BFT 104: The Reveal

[Hot Ptah]

1.

Sun Ra—Urnack (Composed by Julian Priester), from Angels and Demons At Play

(El Saturn 407; reissued on Impulse as an LP and Evidence as a CD. Recorded 1956 in Chicago).

Sun Ra—Piano; Art Hoyle—Trumpet; Julian Priester—Trombone; John Gilmore—Tenor Saxophone; Pat Patrick—Baritone Saxophone; Charles Davis—Baritone Saxophone; Wilburn Green—Electric Bass; Robert Barry—Drums.

Solos—John Gilmore, Art Hoyle, Charles Davis, Julian Priester, Sun Ra.

This is a Julian Priester composition, one of the few songs written by someone in the band other than Sun Ra, which was recorded in the early days of Ra’s career.

Julian Priester is the answer to this trivia question—Who was a member of the working bands of Duke Ellington, Sun Ra, and Herbie Hancock?

2.

Tiny Bradshaw—Soft (Composed by Tiny Bradshaw) (1952, King 4577)

My copy is from Blowing The Fuse: 29 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox

in 1953 (Bear Family Records, 2005)

Lester Bass-Trumpet; Andrew Penn—Trombone; Red Prysock, Rufus Gore—Tenor Saxophones; Jimmy Robinson—Piano; Clarence Mack—Bass; Phillip Paul--Drums

3.

Stan Kenton—Dynaflow (Stan Kenton-Art Pepper)

Recorded 1951 for Capitol, reissued on Art Pepper—Those Kenton Days (Definitive, 2002).

Chico Alvarez, Maynard Ferguson, John Howell, Shorty Rogers, Ray Wetzel—Trumpets

Milt Bernhart, Harry Betts, Bob Fitzpatrick, Dick Kenney—Trombones

Bart Varsalona—Bass Trombone

Art Pepper, Bud Shank--Alto Saxophones

Bart Calderall, Bob Cooper—Tenor Saxophones

Bob Gioga—Baritone Saxophone

Stan Kenton—Piano; Ralph Blaze—Guitar; Don Bagley—Bass; Shelly Manne--Drums

4.

Doctor Nerve—Nothing You Can Do Hurt Me (Composed by Nick Didkovsky)

From Live At the Knitting Factory Volume 3 (Knitting Factory Works, 1990)

Dave Douglas, Rob Henke—Trumpets; Yves Duboin—Soprano Saxophone;

Michael Lytle—Bass Clarinet; Marc Wagnon—Vibes; Nick Didkovsky—Guitar;

Greg Anderson—Electric Bass; Leo Ciesa—Drums.

5.

You Asked I Came (Composed and Produced by Don Was)

Music From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of the film Back Beat (1994)

Terence Blanchard—Trumpet; David McMurray—Tenor Saxophone; Eric Reed—Piano;

Mark Goldenberg—Guitar; Don Was—Bass; Arthur “Buster” Marbury—Drums;

Luis Conte—Percussion

This is a film about Stu Sutcliffe, an artist and friend of John Lennon, who played bass in an early lineup of the Beatles, before they became famous. He quit to concentrate on his painting. He died of a brain hemorrhage at age 21.

6.

John Zorn—Mao’s Moon (Composed and Arranged by John Zorn)

From The Gift (Tzadik, 2001)

Dave Douglas—Trumpet; Jamie Saft—Piano; Greg Cohen—Bass; Joey Baron—Drums;

Cyro Baptista—Percussion;

Jennifer Choi—Violin; Masumi Rostad—Viola; Raman Ramakrishnan—Cello.

7.

Flip Phillips—Salute to Pres (Composed by Flip Phillips) from Flip Phillips-Buddy Rich Trio (Clef, 1952); Reissued on Flip Wails: The Best of the Verve Years (Verve, 1994)

Flip Phillips—Tenor Saxophone; Allen Smith—Trumpet; Chuck Etter—Trombone;

Jerome Richardson—Baritone Saxophone; Richard Wyands—Piano; Vernon Alley—Bass; Earl Watkins--Drums

Edited November 30, 2012 by Hot Ptah

[Hot Ptah]

8.

