesting BFT! A work of art in and of itself, thanks! Musically, the biggest winners for me were the first four selections, #10, and the snippet on #13.

Those are kind words, much appreciated, and thank you for both them and your open-eared participation.

Edited by JSngry
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Ahhhh, a JSngry BFT! Fitting it’s in December, because without even listening to it, I know I’m in for goodies not unlike the kinds the man in the big red suit brings every year to good little boys & girls like me! See, we have a UPS driver who dresses in red every December…. :D

Track 1: This put SUCH a big smile on my face!!! Sounds like Lambert Hendricks & Ross doing a commercial for somebody. Love it!!!

Track 2: Sounds like Stevie Wonder’s backing group (or, heck, could be Stevie himself playing all those instruments) with Syreeta on vocals. This sounds like something one might hear on 730 AM KKDA! May just try to run this through some of kinda audio-futzer to replicate that lovely AM sound! Ah hah! There’s the jazz connection: that’s Wayne Shorter on soprano, I’d know some of those lovely licks anywhere! You can’t fool me on THIS one!

Track 3: Crusaders!!!! Or a reasonable facsimile!!! Oh... well, don’t know they ever used any singers. BUT, same comment for track 2 applies here: I feel like I’m driving around town with 730 AM on the radio dial! Some serious SOUL goin’ on here! Ooooooooooh, I am SUCH a sucker for that 70’s-synth solo going on there. I’d like to say it’s Styx but Dennis DeYoung only dreams of being this soulful. (Heh! See what I did there? Incorporating the lyrics into my guess there? Hoo hah!)

Track 4: Listening to this at work may have been a mistake cuz I needs to GET UP & GET DOWN!!! This puts me in mind of George Benson’s BODY TALK and sounds like it coulda been an outtake from those sessions. And DAMN if that drummer ain’t trying to pull a DeJohnette on me, which is gonna sound even sillier if it really IS DeJohnette. I think I can get away with saying it ain’t Benson simply because the fidelity sounds too recent and.... Ooooohhhhh, a bari sax! Now that’s just DIRTY!!! Trying to mix up the sound of 60’s-Columbia Benson with 70’s-CTI Benson!!! I LOVE IT!!!!! Only four minutes??? I gotta figure out a way to make this a constant uninterrupted loop of GROOOVE!!!!

Track 5: Great! I love the old Vaudevillains, those old stories, and I tell ya: I never realized until now just how accurate those old cartoons were in their impersonations of the great Jolie! Plus, I like that it’s programmed right after that funktastic groove of track 4 for me to catch my breath! Thanks for sharing this, man!

Track 6: Would you believe the first person I thought of was Johnny Mathis? I dunno, it just has that wonderful controlled vibrato nicely mellowed with age. What do I know?

Track 7: Rrrrrrrrrrrrright back to the groove!!!! I’m not even listening to the singer, so I’m not even gonna hazard a guess. That band! THAT FREAKIN’ BAND!!!!! I want them as MY backing band!!!

Track 8: Or THIS band!!! Wild guess here: Jerome Richardson on the flute! This sounds like his kinda groove. Oh... my.... gosh.... Could that really be Sam Rivers playing over a fat-ass groove like this??? Oops, false alarm. Nah, gonna go with Joe Farrell on the tenor now that it’s gotten past the initial squawk. Hmmm..... Clark Terry? Guessing Diz would be too easy, since this isn’t as flamboyant as I generally associate with Diz, and it has that nice easy riding-the-groove that I love Clark Terry for!

Track 9: A Ray Charles-Aretha Franklin commercial for Coke? I am HIGHLY offended and will NEVER listen to another Ray Charles or Aretha Franklin record EVER!!!! This is because I am a lifelong Pepsi drinker (and I have the pictures to prove it!) and hoped they woulda had better taste than this. But, hey, I understand you gotta pay the band, so... :)

Track 10: What is this, a standard bop tune on a Blindfold Test? Whattya think this is, a JAZZ forum or something??? Sheesh!!!! :g Okay, okay, all kidding a-snide, (I kid a lot. Ask Jim R. He’s a big kidder (not to mention a big kid!), too.) Well, that just flew by in a matter of minutes, was this another commercial? Maybe THIS was the Pepsi commercial! Maybe that’s Fathead breaking away from the band to earn some extra bread from the Pepsi people! Maybe all these years of Pepsi drinking has destroyed what few brain cells I have remaining and you all are the unfortunate sufferers! The truly SILLY thing about this is that this track ended two minutes ago and I’m still commenting on it!!!

