tkeith

Playing it safe, I will put the link to my bft page here. If you want the downloadable test, let me know here and I will PM you.

Well, it's certainly been done before. Pretty sure I've done it, but I don't want to violate the sharing regulations here (because I understand and respect them).

Quick question to those more informed than I: Is it bad form (read: against the rules) to post the link to the test in this thread? (meaning the "d" word) How about posting the link to the online version? Thanks in advance.

PM me your snail mail and I'll get in the mail ASAP.

Perfectly stated.

Jeff tells me it's time to start the sign-up thread for BFT #101. Please let me know who needs what format. I can also post it in an online player if need be.

No thanks, I'll have the rice.

Aw, now I feel bad cuz I love me some Pepper! Geez Al, I thought we were going to come to blows on this one! Seriously, if you go back and give it another listen, you'll hear that this solo is littered with Pepper's trademark licks. I would say that's true of the whole album, in a good way. It's not a five star record, but it's a very solid 4+ (perhaps 4 on the outside?).

Well, this one prompted me to do something I don't usually do -- search. I came up empty. Another overall enjoyable BFT. Looking forward to learning some of these. 1 - Nice take on It Ain't Necessarily So. Something about the voicings in the comping has me thinking Horace Silver, but then it goes away. The lefthand really speaks of Horace, but not the right, so much. I like this. The drummer is a little stiff, but it's not distracting, just really tight, the way Han Bennink was with Booker Ervin. 2 - ESP, but why? Guy has mad chops, I just wish the contemporary side of this music could move beyond this point from 45 years ago. Not sure who this is, but the rigid edge to the time reminds me of Larry Coryell. This one isn't really doing much for me. Unless this is two guitars, that guitar is overdubbed? That's a strike for me right there. Drum-bass interplay is more interesting to me, but still isn't quite firing. I'm seeing guys in the studio with headphones on, and that's a problem of "contemporary" Jazz. Forget the monitors -- listen to one another. I'm guessing early-to-mid 90s. Russell Malone? 3 - There is something Desmond-ish about the time of the alto player. I recognize the tune, but not the version. Something about the time makes me think this is a modern group playing older music. Trumpet sound is close to Dorham/Farmer, but the ideas are more Eddie Henderson. I'm sure I don't know who this is, but the tune is so damned familiar. My overarching impression of this is that, despite an interesting piano solo, it's very polite. Could maybe be Billy Hart on drums, but very restrained. 4 - The More I See You. The last BFT had a vibes sound that was reminiscent of Walt Dickerson, and this has some of that same quality, but to a lesser extent. Something about the shimmering vibrato, but it's not as spread as Dickerson's (can you tell I know nada about the vibes?). The feel of this reminds me of Gene Ammons' The Boss Is Back album. Seems like these are all guys I likely know, but maybe as sidemen from other recordings. The groove is there and it stays within itself. I like this. It's also polite, but feels more like it means it. 5 - Not a clue, not my bag. 6 - I want to like this more than I do. I like the stop-time arrangement, but the trumpet player seems to be playing equation Jazz. All standard arpeggios, carefully practiced and learned by rote. Tenor sound reminds me of Billy Mitchell but without his great sense of time. Almost a tad sloppy. It seems like a guy who isn't really accustomed to blending into a larger ensemble. Again, the notes are right, but it all seems too learned. I really like the arrangement. 7 - More shimmering vibrato. Excepting that, the guy reminds me of Dave Stryker. Gah! What is that tune. Sonny Rollins, right? The recording sounds is messing with me. Mid-80s? Wild guess -- Geoff Keezer on piano? 8 - Shades of that early Ornette sound. This reminds me a lot of William Parker's stuff with Jemeel Moondoc, but it's not them. 9 - Sounds an awful lot like Tony Williams, so I'll guess that it's Cindy Blackman on drums. The piano sounds a lot like the guys who transitioned from the 60s to where guys like Robert Glasper and Vijay Iyer are, now. Hmmm... now that we're to the drum solo, I'm hearing it more as Terry Lynne Carrington than Cindy. 10 - Huh! I was just listening to this in the car! The one and only Park Adams on baritone. It's LITTLE DREAMS from this. Love this record! Pepper was such a bad man! The unmistakeable doo-wop tinge of James Williams. 11 - This sounds like the real Tony Williams to me. I'm sure of it, but I don't recognize the tune. I was wondering if it might be the Mabumi Yamaguchi record he was on, but I'm not at all familiar with the player or album. 12 - No clue. Something George Russell-ish about it. 13 - I'm reasonably certain I have this, but I can't place it. It's pleasant, but in a very positive way. I mean, brushes, trio, nice recording -- could easily be a Muzak description, but this is very, VERY nice. 14 - Take off on David Murray's Murray's Steps. (KIDDING!!!) My immediate thought was that it was Joey Defrancesco, and I remembered the album vividly... 'til I went to find it. Now I'm stumped but that's who it sounds like to me.

