tkeith

I'm sorry, but this DL is by far the most annoying I've ever dealt with. I'm on track 12 and I'm getting more pop-ups than even Firefox can handle.

In the "holy sad, Batman" department, I actually own two of these and didn't identify them. "What a drag it is getting old."

DL please.

Bill, totally by accident I think I may have uncovered the answer to the Lacy session. Is that Anthony Brown's band?

Glad y'all dug it. Jim, Mario certainly COULD play. Got to see him with Tito once... WOW! Jeff, that disc creeps up on you. I get the pleasure of hearing Matt pretty frequently, he lives right in town. The guy is a mad man with a horn; good dude, too. Bill, glad it's working for you; that's a huge compliment.

Well, I've got to be the suck up and take a shot at this off the bat, only because I have some hectic scheduling coming up. Bill, I liked the idea of your theme, and kudos for not going with any of the obvious choices for this thicker textured style. Here's my one-off listen responses; thanks for an interesting listen: Track 1 - I like this right away. It's got a Kenton feel off the bat, but then establishes a new-ish feel. Man, that sounds like Matt Langley on tenor, but I can't imagine what he'd be on with a band this large. No idea on the bone, but I like it. Overall the band is very thick, not a swinging feel, but an interesting listen. Count me stumped. Track 2 - I'm a sucker for the Latin feel. You had me at go. Could be one of David Holland's projects, it kind of has that feel. Some of the patterns the bone player is playing make me think Craig Harris, but he doesn't seem to have the overall body of Harris' tone. The bass solo is not as 70s funky (in the GOOD way) as I'd expect from Holland, so I'm moving a bit away from that idea. Tenor has the modern, post-Coltrane sound that I just can't warm up to. The type of thing Gary Thomas has going on. Flawless, but just doesn't grab me. Could be Potter (which has me going back to David Holland). Yeah, not feeling the tenor at all. The ensemble playing works well on the outchorus; the issue with the tenor doesn't bother me as much in there. Ah... okay... Eubanks. I wouldn't have gotten him. And I was right with Potter; I just don't hear this group of guys (Potter, Turner, Thomas, Binney, et al). Track 3 - Bright muted trumpets and flute at the beginning. The tune is I Want To Talk About You by Billy Eckstine. Could be Billy Harper on tenor, though doesn't seem as sure footed in terms of his tone. The ideas are certainly Billy, but the sound seems weak. Given the setting and the standard, I would have to guess it's something with Gil Evans. Okay, no doubt about it, that's Billy Harper, but not as powerful as I'm used to hearing him. Could be Malachi Thompson's band, but this one seems tighter. Maybe one of Tolliver's newer big band projects. Ah... okay, it's this. This is a band I absolutely MUST see. I love BH, and Charles is my all-time favorite trumpet player. Track 4 - Liking this right off the bat. Bari player's tone doesn't excite me, but it reminds me a bit of a John Surman record I have. Two guys with their technique down. The harmony on this reminds me of those Elvin records in the late 60s/early 70s. Bari sounds more like Cuber to me, now. That tenor sounds a lot like Von Freeman in terms of the attack of the notes, but a bit more controlled. Track 5 - Yup, liking this a lot, too. Those flutes remind me of Ron Carter's Uptown Conversation. With Stan Getz over the top? Is this that nutty record he did where Herb Alpert did the arrangements? I remember not liking that much, but I like this, in spite of the electric bass. Definitely Stan. A bit too much reverb in this recording. No idea where THAT came from, but that just works! Track 6 - Don't know who these guys are. One of them likes Miles a LOT at the beginning. This almost has the feel of some of Bowie's Brass Fantasy stuff, but seems more technique-driven than that. Interesting. I really like the way the trumpets work off one another with the almost dirge-like drone of the band. I have a feeling I should know these trumpeters. Track 7 - Ugh... can never get the names straight on Monk tunes. Monk's Mood? Pannonica? But I know Steve Lacy in a heartbeat. That's all I can give you, though. This is interesting, but I'm not sure if I'd listen to it a lot. Track 8 - Love the piano intro. Could that be Ibrahim? I'm pretty sure I have this. Nay, I do NOT have this. The bone solo has some quotes reminiscent of Don Pullen's BIG ALICE. Not sure how I feel about the arrangement. I don't dislike it, but I have been tuning in and out to it.

Reveal is posted.

