BFT #126 - THE REVEAL!!!!

[tkeith]

Track 1 - Joe - The Bush Crew - (1995) The Bush Crew

Les Arbuckle - tenor sax; Mike Stern, John Abercrombie - guitar; Essiet Okon Essiet - bass; Victor Lewis - drums

Les was my sax tech for about a decade until he moved back to San Diego for the last time. A great guy, amazing tech, stellar player and bad-ass surfer to boot! I don’t love this record, but there are only two Les albums that I’m aware of. The other is a more straight-ahead outing with Kenny Barron.

Track 2 - Beautiful Flower - Jeff Coffin & The Mu’tet - (2012) Into The Air

Jeff Coffin – soprano sax; Kofi Burbridge – acoustic piano; Felix Pastorius – electric bass;

Jeff Sipe – drums & percussion

Jeff was “the kid I took lessons from in high school”. Now he’s famous and a very bad man with a horn. A lot of his later stuff leans toward being more commercial, and that’s true of this record, as well, but to my ear, this is one of his better outings.

Track 3 - Druid’s Circle - John Surman - (1994) A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe

John Surman - all instruments

John Surman was a late discovery for me. Someone included a recording of him with Mike Westbrook in a BFT and I was hooked. Now I just can’t get enough of him.

Track 4 - Ashcan Rantings - Adam Lane/Ken Vandermark/Magnus Broo/Paal Nilssen-Love - (2007) 4 Corners

Ken Vandermark - baritone saxophone; Magnus Broo - trumpet; Adam Lane - bass; Paal Nilssen-Love - drums

I’ve always been split on how I feel about KVM, but this album knocked my socks off the second I heard it. It may be a bit ‘out’ for some, but this whole album just hits the spot for me, especially this tune.

Track 5 - Hiromi - Chico Freeman & Mal Waldron - (1992) Up And Down

Chico Freeman - tenor saxophone; Mal Waldron - piano; Tiziana Ghiglioni - vocals

Not sure where this one popped onto my radar, but it was very recently. I love Mal, and Chico is a guy who always intrigues me. He seems to play ideas that make sense to me, and because of that I gravitate towards his playing. I was surprised how many thought this was an alto.

Track 6 - Rome At Night - Sun Ra - (1978) New Steps

John Gilmore - tenor sax, perc; Michael Ray - trumpet, perc; Sun Ra - keyboards; Luqman Ali - drums

John Gilmore is a god to me. I’ve never heard him when I wasn’t totally captivated. This is a strange album in that there is no bassist. It’s one of the Horo dates Sun Ra did, and in spite of the bad sound, is some really intriguing music.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Thom Keith

[tkeith]

Track 7 - Now In Our Lives - Dale Fielder - (2007) Dale Fielder Quintet Plays the Music of Pepper Adams

Dale Fielder - baritone saxophone; Jane Getz - piano; Edwin Livingston - bass; Thomas White - drums

I discovered Dale Fielder back when I was doing my radio show. I don’t recall exactly how, only that it was mostly by accident. Always on the lookout for another bari voice, this recording really struck me. Dale had an injury that led him to play a lot of tenor over the past year, but I love the sound he gets on bari.

Track 8 - Joyful Noises - Louis Moholo's Viva-La-Black - (1988) Louis Moholo's Viva-La-Black

Louis Moholo leader/drums/vocals; Sean Bergin tenor/alto saxes; Claude Deppa trumpet/flugel horn; Thebe Lipere congas/percussion/drums; Roberta Bellatalla double bass

This is sloppy, poorly recorded, and kind of dated, and I can’t get enough of it. Every time it comes into the rotation on the iPod, I fall in love with it all over again. Sean Bergin is another very intriguing player to me.

Track 9 - Riff-raff - Peter Warren - (1981) Solidarity

Peter Warren, bass, cello; John Purcell, alto, tenor & soprano saxophone; Ray Anderson, trombone; John Scofield, guitar; Jack DeJohnette, drums

Initially, I only knew Peter Warren from Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition album with Blythe/Murray. This was about the same time and when I saw the personnel, I had to have it. There really isn’t a wasted track on the album.

Track 10 - Song For Gwen - Carter Jefferson - (1978) The Rise of Atlantis

Carter Jefferson - tenor saxophone; Shunzo Ono - trumpet; John Hicks - piano; Clint Houston - bass; Victor Lewis - drums; Steve Thornton - percussion

Ah, what could have been. Back when Arts & Entertainment Network really *was* that, they used to play Jazz concerts on Friday night. They only had a few, but one was Woody Shaw with Carter Jefferson. I was instantly hooked on his playing. He came out of the post-Coltrane school, but somehow managed to sound particularly unique. Tragically, he died very young (age 41) before really reaching his apex. To the best of my knowledge, this is his lone outing as a leader.

