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Big Al
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Posts posted by Big Al
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Only ever heard him on the Desmond dates...
It was only one track, but you heard him some time ago (my 2003 blindfold test) doing "Sometime Ago", from his duet recording with pianist Bill Mays.
I've slept since then. A lot!
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In any case, I will continue to listen to Benson, but so far I'm having trouble finding 60-70 minutes of first-rate stuff I could listen to over and over again.
Have you heard this?
Benson in 1973, two discs of live music with Mickey Tucker in support, only one vocal track, excellent song selection. Probably really his last straightahead date, it obviously pre-dates his ascent as a pop star.
Wow!!! This is my favorite era of Benson and I've never heard of this album. MUST find and own!!!
Milestones, also track down BODY TALK. Guitar funk at its finest!
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Lionel Hampton-Oscar Peterson Quartets/Quintets on Verve, disc 5
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Miles Davis, "Mademoiselle Mabry"
:tup -
Only ever heard him on the Desmond dates and "snoozefest" is the furthest thing from my mind whenever I hear him.
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Some more:
The Crusaders, Pass the Plate (15+)
Jim Hall, Concierto de Aranjuaz (19+)
Grant Green, Blues in Maude's Flat (2 seconds shy of the mark, but I don't care!
)Lionel Hampton Quintet, Flying Home (17+, the version with Buddy DeFranco)
Roy Eldridge/Dizzy Gillespie/Sweets Edison, Steeplechase (17+)
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Stanley Turrentine, Impressions (15+)
I didn't put this down, because I HAD checked the time - 14:12
MG
Crud!!! Well, like the Sebesky track, it also takes up an entire LP side, so...
I'm very surprised no one has mentioned this one yet but Herbie's Chameleon (15+) also came immediately to mind when is saw this thread.
DRAT!!!
Miles Davis, “He Loved Them Madly,” “On the Corner,” “Pharoah's Dance,” “Spanish Key,” etc.
Herbie Hancock, “Hornets,” (19:35)
DOUBLE DRAT!!!!
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RIP and thanks for all the great music. Literally ALL of it!
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Some of these have already been mentioned, but nonetheless:
Sonny Rollins, The Freedom Suite (19+)
Sonny Rollins, East Broadway Run Down (18+)
Dexter Gordon, Tanya (18+)
John Coltrane, Sweet Sapphire Blues (18+)
Red Garland, Lazy Mae (16+)
Freddie Hubbard, Straight Life (17+)
Hubert Laws, Mean Lene (15+)
Ben Webster & Associates, In a Mellow Tone (20+)
Jimmy Smith, The Sermon (20+)
Don Sebesky, Firebird/Birds of Fire (13+, but it takes up an entire side!)
Stanley Turrentine, Impressions (15+)
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Big Al, This is a great Blindfold Test! I had never heard of that Ben Webster cut, and am very glad I have been able to hear it.
I have never heard of Righteous Buddha, but I want to hear more!
Between your great Willie Bobo cut and the Willie Bobo cut on Jim Sangrey's recent Blindfold Test, I have to get some more Willie Bobo! Wow, is he great on these recordings!
For sheer listening enjoyment, this Blindfold Test is at the top!
Wow! Thanks, man! That's quite a compliment and I really appreciate that! As for Righteous Buddha, let me see if I can't fix ya up!
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Thanks for the great feedback, guys! I'm really glad y'all enjoyed it as much as you did.
