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Milestones

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9 hours ago, Milestones said:

BillF did not have the correct tenor player on the J.J. Johnson track (#2).

He guessed "Let's Call This" on #7, which mjzee later noted was actually "Think of One."

The other guesses are correct.

I'll substitute Jimmy Heath for Bobby Jaspar on the Johnson track.;)

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Getting in early on this one before life explodes. 

Track 01 - First impression was Bud Shank, but then he got a little angry and I was thinking Art Pepper.  Then I put the phones on and went all Bojack Horseman on myself ["you stupid s$%^"].  Jazz Me Blues from Meets the Rhythm Section. Nice start.

Track 02 - A perfect example of why this is my all-time favorite writing tandem in the standard vernacular.  Not sure I’ve heard a bad version of this song (though Chico Freeman’s is my favorite).  Not sure who this is.  ‘Bone comes out of J.J. (as they all do).  Tenor is a more recent voice, out of the Lovano school.  Not sold on the tenor, but love the cut.  Sure it’ll be ID’d by the time I post, but this is It Never Entered My Mind.

Track 03 - Has that Scofield sound on guitar, but overall sounds newer.  That leads me to think it’s maybe Ben Monder.  It’s a nice track.  I don’t usually gravitate towards this style/feel, but this works.  I don’t know this trumpet player.

Track 04 - Angel Eyes.  Something about the chord voicings have me thinking Tommy Flanagan, but I’m sure this is later than TF.  Definitely not Tommy.  Player has command of the language, but I’m not sure I’m buying the story.  I don’t dislike it, but it fell into the background.  Almost drifts into Mal territory at the end, but  not quite.  

Track 05 - Teased an Ibrahim feel in the beginning, but didn’t go there.  Didn’t care for the bass-drum exchange, but man, when the band comes back in, THAT’S nice.  Not fully loving the guitarist — plays more like a rock or blues guy playing in this style.  Alto has the perfect flavor.  Makes me wonder if it’s not something like a Ry Cooder project.  

Track 06 - Sure sounds like Wayne to me.  That vamp… why can I peg it?  Elvin-flavored drums with a Gil Evans band feel.  Too sane to be Elvin.  Could be Joe Chambers.  Thinking it’s not Wayne, but whomever it is owes him royalties.  Almost sounds like Charles Lloyd at times, but too angry.  That cetainly sounds like KB on guitar, but from the CTI period.  If that’s accurate, I have no shot, as I was largely allergic to most of those recordings.  Digging that bass.  Want to say Art Davis, something about that tumbling thump.  I mean, thsi all works.  I like this.  I don’t have it.  This track is the class of this BFT, thus far, and that’s not an easy feat.

Track 07 - Are we altering Monk’s tune and giving him royalties, or just lining our own pockets?  Heavy handed drumming.  Maybe Franklin Kiermeyer?  Not a thing wrong with it, just doesn’t grab me.  One of those recordings that’s so clean it’s distracting.  The whole thing feels tepid.

Track 08 - Opening drum riff felt like Pharoah Sanders Love Will Find A Way.  Clearly, it’s not that, but now I want to go hear that.  Not feeling this one.   Can’t put my finger on it.  Kind of feels like they said “let’s do something really awkward just to be different.”  

Track 09 - Impressive musicianship.  Not my thing.  Could be Kenny Garrett on alto.  Okay once it gets going, but takes awhile to get there.  Again, nothing wrong, just does’t connect.

Track 10 - Nice arrangement.  Really like the instrumentation, a lot.  No idea who this is.  

Track 11 - Not sure, but man, it’s hitting right off.  Well, that’s Yusef.  Curtis Fuller — that follows.  Oh, wait!  That’s not Yusef, it’s Hank Mobley.  This is from The Opener.  

Track 12 - John Lewis Tune.  Afternoon in Paris (GREAT song).  Definitely liking the turn this test has taken.  It’s John Lewis on piano, for sure.  Dolphy fools nobody.  That narrows things down just a bit.  Jim Hall.  Benny Golson.  So this is from Evolution.  Man, I say it constantly, why is Golson NOT in the converation of saxophone giants?  An absolute beast.

Track 13 - This one works, but I have no idea who it is.  Maybe Jim Alfredson?  Seems to be a good guys around these parts when I can’t peg the organist on something I like.  

Man, that track 6 needs to find it's way into my stacks.

 

 

[After reading]

I'll be damned.  Should have trusted the ears.  Likely have the Gil. 

