BFT 161 Reveal

[randyhersom]

1.  Duke Ellington  (vocals and celeste) - Moon Maiden from The Intimate Ellington

Nothing else like it.

2.  Michael Gregory Jackson (acoustic guitar) - Prelueoionti from Clarity. 

Acoustic tour de force.  Band mates Oliver Lake, Leo Smith and David Murray sit this one out.

3.  Tarika Blue - Sunshower from The Blue Path - Ryo Kawasaki - guitar, Marvin Blackman - saxophone, Barry Coleman - Bass, Kevin Atkins - Drums, Bradie Spellman - Percussion, Piano – Phil Clendeninn.

Always loved this guitar solo, never liked anything else Ryo Kawasaki did in the 70s.

4. Franco and Tabu Ley Rochereau -  Ngungi from Omona Wapi

Much of my rock/pop/other listening was influenced by the bite sized reviews of Robert Christgau - he was not reliable for jazz or classical although he did give Sonny Rollins G-Man an A plus.  He pointed me at this Afropop collaboration.

5.  Goin' Home - McCoy Tyner from Asante/Mosaic Select.  Ted Dunbar supplies the guitar groove here . Andrew White sax, Mtume percussion, Buster Williams Bass, Billy Hart drums

6.  Carolina Moon - Thelonious Monk with Lucky Thompson from Genius of Modern Music Volume 2

7.  Dmitri Shostakovich String Quartet # 8 Movement 2 - Eder Quartet.  This is classical music built to keep a rock and roller's attention - nice crunchy riffs.

8.  David Eyges (cello) - The Captain from The Captain - Ronnie Boykins Bass, Mark Whitecage Alto Sax, Jeff Williams Drums.  Speaking of crunchy riffs, some of the jazz that was among the first to really grab me were the Julius Hemphill Arista/Freedom sides featuring Abdul Wadud.  When I heard this in the late 70s I was thrilled that someone else was working in the neighborhood of That Sound!

9.  Nolan Porter - Bird without a Song - I had been chasing the two Nolan Porter albums based on Christgau's recommendation for years, then Emusic put them out with gobs of bonus tracks, most quite worthwhile.  His best known song was probably If I Could Only Be Sure.  I believe he married Frank Zappa's sister.

10.  Amina Claudine Myers - Golden Lady in the Graham Cracker Window from Poems For Piano - works of Marion Brown.  Her debut, and interesting to hear an almost classical treatment from two well known avant- gardists.

11.  Chicago Solo -  (12) Evan Parker (tenor sax) There are always compromises in trying to fit a long form artist into a BFT, as with Walt Dickerson in my first BFT.  I always find Evan Parker's flow hypnotic.

12. Charlie Parker - Meandering with piano intro by Dizzy Gillespie.  My favorite Parker is a ballad.  Go figure : )

13.  Thomas Jefferson Kaye - American Lovers - I always think of this as the great lost Steely Dan song.  The singer/leader was never with the band, but they provide composition, producer and backing vocals for this beauty.  Was it too idealistic and pretty for the usually cynical Steely Dan to use on their own album - maybe so!

14.  Joe Lee WIlson - The Shadow - Lovely tribute to Martin Luther King

15.  Terence Trent D'Arby - warning - deeply felt hyperbole follows.  TTD's first album stormed the charts. Two albums into the commercial decline that followed he cut the greatest rock/R&B album ever recorded, Symphony or Damn.  Then he followed up with the slightly schizzy Vibrator, with an album cover that tried to be prissy and provocative at the same time and deployed good riffs to support the title track and Supermodel Sandwich, a strange celebration of sexual objectification.  Then came this masterpiece as the third track with real sincerity and depth of feeling as the protagonist gets his life in order to feel/be worthy of the one he adores.  Yeah I said that.  Your mileage may vary.

16.  Anton Bruckner Symphony #9 - Scherzo - Maris Janssons.  More great crunchy riffs from the classical side.  You could segue into Led Zeppelin to make that point, but I chose a different path ...

17.  Abbey Lincoln - Africa from People In Me.  What can I say that JSngry and tkeith didn't.  Magnificent.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2017 by randyhersom

[tkeith]

2 hours ago, randyhersom said:

2.  Michael Gregory Jackson (acoustic guitar) - Prelueoionti from Clarity. 

Acoustic tour de force.  Band mates Oliver Lake, Leo Smith and David Murray sit this one out.

Huh!  MGJ lives (or at least did recently) in my neck of the woods these days.

[Hot Ptah]

8.  David Eyges (cello) - The Captain from The Captain - Ronnie Boykins Bass, Mark Whitecage Alto Sax, Jeff Williams Drums.  Speaking of crunchy riffs, some of the jazz that was among the first to really grab me were the Julius Hemphill Arista/Freedom sides featuring Abdul Wadud.  When I heard this in the late 70s I was thrilled that someone else was working in the neighborhood of That Sound!

 

Oh, so Ronnie Boykins was the Sun Ra sideman on this song! I could not figure out that hint. I am getting this album, asap. I really like this song!

Edited August 31, 2017 by Hot Ptah

[Hot Ptah]

3.  Tarika Blue - Sunshower from The Blue Path - Ryo Kawasaki - guitar, Marvin Blackman - saxophone, Barry Coleman - Bass, Kevin Atkins - Drums, Bradie Spellman - Percussion, Piano – Phil Clendeninn.

Always loved this guitar solo, never liked anything else Ryo Kawasaki did in the 70s.

4. Franco and Tabu Ley Rochereau -  Ngungi from Omona Wapi

Much of my rock/pop/other listening was influenced by the bite sized reviews of Robert Christgau - he was not reliable for jazz or classical although he did give Sonny Rollins G-Man an A plus.  He pointed me at this Afropop collaboration.

 

 I have absolutely never heard of these artists or albums. Very interesting!

10.  Amina Claudine Myers - Golden Lady in the Graham Cracker Window from Poems For Piano - works of Marion Brown.  Her debut, and interesting to hear an almost classical treatment from two well known avant- gardists.

Wow! I have seen Amina live, and have several of her albums, but have never heard her play like this! I am astonished. I had no idea that she could play like this. Fascinating!

13.  Thomas Jefferson Kaye - American Lovers - I always think of this as the great lost Steely Dan song.  The singer/leader was never with the band, but they provide composition, producer and backing vocals for this beauty.  Was it too idealistic and pretty for the usually cynical Steely Dan to use on their own album - maybe so!

I have heard all of Steely Dan's output many times, but did not catch their involvement here when I listened. Time to go back now and listen again! I had no idea that they were ever involved in a project like this.

Edited August 31, 2017 by Hot Ptah