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bLiNdFoLd TeSt #7 - discussion


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The discs for BFT #7 should be arriving any time at all. Per the FAQs, please post away and post often. (And I know by now that I don't need to ask how you all really feel.)

I'm not going to pretend to know the histories of all that is included and am counting on the diligence of the posters here to set me straight. Looking forward to hearing all your perspectives even more than my attempts at fooling anybody. While there is somewhat of a common denominator (maybe more than one now and again), there is not a set thematic structure to the mix. I did try my best to make this thing segue friendly as a whole.

If I had to cut this up to fit that old vinyl format I'd say you shut it off after track #8, get up and flip it over and sit back down for the rest. I will mention that track #20 (bonus track not on original LP configuration) is my epilogue for the Organissimo/forums. :D

As always don't give it away so obviously and if any of you have "iTunes" please refrain from tossing it in the drive as all the answers are right there!

So oil the whetstone, sharpen 'em up and have at it! :wacko:

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Just carried the disc up the stairs, threw it on and am loving ít.

Yes, THIS is a lot more me.

Ssshhhwwiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

I already have three titles! :g

Song 5 I had on this morning (and shame on you, because this one was going to be on my BFT ... for everyone to immediately recognize ... great disk ... I actually bought it off someone on this board not all that long ago).

I'll post more tomorrow ... I've got a huge project to finish today ...

Love it, love it.

Cheers!

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You got three, well, I got two, # 12 and # 13, and I know who sings on de bonus track, # 20. I was just gettin' afraid I wouldn't know anything on this d.....isc, until some very familiar sound hit my hearing nerves on # 12. Phew. This guy has been discussed at length on the board. I wonder if anybody else knows # 13, this fulfills my BT rule # 2: There always is a track from a CD I consider for my own test.

It's a great disc, I enjoy it enormously, although I know only 15% of this ...

Man, you succeeded very well in sequencing this to a musically satisfying whole. If we could start Organissimo Radio today, these BT discs would make some fine shows! :tup

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Looks like I am the first one, oh well: here goes nothing...

First of all: thanks a lot Vint for a great selection of tunes. I have really enjoyed this one. I have listened several times already, but this is the first time I'm concentrating on this stuff. I hope I can revisit this stuff soon and give it a second run through w/ both ears all over it. I am not sure that will happen any time soon though and so I am gonna post this half baked series of half baked guesse. I hope you don't mind.

Track 1. Unlike Vint himself, I am not able to pin the first track on first go. But this does get a HELLYEAH from me! Great way to open a disk. The bombastic James Bond like sounds and the sharp stings in combination with the heavy triphop beat and percussion remind me of Jerry van Rooijen or Funki Porcini or even Amon Tobin. All great artists combining sometimes more than just a little corny clichées with unexpected sounds to form great new works. I have quite a lot of this kind of stuff but do not listen to it enough. I will remedy that, thanks for the push Vint!

Track 2. Great segue, more uptempo (and uplifting!) filmic music. Not my strong point, I'm afraid, but very, very enjoyable. I have always loved that fast "circular" drum pattern that sets in around the 2:10 mark. It is also featured heavily in the film Welcome To The Dollhouse, which I like a lot, particularly also because of that music. Probably The Fonz would say it's cool as well. Eeeyyyy! :tup

Track 3. And here's some more! It doesn't get easier, though I have a VERY distinct nagging feeling that I know this one. The alto sounds WAY familiar. The bass guitar licks assisting in the theme vamp, remind me of Gainsbourg. The whole thing strikes me as Franco-Italian movie music somehow. I'll have to give this one another listen.

Track 4. Thanks a bunch, this is the first title in the set of which I am sure I have it. Beats me for the moment though. The pianist has some wicked monkism up his sleeve (it's not Sphere though). The overall sound has me thinking this is post-60s. Drats!

Track 5. Another one I am sure of I own. Probably on one of those many JiParis disks. The head sounds like Hodeir, or like some Kenny Clarke group. The sound is a bit wavering on the cymbals, weird. Did you edit this one? Drats one more!

Track 6. It's not getting easier. This is way cool (again). Reminiscent of the Pink Panther Theme initially. Very mysterious and with some very tasty playing. Love the flute and the abundant use of darker intonations. It's a damn spy movie you got running here. I hope we won't have to wait too long for them love scenes :g

Track 7. I am absolutely sure I have this. That's the third time this happens. I'll listen again (and again and again) and do some referencing. And Drats again!