Ralph Burns—Music for a Stripteaser (Composed and Arranged by Ralph Burns)

From Ralph Burns Among the JATPs (Clef, 1955); Reissued on Flip Wails: The Best of the Verve Years (Verve, 1994)

Ralph Burns’ orchestra:

Al DeRisi, Roy Eldridge, Bernie Glow, Lou Oles, Al Porcino—Trumpets

Bill Harris—Trombone; Hal McKusick—Alto Saxophone; Flip Phillips, Al Cohn—

Tenor Saxophones; Danny Bank—Baritone Saxophone; Oscar Peterson—Piano; Ray Brown—Bass; Louis Belson—Drums.

Soloists—Roy Eldridge and Flip Phillips

When Streetside Records closed in Kansas City a few years ago, they held a significantly discounted sale of the remaining CDs. There were only a few jazz CDs left in the basement room which once held an excellent, deep jazz section, but which had become a sad shadow of its former self over the years. The going out of business sale was disappointing, but I did pick up this Flip Phillips collection at the sale, from which Songs 7 and 8 are taken.

9.

Alaturka—Leyla (Traditional) from Tamamabi (Tzigane Music, 2010)

Beau Bledsoe—Oud, Saz, Guitar

Rich Wheeler—Tenor Saxophone

Jeff Harshbarger—Bass

Sait Arat—Darbuka, Bass Darbuka, Bendir, Tef, Hand Cymbals

10.

Jimmy Blythe—Mr. Freddie Blues (Composed by J. Henry Shayne, 1924).

Piano roll, recorded probably 1926, National 7984.

Reissued 1987 on CD, Biograph Records, on The Greatest Ragtime of the Century

Jimmy Blythe—Piano.

It is stated in Michael Montgomery’s liner notes that this digital recording was made from the one existing piano roll still surviving.

11.

Richard Davis—Dear Old Stockholm (Traditional), from Philosophy of the Spiritual (Cobblestone, 1972), reissued as With Understanding (Muse, 1975)

Richard Davis, Bill Lee-Bass

Chick Corea—Piano

Sam Brown—Guitar

Sonny Brown—Drums

Frankie Dunlop--Percussion

12.

Gary Burton—Six Pack (Composed by Gary Burton)

From Six Pack (1992, GRP)

Also appears on B.B. King—Here and There: The Uncollected B.B. King

(2001, Universal)

Gary Burton—Vibes; Bob Berg—Tenor Saxophone; B.B. King—Guitar (first solo);

John Scofield—Guitar (second solo); Paul Shaffer—Piano, Organ;

Will Lee—Bass, Percussion; Jack DeJohnette—Drums.

This strikes me as not the best use of Jack DeJohnette's talents.

13.

Count Basie—Kansas City Stride

From The Best of AFRS Jubilee, Volume 13, No. 98 and 351 (Date of dubbing, September 25, 1944; Released on CD, 1985, RST Records, Vienna, Austria)

The liner notes state that Lester Young and Jo Jones left Basie in late September, 1944, and were replaced by Illinois Jacquet and Buddy Rich, who was with Basie for two weeks.

Ed Lewis, Joe Newman, Harry Edison, Al Killian—Trumpets

Dickie Wells, Louis Taylor, Ted Donelly, Eli Robinson—Trombones

Earl Warren, Jimmie Powell—Alto Saxophones

Buddy Tate, Illinois Jacquet—Tenor Saxophones

Rudy Rutherford—Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet

Count Basie—Piano; Freddie Green—Guitar; Rodney Richardson—Bass;

Buddy Rich-Drums.

14.

Duke Ellington—Take The A Train (Strayhorn)

From The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World (Pablo; Recorded June and July,

1967, in New York, Hollywood and Oakland, California; Released 1975)

Cat Anderson, Cootie Williams, Mercer Ellington, Herb Jones—Trumpets.

Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Conner—Trombones.

Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Harry

Carney—Saxophones, Reeds.

Duke Ellington—Piano; John Lamb—Bass; Rufus Jones—Drums.

Guest Soloist—Oscar Peterson.

15.

Mary Halvorson Quintet—Leak Over Six Five (No. 14) (Composed by Mary Halvorson)

From Saturn Sings (2010, Firehouse 12)

Mary Halvorson—Guitar; Jonathan Finlayson—Trumpet; Jon Irabagon—Alto Saxophone; John Hebert—Bass; Ches Smith--Drums

16,

Mitch Watkins—Why Not? (Composed by Mitch Watkins)

From Texas Guitar Slingers, Volume 1 (2002)

This is a CD with songs by seventeen different guitarists. The proceeds from the

CD benefited the Texas Council on Family Violence.

Mitch Watkins—Guitar.

