BFT 204 Answers

[JSngry]

Thanks to all who listened, and even more to those who answered. Most all items got identified in some form or fashion by the time it was over, and we had some pretty interesting reactions along the way.

TRACK ONE - QUIZASSA - performed by Roomful Of Teeth (composed by Merrill Garbus)

Merrill Garbus is known as the voice of pop(?) band Tune-Yard, about whom I know nothing. Roomful Of Teeth is an New Music/Classical vocal ensemble that is interested in stretching the known capacities of the voice, and by "capacities", it seems they mean both "ability" and, literally, capacity, what sounds/emotions can the voice hold, and therefore feel and convey. The piece here has no words, it's just sounds. Garbus appears to very much be into vocal sound apart from being attached to a literal set of words. I think it's a very interesting way to go about things, like free your voice and your mind will follow, and then...you know.

To these who liked this cut, there is more Roomful Of Teeth music available, and it comes in all kinds of ways. They are certainly not limited to just this one thing. But they are uniformly excellent, imo. All the "a capella" stuff that has been the rage for a while now....this is so much more than that, more skills, more content, maybe less teen appeal, but oh well about that.

TRACK TWO - OOP-PAP-A-DA - performed by Dizzy Gillespie & His Orchestra

Big Nick Nicholas on tenor is awesome enough, but check out the rhythm section - Chano Pozo, Al Mckibbon, Kenny Clarke, and John Lewis. Lewis lays down a comp from beginning to end that is proto-MJQ, and Clarke STOMPS. The whole band is possessed, actually. One of my "desert island" cuts!

TRACK THREE - (You Don't Know Me) The Way The Lord Knows Me - performed by The Caravans w/Inez Andrews on lead)

Not on any Caravans comp that I'm aware of. But don't let that stop you, The Caravans and Inez Andrews are part of a good foundational 20th Century American Music library. Good starting points:

 

Starting point, not finishing points. This stuff runs deep.

TRACK FOUR - Down Here On The Ground - Grant Green remixed by The Ummah (feat. Dianne Reeves)

I know, right? DAMN.

TRACK FIVE - Runaway - performed by The Salsoul Orchestra feat Loleatta Holloway; vibes by Vince Montana

If this was the only good disco record ever, it would justify the existence of all the others. It's not, but still, it does.

TRACK SIX - Girl Talk - performed by Stan Kenton and his Orchestra (arr. by Stan Kenton)

Stan Kenton notices all the "girl talk" on this BFT and is so moved that he writes his own arrangement to commemorate the auspiciasity of the occasion.

Truthfully...this is one of the first documents of what I refer to as the "True Believers" band, and as such, they perform all of the charts on here with full fervor and vigor. This is neither the worst nor the best of Kenton's last Capitol period, and if you have an appreciation for such things, this one hits at least 50% of the spot, often, as in this case, all of it. The band came together at the low point of Kenton's career (and quite possible her personal low point as well), and played these little short tours as they came available. Not a lot of work, but they believed, and they stuck together, let Dee Barton keep writing and drumming, and just...developed into a real band that kept getting better and better, culminating in the wonderful Jazz Compositions Of Dee Barton album and then, after a few defections of personnel but not spirit, the truly exceptional Live At Redlands University record. But that all came after this.

TRACK SEVEN - BELA BARTOK - Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs (Four Old Tunes - Rubato) performed by György Sándor

Seemed like a delightful post-coital wakeup call to get us ready for the final girl talk. Apart fromt hat, though, whoa, this set, so much music, so little money, drink deep and drink long.

TRACK EIGHT - Really Craft When You - composed by Caroline Shaw, performed  by Bang On A Can All Stars with taped excepts from various LOC interviews with quilters, probably found in full here: https://www.loc.gov/audio/?q=quilters

 

This is one of the more thoroughly delightful things I've run across in a while. Love those voices, love what they say and how they say it, love how Shaw has put them altogether to make it a manifesto about the creative process in general (and how "art" itself is a state of mind, not the per-defined idea of a medium), and love the music she, uh, quilted it all together with.

The Bang On A Can organization has been around for a while now, and sometimes they miss more than they hit. But when they hit...

Also, Caroline Shaw is getting her name out there in a lot of ways. Let's see how that goes for all the ramifications of the implications for all that is happening. But - she's a name I've found to produce consistently fresh and interesting music. Her "debut album" on Nonesuch/New Amsterdam, Orange, has held up to repeated listenings for me. Here recent follow-up, Narrow Sea, maybe no much? For that, though, I can blame Dianne Upsahw.

Thanks again for the participations, and I hope that some enjoyment was had. To quote the fallen prophet Sly - LISTEN TO THE VOICES!!!

[BillF]

Date of the Dizzy recording?

[JSngry]

February 28, 1948. Salle Pleyel, Paris.

I first got it on a Prestige LP:

but I understand that it had been available long before that in Europe.

[Dub Modal]

Great stuff. That Caravans track led me down a Womack Brothers rabbit hole (Curtis Womack - phenomenal) for a little bit. Inez's singing style reminded me so much of them. 

[JSngry]

Gospel LPs are a good place to go crate-digging for. Prices are usually on the low side, although records will often have been played (as they should have been...it's not the type of music you buy to NOT listen to, right?). And vinyl places jsut think that it's ALL "religious", so, you know, lord only knows what all they stick in there. But CDs? Malaco has put some stuff out, but the "majors"? They never really did care, and today, not even pretending to care. But the right thrift stores can get you to where you want to go. As could truck stops, back when they carried cassettes, but those days are long gone. Pewburner...are they still functioning?

All I'm saying is that...it's more than a rabbit hole, this Gospel music from this era is...more like a wormhole that unless you know how to get back out of it will suck you in and keep you in. Not that that's a problem! We talk about "the roots of American Music", hey.

[Joe]

Nice!

[felser]