This is the kind of music I play to relax. Not the stuff I sit down with and listen to with all my might. I can forgive myself for not being able to name these tracks, but it is a damn shame of course as I really like them.

Track 8. Mysterious flute sting. Surely film music. Should I know this? probably yes...

Track 9. Done before I got a chance to write anything down. Great tune nonetheless. I like the minimalistic approach. This reminds me of the stuff John Lurie wrote and played. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure this is Garter Belt/End Theme from the music he did for the film Variety (paired w/ Down by Law on CD), but what's with the percussion?

Track 10. I have no specific comments other than that I like this well enough. Not going berserk over it though.

Track 11. Same theme, great, like this one better though! It must be that damn big pokey nose showing around the corner!

Track 12. Swing it out Baby! Like in '39! I wonder how long it takes for Mr Sangrey to get this one right.

Track 13. Very nice. If you'd just handed me a list with the instrumentation, I would have declined. I am not much of a fan of the accordion and also here, there are some tones that really rub me the wrong way (was this enhanced somehow?) The tenor is georgious; probably should know who this is. Very nice & enjoyable stuff and I am really curious.

Track 14. More of that accordion stuff, and heck I like it. This is of course rather smooth stuff, and it has a touch of sad sailors chanting in the harbour. Damn tasty playing by all involved.

Track 15. Not much of a fan of the overall sound they got going here. The accordion actually makes it better. And although it gets better along the way, the rest reminds me too much of a crappy television cop series to capture my full attention. The bass sounds dull. No likee.

Track 16. More yucky sound. Too poppish for these ears.

Track 17. Don't care much for the sax, too bluntly cool. The organ is great though and even the finger snapping is okay with me. Another very short one.

Track 18. hey! done already. Cool sting, but ???

Track 19. more of that Lurie like stuff. Sexmob maybe? I like it.

Track 20. Fun way to end this. No idea on who is playing, probably also because I really cannot concentrate anymore. Shit on your floor.

When I started this I was feeling rather "empty," now I am completely drained. I wish I could have done better.

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Track 13. Very nice. If you'd just handed me a list with the instrumentation, I would have declined. I am not much of a fan of the accordion and also here, there are some tones that really rub me the wrong way (was this enhanced somehow?) The tenor is georgious; probably should know who this is. Very nice & enjoyable stuff and I am really curious.

That's an alto, John ... and I'm sure you probably never heard this guy before, at least not in a jazz context. The accordion was not enhanced.

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sorry i lost you john on the second half...give those others at the end another crack.

i am a bit with you on the accordion. fonder of tejano and gypsy and it certainly made for fine accompanyment on sundays at the all you can eat polska joints back in cleveland. but i really liked how it worked to "bridge" the previous song over into the other "quarter". shwink;

and whoa i can't put le rhino past you!

you are probably not alone in telling the main man on #15 "no likee" although it was probably done with a much gruffer and 'muted' voice.

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I'm clueless as always.

1. A sampling thing? There seem to be a James Bondish interval in there as well as some sounds from the Duran Duran Bond soundtrack.

2. The beginning makes me think of 1960ies Mancini scores.

3. Again, sounds like a 60ies film score. I don't know anything about it. Very nice stuff.

4. Nice tune but not excited about it. No clue.

5. No idea. The alto has something Dolphyesque to it. Good tune.

6. Mancini comes to mind once again. There's a hint of a Pink Panther quote somewhere.

7. The beginning of this track is very cool. Like Detectives Stone and Keller hanging around somewhere in SF.

8. Beautiful flute playing. Of course I have no idea what it is.

9. Very nice. What's going on here? Are the low tones generated by a muted bass string or a drum?

10. Cowbells destroy any music for me, ban them! I like the bass player's tone!

11. Not really my cup of beer.

12. See #4.

13. Interesting instrumentation and combination of styles. Nice.

14. The bassist reminds me of Bill Plummer. I like this one very much minus the guitar (this tone is starting to bug me a bit).

15. Holy reverb. Similar feelings as for #14. A nice, mellow composition - I like it.

16. Gil Evans comes to mind. I think it's that keyboard vibes (?) solo that reminds me of Evans' soloing. The sustained synth note makes me think this is from the 80ies.

17. The film score feeling is back again. Fairlight (?) meets organ.

18.

19.

20.

I'll add the missing "I have no clues" later.

Arm, thank you very much for this disc (with original artwork!). Great sequencing and I like its overall atmosphere. Lots of score like stuff and latin percussion in there. #7, #14 and #15 are my favorites, especially beginning #7. And thanks to tjobbe who sent me the disc (I think it was him).

edit: what else.

