BFT 120 discussion

[Stefan Wood]

Gave the game away, but here's a thread to talk about BFT 120.

[NIS]

I've had some good music days this week and got to listen to your first 21 tracks one time through, several times for some tracks. Some really interesting stuff and some strong bass playing. I got by my natural impulse to check out the Ids by simply taking off my bifocals. All a blur to these old eyes.

For me track 3 was an incredibly beautiful piece of music. Don't know how the bass made all those sounds. I listen on an mp3 player but this one needs to be heard with greater fidelity. I am pretty sure that I will cheat and see who it is before months end. Got to know.

I think I know the vibes guy on track 11, probably my favorite of the “younger” guys. If not, someone else I need to know about.

The last track is another beautiful piece. Nice ending.

Not much for comments but I will be away from the computer most of the month and I wanted to make sure I acknowledged your efforts. I will have my mp3 player with me, so I will be listening to all your BFT material some more. Thanks for the traveling music.

[Stefan Wood]

Thanks. I try to create a story with these mixes, usually for driving, as a matter of fact. If you take a peek, great, if not, that's fine too. Don't forget the third disc which has been confirmed to be all anonymous.

Track 21 is from a great album.

Edited March 6, 2014 by Stefan Wood

[awesome_welles]

Track 1 (0.59) I found this really strange and kind of interesting. 3/5

Track 2 (4:34) The opening bass riff reminds me a little of gnawa music (I've always thought that the Gimbri, which looks so primitive, has such a rich tone it almost sounds like a double bass). The track as a whole reminds me a bit of some of the funky tracks from the Crime and Dissonance Ennio Morricone compilation. No idea who it could be. I found it a bit boring but would probably enjoy it as part of a soundtrack. 2/5

Track 3 (8:24) Reminiscent of Miles' Milestones (new) in tempo, harmonic progression and the horn stabs. Cool bass playing. The saxophonist has a lot of Cannonball Adderley in him/her but not sure who it is. The only vibes player I'm really familiar with is Milt Jackson but I don't think this is him, this person is less exciting than Milt. No idea on who the rest of the players are. The drummer is swinging pretty hard. I find this track also a little boring becaues it harmonically doesn't really go anywhere and I think that it's difficult to maintain interest when playing on changes like that. 2/5

Track 4 (4:42) Again sounds like it would be a great spy soundtrack but a little cheesey for my tastes. The drummer has a funny rhythm I think he's playing ahead of the beat? Anyway it's kind of cool but other than that I didn't think this track was that great. 2/5

Track 5 (4:45) Loved the bass intro. The soprano sax player is mental, could it be Pharoah Sanders? I don't recognise the others but the drumming and bass playing was nice. The piano player had a heavy left hand and sounded somewhat like McCoy Tyner but I think it's not McCoy but someone influenced by him. So far this is the fourth piece which is of that sort of funky, soulful jazz with fairly static harmonies but I liked this one the best. 3/5

Track 6 (5:56) Another minor key, static harmony thing. More of an eastern feel to this one. Don't know who it could be. I found it a bit dull. 2/5

Track 7 (1:25) Not in the mood for this right now, it's going to give me a headache! It's modern guys (1990s or later) 1/5

Track 8 (3:04) Sounds kind of like Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers as far as the composition goes. And the drummer is doing a lot of press rolls like Blakey does too. But why are the solos so short? And the fills don't sound like Blakey. The piano player is a little reminiscent of Bobby Timmons though in his bluesiness and rich block chords. The trumpet player definitely isn't Lee Morgan though. Not sure who it is but it sounds like a pale imitation of Blakey's late fifties early sixties bands. 2/5

Track 9 (3:33) The vibes seem to me to sit really weirdly in the mix and it's a bit distracting. 2/5

Track 10 (7:08) The bass sounds a bit ugly. Horn riff is very "Fela Kuti"/afrobeat. But it's a lot more jazzy than Fela's music and actually I think that detracts somewhat from the overall effect (more during the head than the solos). The piano player is doing that same heavy left hand thing that McCoy Tyner does and sounding a lot like him in his right hand too. When it gets back to the head I'm just missing Tony Allen's grooves. 2/5

Track 11 (2:16)Sounds like it could be the same artist as the first track. Again I liked it because I've never really heard a bassist play this kind of thing. Could it be the bassist out of the Esbjorn Svensson Trio? 3/5

Oh I posted the track lengths just in case I messed up the order when I deleted the tags. That was the first disc/zip file btw.

