tkeith

I dunno who Bill Plaschke is, but I figure that the concept of "sample size" is beyond the comprehension of most sportswriters... I heard the interview with this idiot. The audio was accompanied by a strong odor of vinegar and water.

Yeah, I didn't mean it that way; I was afraid it would come across that way. I was thinking of a particular pianist and I could see his picture in my head... he's a white guy...merely meant it as a means of identification. My point exactly. I love the acoustic bass, and it seems like many of the tracks (including this one) didn't have any. Nope. Only after I read the comments from others (that's why my edits were in a different color).

Usual disclaimer (this was a tough test!): 1 -- Boot or just a bad recording. I like that this is different, I just don't hear anything earth-shattering in it. Not sure who it is, but sounds like a college-trained guitarist -- very busy. Drums aren't really doing anything. This reminds me of a lot of stuff people offer up for me to hear as "outside," and it really isn't, other than the instrumentation. 2 -- This is more like it. Very interesting and understated. No idea who it is, though. 3 -- Different, but not my bag. I'm guessing it's one guy overdubbed, because I'm not really hearing a lot of interaction. The tenor reminds me of a friend of mine, Larry Gelberg, but I know it's not him. Almost an Oliver Nelson quality to the tone of of the tenor -- like a cross between Oliver and Gato, in terms of attack. For some reason, I'm thinking Ivo, but the sound isn't right. Definitely out of the Hebraic tradition. 4 -- I want to like this, and think I do. It's over-produced, but I like the concept. Seems like it might be a soundtrack. Pianist has listened to a lot of Tapscott and Randy Weston. Maybe D.D. Jackson? Maybe not... thinking it might be a white guy (particular one)... shoot... can't think of his name, but had an interview with Cadence about a year or so back. He's similar to Shipp, but more European. Plucked cello? Not a sound I dig. I think Curtis Clark used similar instrumentation for a couple of tracks on Dreams Deferred, but this doesn't sound like him to me. edit: Hmmm... based on the ID of the cellist, perhaps I over thought this one? 5 -- I like that this is different, very unique, but at the same time, it's not really reaching me. I'd guess this is a younger guy -- full sound, but very 'recordable sound'... also very technical writing, and played flawlessly. Jerry Sabatini plays a lot of hyper-technical stuff like this (which I do like, incidentally), but this isn't him. Not crazy about that guitar, again, very technical, but I like the overall group sound. I also LOVE the acoustic bass, and I'm realizing now the major rub I'm having with this BFT. 6 -- I like the eastern tonality of the beginning. I've enjoyed this sort of thing ever since the b-side of Pharoah's JOURNEY TO THE ONE. This one stays more true to the strict middle-eastern sound than I'd prefer. Doesn't sound like native eastern musicians to me -- too clean, too perfect... too technocratic. Hate to be a crotchety old bastard, but makes me want to dig out Ahmed Abdul Malik's albums from around 1960 and hear the more authentic sound (JGriff's bop lines notwithstanding). 7 -- Love the sound of the drums on this. Sounds older, but perhaps it's a Mapleshade date (like the Thurman Green date with the beautiful sounding drums). But no, this sounds older to me. Not a big clarinet guy, but the feel of this is really nice. Very much LOVING the drums. Clarinet's a bad ass... could it be Pepper? I can almost hear his alto lines in it (though, in truth, I usually avoid his clarinet tracks). I'll commit to Pepper on the guess. Dig the bass, but on the laptop, can't really offer a guess. This is nice. note: since you're heavy on the clarinet, I have to recommend a guy in Montreal named Matthieu Belanger. I heard him on bass clari and he blew my mind. Wasn't crazy about his record (heavy on the clarinet), but if you get the chance to see him, do it! edit: I gotta check out more Perry Robinson. Suggestions? 8 -- Not loving this. I don't mind it's 'outness', but it lacks that magical ingredient... that 'spiritual unity'. A post-Trane guy... maybe something obscure by Noah Howard? Doesn't sound strong enough to me. 9 -- Somebody likes Ornette a whole lot. Love the tuba, love the obscurity of the head -- angular, but swinging -- nice! Totally into the trumpet... want to guess Billy Higgins on the drums, but doesn't seem quite right. Alto is ringing bells, but my wife just got home and is in the kitchen making more noise than the Germans in North Africa (WTF!?!?). Man, I flat out love this tune. Recognize the trumpet, too. If I don't have this, I will. This is lovely! edit: OH! EFF me!!!!! I knew I knew this. I should have smoked this one easy. I guess every time I play that record I get too wrapped up in Until The Rains Come. Keeee-rist!!!! 10 -- A little polished, but me likey. I definitely gravitate towards this percussive stuff. Drummer seems to throw it off in the middle... seems to drag the time and it struggles to recover afterward. I want it to go a little further out, but the piano is locking into that feel and not really following the music where it wants to go. This seems almost like a missed opportunity. I like the bass a lot. 11 -- I like the poly-rhythmic nature of this, but again, piano seems to be locking itself more in than it needs to. Drum sound is hard to take -- hyper compressed. Yeah, overall, I'm liking this a lot, though, even with the recording. I'll guess a late 80s recording b/c of those drums. Maybe this is one of the tracks you alluded to where it's not the guy's main instrument. This pianist sounds like it's not his main instrument (which is actually a plus here -- it's got a rawness to it that I'm digging). 12 -- I like this. I should know it, I definitely know that drummer. Another cut with great drum sound (even if they're way back). Drummer reminds me of one of the guys from the Monk Prestige years. I may be crazy, but this pianist is making me hear Jimmy Jones lines. He's not playing them, and it's certainly not him, but there's something about this that's making me HEAR him. Could it be early Cecil? Seems too in the tradition for that, but that would explain a lot. Not sure of the soprano. Not Lacy. Oh! Wait, yes it is. I know *exactly* what this. Shit, I haven't played this in years! Forgot it was this good. It's Charge 'Em Blues, from [url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0xfwxqugldse]this[/ur]. Jesus! 'Bout time I get one!!!! Thanks for the difficult (in a good way) listen. I'm going to kick myself in the ass for #9, because I just know I *should* know it.