Wow! I have Love in Exile, but evidently don't play it enough. I have trouble with Salim's stuff, but not all because of performance issues and I'll leave it at that. Evidently, I need to check out more Terumasa Hino because I keep loving the stuff I'm hearing in the BFTs. He's so close to Woody, though, that I sort of feel like I should stick with Woody. I knew of this other Bindu recording but hadn't heard it. Hamid is such a BAAAAAAAAAAAD man!!!! Feeling good about the ears given some of the partial IDs. Heading out to search for The Fourth Way's stuff, now. Thanks!

Download, s'il vous plait.

Interesting. I actually had the ElSaffar disc but I didn't care for it and I parted with it.

Finally got around to this today. Started hot then quickly petered out. There is a lot in this test that I think I'd like more on repeated listening, and a few that are just outside my radar, but on the whole, this was up my alley. One listen, no peakies. 1 - Ah! Francois Rabbath - Impalas from the album Bass Ball. Jonathan Blakeslee, my old bass player, hooked me up with this. Love this record! 2 - I like the drum/bass groove, but not sold on the tenor, yet. Shades of Jay Rosen on drums, but heavier. I'm not sold on the tenor. He's good, but a little... I dunno... I'll get in trouble if I say "white", but that's what I'm hearing. Nice bass work; fat. I mostly like this, but the tenor is too restrained and schooled for the groove the rhythm section is putting down. 3 - Sounds like somebody who liked a lot of Von Freeman in the formative days. I'm guessing a guy who plays multiple horns because I'm not hearing him as a tenor player, so much. Maybe Thomas Chapin? Doesn't sound full enough to be him. 4 - I love this in 4 seconds. Sounds like Hamid Drake to me on drums. That would suggest William Parker could be the bassist, but the trombone is throwing me off. Not sure of the alto, but he's not comfortable. Tone is more in the inside edge of things, but the approach makes me think Moondoc, but doesn't seem quite sure enough of himself to be Jemeel. Maybe Noah Howard? Not sure of the bone. If I was forced to guess I'd say Jeff Galindo, but I don't think it's him. That alto is really not resonating with me, which is breaking my heart because I love the rest of it. 5 - I could like this, but whatever electronics are involved in that bass are killing it for me. No idea on the soprano. 6 - Totally in love with this. No idea what it is, but I could listen to a night of this very easily. Almost has an Eddie Gale feel to it, but too technical. Nice late-70s recording. Maybe Beaver Harris on drums? 7 - This is teasing me. That vibrato has me thinking Dickerson, but it's too constrained. The band could easily be one of his bands with Eustis Guilmette. Don't know what this is, but I have to have it, immediately!!!! Crazy guess: Clifford Jarvis on drums? 8 - Hmm... something is telling me Frank Haynes on tenor, but I don't know this. 9 - Three that puts me in love. Arrangement is a little cluttered, but I'm thinking that's Billy Higgins on drums. Sounds like one of the LA guys; Billie Harris or someone like that. Definitely has that feel of the Tapscott school, though seems more inside than that. Don't know the trumpet, but he isn't quite cutting it for me. I want to say maybe John Gordon on trombone. 10 - Busy but in a sloppy scramble sort of a way. Sounds almost like Odean Pope to me, but I don't hear any circular breathing. 11 - Sounds like McBee on bass to me. Could be Michael White on violin. In fact, I'm almost sure of it. Love this. 12 - I'm in. If I didn't know better, I'd swear it was Mike Walsh on drums. But given the instrumentation, I'm going to say Trio X, though the sax playing seems more out of the school than Joe. I can't imagine who else would have that instrumentation (I'm assuming tenor and trumpet are the same; failing that, I'm dead wrong, b/c that tenor does NOT sound like McPhee). 13 - Early 80s? Seems to have a touch of that 70s Muse/Strata-east thing going on, but the band seems closer to Woody Shaw's stuff of the early 80s. I was thinking Gary Bartz, but this guys doesn't have the same facility. Sure sounds like Woody Shaw to me; wait, no. At the screaming -- I LOVE this guy! He's suddenly me with a trumpet!!!! I like this feel. It's got some Tolliver-isms in it, but has that ragged energy of a Rashied Ali date. This is up my alley and is going to cost me more money. The head rambles a bit, but overall, this is a keeper. 14 - Hating this bass a great deal. Holy CTI, not digging this one at all. Could this be the Breckers? I'm not digging the tenor at all, so that's a safe bet. Bob Berg? One of those guys. Hearing some Ron Carter licks in that bass solo. 15 - No idea, but I want it. Reminiscent of some of Kahlil El'Zabar's stuff.