[Hot Ptah]

Three discs! I have difficulty filling one disc up, when I prepare a BFT. I received discs from another Organissimo member for all of the music, so I have not seen the tags for any of the music.

The Miles Davis-in-the-1970s sounding cut on Disc 2 is tremendous. They get so many little details just right, the sound and timing of the percussion, the way the organ sounds, the chatter of the electric guitars--I am still not sure whether it is an outtake from a Miles album which I have never heard, or if it is another group playing in that Miles style. I think it is not Miles.

Track 1 on Disc 3 is Sun Ra's "Enlightenment", first recorded on Sun Ra's late 1950s album "Jazz in Silhouette". I saw Sun Ra and Arkestra perform this song live, with the vocal included, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This is not a Sun Ra recording of the song--I do not know who it is. I assume that some of Sun Ra's writings are being recited--I know of no Sun Ra album in which so much recitation occurred like that.

[Stefan Wood]

It is Enlightenment but it isn't Sun Ra.

[awesome_welles]

Disc 3:

I'm almost certain track one on disc 3 is off of the Muppets play Sun Ra tribut album (which was never properly released but is included with the special edition dvd of muppets from space). I can definitely hear Gonzo and Rizzo on vocals, not sure whether that's Animal on drums though.

Track 4 is a Mingus tune called "Meditations" but it's not the version I know (Cornell Concert) it's really nothing compared to that version. This isn't Mingus though.

[Stefan Wood]

Track 4 is Meditations, and it isn't Mingus.

There are no Muppets on any of the tracks.

Edited March 8, 2014 by Stefan Wood

[sidewinder]

Enjoying the disks so far Stefan. So far I've drawn a complete blank but one of those harp tracks sounds like Caspar Reardon on acid !

[Stefan Wood]

The miles Davis in the 70s track is from the 70s and has a couple of guys who played with miles.

[Stefan Wood]

up?

[Hot Ptah]

up?

I am working on a set of impressions of your tracks. Jeffcrom, our BFT leader, had previously posted his opinion that all BFTs should be one disc long. I was one of those who argued against the length limitation. However, I am beginning to see the wisdom of Jeffcrom's view. The music you have put together on your three disc set is amazing, but it is a lot to get through and write impressions about, in a month's time. I am working on it, though.

[Stefan Wood]

Yes, I understand. GIven what happened with the metadata still on the first two discs I thought it necessary to do a third,which has no info on them.

[Hardbopjazz]

I'm stumped on every track.

[Hot Ptah]

Okay, I will give my impressions for Disc 3.

1. This is Sun Ra's "Enlightenment", but not by Sun Ra. I first heard this song as the opening track on Sun Ra's "Jazz in Silhouette", which I think is one of Sun Ra's best albums. I have vocal versions of this song on later Sun Ra albums. I also heard Sun Ra and his Arkestra perform and sing it live in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, I heard Sun Ra give extended orations in the middle of his concerts, but not during "Enlightenment".

This is a loving tribute version, but it really points out to me that Sun Ra and his Arkestra had a unique feel to their music, which is very difficult to duplicate. Without that unique feel, there is something missing. Sun Ra and June Tyson were not technically great vocalists, but they had a unique quality to their voices, and a passion and conviction about what they were singing or saying. Without that unique quality, passion and conviction, the vocals and orations fall a little flat for me here.