Edited November 30, 2012 by Hot Ptah

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

7.

Flip Phillips—Salute to Pres (Composed by Flip Phillips) from Flip Phillips-Buddy Rich Trio (Clef, 1952); Reissued on Flip Wails: The Best of the Verve Years (Verve, 1994)

Flip Phillips—Tenor Saxophone; Allen Smith—Trumpet; Chuck Etter—Trombone;

Jerome Richardson—Baritone Saxophone; Richard Wyands—Piano; Vernon Alley—Bass; Earl Watkins--Drums

'Ere, I don't wanna nitpick, but if that's the FLip Phillip/Buddy Rich trio, 'ow come there's 7 of 'em, and not even the Drummer is called Buddy?

MG

[Dan Gould]

OK, I didn't follow the discussion but now that I see the reveal, I'm curious about how a lot of these tracks were received ...

[JSngry]

Never heard (or heard of) Mitch Watkins, but I liked that track, and it appears that if I'm not familiar with him, it's not his fault! http://www.mitchwatkins.com/Various/MitchBio.html

So that's Flip Phillips doing Prez, eh? Pretty amazing likeness, nothing I would have expected to hear from Flip.

Douglas w/Zorn & strings...that all makes sense, then.

Never would have guessed any of those. Neat!

[Hot Ptah]

I actually heard #12, the Gary Burton track, on this B.B. King album. I could not post it with the Reveal because I got an error message that I had posted too many images. Does anyone know how to defeat that annoying error message and post an additional image?

7.

Flip Phillips—Salute to Pres (Composed by Flip Phillips) from Flip Phillips-Buddy Rich Trio (Clef, 1952); Reissued on Flip Wails: The Best of the Verve Years (Verve, 1994)

Flip Phillips—Tenor Saxophone; Allen Smith—Trumpet; Chuck Etter—Trombone;

Jerome Richardson—Baritone Saxophone; Richard Wyands—Piano; Vernon Alley—Bass; Earl Watkins--Drums

'Ere, I don't wanna nitpick, but if that's the FLip Phillip/Buddy Rich trio, 'ow come there's 7 of 'em, and not even the Drummer is called Buddy?

MG

I have no idea! I only have this track on the Flip Phillips CD collection, Best of the Verve Years.

Never heard (or heard of) Mitch Watkins, but I liked that track, and it appears that if I'm not familiar with him, it's not his fault! http://www.mitchwatk...s/MitchBio.html

So that's Flip Phillips doing Prez, eh? Pretty amazing likeness, nothing I would have expected to hear from Flip.

Douglas w/Zorn & strings...that all makes sense, then.

Never would have guessed any of those. Neat!

I agree about Flip Phillips. I had always heard that he was a showboating, squealing tenor player on the JATP tours of the 1940s and 1950s. I was pleasantly surprised at his playing on this Verve compilation, from which #7 and #8 were taken.

I thought that maybe Mitch Watkins was well known in Texas and that you would have known him just by his sound.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I haven't heard much FLip Phillips - a mistake, I think - but I did like the tracks by him that Verve included to fill up a twofer called "The Parker jam session" featuring Parker, Hodges & Carter. But I flogged it decades ago.

MG

[JSngry]

I thought that maybe Mitch Watkins was well known in Texas and that you would have known him just by his sound.

He might be in some circles, but it's a big state and the cross-pollination between the various music hubs is surprisingly slight. Even Dallas & FW don't intermingle all that much.

Tell you what, though - I'm glad I've heard of him now!

Edited November 30, 2012 by JSngry

[Hot Ptah]

Various Artists: Texas Guitar Slingers Vol. 1 CD Track Listing

(2002)

1. Roscoe Beck - Outrage (04:54)
   
   
2. Chris Duarte - Violence (04:00)
   
   
3. Jimmie Vaughan - Dirty Girl (05:52)
   
   
4. Eric Johnson & Alien Love Child - Enzo Shuffle (02:46)
   
   
5. Dave Sebree - Halfway to Avalon (05:56)
   
   
6. Chris Vincent - Taranto (02:39)
   
   
7. Stephen Bruton - Just a Step (03:13)
   
   
8. Double Trouble with Denny Freeman - Abandoned in London (04:21)
   
   
9. David Grissom - Belly of the Beast (05:35)
   
   
10. Derek O'Brien - Nose Open (04:43)
    
    
11. Mitch Watkins - Why Not? (04:05)
    
    
12. Bill Carter wth Erik Hokkanen - Feels Like Rain (04:17)
    
    
13. Omar & the Howlers - Meanin' of the Blues (04:10)
    
    
14. Ray Benson - Moon Over Manchaca (03:08)
    
    
15. Stephen Doster - You Can't Touch Her Anymore (04:03)
    
    
16. Van Wilks - Little Mona and the Scorpion (04:06)
    
    
17. Various Artists - Glenn Rexach - Electric Drunk (05:47)
    

Jim, and everyone else for that matter, I thought you might be interested in the other Texas guitarists on the album from which #16 is taken.