Track 11: Fuzz-vibes!!! I love it! Jim, can you show me how they do this before next fall? Next year is my son’s senior year of high school and marching band, and I wanna go out in a blaze of glory and wire all the marimbas, vibes, & xylophones to get that desired Hendrix effect with feedback & distortion galore. Plus, I dig the Four Freshman cameo there. This sounds like something that mighta come out on Chisa or Blue Thumb back in the day. I’m not even sure that’s a guitar, but if’n it IS, then I’m gonna guess Joe Beck. Or Sonny Sharrock. Or Phil Upchurch.

Track 12: Nice band, annoying vocalist. Actually, I take it back: the trumpeter sounds like Wynton trying to do his faux-Tricky Sam Nanton. The only thing that keeps me from saying this is one of Wynton’s Ellington rip-off units is that guitar intro. Wynton with a guitar?

Track 13: Will do!

Track 14: Now THIS sounds like Fathead, what with the reaches into the upper register like that. Nice way to end a BFT!

Man, this one wore me out, but in a good way!!! This one was so good, I feel sorry for the poor bastard who has to follow this BFT in January!

Oh, CRAP!!!! :lol:

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Ahhhh, a JSngry BFT! Fitting it’s in December, because without even listening to it, I know I’m in for goodies not unlike the kinds the man in the big red suit brings every year to good little boys & girls like me! See, we have a UPS driver who dresses in red every December…. :D

Track 1: This put SUCH a big smile on my face!!! Sounds like Lambert Hendricks & Ross doing a commercial for somebody. Love it!!!

More or less correct!

Track 2: Sounds like Stevie Wonder’s backing group (or, heck, could be Stevie himself playing all those instruments) with Syreeta on vocals. This sounds like something one might hear on 730 AM KKDA! May just try to run this through some of kinda audio-futzer to replicate that lovely AM sound! Ah hah! There’s the jazz connection: that’s Wayne Shorter on soprano, I’d know some of those lovely licks anywhere! You can’t fool me on THIS one!

Uh...yes I can? :alien::ph34r::winky::g

Track 3: Crusaders!!!! Or a reasonable facsimile!!! Oh... well, don’t know they ever used any singers. BUT, same comment for track 2 applies here: I feel like I’m driving around town with 730 AM on the radio dial! Some serious SOUL goin’ on here! Ooooooooooh, I am SUCH a sucker for that 70’s-synth solo going on there. I’d like to say it’s Styx but Dennis DeYoung only dreams of being this soulful. (Heh! See what I did there? Incorporating the lyrics into my guess there? Hoo hah!)

Not the Crusaders, but of the time and place, more or less, and, yeah, I like it a lot and it DOES sound great in a car!

Track 4: Listening to this at work may have been a mistake cuz I needs to GET UP & GET DOWN!!! This puts me in mind of George Benson’s BODY TALK and sounds like it coulda been an outtake from those sessions. And DAMN if that drummer ain’t trying to pull a DeJohnette on me, which is gonna sound even sillier if it really IS DeJohnette. I think I can get away with saying it ain’t Benson simply because the fidelity sounds too recent and.... Ooooohhhhh, a bari sax! Now that’s just DIRTY!!! Trying to mix up the sound of 60’s-Columbia Benson with 70’s-CTI Benson!!! I LOVE IT!!!!! Only four minutes??? I gotta figure out a way to make this a constant uninterrupted loop of GROOOVE!!!!

So far, there will be dropped jaws a-plenty when the identity of this cut and these players is revealed! But fersure, yeah, there's a groove here!

Track 5: Great! I love the old Vaudevillains, those old stories, and I tell ya: I never realized until now just how accurate those old cartoons were in their impersonations of the great Jolie! Plus, I like that it’s programmed right after that funktastic groove of track 4 for me to catch my breath! Thanks for sharing this, man!

It wasn't just the old cartoons that were accurate in their impressions...

Track 6: Would you believe the first person I thought of was Johnny Mathis? I dunno, it just has that wonderful controlled vibrato nicely mellowed with age. What do I know?