I think that Sun Ra and June Tyson brought all of their life experiences and thoughts to bear, on every word they sang or spoke in concert. As they had extensive and rather unusual life experiences and thoughts, their power of conviction and style of delivery were quite unique--perhaps unprecedented and impossible to come close to duplicating.

When Sun Ra would orate during his concerts, he talked as if the fate of the universe depended on his message. What he was saying often did not make immediately obvious logical sense, The combination of the weirdness of what he was saying, and the passion with which he delivered it, created a very powerful experience. To me it was sometimes as close to mindblowing as I have experienced in a music concert. I do not get any of that here on this track.

As no one will ever come close to really duplicating Sun Ra, it is good that there are hundreds of recordings left behind for us of his work.

2. This is a really interesting track, which I like a lot. It reminds me of the more successful late 1950s Third Stream experiments, but it sounds like it was recorded much more recently. It has a warm, appealing quality to me. The flute player is really good--I have no idea who it is. The guitarist has a familiar sound. I should know who this is, but I don't.

If I don't already own this, I will want to get it after the Reveal is posted.

3. This is a powerful, muscular piece by rather contemporary avant garde players, I think. I have no idea who the saxophonist or pianist are, but I like their playing very much.

4. Charles Mingus' "Mediations on Integration", but not by Mingus. I think that this is a successful version which does capture the feeling of Mingus pretty well. Who is doing this kind of music now? I can't wait for the Reveal to find out.

5. This is either an overdubbed piece by a good bassist, or a bass duet with one bassist playing with the bow and the other plucking the bass. I really like this. I find it interesting and beautiful. I have no idea who the bassist or bassists are, but I like the playing very much.

6. Wow, this is a real barnburner of a track! I love this! I have to get it. Now watch, I already own it and just don't remember it.

I love the muscular, bluesy riff. I wish more contemporary jazz ensembles would dive right into an overtly bluesy sound like this. Some of the better jazz groups of today play a sort of post-modern commentary on the blues, in which they tiptoe around the blues, abstracting it until there is no blues feeling left at all. Why do they do that? It almost seems like they are allergic to soulfulness.

But not this group. I love where this group is situated, at the border between the avant garde and post bop. Some of my favorite music is on that border.

The violin soloist is really good, and so wild! Who plays like that? I really like it! The guitarist descends into sheer noise, but keeps it short enough that I did not tire of it.The saxophonist knows his avant garde. I have no idea who it is.

I am not sure why, but I get a European feeling from the arrangement.

7. This is very appealing. It is a happy sounding soulful bop piece, but sounds very contemporary to me. The pianist and saxophonist both play with chops and soul. I have no idea who they are.

8. This is a nice track in which the saxophonist really knows Coltrane and the drummer really knows Elvin Jones. I have no idea who it is. Since their influences are among my favorite musicians, I like this a lot.

9. This sounds a bit like the Jazz Messengers, but more contemporary. The saxophonist has a jaunty, unique sound. I should know who it is. It is as if the identification of the saxophonist is tantalizingly close, but I can't get it. This is very appealing.

10. A nice avant garde workout for two saxophonists. I really like it, and have no idea who they are.

11. The trumpet player has digested Miles Davis to the point where Miles has become part of his sound. But it is clearly not Miles. I like the catchy, infectious opening bass line. The pianist is quite good, and hints at being able to play in more styles that are shown here.

12. This is another one of those pieces on the border of post bop and avant garde that I like so much. I want to get this after the Reveal. This is really, really good.

I feel like I should know the saxophonist, who has a big tone and has a noticeable Coltrane influence. I just can't quite name the saxophonist, but he sounds familiar.

The trumpet player has better ideas and sound, than chops.

Conclusion--I really like this disc a lot. Every track is at least quite good, and several are things that appeal to me very much.

[Stefan Wood]

Thanks for your thoughtful response!

1. Right, it is the Sun Ra tune, but not by Sun Ra. It is by a very good musician who did an entire album as a tribute to Sun Ra.

2. You are very, very warm. It is 50's "third stream," done by one of my all time favorite groups. There is a Mosaic set of their music.