Edited November 30, 2012 by Hot Ptah

[JSngry]

Many of those names are familiar...seems to be all Austin cats (or guys who ended up in Austin)? Eric Johnson, wow, there's a name from the past!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Eric Johnson, wow, there's a name from the past!

Yes - is he the same guy who worked with Nat Simkins?

MG

[JSngry]

Don't think so...more of a "fusion" type guy back then: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Johnson

The Electromagnets were HUGE around here in the late 70s, early 80s, a lot of buzz and drooling guitarists everywhere they went, and not without cause. The guy's got skills.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Don't think so...more of a "fusion" type guy back then: http://en.wikipedia....ki/Eric_Johnson

The Electromagnets were HUGE around here in the late 70s, early 80s, a lot of buzz and drooling guitarists everywhere they went, and not without cause. The guy's got skills.

So he didn't do this, then?

MG

[robertoart]

Don't think so...more of a "fusion" type guy back then: http://en.wikipedia....ki/Eric_Johnson

The Electromagnets were HUGE around here in the late 70s, early 80s, a lot of buzz and drooling guitarists everywhere they went, and not without cause. The guy's got skills.

So he didn't do this, then?

MG

No. The Eric Johnson your thinking of is I think on a fairly recent Gloria Coleman cd. And is a really good Soul Jazz player.

The other guy is a Rock player of above average virtuoso skills. He is the type of player that pops up fairly regularly that is not quite Fusion, not quite Blues Rock and becomes beloved of guitar magazine geeks. These kinds of players often have a tune that pays homage to Wes Montgomery by utilising 'octaves' Joe Bonamassa and Derek Trucks (kinda) are the latest in this tradition.

[JSngry]

He is the type of player that pops up fairly regularly that is not quite Fusion, not quite Blues Rock and becomes beloved of guitar magazine geeks.

I like to think of them as good players (and Eric Johnson is a very good guitarist) who play a music that is too "good" to be Popular yet too "accessible" to be "art" for a market that is too small to be Big yet too big to be Small. They're viewed as "cult figures" in mainstream circles, but any jazz cult figure would look at them as big stars.

It's a whole weird "in-between zone" in every way imaginable. As always, the "truth" depends on where you're standing and what you're looking at.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Don't think so...more of a "fusion" type guy back then: http://en.wikipedia....ki/Eric_Johnson

The Electromagnets were HUGE around here in the late 70s, early 80s, a lot of buzz and drooling guitarists everywhere they went, and not without cause. The guy's got skills.

So he didn't do this, then?

MG

No. The Eric Johnson your thinking of is I think on a fairly recent Gloria Coleman cd. And is a really good Soul Jazz player.

The other guy is a Rock player of above average virtuoso skills. He is the type of player that pops up fairly regularly that is not quite Fusion, not quite Blues Rock and becomes beloved of guitar magazine geeks. These kinds of players often have a tune that pays homage to Wes Montgomery by utilising 'octaves' Joe Bonamassa and Derek Trucks (kinda) are the latest in this tradition.

Yes, the same guy is on some cuts of Gloria's 'Sweet Missy', with Calvin Keys on the other ones.

MG

[robertoart]

Don't think so...more of a "fusion" type guy back then: http://en.wikipedia....ki/Eric_Johnson

The Electromagnets were HUGE around here in the late 70s, early 80s, a lot of buzz and drooling guitarists everywhere they went, and not without cause. The guy's got skills.

So he didn't do this, then?

MG

No. The Eric Johnson your thinking of is I think on a fairly recent Gloria Coleman cd. And is a really good Soul Jazz player.

The other guy is a Rock player of above average virtuoso skills. He is the type of player that pops up fairly regularly that is not quite Fusion, not quite Blues Rock and becomes beloved of guitar magazine geeks. These kinds of players often have a tune that pays homage to Wes Montgomery by utilising 'octaves' Joe Bonamassa and Derek Trucks (kinda) are the latest in this tradition.