Mathis could ride a groove like this, yes. But Nat had the advantage of being a true jazz musician (back when such a phrase had a real meaning), and that shows up here, imo.

Track 7: Rrrrrrrrrrrrright back to the groove!!!! I’m not even listening to the singer, so I’m not even gonna hazard a guess. That band! THAT FREAKIN’ BAND!!!!! I want them as MY backing band!!!

You like that, do ya'? Glad to hear it!

Track 8: Or THIS band!!! Wild guess here: Jerome Richardson on the flute! This sounds like his kinda groove. Oh... my.... gosh.... Could that really be Sam Rivers playing over a fat-ass groove like this??? Oops, false alarm. Nah, gonna go with Joe Farrell on the tenor now that it’s gotten past the initial squawk. Hmmm..... Clark Terry? Guessing Diz would be too easy, since this isn’t as flamboyant as I generally associate with Diz, and it has that nice easy riding-the-groove that I love Clark Terry for!

None of the above, but I'm a surprised that nobody (so far) thinks that the tenor player has such a strong resemblance to who I think he does. Walk a mile in another man's shoes, and hear an few tunes through another man's ears. Life lessons both.

Track 9: A Ray Charles-Aretha Franklin commercial for Coke? I am HIGHLY offended and will NEVER listen to another Ray Charles or Aretha Franklin record EVER!!!! This is because I am a lifelong Pepsi drinker (and I have the pictures to prove it!) and hoped they woulda had better taste than this. But, hey, I understand you gotta pay the band, so... :)

Ray came around to Pepsi later on, so look at it like the sinner repented of his sin.

Areatha, otoh..you argue with her. I ain't got the nerve. :P

Track 10: What is this, a standard bop tune on a Blindfold Test? Whattya think this is, a JAZZ forum or something??? Sheesh!!!! :g Okay, okay, all kidding a-snide, (I kid a lot. Ask Jim R. He’s a big kidder (not to mention a big kid!), too.) Well, that just flew by in a matter of minutes, was this another commercial? Maybe THIS was the Pepsi commercial! Maybe that’s Fathead breaking away from the band to earn some extra bread from the Pepsi people! Maybe all these years of Pepsi drinking has destroyed what few brain cells I have remaining and you all are the unfortunate sufferers! The truly SILLY thing about this is that this track ended two minutes ago and I’m still commenting on it!!!

Not Fathead, and not a jingle, but Fathead was definitely touched by this guy in some form or fashion. So many were.

Track 11: Fuzz-vibes!!! I love it! Jim, can you show me how they do this before next fall? Next year is my son’s senior year of high school and marching band, and I wanna go out in a blaze of glory and wire all the marimbas, vibes, & xylophones to get that desired Hendrix effect with feedback & distortion galore. Plus, I dig the Four Freshman cameo there. This sounds like something that mighta come out on Chisa or Blue Thumb back in the day. I’m not even sure that’s a guitar, but if’n it IS, then I’m gonna guess Joe Beck. Or Sonny Sharrock. Or Phil Upchurch.

Yes, fuzz vibes! Don't know how they did it, but they probably just used pickups on the vibes (there used to be such things, pretty sure) and then just ran it through a fuzz box, just like a guitar.

The guitarist here, btw, is a well-known player in today's jazz world. This is among his earliest recorded work.

But that's not The Four Freshmen. You'll get a lot of things out of me on a BFT, but The Four Freshmen will never be among them!

Track 12: Nice band, annoying vocalist. Actually, I take it back: the trumpeter sounds like Wynton trying to do his faux-Tricky Sam Nanton. The only thing that keeps me from saying this is one of Wynton’s Ellington rip-off units is that guitar intro. Wynton with a guitar?

Not a trumpet, actually is a trombone. And the record was made before Wynton was born!

Track 13: Will do!

Stan thanks you for being A Good Citizen!

Track 14: Now THIS sounds like Fathead, what with the reaches into the upper register like that. Nice way to end a BFT!

Not Fathead, but in the general zone as far as core audience and long-time label affiliation.

Man, this one wore me out, but in a good way!!! This one was so good, I feel sorry for the poor bastard who has to follow this BFT in January!

Oh, CRAP!!!! :lol:

Will there be Four Freshmen cuts? :excl:

Seriously, glad you enjoyed it, and much thanks for your enthusiastic participation. Appreciate it!