3. This track is from the 70s, European, and I picked this track not only for the music but also I have something in common with the title of the track.

4. Right, it is the Mingus tune, but not by Mingus. Done fairly recently, as a matter of fact, with a nice assembly of musicians.

5. There are two bassists on this track. One played with Miles.

6. It is European, and a fine album.

7. Also European, from a nice compilation of rare jazz from the mid 60s to the mid 70s.

8. You are really warm. But don't think so much of Coltrane as Joe Farrell, when he played with Elvin. In fact, this is an homage to that group. I'm doing a review of it for the Free Jazz Blog.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Stefan Wood

[Stefan Wood]

9. Not contemporary. But it is Jazz Messengers influenced -- when Horace Silver was in the band.

10. Two sax players - one well known as part of the new wave of jazz in the 60s, the other had his own choir.

11. A contemporary of Miles, but very much his one. This is from a great album from the 70s, I think done in Europe.

12. Yes, he should sound familiar. This was playing when I walked into DMG in New York one afternoon, and bought it on the spot. An excellent mixture of post bop and improvised jazz.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Stefan Wood

[felser]

I'm very late to the game this month. Have not read any of the posts, and did not see any tags, so I'll post my "blind"impressions on all three CD's in this entry, for everyone's amusement ("what did ole' woodenears come up with this month!), then will read through the posts and come back with more comments in another post.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

CD1 & CD2

1 – but is it jazz?

2 – Hugh Hopper-ish fuzz bass,nice.

3 – Love love love this one. Puts me in mind of what Teddy Charles was doing in the 50’s, though this may be a little later. Doesn’t get any better than this for me.

4 – I do like this kind of thing a lot, probably beyond it’s actual music value. 70’s vibe, though I’m guessing actually done later

5 – Like the style a lot, not knocked out by this soprano player on this cut, though he is very facile. Pianist has studied McCoy Tyner well. For that matter, the soprano player studied Sonny Fortune’s work with Tyner well.

6 – Where the previous cut reminded me of Tyner’s ‘Song For My Lady’, this one reminds me of his ‘Sama Layuca’. Really like this, see comments for #4.

7 – Nice little burst of energy there.

8 – 50’s hard bop. Good stuff, most likely I have this on the shelves somewhere

9 – Lots of vibes on this disc! I like this one in theory better than in practice, but suspect it would grow on me with repeated listenings

10 – Love this, sounds like a great lost Hamiett Bluiett or Hannibal Peterson cut or something. If I don’t own this, I will be looking to do so soon.

11 – session reel of someone tuning his bass? J

12 – I own a fair amount of this sort of thing, admire it greatly, don’t play it all that often.

13 – I know I have this one on a great Blue Note CD or something. I’m getting old and tired, working too much, can’t pin even a lot of the ones I know anymore.

14 – sounds like this one is sourced from old vinyl. Certainly worth the effort. Good stuff, up my alley yet again.

15 – Pianist listened carefully to the Cecil Taylor Candid’s. This grew on me as it went along.

16 – Great fun. Grew out of Sun Ra sensibility, but more disciplined trumpeter.

17 – Soft Machine or someone who grew up listening closely to them. The guitar is throwing me off. They had guitar, but not at the same time as the horns.

18 – Really like the guitar/vibes interaction on this one.

19 – Wore out their copies of “Bitches Brew” and the Hancock Mwandishi records back in the day. I would guess maybe one of the Eddie Henderson Blue Notes.

20 – Enjoyed it, but not convinced of the jazz bona-fides in some ways. Heard some Earth, Wind, and Fire type of influence with the kalimba and such.

21 – put me to sleep.

Disc 3

1 – Not my cuppa tea. Some of the AACM types do some of this, but it never works for me.

2 – Again, a fusion that does not resonate with me, though I much prefer it to #1.

3 – And yet another one lost on me.