How did I miss J.J. on track 2?  #FFS

Third listen -- something almost Joe Henderson in that tenor.  But this guy is his own voice.  Liking it more on the third listen.  A lot of story here.  I hope I have this and am just brain cramping.

Edited by tkeith
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On #4, I think that you should NOT say "definitely not Tommy."

Track 6 is Gil Evans from 1964--and it is Wayne Shorter and it is Elvin and it is Kenny Burrell (you were confident on him, but not much on the others).

You are correctly hearing Kenny Garrett on #9.  He is not the leader.

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Let's see what we have here...

TRACK ONE - Art Pepper with the Miles guys. Too much of this era of Pepper ends up sounding corny to me, and this is no exception. Corny is not bad, it can be fun. This is both. But it is corny, or at least as corny as Philly Joe will let it be. Thank god for Philly Joe!

TRACK TWO - Damn, that almost sounds like a valve trombone, or a baritone. And moany too! I like the piano chords, if not their rhtymic place ment. Tenor's arc is a bit too symmetrical for me. If that's JJ...he's more, uh, exclamatory than I came to expect from him, and I'm not sure if he sounds happy in what he's exclaiming? Maybe it DID enter his mind?

TRACK THREE - There are lyrics to this? There should be? I think it would make a better song presentation than improvisational vehicle. Those Harmon-mutes Miles Placeholders were big for a while, like Mark Isham to name but one. It's ok, they were role-playing and that's what's called for sometimes. This tune seems like an offshoot of an offshoot of "Circle". I like it, but do think it would be even better either as film music or as a song with words. It's a wonderful composition.

TRACK FOUR - "Angel Eyes". O....k....Ron Carter, obviously...not sure what to "do" with this other than, yeah, great players, and then...I dunno, Piano trio plays Angel Eyes with grace and aplomb. I guess that's it. And Ron Carter again gets recorded like that. Thankfully he was watching his pitch this time. I never understand the times that he didn't.

TRACK FIVE - This one kinda bugs me...like Threadgill with ALL the quirk removed. Is that Arthur Blythe? Oliver Lake? Blythe, right? I hear what they're doing, it just does not engage me at this time. Credit for at least saying something, I suppose.

TRACK SIX - But this definitely does, always has, probably always will! But NOT from The Individualism Of Gil Evans, at least not originally. For the OG, it's here! And no Gil Evans completist can be without it, it's got those warmup takes that Gil got all pissed off about. The rest got put in the CD, and a woderful CD it is, but playing order....gotta go with the OG LP and then add those others at the end, imo. Opening with anything other than The Barbara Song is...wrong, at least for any record to call itself The Individualism Of Gil Evans,

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TRACK SEVEN - No thanks. Oh wait, that's Chick. Okay, thanks, but time to move on. transient fun is better than no fun at all! And Roy Haynes, always good fun.

TRACK EIGHT - Benson. I almost included the alternate take of this one on my last BFT but couldn't find a place in the flow for it. But this is a really good cut off a really good record. And Clarence Palmer...would like to hear more Clarence Palmer.

TRACK NINE - This sounds like one of those all but forgotten Bird heads that are a lot of work in a simple 12 bars...there's a lot of movement in those 12 bars. Ok, that's Kenny Garret. Trumpet is pretty non-distinct to me, but in a likeable way. Oh and now we add angular piano...sounds dated already....but there's a good energy here...maybe if I knew who it was (other than Garrett), I could fill in some currently missing connections. Maybe it's that early digital sound?

TRACK TEN - How is one supposed to stand when playing this, what posture should a player have? Or is there not a correct posture for playing this? I'd like to think not, but I can't tell by hearing this performance. First impression is that the stiffness of the posture is not justified by the straightforwardness of the content. But tell me more, maybe?

TRACK ELEVEN - Curtis w/Hank in on it. As far as what could have happened...there could have been more/better/different. As far as what DID happened, hey, there it is, and it is plenty good. I think that mid-60s Hank would have been a better listen over this groove, those stabbing jabbing cries of defiance, but this was not then, which applies to aT as well...Billy Higgins not available yet.

TRACK TWELVE - Usually immaculately dressed, but here...got a gut already? Wow, shit shouldn't fit this tight unless it fits. Fortunately, the writing does this far better than does the shirt. And the soloing, as always, justifies whatever is on either side of it. But why did the use Cannonball on this date? (jk!)

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I'd like to think that's a cocked rifle he's holding, but that's just wishful thinking.