Track 11 - Eureka - Fred Hopkins/Diedre Murray Quartet - (1991) Prophecy

Fred Hopkins - b; Diedre Murray - cello; Newman Baker - dr; Brandon Ross - g

Tim Webb turned me onto this. Such a bitch of a record! I had the great fortune to see the Henry Threadgill Sextet a couple of times as a teenager, and both Fred and Diedre were in the band. Both were so amazingly capable of creating breath-taking music with every note. Good times. Kind of surprise by the hot-and-cold reception to this one.

[clifford_thornton]

Funny, I actually thought it was something more obscure than Moholo-Moholo and oddly didn't recognize his drumming. Will have to seek it out - Bergin sounds good as always.

Never heard of Dale Fielder but it's nice to see Jane Getz making an appearance.

That Carter Jefferson I've seen before but never picked it up - now I know to grab it. Now that I see it's John Hicks, it should have been obvious to me. But that is the great thing about BFTs and why I am so bad at them...

[Homefromtheforest]

I need that Carter Jefferson album too...totally unaware of it myself!

[Hot Ptah]

Track 1 - Joe - The Bush Crew - (1995) The Bush Crew

Les Arbuckle - tenor sax; Mike Stern, John Abercrombie - guitar; Essiet Okon Essiet - bass; Victor Lewis - drums

Les was my sax tech for about a decade until he moved back to San Diego for the last time. A great guy, amazing tech, stellar player and bad-ass surfer to boot! I don’t love this record, but there are only two Les albums that I’m aware of. The other is a more straight-ahead outing with Kenny Barron.

I should have recognized Stern and/or Abercrombie, but did not. I have never heard Les Arbuckle before, so thanks for turning me on to him.

Track 2 - Beautiful Flower - Jeff Coffin & The Mu’tet - (2012) Into The Air

Jeff Coffin – soprano sax; Kofi Burbridge – acoustic piano; Felix Pastorius – electric bass;

Jeff Sipe – drums & percussion

Jeff was “the kid I took lessons from in high school”. Now he’s famous and a very bad man with a horn. A lot of his later stuff leans toward being more commercial, and that’s true of this record, as well, but to my ear, this is one of his better outings.

Jeff Coffin is another artist I had never heard of, and who sounds really good to me. Thanks again!

Track 3 - Druid’s Circle - John Surman - (1994) A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe

John Surman - all instruments

John Surman was a late discovery for me. Someone included a recording of him with Mike Westbrook in a BFT and I was hooked. Now I just can’t get enough of him.

John Surman is one of those guys I have read about, but never really investigated on my own. It is so good to learn more about his sound, and his music, from the Blindfold Tests. I liked this track a lot.

Track 4 - Ashcan Rantings - Adam Lane/Ken Vandermark/Magnus Broo/Paal Nilssen-Love - (2007) 4 Corners

Ken Vandermark - baritone saxophone; Magnus Broo - trumpet; Adam Lane - bass; Paal Nilssen-Love - drums

I’ve always been split on how I feel about KVM, but this album knocked my socks off the second I heard it. It may be a bit ‘out’ for some, but this whole album just hits the spot for me, especially this tune.

This is interesting to me. Several years ago I included a cut from Adam Lane's Full Throttle Orchestra's album entitled "Ashcan Rantings" on a Blindfold Test. Is Ashcan Rantings now the name of his group? In any event, I love Vandermark's playing here. I have heard things by Vandermark that are very good, like this.

Track 5 - Hiromi - Chico Freeman & Mal Waldron - (1992) Up And Down

Chico Freeman - tenor saxophone; Mal Waldron - piano; Tiziana Ghiglioni - vocals

Not sure where this one popped onto my radar, but it was very recently. I love Mal, and Chico is a guy who always intrigues me. He seems to play ideas that make sense to me, and because of that I gravitate towards his playing. I was surprised how many thought this was an alto.

Shoot! I should have recognized Chico Freeman! I have always liked him, have several of his albums, and have seen him live several times. How could I miss?

Track 6 - Rome At Night - Sun Ra - (1978) New Steps

John Gilmore - tenor sax, perc; Michael Ray - trumpet, perc; Sun Ra - keyboards; Luqman Ali - drums

John Gilmore is a god to me. I’ve never heard him when I wasn’t totally captivated. This is a strange album in that there is no bassist. It’s one of the Horo dates Sun Ra did, and in spite of the bad sound, is some really intriguing music.

This goes to show what a shame it is that the Horo albums have never been properly reissued. I have this on a CD-R, and in the original vinyl format, but for some reason just did not remember it. On the other hand, Sun Ra's recordings are vast. I agree completely with you on the greatness of John Gilmore. He always knocked my socks off live.