GENIUS!!!

On a Raymond Chandler kick, so I'm reading the Phillip Marlowe series. Also reading Ross McDonald's Lew Archer series, and I have Stanley Dance's THE WORLD OF DUKE ELLINGTON going, as well.

Wow... shocked that I hated Carl Burnett so much on track 3 -- so much so that I went back and listened again. Bobby Pierce is ripping on this, though. Two Henry Franklin appearances in back-to-back BFTs and I miss them both. I'm going to poke myself in the eye by way of retribution. Missing Mobley on track 9 really pains me. We agree on Michael Cochrane -- love him on Hannibal's record, reminds me of Hicks a lot.

2) Jesus... Billy Higgins is so obvious, now. And there's Teddy. I'm such an ass. 4) Guess it's time to build up my Don Wilkerson collection. 11) I get a lot of that, Dan. This was a good BFT because it was interesting throughout (even that which I didn't care for), which made it worth listening to, even where it kicked my ass.

Objection. We earned this. And believe me, the real fans understand how precious, and likely short-lived, this is. <Yankee Baiting Follows> Now, when Jeter signs with Boston as a free-agent to be a utility infielder, THEN you can call us spoiled.

Guess I need to read more posts here -- hadn't realized you were based in LA. A friend of mine really turned me on to that scene. He's made a study of the LA culture, centered around Tapscott, and makes yearly pilgrimages. He went to the Montreal Jazz Fest to see Tapscott, only to have him subbed for, without warning, by Muhal Richard Abrahms (whom my friend detests). Turns out Tapscott had just been diagnosed with the brain tumor and that's why he missed the show. I should have nailed that cut, but it sailed right past my radar. Time to say f*** the nonsense of life and focus some more time on serious listening, again. Disc One had some of the best stuff I've heard in a BFT, yet. Thanks!

What has two thumbs and is in? This guy.

Exactly. It was just a suggestion But where there's been diminished interest in both creation and participation, it seems to make sense to limit it to one disc -- the second disc could be a separate test down the road. As for the time -- believe it or not, 80 minutes is not exactly something I have just kicking around most weeks, let alone 160. If some do, that's great for them. 9 months out of the year, I typically don't.