TRACK THIRTEEN - Not sure I understand what this is supposed to be? "What The World Needs Now" is...purpose? Clarity? More than a little bit of this and a little bit of that kinda put together just to be there? Is this soundtrack music? Or an expanded jingle? Or is it supposed to be something for a rel record? I don't get it. Nothing wrong, but without knowing what the purpose is, hard to say it's really right either...I mean I can suppose, make some shit up, but this doesn't seem like the type of music that wants that of itself, sounds like they don't want you to crate your own scenario, they want you to hear theirs...and I have no idea what that would be.

Good mix, had fun listening/thinking, thanks!

 

 

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Jsngry,

Some interesting responses, especially on the tracks that sound like they belong on a soundtrack or would benefit from lyrics.

You mentioned Ron Carter on #4.  Of course it is him.  I'm expecting an ID on the drummer, which should be easy.

You correctly named George Benson, though not the title.

 

 

 

 

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  1. That’s Art Pepper for suede. Such a distinctive sound. And Garland for sure at the piano. It’s with the Rhythm Section.
  2. Wow, trombone isn’t really my favorite instrument but this guy plays lovely. Is this JJ Johnson? I do like Johnson. Tune is It Never Entered My Mind. But the one At The Opera House with Getz is one where JJ does not play. 
  3. Sounds ECMish. Don’t know the trumpeter. Definitely not Stanko nor Enrico Rava. Is it John Abercrombie on guitar? Not necessarily my kind of thing but definitely not bad.
  4. Tune is Angel Eyes. Lovely piano playing. Something in the Wynton Kelly/Red Garland tradition. It’s not them but don’t know who it is. 
  5. Guitar has an America airy feel. Is that Bill Frisell? Don’t recognize any of the others. 
  6. That’s Gil Evans. Cant say which album from the top of my head. 
  7. Not a clue. It’s someone who could do a pretty good Monk impression and with excellent technique. 
  8. No idea and don’t dare do make any guesses. I do know I like it. 
  9. I’ve got this on CD for sure. That’s Kenny Garrett on alto sax. Got it: it’s from Geri Allen’s The Nurturer.
  10. Nice but I really don’t have a clue. Maybe some later work by Walt Dickerson?
  11. Don’t know but sounds like a typical Prestige/New Jazz/Jazzland/Riverside jam. Lovely playing but it has been done so many times.
  12. Oh boy I love this. Dolphy isn’t very hard to miss. Sounds like John Lewis on piano. Don’t know the album but I know these guys worked together muldtiple times. Need to get this ASAP!
  13. Could be Bill Frissel in musical style not but not in playing style. Don’t know.

 

Lovely selections again. Thanks for another lovely BFT!

 

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Some good guesses here.  I note Frisell's name popping up a couple of times. He is on #5, but another well-known guitarist on #13.  

The majority of the selections have been previously identified.  You took care of the full ID on #9: The Nurturer by Geri Allen (with Garrett on sax).

 

Edited by Milestones
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Started thinking about what I like about track 3 and what I don't like.  The don't like is that Ben Monder sounding guitar.  After a couple of more rounds, I'm going to throw out a guess based on this criteria:  non-obscure guitarists I do NOT like.  Mike Stern?

Track 10 took some sleuthing, and I'm 95% sure I've got it.  It started with the realization that it's Robin Eubanks on trombone.  Worth adding that the saxophonist is not as well known as an alto player in most circles.  Am I warm?

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Thom, you are doing great.  You are right in naming Stern as the guitarist.  It took me awhile to really appreciate Stern, but for some time now I have come to enjoy a great deal of his work (albeit not all of it).  On the BFT this track has mostly received praise.

Also, you are hot (not just warm) on #10.

Mjzee, it's not Cyrille on #3, but it is notable veteran drummer. 

 

 

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Ok, if it's Stern on #3 then it's the song L Bird from the album Standards (and Other Songs) from '92.

Al Foster drums, Randy Brecker on trumpet, and Jay Anderson on bass. :tup

 

And I've got #10 as well thanks to the Eubanks tip.

Dang, was just listening to this CD maybe 2 weeks ago as well. Not as closely as I should've been obviously. The whole album is great IMO...a very nice ECM date with Nelson on vibes. The bass player is the leader. 

Edited by Dub Modal
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15 minutes ago, Dub Modal said:

And I've got #10 as well thanks to the Eubanks tip.

Dang, was just listening to this CD maybe 2 weeks ago as well. Not as closely as I should've been obviously. The whole album is great IMO...a very nice ECM date with Nelson on vibes. The bass player is the leader. 

Dave Holland, then?

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