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Track 2: Sounds like Stevie Wonder’s backing group (or, heck, could be Stevie himself playing all those instruments) with Syreeta on vocals. This sounds like something one might hear on 730 AM KKDA! May just try to run this through some of kinda audio-futzer to replicate that lovely AM sound! Ah hah! There’s the jazz connection: that’s Wayne Shorter on soprano, I’d know some of those lovely licks anywhere! You can’t fool me on THIS one!

Uh...yes I can? :alien::ph34r::winky::g

Have I mentioned how easily fooled I am? ;)

********************************************************************************************

Track 5: Great! I love the old Vaudevillains, those old stories, and I tell ya: I never realized until now just how accurate those old cartoons were in their impersonations of the great Jolie! Plus, I like that it’s programmed right after that funktastic groove of track 4 for me to catch my breath! Thanks for sharing this, man!

It wasn't just the old cartoons that were accurate in their impressions...

So I'm noticing. Looking forward to hearing the story behind this one. One thing's fer shure: it was VERY entertaining! Funny thing is, at first I thought it was a Jolson impersonator, then I thought, "Nah, that's gotta be the real thing" and went with that.

BTW, have I mentioned how easily fooled I am? :shrug[1]:

********************************************************************************************

Track 6: Would you believe the first person I thought of was Johnny Mathis? I dunno, it just has that wonderful controlled vibrato nicely mellowed with age. What do I know?

Mathis could ride a groove like this, yes. But Nat had the advantage of being a true jazz musician (back when such a phrase had a real meaning), and that shows up here, imo.

I'm so embarrassed by this, if I had any jazz credentials left, I'd turn them in RIGHT NOW..... :rhappy:

********************************************************************************************

Track 7: Rrrrrrrrrrrrright back to the groove!!!! I’m not even listening to the singer, so I’m not even gonna hazard a guess. That band! THAT FREAKIN’ BAND!!!!! I want them as MY backing band!!!

You like that, do ya'? Glad to hear it!

Oh my, now I'm even MORE intrigued!

********************************************************************************************

Track 9: A Ray Charles-Aretha Franklin commercial for Coke? I am HIGHLY offended and will NEVER listen to another Ray Charles or Aretha Franklin record EVER!!!! This is because I am a lifelong Pepsi drinker (and I have the pictures to prove it!) and hoped they woulda had better taste than this. But, hey, I understand you gotta pay the band, so... :)

Ray came around to Pepsi later on, so look at it like the sinner repented of his sin.

True dat!

Areatha, otoh..you argue with her. I ain't got the nerve. :P

I've done some dumb things in my time, but this ain't gonna be one of them! A Coke for me, Ms. Franklin? Bless you, ma'am, I will enjoy it tremendously! :Nod:

********************************************************************************************

Track 11: Fuzz-vibes!!! I love it! Jim, can you show me how they do this before next fall? Next year is my son’s senior year of high school and marching band, and I wanna go out in a blaze of glory and wire all the marimbas, vibes, & xylophones to get that desired Hendrix effect with feedback & distortion galore. Plus, I dig the Four Freshman cameo there. This sounds like something that mighta come out on Chisa or Blue Thumb back in the day. I’m not even sure that’s a guitar, but if’n it IS, then I’m gonna guess Joe Beck. Or Sonny Sharrock. Or Phil Upchurch.

Yes, fuzz vibes! Don't know how they did it, but they probably just used pickups on the vibes (there used to be such things, pretty sure) and then just ran it through a fuzz box, just like a guitar.

The guitarist here, btw, is a well-known player in today's jazz world. This is among his earliest recorded work.

But that's not The Four Freshmen. You'll get a lot of things out of me on a BFT, but The Four Freshmen will never be among them!

:rofl:

********************************************************************************************

Track 13: Will do!

Stan thanks you for being A Good Citizen!

That was me good deed for the day! ^_^

********************************************************************************************

Track 14: Now THIS sounds like Fathead, what with the reaches into the upper register like that. Nice way to end a BFT!

Not Fathead, but in the general zone as far as core audience and long-time label affiliation.

The truly embarrassing thing about this (among many other embarrassing things) is that this was one of the first players I heard when I first got into jazz. How quickly I forget my roots! :ph34r:

********************************************************************************************

Man, this one wore me out, but in a good way!!! This one was so good, I feel sorry for the poor bastard who has to follow this BFT in January!