Edited by rockefeller center
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Here's what I wrote on a first spin without looking at any discussion so far.

1: Oh I don’t know, what do you say about this kind of sonic collage? It’s entertaining, but it’s not the kind of music I’m likely to go back to. The groaning, creaking overlay of sound at the end is a nice touch.

2: Rinky-dink big-band stuff, rather airless & cute. Oh, wait a sec, it’s a put-on I guess – now we’re headed south of the border. It’s still all very airless & cute, though I guess that’s the point. Worth hearing once.

3: OK, now some more riff-based big-band music, but this time the band punches it out like it means it. Aha, the percussion kicks in - a running theme on the compilation so far. Nice light-toned altoist, I should probably recognize him - presumably a West Coast player. If the fadeout was in the original rather than the work of the compiler, it’s a bit disappointing: the track seems barely to have gotten started before it’s over, & the altoist could have used more room. I thought the point of riff tunes was to spur soloists on?

4: The tune sounds like Mulligan but the treatment is out of Monk. Oh come on, you’re trying to slip John Zorn past us here. He doesn’t play all that well here though - is he really on top of the changes on the bridge, for instance? (An embarrassed trailing-off into silence at one point as he makes a wrong turn.) I like his sound & his licks, but he's a very bitty soloist. Can’t i.d. the trumpeter (who plays well) or pianist (plays okay). I’d be tempted to say it was Misha Mengelberg at the piano just because Zorn’s worked with him, but nah: Misha usually sounds a lot more devious & interesting than this. Nice light, swinging rhythm section, though. An OK track, & I could stand to hear more of the trumpeter's work.

5: A little compiler’s free-assocation: now we get Mulligan himself. Nice stuff. I don’t recognize the altoist, he sounds fine. Gerry himself. Got to be Frank Rosolino on the trombone, a really nice solo, making great use of space. Trumpeter’s fine. My one criticism here is that while I like Mulligan’s scoring I wish there was more space for the soloists, they seem crowded out.

6: More riff-based big band charts. Ugh, that’s some horrendous studio reverb. Some unusual dark tonalities here...& here’s what I initially thought was a ticking clock but which turns out to be more Latin percussion. This track started out like it would be interesting, & then by the end turned out to be not very interesting at all.

7: I know I know this bassist...who is it? More riff-based blues stuff. I should know this whole band, in fact. I see that baritone sax is a bit of a running theme on this compilation. Probably Pepper Adams: whoever it is, nice hard-driving solo. A little hysterical edge to the trumpet solo: good. It's a trumpeter I should know very well drawing a blank for whatever reason (Morgan?). The tenor sounds good, & I wish he’d got more than two choruses. Probably Harold Land, if the vibes are indeed Bobby Hutcherson. The bass solo suggests, hm...Richard Davis, I think. Phew, that’s some fast bass playing. A good track, if a bit frantic & compressed. Sounds almost like a sped-up version of a Nelson chart from Blues & the Abstract Truth.

8: More vibes, more bluesy riffs, more added percussion: yep, a lot of common threads running through this compilation. It’s OK, not a big reaction from me. The dinky piano at the end is a little odd, & I should be able to recognize the player from that but I can't for some reason.

9: Yow, that’s weird: old-fashioned Hodges alto on top of the percussion. Rats, it ended after only a minute, I could have used more.

10: George Adams? no, it’s David Murray on the tenor. Otherwise I have no idea what this is. S’alright, not my thing.

11: This is probably the point at which to confess that I’m probably the only person on the planet who didn’t like Buena Vista Social Club much.

12: I initially though this must be that James Carter Django tribute, but once the tenor solo kicked in it was obviously Dexter Gordon. Strange track, but I liked it. The recorded sound is odd, with the piano sounding like it's in a different room from the rest of the instruments.

13: Accordion, eh? Maybe Galliano, if we’re continuing the francophile theme from the last track. Ummmm, I don’t think this works at all - & I even like accordion! But, wait a minute, there’s some hot alto sax: OK, that’s a little more like it. Piano solo which largely keeps in the background so the percussion comes to the fore.

14: This reminds me of some of Zorn’s gentler Morricone settings. Nice stuff: I’ve no idea who this is but this the first track on the compilation I’ve really had a strong positive reaction to. Unlike a number of the other tracks, I feel that the track & the solos are just the right length for the mood & flow of the piece.