11 - Rashied Ali - Multi Kulti - Den Haag I happened upon this [i think private] recording through channels and was blown away. I love Rashied, but I'd never heard him this close to 'inside'. This song is so beautifully lyrical it floored me. Lawrence Clark - tenor sax; Jumaane Smith - trumpet; Greg Murphy - piano; Joris Teepe - bass; Rashied Ali - drums 12 - Denis Charles - Rise Up - Queen Mary My introduction to Booker T. was his own album with Andrew Cyrille. I have a simple rule: If Andrew Cyrille is on a record, I buy it. I've yet to be disappointed. When I saw Booker T. on this, I had to give it a chance. At the time, I wasn't that familiar with Denis Charles (I've since rectified that), but Wilber Morris is a guy I've loved since the Murray Octet records. This is a nice record, though Booker T. is perhaps a step below those other two in terms of his proficiency. Still, he has heart, and I love that. Booker T. - tenor sax; Wilber Morris - bass; Denis Charles - drums; Huss Charles - congas 13 - Chris Humphrey - Anna's Song (Safe In My Arms) - Blue Skies Chris used to host an open mic in these parts at a Burrito restaurant. They were cool and let us do pretty much whatever we wanted. I remember when Chris went into the studio for this record. He was unsigned and had to finance it all; he'd been saving for quite awhile and was very excited to have gotten Matt Wilson. Awhile afterward, he was signed to a 2-disc deal by Cadence. Sadly, Cadence sat on this release for about two years, providing him little information (and what information there was seemed to always be wrong) about the release date. I kept looking for this and heard a lot of *shit* they released while I was waiting. When this finally came out, I was blown away. But I just don't understand: Bob Rusch, why wait so long for this!?!??!? Chris Humphrey - vocals; Mark Shilansky - piano; Martin Wind - bass; Matt Wilson - drums 14 - Babatunde Lea - Carolyn's Dance - Soul Pools I *LOVE* Frank Lacy. I heard this shortly after it was released, and about a year after went to see this band (with Howard Johnson instead of Rivera) live. They were awful. Lacy was great, everybody else was disappointing. Both Hilton and Frank were so stoned they didn't know who or where they were. Hojo's cellphone went of in the middle of the first tune, AND HE TOOK THE CALL!!!! Frank was able to keep it together musically (which he always is), but Ruiz absolutely ruined it. Making matters worse, I'd taken my father, against his better judgment, trying to get him to accept some of the newer music. It was over a 2-hour drive to get to the show, and we walked out in the middle of the first song of the second set with my Dad yelling at Hilton (because he was being an idiot). I felt awful. My father has seen just about anybody you can name between 1958-1980, and I just felt sick that he had to deal with this nonsense. Evidently, after we left, Frank took Hilton away and the band played with just bari, bass and drums. The evening culminated in "a healing version" (according to a friend who was there) of The Creator Has A Master Plan. It really bothers me to see these national acts, in this musical climate, behave this way when they travel all this way to play. As a result of this sort of problem (the next show featured a musician who was arrested for DWI returning to the hotel), the people booking the shows stopped bringing in the out-of-town talent. So they've screwed it up for everybody. It's just sad. ANYWAY, I love Frank's singing on this cut. Ku-umba Frank Lacy - trombone, vocals; Mario Rivera - tenor sax; Hilton Ruiz - piano; John Benitez - bass; Babatunde Lea - drums; Kevin Jones - percussion 15 - Alex Harding & Blutopia - Spirit Take My Hand - The Calling This is like the best soul-food dessert I've ever eaten. I just LOVE this guy!!!! Alex Harding - bari sax; Lucian Ban - piano; Brad Jones - bass; Nasheet Waits - drums; Andrew Daniels - percussion 16 - Dwight Tribe - Papa Lean Griot - Horace My predecessor as host of the radio show introduced me to Trible through his own studies of Horace Tapscott, the person. This cut really captures the feel of Tapscott, to me. Dwight Trible - vocal; Kamou Daaoud - spoken word; Charles Owens - tenor/soprano sax; Derf Recklaw Raheem - percussion; Billy Higgins - drums If you can provide the correct and complete personnel on this, I'm indebted. 17 - William Parker - Corn Meal Dance - Corn Meal Dance William Parker gets the same respect from me as Andrew Cyrille. I keep waiting for the magic to run out (it began with Raincoat In The River and Raining On The Moon), but this record shows that's not going to happen any time soon. This is just beauty in its purist form. Seeing this band remains one of the high points of my life. After the show, Flip Barnes had his son with him, and the band hung out and jammed with anyone that wanted to play. I got to play with Hamid Drake about 6" off my left elbow, and that's an amazing experience. It may have been my worst day playing ever, but that didn't hurt the magic of the moment for me. Flip Barnes had pictures and sent them to me; he's an A-1 human being and I'm grateful that I had that experience. Leena Conquest - vocal; Rob Brown - alto sax; Lewis "Flip" Barnes - trumpet; Eri Yaramoto - piano; William Parker - bass; Hamid Drake - drums 18 - Heinz Sauer & Michael Wollner - Nothing Compares 2 U - Certain Beauty This was the cut that got me back into Heinz Sauer. I never liked Sinead O'Connor's version of this (and always wanted to hear Prince's version), but Heinz really captures whatever magic there was in Sinead's voice in his interpretation, and to some extent fills my need to hear Prince's interpretation in the process. I love this. Heinz Sauer - tenor sax; Michael Wollner - keyboards