Oh, CRAP!!!! :lol:

Will there be Four Freshmen cuts? :excl:

Who knows? Have I mentioned how easily fooled I am??? :cool::excl::P:g

********************************************************************************************

Seriously, glad you enjoyed it, and much thanks for your enthusiastic participation. Appreciate it!

Merry Christmas, baby! And thanks for the early present!

Edited by Big Al
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Dude, sooner or later, show business is all about getting fooled, happens to everybody sooner or later, and half the show of half the business is trying to figure out when it you be you who gets fooled, and looking for a way - any way - for it to not happen.

Thus, the adventures that ensue!

Poor Lou. If only he had known.

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2 - I liked this quite a bit. But is it jazz? I think not. Anyways, I have listened to and enjoyed a lot of this sort of thing since the 70's (though I think this is a somewhat later cut). Wonderful singer, and I know who it is (ain't nobody sings like her), have both her 70's group albums and her subsequent solo albums. BTW, the best gems by the group were found buried on the album sides rather than in the hit singles. You cheat yourself if you just go for a greatest hits collection. Very interesting lyrics.

I am really glad that you like this, and yes about the lyrics (and to the "is it jazz?" question my answer is "no, but..."), but here's the funny part - I don't know who the hell you think it is! So the shoe's on the other foot now. That may well be a BFT first!

Had an offline exchange with Jim on this one. I really thought it was Chaka Khan, but it's not! Anyways, as I was saying in my post, the Rufus gems are hidden in their albums rather than being the hit singles. Includes my favorite version of "Half Moon". There was a WHOLE lot more to them than "Tell Me Something Good" (which I've always found to be an annoying record). My other PSA is going to be that you really need to check out (especially 50's and early 70's) Stan Kenton if you haven't. Heavy stuff, really. Got a bad rap sort of the way Brubeck/Desmond got a bad rap, and that is totally undeserved. He was an original, and I missed for decades before discovering him in the past 10-15 years.

Edited by felser
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Interesting. I was going to mention Rufus as one of the "vibes" that I felt, even though I knew it wasn't Chaka.

James, I hear you re #5. I may have given the wrong impression with my response. I was definitely charmed by the language and delivery, for sure. I guess I was too busy trying to figure out the mystery to bother paying it a compliment.

So, on #6, I guess I added a one-letter word to the title? Damn it... SO close! ^_^ I see that the tune came from one of the few Capitol LP's that I didn't have at some point. It also contained "Non Dimenticar", which is another tune I slept on for a long time.

The distorted/multi-phonic (is that a word?) sounds near the beginning of the tenor solo on 8 definitely rings bells for me, but I'm struggling to put a name to it.

Pretty sure I don't have the Jug track in my collection. Good stuff.

I never got around to "Les Is More". May have to remedy that, if it's not too late (I doubt that it's too late, because I was inspired to go back and listen to "Swiss Movement" earlier today, and it hit me as powerfully as ever).

Okay, back to sleuthing...

Edited by Jim R
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Rufus did indeed do some fine things. The hits are just the tip of the iceberg. and Chakka Khan...it's easy to let the uber-slick production distract from the genuinely massive skills that she has.

Les Is More is a wonderfully varied compilation of materials taken from McCann's stash of private recordings. Stanley Turrentine shows up, as does Roberta Flack, pre-stardon (remember, it was McCann who brought her to Atlantic), as well as a pretty funny comedy bit by McCann. If it's stilla round, those so inclined should probably carpe diem.

An speaking of comic monologues, repeated listening to # 5 has me just about ready to proclaim it the most virtuosic item on this compilation. Seriously!

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An speaking of comic monologues, repeated listening to # 5 has me just about ready to proclaim it the most virtuosic item on this compilation. Seriously!

Maybe I didn't try hard enough, but that one seems to be Google-proof. I did find out who Lew (don't call me Lou) Darkstader was, but I found no traces of info about this recording.

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You are correct sir!

The tune seemed to have gained a more "modern" currency through Jug's old bandmate Sarah Vaughan.

1946 w/Tadd Dameron's backing

1951- the year of Jug's recording (Sassy indeed! Whatever overwrought (or not) divadom she got into later on, this period here makes all that stuff forgiven, unconditionally)

Edited by JSngry
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