4 – Mingus’s “Meditations on Integration”, but I don’t think this is a Mingus group. Maybe one of the Mingus Dynasty groups. It’s good, of course, but really lifeless compared to some of the Mingus renditions. Mingus conveyed an outrage in this cut that seems absent here.

5 – I like this, curious to find out what it is. Not something I would have expected to get drawn to.

6 – Must be the violin segment of the show. Leroy Jenkins? Michael White? Funky in that AACM avant sort of way. I could sure do without the noise segment in the middle, but I like how it gets momentum back after that.

7 – I like what the bass player is doing on this. Overall, I know it’s very good, but have too much “been there, done that” feeling about it. They listened to the 60’s soul-jazz greats, but this feels much later to me, based on some of the influences you can hear in the players. I do like the tenor solo quite a bit.

8 – Sounds like one of those Elvin Jones trio things with Joe Farrell to me. Wilbur Little did great stuff on those, and the array of tenor players who played on those Jones Blue Notes was amazing –Farrell, Frank Foster, George Coleman, then later Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman. With Pepper Adams on baritone for one of them. Then post-Blue Note came Sonny Fortune. Whatever this is, I really like it and hope I own it.

9 – A derivative of “Summertime”. Sounds to be late 50’s-early 60’s vintage. Sonny Stitt? He always shows up on every BFT, it seems.

10 –Right up may alley. They heard them some Ornette Coleman with Don Cherry in their formative years, and I suspect this isn’t from much later. One of the ESP-Disk recordings? Someone like Ed Blackwell or Sunny Murray on drums? Rhythm section is pretty rough.

11 – I’m a sucker for this sort of thing, really like it. Great trumpeter, again makes me think of Hannibal Marvin Peterson, though I don’t think it’s him.

12 – I like it, but it sounds a little underrehearsed to me. Recordings on Muse were notorious for that, though I doubt this is on that label. Not a major label, I suspect from the sound quality. Or else really poor mastering/remastering. The trumpet player certainly has chops, but to me is maybe overplaying. Sort of Alan Shorterish. Sounds to be mi-60’s to mid-70’s vintage to me. I like the tenor player’s energy on his solo.

Awesome sets of music, thanks Stefan. Can’t wait to find out what a lot of it is, and then spend my hard-earned money on it.

[Spontooneous]

Sticking to Disc 3 for the moment, though there are many things I could say about the others ---

1 -- Just want to say that I was present when Hot Ptah first heard this cut, and that he identified "Enilightenment" within the first 10 to 15 seconds. I like the arrangement, even the violin. Thought it might be a Michael Ray project for a minute, but probably not.

2 -- Woodwindy! Heavily arranged, but none the worse for that. Kind of exciting in its way, and well-played. I'll guess it came from the West Coast about 1957 and wait for an ID.

3 -- Ivo Perelman? Nice balance of freedom and momentum.

4 -- Is this the Junko Onishi version of "Meditations"? I swear that CD is somewhere in this house, but I can't find it. Horns were James Carter, Nick Payton and Wycliffe Gordon, IIRC. Wish the tempo change at 1:40 and 9:41 wasn't so cautious.

5 -- Two basses, though the one on the right might be better off playing a cello. Nice bow sound, iffy intonation.

6 -- Charlie Burnham on violin? Is that the real Derek Bailey or someone who wishes he was?

7 -- Like the groove. Whole thing is reminiscent of the Jarrett "American quartet."

8 -- I like this groove even better. Maybe nothing original being said, but the flow is irresistable.

9 -- Either a very interesting response to hard-bop trends of the late '50s, or a fascinating re-creation. The tenor almost sounds like John Gilmore at times, but surely it isn't. I want this record.

10 -- Shoot, I should know what this head is, shouldn't I? Alto solo is OK, tenor solo has a little too much noodling. The bassist is the star.

11 -- An acoustic response to "Bitches Brew." OK, but after a while I feel like the trumpet player is actually holding the rhythm section back.