15: A slightly odd reverberant acoustic. Lovely opening, so full of space. An old-fashioned saxophone sound. Even stranger sound once the band comes in. I notice this compilation pays little attention to piano (mostly focussing on sax, vibes, accordion, percussion); I probably notice this jealously because I play piano.... There’s what sounds like a skip or bad edit at 3:14. After the opening this track does little for me. I’ve no idea who the players are.

16: A lot of sonic sludge buries some competent but unremarkable playing by all concerned. The least interesting track so far.

17: I know this one well. I’ve never heard the rest of the discs in this series, but have always liked this one. Truthfully, I’ve gone off him in recent years as he seems to have got stuck on endless recyclings of the same compositions in various formations, but this is one of the few of his albums I still play.

18: The alto sax sounds a little Zornlike but this is simply too brief to get much of a bead on anyone. A lovely track, pity it’s so brief. Another film cue?

19: Lazybones blues with a few twists, not bad. Marty Ehrlich. The trumpet is someone like Hugh Ragin, I don’t know. The piano solo’s a little spindly. A nice track, a good surprise ending too.

20: I have no idea! Ugh, the vocalist is (ahem) rather limited in his abilities. Good but not terribly remarkable solos.

This was all stuff worth hearing, no duds except 16 & 20, but I think the only track I got a lot out of was #14.

Edited by Nate Dorward
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Got my disc today--thanks, Man!

Spinning it now...let's see about posting some impressions.

Track one: What the...damn, I love the beat. I'm only guessing, but I think this could be Sex Mob. Basing it only on having heard a track or two of theirs on NPR. Could it be from Sex Mob does Bond, or whatever that recent album is? Hmmm. I love the sampled horn section...the big trick would be figuring out what THAT came from!

2: I should know who this is, but don't. Sounds like they're trying to be Mingus, with liberal doses of John Barry's Bond orchestra thrown in. At least that's what it sounded like before the beat changed. Funny percussion now...I keep thinking the neighbor's dog is barking. No idea who this is!

3: Not sure if it's the bone prominence here, but this sounds like a J.J. Johnson production. We'll see if there's a solo...but I like the orchestration, and I think I've heard it before. Good alto player. No solo bone, so I think I have to recant the J.J. Johnson theory. Back to the drawing board...

4: Is this a Monk tune recorded recently? The pianist isn't trying to sound like Monk, but the voicings in the saxes are very reminiscent of the Town Hall Concert. Nice.

5: Damnit, I hate it when I know a song but can't think of the name...love the bari sax. Is Charlie Rouse taking the first solo? Nice It Don't Mean a Thing quote...Can't place it though. I'm getting worse with each blindfold test. I love this arrangement...very slick.

6: I don't know what your theme is, MGA, but there's definitely a common thread here. Large groups? I love this track. Don't have any idea who it is or what the song is, but I love it! This is an example of where I do like flute work...in ensembles or soloing on top of a larger group. Nice vibes! What the hell is this? I must get it.

7: Cool...sounds like Gil Evans...whoever is playing vibes is a monster (but sounded like he wanted to keep his solo going). Bass player doesn't seem to have a lot of fresh ideas, but I do like the ensemble work.

8: Well, how many records are there that pair alto flute and vibes? I love it! It's so short...I think it really might be this guy from this record!

9: Uhhh??? Too short to tell!

10: Nice! No idea who it is, but I like the guy's voice...interesting to sing about the blues over a Cuban beat!

11: This must be the Cuban section of the disc! :P I like it, but know nothing about this music...and don't know who it is (too frequent response... :( )

12: Well, at first I thought it was from one of Art Blakey's drum solo records; great work on the tenor, though I don't know who it is. I dig the busy percussion behind the other instruments. Nice solo...I love the sax player. I guess one thing I'm learning is how rooted in pre-1970 my listening habits have been. I've got to expand that...that's what these tests are for!

13: Man, these are some great selections, some superb ensemble work. Again, no idea. Good triangle player! :P Whoa, is there an accordian in there? Drum break--cool. Yes, there is an accordian in there, or Toots Thielemans on harmonica. Ahh, those reed instruments all sound the same. No, gotta be an accordian with held notes over the top of a scale. Not VERY polyphonic, though. I like this piece a lot.

14: More accordian! Who plays accordian? I wish allmusic would let me look up by instrument played! I like the chord resolutions in this; another thing I'm sure I wouldn't have chosen off the racks, but like now that I"m listening to it.

15: More accordian! (after the solo sax, which I love.) No idea. Great Sunday morning music.

16: This sounds like a noir television theme...I'm not wild about it (and not crazy about the string patch keyboard in the background) (or the synthsized vibes). But I like the saxophonist's tone.