Sorry Bill, I never got in here. Sign me up, please.

Well, happy Father's Day all you MFs! Here is the reveal for Blindfold test #75, with some commentary mixed in. Due to the number of pictures, the reveal will be spread over two posts. 1 - Tim Price - Combat Zone - Passion Sax This is just a good record. Tim is a survivor and he covers a lot of the spectrum. In general, at times I find his style more influenced by popish genres than I'd prefer, but it doesn't change the fact that this is just a *good* *record*. Tim Price - tenor sax; Alex Lawrence - trombone; Eddie Green - piano; Arthur Harper - bass; don Scott - drums 2 - Bob Nieske - The Stretch - Simplicity This is an odd record. Much of it has the feel of being more of a contemporary classical date, but this track just works for me. I got to see Nat with Richard Gardzina (who appears on a later cut) at a place in Nashua, NH, called Michael Timothy's. I couldn't believe *this* guy was playing at *that* bar. It's a tough life being a working Jazz musician. Phil Grenadier - trumpet; Bob Nieske - bass; Nat Mugavero - drums; 3 - The Onus - The Snake - Tryphony I knew less than nothing about this when it happened across my desk as a promo copy through the radio station. It sucked me in in one track. Darryl Harper - clarinet; Matthew Parrish - bass; Butch Reed - drums 4 - Charlie Kohlhase Quintet - Bossa Macabre - Dart Night Charlie is such a unique writer and his whole approach is unique. Add in Matt Langley for good measure and I'm a happy guy. Charlie Kohlhase - alto sax; Matt Langley - tenor; John Carlson - trumpet; John Turner - bass; Matt Wilson - drums 5 - Francois Rabbath - Desert (Blindman's Bluff) - Bass Ball Jonathan Blakeslee lent me this record years back and I digitized it for him. It's a strange and beautiful record, covering much ground with only two players. It's fun to throw this on and try to play with it -- it's surprising how little room is left for a horn. I should note, Jonathan has the U.S. released version entitled "Bass Ball". Francois Rabbath - bass; Armand Molinetti - drums 6 - Ellery Eskelin - The People's Choice - The Sun Died Ellery is a more recent discovery for me (the past five years or so), also being introduced to me by Jonathan. I love Ellery's sound and his general approach, which is less about polish and more about gut. He's a unique voice who knows his traditions. Ellery Eskelin - tenor sax; Marc Ribot - bass; Kenny Wollison - drums 7 - Jeff Coffin & Charlie Peacock - Arc of the Circle - Arc of the Circle I've known Jeff since I was 12, so I buy anything I see with him on it. This was a pleasant surprise in light of his more commercial output of recent years. This manages to be fresh without trying to break new ground at every turn. Charlie Peacock - kbds; Jeff Coffin - tenor sax 8 - Jeff Gardzina - First Take - Play This At separate times, I've studied with both Jeff and Richard, and both were great experiences. Richard's recorded output (much like Jeff's), seems more designed to sell than to present his music. This track is an exception. His tone is so strong and beautiful, and his approach, while out of the Coltrane school, is purely Richard. Richard Gardzina - tenor sax; Steve Aubert - piano; Roger Kimball - bass; David Berman - drums 9 - Come Shine - Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers - Do Do That Voodoo I love this tune, and was looking for a vocal version of it. I happened across this one on eMusic and thought they really nailed it. Maria Roggen - vocals; Erlend Skomsvoll - piano; Sondre Meisfjord - bass; Hakon Mjaset Johansen - drums 10 - Heinz Sauer - Metal Blossoms: B and C Blossoms - Metal Blossoms When I was about 13, I bought George Adams' Sound Suggestions. Sauer is on that and I didn't dig him at all (because I was SO into George). I heard him as watered down Shepp. I heard a cut of him with Mangelsdorff and recognized him instantly; it was a much more positive reaction. As a result, I check him out on eMusic when he showed up as a new release, and I was hooked. Yes, he's definitely out of the Shepp school, but there's much more to him than just that. This is a prime example. Heinz Sauer - tenor sax; Bob Degen - piano; Mandred Brundl - bass; Thomas Cremer - drums