Download, please.

D'oh! Sorry for my lack of participation this month (saw the answers when I got the e-mail or I would have just done it late). Life did NOT cooperate.

No surprise that the one guy I knew in the test was the one I salivated over. I just discovered Manglesdorff in the past few years. This was a good workout for the ears. Thanks!

In for a DL, please.

I didn't know anything for sure in this, though I may have some correct personnel guesses (pretty sure about the Kenny Wheeler cut). This was a bell curve listen for me. I liked, but didn't love, the first few. Then I was blissful for most of the middle, and that left me a bit wanting at the end. Overall, this is one of the best in awhile. No peaking, one listen: 1 - Instant love! Has that 60s movie soundtrack feel. Some of Shihab's stuff has that feel. I love this. Piano solo is a little off, but it doesn't detract from the feel. Hmm... trumpet, too. Something odd is happening here. These aren't heavy weights. They don't quite cut the improv, but I still love it. That sax almost sounds varitone-ish. 2 - More clarinet... I have really pissed off the universe. Shades of Illinois Jaquet, but I think it's someone playing in the style, because again, rhythmically, it's a little off. This reminds me of something The Humble Farmer would play (if you've heard his show, you get it), and in that context, it would be awesome. Here, it's just a little off. Again, striking me as second-tier players on a good day. (* note: I mean guys like the Danish Radio Big Band -- great players, better on their worst day than I'll ever be, but not in the same class as royalty like Booker Ervin or Johnny Griffin; certainly not intended as a slight) 3 - This has the feel of the Jazz Crusaders, but that doesn't sound like Wayne Henderson to me. Perhaps a European equivalent? I'm digging this test, thus far. 4 - Not sure, but off the bat, not liking the alto player. Too busy without really executing what s/he is going for. Sounds flat as hell to me. Hmmm... this sounds a lot like the Danish Radio Big Band, but not quite as polished to my ear. Other than the alto, I'm liking it, but my comments are taking on a similar thread. I'm thinking this is all European Jazz or something. 5 - Not digging the drums (or technically, the cymbals), but very much digging the baritone. It's not Shihab, but someone who likes him a great deal, and that's a good thing. Reminds me a lot of the Jimmy Giuffre cut The Boy Next Door from a few BFTs ago. 6 - Definitely going with my European Jazz thread guess. The alto player just doesn't... swing. The general feel of the tune is fun, but rhythmically, something is just off. 7 - Caravan. At least I was able to name a tune on this one. Eeesh! I like this arrangement, again, very 60s espionage. I was hoping this would be Shihab on soprano, because I'm really yearning for a Shihab cut now. But, it's too Coltrane influenced. That's not a bad thing, I like this tune a great deal. Again, something about the rhythmic execution has me thinking of that second-tier group of players. I like the interplay between the left-channel bassist and the piano. 8 - Pretty sure that's Kenny Wheeler on trumpet. Nearly certain at about 1:10. Now this alto player is a pro. Sounds much more like a first-tier player, but can't quite say who. Could this be Kenny Wheeler that I don't have? This must be fixed. Yes, there is nothing about this that I do not like. 9 - I'm in. Trying to find something I don't love, and it's not there. Shades of Charles Greenlee in the 'bone, but it's not him. Maybe Jimmy Heath on flute. Somebody with that same precision technique, but I think it's a saxophonist doubling on the flute. 