Forgot to comment on the inspiration behind the "album art" and the name of the artist, "Zoot RR," assuming your media player showed either of these: Mad Magazine artist Don Martin, in addition to being one of my favorite artists (comic or otherwise) also designed some early album covers for Prestige Records. This particular panel comes from a story called "National Gorilla Suit Day," from a compilation called DON MARTIN BOUNCES BACK, which I bought when I was nine years old and still howl at to this day! I scanned the page as a jpg and then Paint.Net'd the "BFT 106" onto it. In the original panel, the two abominable snowmen, instead of shouting "BFT!!! 106!!!" actually growl at the characters to announce their presence. I love the look of exasperated frustration and resignation, much like how I imagine people would respond to knowing it was MY turn to run the BFT! (slapping of foreheads, shrugging of shoulders, awaiting the inevitable, etc)
Don Martin's gift for phonetic sounds was the inspiration behind the "artist name:" if you notice in the picture, the sound of the unzipping of the abominable snowman suit is "zoot!" (On a side note: because of this, it took me a while to be able to listen to Zoot Sims without giggling!) The word that the two beasts growl at our flustered friends is "ARARGH!!!" I have no idea what sound(s) Martin heard in his head when he penned that word, but this nine-year-old pronounced it like "are are" upon first reading, and so that phonetic combination has been lodged in my cranium for over 30 years now: "Zoot! ARARGH!!!" I always said if I ever got to lead a jazz band, "Zoot RR" would be my stage name. Since I have no idea if that day will ever come, I decided to go ahead and give that name its own album!
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What Clunky said. In the seven years since I bought mine, never had an issue with it!
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There were a number of themes intertwined into this BFT: some songs were on here to try and fool y’all, others were included because they fooled ME on first listen. Some songs were put on here just because I liked them and wanted to share the groove, others were put on here just to test your patience with me! The vibes theme, on which some of you commented, was wholly unintentional although completely understandable.
Side 1, Track 1:
The Mastersounds: Not Since Nineveh. Originally from the World Pacific LP KISMET, currently available on Wes’ Montgomery’s FINGERPICKIN’ CD.
Recorded 4/22/58
Buddy Montgomery - vibes
Richie Crabtree - piano
Wes Montgomery - guitar
Monk Montgomery - Fender Jazz bass
Benny Barth - drums
Almost had second thoughts about including this, and even after issuing the BFT, I questioned the wisdom of starting a BFT with a song that takes a while to get going. But once it got going, I remembered why I put this on here: because it swings, and because I wanted to see if anyone would recognize Wes with his brothers. More than a few of you guessed MJQ, which is just what I was hoping for!
Side 1, Track 2:
John Klemmer: Passion Food, from the LP INVOLVEMENT. Last available as a Verve LPR, not sure if it’s available anymore.
John Klemmer - tenor sax
Sam Thomas - guitar
Melvin Jackson - bass
Wilbur Campbell - drums
This one has missed the cut on every single BFT I’ve created up until now, so I’m glad it finally found a deserving home. This is a favorite album because the quartets alternate between piano-based rhythm sections (with Jodie Christian) and guitar-based rhythm sections (with Sam Thomas). I know nothing about Sam Thomas, and was happy this track inspired much discussion about him. I just dig his sound, which I can only describe as Chicago-based (the city, not the band) only because it puts me in mind of downtown Chicago.
Kudos to JSngry & Jim R for one of the most exciting cases of sleuthing on a BFT I’ve had the pleasure to witness!
Side 1, Track 3:
Gary McFarland: Pecos Pete, from the Impulse LP POINT OF DEPARTURE. Available as a Japanese import.
Recorded 9/6/63
Willie Dennis - trombone
Richie Kamuca - tenor sax & oboe
Gary McFarland - vibes
Jimmy Raney - guitar
Steve Swallow - bass
Mel Lewis - drums
I wanted so badly to put a track from this album on here, I coulda used any one of them but settled on this one because of the groove. If you stumble upon this LP in the used bins (as I did), get it anyway. There’s plenty to enjoy from this album, even if this track isn’t your cup o’ tea!
Side 1, Track 4:
Victor Feldman: Flying Down to Rio, from the Contemporary LP LATINSVILLE. Fantasy issued it on CD; assuming it hasn’t gone OOP, should be easy to find.
Recorded 3/20/59
Conte Candoli - trumpet
Frank Rosolino - trombone
Walter Benton - tenor saxophone
Victor Feldman - vibes
Vince Guaraldi - piano
Al McKibbon - bass
Stan Levey - drums
Mongo Santamaria - congas
Armando Peraza - bongos
Willie Bobo - timbales
This is essentially Cal Tjader’s Latin band without Cal. Feldman is definitely his own man, and nicely holds his own with the old pros.