12 -- I'm very attracted to the writing. No guess on the trumpet. Love the way the tenor solo begins. The transition from in to out and back again is rarely as successful as this. I like the drummer's every move. Yes, I probably need this record too.

[tkeith]

I have to say, I was cursing you rather loudly when I downloaded the three separate files. Then, to have to download a FLAC player (which I really needed to do, but didn’t so much have time for), you were not off to a good start. Then, damnit, I plum loved the music, so here goes.

Track 1 - No idea. Sounds a bit like dos’n goni and bass, but nobody I recognize. I’d say they’ve listened to Don Ellis’ soundtrack for The French Connection.

Track 2 - Okay, this strikes me as a weird mix. I’m hearing Theme de Yoyo from the AEC, but the bassist (and band) make me think Miroslav Vitous. I’m liking this, but not sure what it is (nor if I *should* like it). Part Bitches Brew, but not in an imitative way. I’m happy with this.

Track 3 - I like the overall feel, but something about the soprano is bugging me. Wait, that’s an alto. The rhythm section has a solid sixties feel to it, but the alto seems to want to be Cannonball too much. It’s like s/he is trying to combine Cannonball and Wayne Shorter. I like it, but I’m troubled by it. If this came on the radio, I’d listen, but not sure I’d pull it off the shelf. I’d lean Snidero because of the Cannonball link, but it sounds much older than that. Drummer sounds like someone trying to play like Billy Higgins. I’ll throw out a guess: Paul Horn? No confidence in that, but all I can think of.

Track 4 - Odd. Reminds me of some of the early 70s Gil Evans, but it’s not that. Something isn’t quite jibing with the rhythm section. Are they Japanese? (boy, that’s going to get me in trouble). That’s what it sounds like to me. Not somebody like Hino, but a cut below that.

Track 5 - Loving this right off the bat, in spite of the soprano. Gee, this could maybe be one of Hino’s bands now that I think of it. Has that distinct Blue Note Liberty-period knock-off sound. Not buying the soprano player at all, but love the feel of the rhythm section. Jeez, slow down, dude. Like Sonny Fortune and Jimmy Heath had a child. Not digging this guy at all. Like to reverse engineer this and pull the RS out and work with that (hate to say that, but this guy is just ruining what they’re building).

Track 6 - Sounds a bit like Concierto de Aranjuez. Again, a soprano player who just shouldn’t. So many of those around. Yeah, this one just isn’t reaching me at all. Something just off. Alto is a slight improvement over the soprano, but I’m just not buying it.

Track 7 - Modern recording (meaning everything is too far up front). Alto player is all over and saying nothing, which makes me think Rudresh. There is no blues in this and I simply haven’t got the time for it. Just, why? Gary Bartz already did this and did it much better.

Track 8 - Hmmm… something very Jazztet about this, but it’s not them. Not Farmer, not Golson. Possibly Curtis Fuller, but I don’t think so. Don’t know that trumpeter… intrigued. Could be Kamuca (or someone like him) on tenor. Not Curtis on ‘bone… no idea. I’m going to learn something new, here.

Track 9 - Hmmm… this sounds 60s soundtrackish, but the recording is too modern. This is quirky as hell, but it works. I wanted to say one of Brian Blade’s projects, but the saxophonist is not that level of polish (a good thing). This holds my interest, though I’m not sure I’m onboard for the vibes. I’ll be coming back to this, though.

Track 10 - OH! That’s my man Jesse Sharps! Question from Quest (and you should all go out and buy EVERYTHING on Nimbus West!). This is such a bitch of a track. It’s the highlight of the album, but the whole album is worth it. I wish JS played more bari (though he seems to opt for soprano more often). Check him out on YouTube with Wire2Wire. AWESOME pick! Tim Webb — we HAVE to cover this!!!! Roberto Miranda is such a boss on this track!

Track 11 - BIG bass sound. Not sure what that plucky electronic sound is. Is this all bass? I like this — GIMME BASS! Reminds me of the Bassdrumbone guy — Mark Helias. Either that or Mark Dresser. This is a keeper.