17: Synthesized strings...this also sounds like a soundtrack or theme song. I'm having trouble getting beyond the electronic organ and (possibly) synthesized harp. This sounds like it could be in a David Lynch movie or show...

18: This must be the noir section of the disc! No idea who this is.

19: Same comment. Ugh, I'm really drawing blanks on this test; piano sound out of tune compared to the other instruments here. I don't like this one...not sure why. I was never big on plunger-muted trumpted, guess that's why...

20: I should know this one, but don't. I like it...and rarely like jazz vocals. Smooth voice, great lyrics. I wonder who's on organ? Ahhhh...got the reference to your thread title! Neat song...but it's not called "Contest Ends at Midnight"--so much for my thought that I could finally get one of these, albeit with reference material help! :( Oh well. Someone will know who this is...can't wait to find out!

Thanks for a great test, Man...I really enjoyed it, and you've exposed me to a lot of stuff I'm sure I never would have picked out for myself. Can't wait to see what folks have to say!

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Hey man... great compilation, but it will bring me one step closer to Chapter11 (you ruin me :wacko: )

just one first impression: this is full of swing and I found none on the disc that I do dislike so as deus said: one for me !

At the moment I'm sorting my impressions as I have the feeling that 3-4 tracks are burried somewhere in my collection and I only need to name them.

I have the impression that there is some Q.Jones, N.Hefti, Mancini type movie scores in the first half of the disc, as well as some Satamaria Latin on but I need to check individual tracks..

and I still cannot figure out what track #14 is as I want to - no, better: I must- order it somewhere !!!! :wub:

more to come later this weekend

Cheers, Tjobbe

Edited by tjobbe
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received the disc last night and gave it two spins while making dinner. First thoughts: I have no clue who any of these tracks are by. We really enjoyed listening to your selections! I remember really digging the first track, in particular. I brought it into work today and will give it another, closer listen today.

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1. Not sure if it is a big band or some electronic manipulation of band sound. Basically a drum piece. I have never heard it before and have no idea who it is. Sounded like some train sound effects at one point.

2. An actual band. Focus is on the arrangement. Not much room for individual expression. At one point it sounded like a college marching band.

3. Another big band track. Nice groove. Interesting arrangement.

4. A break from the big bands. The sax is unfamiliar to me. The pianist is interesting. Monk like in his/her comping. That’s not Monk, is it? Solid track.

5. I don’t know baritone saxophonists as well as I should but I like the way this one sounded to start the tune. I am guessing that this is a bebop era tune. Another interesting arrangement even though no individual instrumentalist shines above every one else.

6. All these tracks have a similarity that I can’t articulate. It may be the focus on arrangements. A couple of them also have a subtle Latin percussion feel underneath everything else. Most of my listening is small groups with a heavy concentration on “spontaneous composition” so all the tracks thus far are new to me.

7. The vibes add a different texture that helps to add some variety to this compilation. Strong baritone solo. Bass player is interesting. I am a vibes fan, but I can’t pick this one up. Glad he/she remembers the vibes are a percussion instrument.

8. Reminds me of TV music.

9. Not much happened.

10. Latin influenced big band with vocals. The band is good – I can do without the singer. This is David Murray on tenor – I am a huge Murray fan. I must have this recording assuming it’s his Latin Big Band disc. Like I said – enjoyed the band’s groove – could do without the vocals.

11. The band sounds very similar to the band in track 10. Nice Latin influenced grove. I can get into a large ensemble focusing on arrangements that grooves like this.

12. I guess if you find something that works stick with it. The Latin groove is not as strong here but the track swings and the tenor can play.

13. What is that instrument? Like the percussion and groove of the piece. It gets better as it goes along. The saxophonist is familiar.

14. Is that a harmonica? Different instrumentation alters the texture of the piece – or is it an accordion? Not sure I like the way it sounds in a jazz context. I need a little more fire. Accordion, vibes, guitar?

15. I appreciate how you sequenced the tracks together that are similar to each other. The tune was not holding my attention at first, but this is another track that improves as it proceeds. I enjoyed both sax solos.

16. Not the kind of thing that would normally interest me.

17. Sounds like movie background music. Sounds like something best used to create a mood for a scene than to focus on.

18. Too short.

19. Finally something different. A bluesy tune with a familiar sounding horn. Nice solo.

20. And in tribute to organissimo we have an organ under some vocals. Tenor has some Eddie Harrisisms in sound that caught my attention. Enjoyable upbeat tune to close the disc.

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