10 - Man, the trombone is an instrument that's really grown on me over the years (thank you Frank Lacy and Derek Kwong!). Oh, 1:35 -- how much more can I possibly love this!?!? Sounds like an "out" Ricky Ford. I think it's an older player than that. Nothing I don't like about this. Maybe Hal Singer? I could eat this for dessert. Almost thinking John Handy on alto. Definitely someone I've heard. This is beautiful. Almost a little too bitey for John Handy. But someone with equivalent chops, not Dudu Pakwana or someone like that. I have to have this. 11 - Just hard for me to warm up to the clarinet. I like the overall feel, but that instrument... ugh! No idea, but I'd really prefer a saxophone here... or a trombone... or a kazoo. The playing is outstanding. There's a guy in Montreal who plays the bass clarinet like this (though his regular clarinet playing is much more traditional) named Matthieu Belanger. He's amazing and I can't figure out why nobody outside of Montreal knows about him. This player knows his Archie Shepp, which is terribly exciting. Man, there is nothing I don't love about the rest of the tune (and I love the PLAYING of that damned instrument). What IS this!?!?! Pianist loves his McCoy (who don't?). Oddly, some of the lines have me recalling, of all things, a Joe Jackson solo from Night and Day. Just realized the tune is a blatant rip-off of Herbie's Canteloupe Island (or Watermelon Man) and Afro Blue (just a pinch). Done VERY right, though. 12 - When the drums and bass come in, this sounds identical to Charles Tolliver's Paper Man (talking about the sound of the recording, not the music itself). Much love for this, as well. That bass is haunting. If I recall, Jimmy Hopps is the drummer on that Tolliver date, and this could well be him here. This is a very 70s feel, in the best possible way. It's not Stanley Cowell, but it seems like a contemporary. Bass has a heavy Stanley Clarke/Cecil McBee influence. (Sorry Cecil, but I'm thinking of the best Stanley Clarke.) I realize this stuff sort of paved the way for the smooth stuff that came later, which is too bad, but I love stuff like this. It has that mark of optimism that is so prevalent in all of Abdullah Ibrahim's music. MORE! This test is tickling my fancy as much as any I can remember. 13 - Not a great start. At 30 seconds, I'm thinking this needs to become something pretty soon. Those keys sound like Sun Ra on an off day after the stroke. This one is not touching me. Sounds like some of the John Surman stuff that never really reached me. The listening/interplay is interesting, but this strikes me as little more than research. 14 - Now this is hitting immediately. The tune reminds me of something Charlie Kohlhase would write, but this is older than that. I almost want to say Joe Harriott with Shane Keane, but I don't recognize it from any of the stuff I have. 15 - Audrey Hepburn running away from bad guys. This is interesting and I like it, but I'm not sure I'd listen to it a lot. It's influenced by that odd Kenton period, to my ear, but doesn't seem to be going anywhere. When it finally does, it seems to be someplace I'm not overly interested in. I would guess Braxton, but the soprano player is too rhythmic. I like it noisy, but this one just doesn't resonate with me at all. 16 - Here we go. First impressions are Chris McGregor but seems too tight. This has whatever the last cut was lacking. This has a tinge of Albert Ayler to it, but it sounds like it really matters to these guys; somehow the last track lacked that. That alto to the left could definitely be Dudu Pakwana. Overall an intensely pleasing BFT (particularly the mid-section!). Thanks! Hehe... I really wasn't kidding about the no peakies...

Track 7 happened upon my iPod in the car today. A drummer I work with sent me some stuff he thought I might like. I only ended up putting the Vijay on the iPod. Alas, I have not listened to it enough. Egad.