Track 12 - Ah! Another one of my guys. That’s Dennis Gonzalez! Not sure of the track but this is from Alvin Fielder’s Vision album. Dennis’ sons are on this, as well. If you get the chance, check out Yells At Eels in person. This disc has the tune Camel, which doesn’t quite do the justice that YAE does in person with that song. Not sure why Dennis is so overlooked. Great musician and a superior person.

Track 13 - Very Muse records sound to this. Sounds like either Stafford James or a bad recording of Cecil McBee. Huh… it’s not Woody Shaw, but has that feel. Not Cecil, but sounds too deep in the low end to be SJ. Is this a Hino project? Doesn’t quite seem to have Hino’s chops. Am I about to discover another Japanese band I don’t know about? Again, has that feel. Guy definitely likes his Woody, but not TH.

Track 14 - Another winner! Garvey’s Strut! Hal Singer is a BEAST! I learned about this album through another BFT, and I’m so glad I did. Bitchin’!

Track 15 - Huh. Reminds me of Francois Rabbath’s Bass Ball in the beginning, but quickly gets too busy for that. Maybe a shade too much going on here for my taste, but I *am* liking it overall. Vijay Iyer, maybe?

Track 16 - Woody feel, but again, not him. Gotta be Hino. It’s got that funky Horace Silver meets late Cannonball feel, but something about TH — he’s just got more of the story in him than others. I’m sure it’s him, though I don’t know the album.

Track 17 - Not my bag, baby. Very Weather Report, only more commercial. Not a winner for me.

Track 18 - This is the type of thing that, if it were Frank Zappa, I’d be raving about it. I like the tune, but I’m not sold on the execution.

Track 19 - Again, reminds me of early 70s Gil Evans, but I don’t think it’s him. Sounds like the record he did with Masabumi Kikuchi. That’s not Hannibal, though. Could be John Surman… not sure.

Track 20 - Intro sounds like Alice Coltrane on a warped LP. Sorry, but that’s what it struck me as. Something is not clicking between the harp and the band. I like the groove once it gets going. Not sure about the soloists, but the groove is positively bitchin’.

Track 21 - Tune is In A Silent Way, but no idea what the recording is. for obvious reasons, it seems to be of Asian descent. Not sure how I feel about this one.

Extra Disc

Track 1 - Not sure. Liking it, but unsure about the quirky feel of the tune. Night music, though. Sort of People’s Liberation Orchestra meets Sun Ra. That’s got to be Sun Ra’s band, but I don’t have it. But, like Nuclear War, it’s a mother****er!

Track 2 - Not sure what this is. Seems like 60s, or maybe early 70s. Could be a Ra project, but seems a bit too polished for that. No idea.

Track 3 - First thought was Threadgill with Muhal Richard Abrams, but this sounds busier and maybe a shade newer. Not sure. Works, but may be a bit too busy.

Track 4 - It’s Mingus’ Meditation For a Pair of Wire Cutters. Obviously not Mingus (and not Clifford Jordan), but tastefully done. Trumpeter sounds very familiar to me. Seems like a thoroughly modern recording. Pianist is taking himself way too seriously. No idea.

Track 5 - Maybe I Can Sing It For You from Music from Two Basses — Barre Phillips and David Holland. Great record, great tune.

Track 6 - Loving this. A bit of Very, Very Circus, a bit of Ken Vandermark at his best. Loving every moment of this. I need this. Type of thing that has me going, “AAAaaaahhh!” out loud. The world needs more of this.

Track 7 - A little good, ol’ fashioned bugaloo. Shame to ruin it with that Potteresque tenor. I take that back. In the improv, he proves to be pre-Potter, but definitely out of that learn-all-of-Joe-Henderson’s-licks school of saxophone playing made so prevalent by Billy Pierce and George Garzone through their teaching. It has the feel of trying to achieve the sound of the Keith Jarrett band with Dewey.