[Hot Ptah]

Track 7 - Now In Our Lives - Dale Fielder - (2007) Dale Fielder Quintet Plays the Music of Pepper Adams

Dale Fielder - baritone saxophone; Jane Getz - piano; Edwin Livingston - bass; Thomas White - drums

I discovered Dale Fielder back when I was doing my radio show. I don’t recall exactly how, only that it was mostly by accident. Always on the lookout for another bari voice, this recording really struck me. Dale had an injury that led him to play a lot of tenor over the past year, but I love the sound he gets on bari.

Wow, I have never even heard of Dale Fielder before, and I liked this rrack a lot! Thanks for turning me on to him!

Track 8 - Joyful Noises - Louis Moholo's Viva-La-Black - (1988) Louis Moholo's Viva-La-Black

Louis Moholo leader/drums/vocals; Sean Bergin tenor/alto saxes; Claude Deppa trumpet/flugel horn; Thebe Lipere congas/percussion/drums; Roberta Bellatalla double bass

This is sloppy, poorly recorded, and kind of dated, and I can’t get enough of it. Every time it comes into the rotation on the iPod, I fall in love with it all over again. Sean Bergin is another very intriguing player to me.

This track completely fooled me. I was so sure it was the Art Ensemble of Chicago, down to certain minute details which I was "sure" were signature sounds of the AEC. I need to get this album, badly.

Track 9 - Riff-raff - Peter Warren - (1981) Solidarity

Peter Warren, bass, cello; John Purcell, alto, tenor & soprano saxophone; Ray Anderson, trombone; John Scofield, guitar; Jack DeJohnette, drums

Initially, I only knew Peter Warren from Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition album with Blythe/Murray. This was about the same time and when I saw the personnel, I had to have it. There really isn’t a wasted track on the album.

I identified this track and now I want this album. I love this era of music, and this type of music specifically.

Track 10 - Song For Gwen - Carter Jefferson - (1978) The Rise of Atlantis

Carter Jefferson - tenor saxophone; Shunzo Ono - trumpet; John Hicks - piano; Clint Houston - bass; Victor Lewis - drums; Steve Thornton - percussion

Ah, what could have been. Back when Arts & Entertainment Network really *was* that, they used to play Jazz concerts on Friday night. They only had a few, but one was Woody Shaw with Carter Jefferson. I was instantly hooked on his playing. He came out of the post-Coltrane school, but somehow managed to sound particularly unique. Tragically, he died very young (age 41) before really reaching his apex. To the best of my knowledge, this is his lone outing as a leader.

Oh my. I have heard a good deal of Carter Jefferson, and a great deal of John Hicks, in my life, and I could not identify either.

I remember when A&E presented jazz and other non-commercialized music in live performance--there was such promise in cable TV then.

Track 11 - Eureka - Fred Hopkins/Diedre Murray Quartet - (1991) Prophecy

Fred Hopkins - b; Diedre Murray - cello; Newman Baker - dr; Brandon Ross - g

Tim Webb turned me onto this. Such a bitch of a record! I had the great fortune to see the Henry Threadgill Sextet a couple of times as a teenager, and both Fred and Diedre were in the band. Both were so amazingly capable of creating breath-taking music with every note. Good times. Kind of surprise by the hot-and-cold reception to this one.

I love Fred Hopkins' playing and was fortunate to see him live with Air, and with Arthur Blythe (in a group with John Hicks, Fred, and Steve McCall--opening for Sarah Vaughan at the 1980 Ann Arbor Jazz Festival). I do not know Diedre Murray's music enough to make an identification, so it does not surprise me that I failed here. I like this beautiful track a lot.

This is one Blindfold Test with only strong tracks, not a weak or middling one in the bunch! Thanks for the treat, Thom!

[tkeith]

Track 2 - Jeff Coffin is most noted for working with Bela Fleck and more recently replacing the late saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band.

Track 4 - I believe Ashcan Rantings is the song. 4 corners is the album name, but may also be the band name, now.

Track 7 - Dale Fielder was a discovery. I forget exactly how, but I found him when I was doing the radio show. I think I was searching for Pepper Adams recordings and happened upon this. I'm connected with him on the Facebook, and he seems to be a super nice guy.

Thanks for the kinds words on the test. Glad you liked it.

[Tom in RI]

Hey Hot Ptah, you have heard Les Arbuckle before:

[Hot Ptah]

Hey Hot Ptah, you have heard Les Arbuckle before:

Oops! Well, since I often fail to identify tracks in the Blindfold Tests from albums in my collection, perhaps it is not surprising that I would also fail to identify a track from a prior Blindfold Test.

Edited October 7, 2014 by Hot Ptah

[Tom in RI]

Hey Hot Ptah, you have heard Les Arbuckle before:

Oops! Well, since I often fail to identify tracks in the Blindfold Tests from albums in my collection, perhaps it is not surprising that I would also fail to identify a track from a prior Blindfold Test.

I've been there.