Spoiler Alert! A little old-fashioned cheating lead me to look further into my drum guesses. My fourth guess was correct. I went Tain, first. It's the opener from this: SPOILER ALERT!!!! I wondered about Michael Philip Mossman on trumpet, but then arrived at the right guy shortly before finding the answer.

Ditto. And/or you can just keep me as the alternate. MG, I put you down for April, 2013. Thom, you're already down for August of this year. √. Forgot about that. (CRS setting in hard)

That's what she said.

Ditto. And/or you can just keep me as the alternate.

+1 DL for the guy from the great northern woods!

Jesus, I don't even have to put in the disclaimer about not reading the thread -- I got nothin'! Track 1 - I like the music better than the recording would lead me to believe I would. It's got that hyper-compressed sound that marked so much of the late 80s/early 90s recording. Something about those drums has me thinking either Cecil Brooks or Ralph Peterson. Very nice tune/arrangement. Not sure what this is, but I'm pretty confident with the drum guess. Track 2 - Not feeling this one. It's interesting on a cognitive level, but I'm not feeling it in the gut. No idea. Track 3 - Clueless. Not my bag. Track 4 - Something about this caught me immediately. I love the bass and the mix with the acoustic strings is nice. The tenor doesn't strike me as particularly unique -- more of that modern recordable sound. Reminds me of The Worst Pop Band Ever (a band I absolutely LOVE), but I don't think it's them. Track 5 - I was hoping this was going to be the trio because the beginning had a nice cook to it. The horns didn't really add all that much. It's nice music, but doesn't make much of an impression on me. The general feel reminds me of the early Marsalis Brothers quintets, but this is later than that, I think. Alto player isn't reaching me. Chops are there, but I'm not buying it. Brassy modern trumpet sound; not Terrence Blanchard, but that generation. The whole thing just feels too busy to me. Track 6 - No idea, but nice voicings in the arrangement. Seems too polite to be somebody like Louis Jordan, but that's what the arrangement reminds me of. The guitar must be the key, but it really doesn't fit to my ear. Track 7 - This is kind of where I thought Track 5 was going. Again, this hits me on more of a cognitive level, but I like this a lot. Reminds me of something Vijay Iyer might do, but it's not him. About 1:30 starts flirting with Matthew Shipp, but I don't think it's him, either. I like the sound of the bass on this recording; it's modern clean, but they haven't destroyed the nuance with extreme compression. Looking forward to the reveal on this one, like it a lot. Track 8 - Just not a fan of the instrument, nor the genre. Musicianship is amazing, though. Not going to make all 11:30, sorry. Track 9 - The unmistakeable vamp of Equinox. I like that this moves in its own direction. It's not my favorite version, but it's certainly its own version. Very patient improvisation. I think this is an older player, maybe somebody just behind Kenny Barron's generation. It's equal parts Randy Weston and Roland Hannah. I like this, but I can't put a finger on who it is. Thoughtful bass solo with really nice comping behind it. Yeah, I think I need this. Track 10 - Love the 'bone technique, but I'm not sure about the context. It's not a player I'm familiar with; the time is a bit stiff. The tune is quirky like something Dave Holland would write, but it's not him. Could be a later Mel Lewis project, but sounds a bit more modern than that (in terms of the recording). The horn arrangement almost sounds like synth to me (but then, I'm listening on a laptop). Drums work is definitely more modern than Mel, but this is certainly inspired by some of his later Jazz Orchestra arrangements. Track 11 - Electric bass, hurting my neck. In its own way, I like this (in spite of my bias against electric bass). The feel is similar to Roswell's Mali Cool. The drums have the sound of one of those Laswell recordings from the early 90s. This is very enjoyable, but I have no clue who it is. Track 12 - Don't know if it's on my end, but the bass is distorting like hell -- like being in a car with a cheap radio. This is an odd feel. Had that awkward yet swinging feel that Vince Guiraldi did so well. More clarinet, but this and the last tune are clarinet that I find pleasant (sort of like Darryl Harper's work, only this is more mainstream). Yeah, I like this, but again, no clue. Damn it, Spoon! You're pitching a shutout here! Thanks for the listen. Even though much of this is not in my field, it was a nice bath for my ears. The later stuff on this one really resonated, though.