I'm actually the nucleus of this circle.

At the risk of Bogarting the role, I'm always up to sub on short notice.

It would -- but we can also set it up digitally (if Al doesn't want that burden, I can take it) for you.

I'm dyslexic... I just read it as "dates".

Not to be disrespectful, but I'm going to side with Dan's perspective on this. I've really enjoyed these and I would have signed up to do another, but I didn't want to Bogart that role. I don't find the format stale -- I read all the comments right up until the answers are posted -- I've just never figured it was my place to comment on someone's guesses. I don't mind doing so, but I figured that was the role of the compiler. Granted, the participation may be low, but is that any reason to disband the BFT? For the 6-8 that consistently do it, it seems to be enjoyable. One suggestion: Limit the BFT to one disc. If you really want to do two, sign up for a second test. I know mine was too long, so maybe that's part of the challenge -- make your statement in 80 minutes or less. Regarding the range of tastes, some of the tests have driven me batshit, but I see that as a positive if I'm being exposed to different music. One way to limit the effect of an unfamiliar BFT would be the 1 CD time limit. Listening to 2 hours of avant garde or 20's music is perhaps too much. I like to be familiar with a test so that I have a fighting chance to make correct guesses, but I also enjoy being introduced to stuff I would not otherwise encounter. I truly hope the BFT makes a remarkable, Patrick Duffy-like recovery.

Guess the planners never saw Poltergeist.

He got cute out-thinking himself. Lowe gets in his head, and that was obvious from the first pitch he saw. I just hope he has a short memory, because he hit the shit out of the ball all spring (and he's my 1B in fantasy).

Jim, I had this same problem, so I just started writing them in a text editor, then pasting them into this window.

Only took about 6 minutes to put a smile on my face this year -- McCann is on my fantasy squad. Man, is it good to have the game back! Lowe was unconscious last night. Unfortunately, Booby [sic] still has learned nothing about when to let a guy pitch. His pitch count was ridiculously low and the Phillies could not solve him. That's just dumb.

Oh don't tell me he f*cking covers THAT!?!?!?!?

I'm less familiar with Woodard than the other two, but that record just didn't hit me. I may have been biased by how little I was reached by the other two guys.

1-I like the piano, but the recording of the drums is excruciating (egad, I hate engineers!). No idea. 2-Aw, man... I know the song, but can't think of the title. Shit! This happens all the friggin' time! Don't know the recording or the musicians, but this tune... man! It's like standards 101 and I can't think of it to save my life! AAAAAAArrrrggghh! I think it's one of the Hefti things written for Basie, but... ugh! Ah!!! Got it! It's Cute! Oh, MAN that was painful. No idea of the band. 3-Time After Time. Very busy piano. No, not Time After Time. More excruciating drums (recording). No idea. Somebody out of the Peterson/Newborn school, but not either of them. This drummer is not doing it for me. Bassist plays a lot of quotes... maybe Ray Brown? Doesn't sound like him, but could be. Drummer has the subtly of Don Rickles. 4-Sounds like It Never Entered My Mind, then into a basic blues again. A lot like Gene Harris. He's too busy for my ear (as GH often is). This would be okay live, but it grates on playback, without the atmosphere of the club. 5-I'll get crucified for this, but the touch reminds me a lot of Harry Connick's piano playing. I like this, but again, I wouldn't listen to it often. It seems too busy and trite for the genre to leave me with much of an impression. 6-Wave. Big sound like Buddy Tate, but the playing is more modern than that. No clue on the bass. 7-The Sidewinder. My first impression is Joey DeFrancesco, but the trumpet sounds more like a Jazz guy than that. Maybe Ryan Kisor, I know he recorded an album by that name, but I've never found it (discounting the copy on Amazon for $50). I'll guess RK. No track 8? 9-This sounds like Cedar Walton to me right away (but a quick review tells me much of this BFT has). Autumn Leaves. Can't place the tenor. He's got that reedy sound almost like Billy Mitchell, but doesn't navigate as well as BM. A little like Teddy Edwards near the end, too, and that would jibe with the time of the recording. Not sure. 10-No clue. Interesting instrumentation. 11-On The Trail. Dexter Gordon is the first, Al Cohn is the second. It's got to be from this. It was originally released under both their names (Xanadu, if I recall) as Silver Blue. 12-Has the feel of one of those early 70s Elvin dates, but isn't Elvin. Not sure of the tenor, but he's got a Dexter-esque tone, and knows his Coltrane. Could be Franklin Kiermeyer, but doesn't sound busy like him. Nice tune. A lot of ground covered in this BFT, much of it to my liking. Thanks.