Jim, the reactions to #2 and #3 surprised me, as I had the opposite reactions the first time I heard both, and usually, our ears are tuned fairly close. #10's overtly positive reaction surprised me somewhat, but I agree with your reasoning. #7 got mixed reviews throughout, but your reaction was more positive than I would have anticipated, given the awkward flavor. I find it interesting that most everybody loved track #4, and this band frequently elicits strong reactions, sometimes less positive, when seen live. I love this recording, and it's pretty much what you get from them live. I'm surprised the Bostonian contingent didn't peg this one.

Jim, As with several others, I like your overall ear on this. I'm surprised by some of what you liked vs. some of what you didn't, but that's part of the reason we do this. Reveal will come tomorrow (finally).

Al, you're cracking me up. I'm glad you dug the first halfish, anyway. Track 7 was difficult to fit in anywhere, so I used it to break up the similarity of the rest of it. If I moved eight down, I could have easily gone 1-6, 9-12, 8, 13, 14, 16-17 and called it a nice mixed tape, but my ear told me it was too much of a similar style (I guess this BFT was my mood at the time). I'm surprised by some of the stuff folks are NOT getting, but that may have more to do with who is NOT participating than anything else. Thanks for taking the time to listen. Reveal comes Sunday, if I'm not mistaken.

No, but I like where you're going. Bummer! Not sure what happened there. If you e-mail me, I'll send you the track, or you can listen through my website: BFT #75 (just scroll down to the Blindfold Test #75 folder) Odd... haven't heard this from anyone else; perhaps you had a download issue. I think you'll be surprised by this one. Definitely bari. And VERY greasy. No. This is the stumper -- it's not Horace, but a recitation in homage.

Wow! First person to get the tune! I'm surprised by this. This is one of the original Real Book staples that everybody giggles about the title until they play it and pretty much everybody agrees what a great tune it is. Well done! No, but the tenor player would be flattered. No on all counts. I think people will be really surprised by this, but when it's revealed, a few may kick themselves. It's a poem in his honor, recited by a guy view have heard of. He has that Morgan Freeman quality in his voice that makes you think you're listening to an event, even if he's saying "Pass the Cheerios." Glad you liked it!

Nice comments, Jeff. No matches, but I think you're going to be surprised come the reveal. You're guess on track 12 is the closest. Ironically, track 17 is the most "centric" I've ever heard this vocalist. In fact, when I saw this band live, she was not even out in front. She's such an understated part of this ensemble that I think that's what appealed to me about this track. When the reveal hits, you can judge that for yourself. This part of the test was tough to assemble, as it covers a wide variety within the genre. Track 15 is pretty standard, but given who and what it is, that's kind of what works about it for me. In fact, when I was listening to it in the car, at one point, he plays a line that he repeats three times. After the second time, I let out an involuntary, "Aaargh!" After the third time, he does the exact same thing. It was a nice moment. I agree with you about the electronics on track 17, but the tenor is so gorgeous, I just can't give it up.

More terrific comments! I like your Perry Robinson guess on three, but that's not it. I put this together mostly from stuff that has struck me from my current iPod list, and some stuff that I'd file away to use for a BFT at some point. There's some very tough tracks to ID in here. Thanks for giving it a listen, and I'm glad you enjoyed so much of it.

Niko, thanks for the comments. I like the way you hear and approach the BFT, but no matches... I hesitate saying that, because I suspect many are going to guess Shepp on track 10. Hope you got a smile or two out of the tracks.

Well, no.

I dig it, Jeff. Thanks!

SWEET!!!

Many thanks, Al. The Canyon was the "album cover" I set for all the albums; it's from my trip to the Grand Canyon. If you ever find yourself in southern Maine, Al, I owe you a cold, tasty sociable.

Okay, Bill. Stay tuned for a download link once we figure out the glitch with the id3 tags. <cursing microsoft as he walks away>

Yay Jeff!!!!

Good point, I guess "easy" is relative to taste, but I was thinking more in terms of the players.