Yes, the same guy is on some cuts of Gloria's 'Sweet Missy', with Calvin Keys on the other ones.

MG

Yep. I was glad to find that cd somewhere I didn't expect too. Hell of a fine guitar player he is too.

Have you got this one MG?

Edited November 30, 2012 by freelancer

[robertoart]

He is the type of player that pops up fairly regularly that is not quite Fusion, not quite Blues Rock and becomes beloved of guitar magazine geeks.

I like to think of them as good players (and Eric Johnson is a very good guitarist) who play a music that is too "good" to be Popular yet too "accessible" to be "art" for a market that is too small to be Big yet too big to be Small. They're viewed as "cult figures" in mainstream circles, but any jazz cult figure would look at them as big stars.

It's a whole weird "in-between zone" in every way imaginable. As always, the "truth" depends on where you're standing and what you're looking at.

Yes. That's very funny and quite true the way you put that.

I was also thinking that this is a particularly 'guitar kind of thing too'. The guitar fans into the 'cult of the guitar player' form a substantial audience/market in the kind of way you describe. Eric Johnson is (or used to be) one of those kind of guitar players that really fit that bill. Robben Ford is another one although his history with Jazz and Blues makes him a little more user friendly to genre fans rather than just the non Jazz or Blues specific guitar market. i don't think the Piano or the Saxophone have this type of 'built in audience'. Although drummers sought of do.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Don't think so...more of a "fusion" type guy back then: http://en.wikipedia....ki/Eric_Johnson

The Electromagnets were HUGE around here in the late 70s, early 80s, a lot of buzz and drooling guitarists everywhere they went, and not without cause. The guy's got skills.

So he didn't do this, then?

MG

No. The Eric Johnson your thinking of is I think on a fairly recent Gloria Coleman cd. And is a really good Soul Jazz player.

The other guy is a Rock player of above average virtuoso skills. He is the type of player that pops up fairly regularly that is not quite Fusion, not quite Blues Rock and becomes beloved of guitar magazine geeks. These kinds of players often have a tune that pays homage to Wes Montgomery by utilising 'octaves' Joe Bonamassa and Derek Trucks (kinda) are the latest in this tradition.

Yes, the same guy is on some cuts of Gloria's 'Sweet Missy', with Calvin Keys on the other ones.

MG

Yep. I was glad to find that cd somewhere I didn't expect too. Hell of a fine guitar player he is too.

Have you got this one MG?

Yes, I've got 'Makin' whoopee', 'Sweet Missy' and Nat Simpkins' 'Spare ribs', which Eric J is on as well. I can't remember offhand any other albums he's on.

MG

[JSngry]

i don't think the Piano or the Saxophone have this type of 'built in audience'. Although drummers sought of do.

Oh, trust me, every instrument does, especially at music schools. Guitar has the largest audience (and I'm sure oboe or bass trumpet the smallest), but you can find copies of Modern Drummer, Keyboard, Saxophone Journal, etcetcetc at any decent urban/suburban newsstand. If people play it, there's geeks for it. (full disclosure: when left alone and hungry, i can become a full-frontal tenor geek. but that's just between us, ok?)

And it's as much a "gear" thing as it is anything. Never, ever, underestimate the power of gear. Without gear, there'd be left with nothing but music...

[webbcity]

Wow. So interesting that #6 is Zorn...that's a nice track! And "Greatest Jazz Concert in the World"...I remember seeing that one around years ago but had totally forgotten about it. How is the record as a whole? Does it live up to the title?

Thanks again for putting this together... great stuff!

[Hot Ptah]

Zorn does not play on that album, just writes and produces. That Greatest

Jazz Concert album sounds like a typical show by these artists, not a transcendent one.

Edited December 1, 2012 by Hot Ptah

[jeffcrom]

Thanks for an interesting BFT, Bill!

[Hot Ptah]

Thanks for an interesting BFT, Bill!

I am glad that you found it interesting. I had a lot of fun with this one, and with the comments made in the discussion. I found your comment very intriguing, that Jimmy Blythe's 1926 piano roll (#10) showed a player with lots of harmonic knowledge. Perhaps Blythe deserves more attention from jazz critics and listeners.

[NIS]

Sorry I didn't get back to the discussion thread but I did listen to the BFT quite a bit. Enjoyed it. Thanks very much.