1-No clue, but the tone of the lyrics reminds me of the attitude of The Humble Farmer (http://www.thehumblefarmer.com/), likely, he'd recognize it. 2-Fun listen, no clue who it be. 3-See comment on #2. 4-Has what I think of as that classic Ray Charles feel, but to my ear, this sounds like it may be older. 5-B.B. King singing with members of the Ellington band. I've heard this before, but forget who exactly is on the record. If I remember correctly, it's back-up guys from Duke's band, not the main guys (rab/carney). Believe it's Norris Turney on alto and Danny Bank on bari. 6-Is this. Know that voice anywhere. 7-This sounds like a Blues How To manual. I'm hearing a lot of Joe Henderson in the tenor, but the tone sounds more muscular than Joe. Some of the ideas, though, are right out of late-60s Joe, so it could be. That lick in the turn around is the same one Cannonball uses at the end of his solo on Freddie the Freeloader. Good stuff. 8-And there's the lick again. No idea, but fun. 9-Watermelon Man, I don't know who, but I hear a Varitone on that sax. No clue. 10-Wind bass makes me think of Dirty Dozen Brass Band, but the sax player doesn't seem to have the polish. Not much in this one for me. 11-Strollin'. It's from this. A friend gave me this a few years back trying to sell me on Watts. Just not a huge fan of him or Christlieb. I like PC when he's out of the Jazz setting (like with Tom Waits, or other rock-side recordings), but he just doesn't reach me in the strict jazz setting. The recording does NOT help this at all. 12-This isn't quite as cool as it wants to be, but I like it. Sounds like Turrentine to me, but when he was older. Could be Plas Johnson, too... definitely an older cat on a modern recording. Even a little like Von Freeman in the upper register. I'll guess Von Freeman for the first guy. Second guy sounds like Teddy Edwards to me. 13-This reminds me of one of those Gene Harris bands with Sweets. Tenor sounds like Getz to me, but a little on the bluesy side for him. Sounds like one of those Concord recordings (or similar), in that it's not a working band. Don't care for the bass solo at all. It's a nice tune, nicely done, but I don't think I'd ever pull it out of the sleeve just to hear it. 14-Walton, or his tune, anyway. Midnight Waltz, or Twilight Waltz (depending on the record). Hmm... McPhersonesque tone, but not quite as strong. Not sure if it's Cedar, either. Not Billy Higgins, either... intrigued. Piano sounds like a more modern player playing like Cedar. Has studied his John Hicks lines, too. Alto sounds a helluva lot like Cannonball to me, but he was long dead when this was recorded, so it must be Jim Snidero. This is pretty good stuff, what's the rest of the record like? 15-These have to be modern guys because they build a nice mood and then try to get too tricky with the improvisation, instead of just playing the song. I can actually hear the equations in the tenor solo. Guy has a very Shorter-esque sound, but the whole thing is missing fire, to my ear. Alto is more of the same. No thanks.

Yes and no. I needed a break from the project (been working on it for months) of adding in all missing artwork and adding the year of recording to the album title. I found the file had the title, and added it into the .mp3 tag, but had not gone so far as searching the title. But really, I should have recognized Randy Weston's music... brain's just a little fried. Thanks for the help, though, because now the only outstanding stuff is the live avant garde band. I'm beginning to wonder if this was not a back-up disc I made without rhyme or reason on some random blank disc someone had given me. It's BIZAAAAAAAAH, I tell ya!