Track 8 - Bass drum has the sound of DeJohnette during his ECM period, but it’s not him. Another of the tenor players out of that school that rubs me (as above). A lot of breath-pulse counting, great chops, and very little story. I don’t hear any individuality in this playing. The guy has sick chops, but just when he’s on the verge of something, he drops back into memorized, rehearsed patterns instead of GOING for it. Branford is a good one for doing this. All the abilities of Lovano-Coffin-Liebman, but where’s the story? Groove of the RS is nice.

Track 9 - Yeah, THIS! This is what is missing on the previous cut. These are not the best players, but there’s something behind this. This guy is a notch below Fathead, but damnit, they MEAN it!

Track 10 - Sounds like Odean Pope to me. In fact, isn’t this his tune Prince Lasha? In fact, that’s Prince. Oh, this is the record with him and Odean on one of the Cadence labels.

Track 11 - 20 seconds in this is all kinds of happy. Yeah, this is a winner. Not sure what it is, but all kinds of loving it.

Track 12 - This sounds like it has too many people. I know that sounds weird, but sounds like somebody got a date and wanted to include all of his friends and went too far on the arranging. Not sure the tune is strong enough for all that instrumentation. I want to like this more than I do. I’ll say this, the guy is working overtime here — really putting it out there, I’m just not sure it completely works. Reminds me of Russell Lyle on Eddie Gale’s Ghetto Music. The second tenor is still stuck in the practice room, to my ear. He’s got the superior chops, but he’s not getting there like the first guy.

Split decision (but in fairness, there WERE over 30 tracks), but where you hit, you absolutely nailed it!

Hehe! Missed the whole metadata thing -- mine all say Track 0x.FLAC

[Stefan Wood]

Sorry guys, I was unavailable for most of the past week.

Spoontaneous got track number 4. It is indeed Junko Onishi.

Thom got the track 10 on the 3rd disc. It is Odean Pope with Prince Lasha. And track 5 as well, Dave Holland and Bare Phillips. Also, Track 21 on the second disc is In a Silent Way. Track 14 as well. And Track 12, it is Alvin Feidler. Track 10 is Jesse Sharps.

Thanks guys, I appreciate your responses!

Reveals will come up in a week or so.

[page]

Hi Stefan,
I’m sorry for my late entree, but due to personal circumstances I haven’t been able to listen and work on your BFT at all. So I only found out today that your latest link provided a totally new disc with tracks.
I’ve just listened, so these are my findings and feelings about it.
120-3
01. fun track – pieces at beginning remind of Manha de carnaval – Strange mathemathics - Sun Ra Arkestra?
02. no idea, I like the merry flute.
03. not my thing, no idea about the artist.
04. 6/8 ms., changes later to slower and different ms. pieces swing 4/4, jazz waltz and slower pieces change 8ths and 4ths later. Overall nice track.
05. cello with double bass? Duet in beautiful melancholy. Stunning!
06. exciting first half, a bit tango-latin-ish , later changes to something robot-machine-like which I don’t like that much; another change, rather chaotic feeling overrules me during the song.
07. funky song, no idea about the artist.
08. jazz waltz, nice theme.
09. reminds me of the series “The Saint” somehow. I would like to write lyrics to the theme, since it seems something I would sing. Fun track.
10. chaotic at the first half at some point, gets quieter. Totally different part follows, at the end the horns join in again. Not my thing I’m afraid.
11. funky song, nice groove.
12. nice theme, solo gets a bit too crowdy for me at some point.

My favourite track is no. 05 which took my breath away and I really like no.09. as well. Thank you for sharing this new music! Please excuse me for not being able to really participate at your game.
Kind regards, page

Edited March 31, 2014 by page

[Hot Ptah]

Is #2 on Disc 3 by Chico Hamilton and his group?

[felser]

Very much looking forward to the reveal on these three discs!

[Stefan Wood]

Is #2 on Disc 3 by Chico Hamilton and his group?

Yes. A session led by Fred Katz, I think from the Zen album.