Nobody had even a clue on this one, but a few thought this was Tjader, which was exactly what I was hoping for!
Side 2, Track 2:
Shelly Manne: The Isolated Pawn, from the Contemporary LP CHECKMATE. Available as an OJC.
Recorded 10/1961
Conte Candoli - trumpet
Richie Kamuca - tenor sax
Russ Freeman - piano
Chuck Berghofer - bass
Shelly Manne - drums
This whole album is wonderful, but this track has a special mood to it that I especially dig. The thing that got me on this track was the fact that, to these ears, it sounded like vintage Blue Note Herbie Hancock or Miles’ 2nd Quintet, and I wanted to see if anyone else noticed this. The fact that nobody did tells me I might just be hearing things!
Side 2, Track 3:
Devadip Carlos Santana: Gardenia, from the Columbia LP THE SWING OF DELIGHT. Available in a 30th Anniversary reissue that sounds phenomenal!
Recorded 1979/1980 (?)
Devadip Carlos Santana - guitar
Herbie Hancock - piano
Wayne Shorter - tenor sax
Ron Carter - bass
Tony Williams - drums
Carlos’ guitar is hard to mistake, and pretty much everyone nailed that. This is on here because of the backing band. VSOP with a guitar player instead of a trumpet player. Although each player appears elsewhere on this album, this is the only track on which they appear together. I wanted to see if anyone else picked up on this, but the general consensus was that this track was underwhelming at best.
Side 2, Track 4:
Johnny Smith with Jimmy Atkins: Land of the Velvet Hills, last available on the Verve Elite Edition of JOHNNY SMITH. Supposedly released as a single (according to the VEE credits), but I can’t find hardly anything about the song or its history anywhere.
Recorded 3/31/67, then sent to singer Atkins for overdubs sometime after
Johnny Smith - guitar
Hank Jones - piano
George Duvivier - bass
Don Lamond - drums
All I know is this: one afternoon, I put this CD in the player, sat down, and proceeded to doze off. Next thing I know, I’m hearing Bing Crosby singing a song about Colorado when I realized I was hearing an actual song. Half-awake, I grabbed the VEE digipak and looked at it to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Sure enough, I was hearing a real song, but boy did it have me fooled! And y’know how sometimes a song will just “get” you, no matter how corny or cheesy it is? I’d just gotten home from a mission trip in Moldova when I sat down to listen to this, and my heart was still hurting from missing the people I’d left behind and the people I’d travelled with. Smith’s languid playing and Atkins old-folksy vocals spoke directly to what was in my heart, and so this song is forever etched in that memory.
Betcha didn’t know that Jimmy Atkins is Chet Atkins’ brother! Betcha didn’t care, neither, didja?
However, as penance, I will gladly send a link to the instrumental version of this track that was also included on the VEE. Just shoot me (not literally!) a PM!
Side 3, Track 1:
Willie Bobo: Shotgun/Blind Man Blind Man, from the Verve LP SPANISH GREASE, currently available as a Verve 2-on-1 called SPANISH GREASE/UNO DOS TRES. It’s also available on the Verve comp TALKIN’ VERVE: WILLIE BOBO.
Recorded 9/8/65
Melvin Lastie - cornet
Bobby Brown - tenor sax
Clarence Henry - guitar
Richard Davis or Jim Phillips - bass
Victor Pantoja - congas
Willie Bobo - percussion
I just love this song. There have been days I’ve put this song on a continuous loop and listened to it nonstop for hours on end. Many a drivetime has been spent with this song playing over and over. A lotta times I’ll play this on the smartphone and groove to it while walking from the office to the truck, or from the truck to the office; I did that this morning, too! Few songs put me in a happy groove like this one, and I wanted to share the grooooooove! This sounds like a party recorded in the studio, sounds like everyone is having a blast!
Side 3, Track 2:
Donald Byrd: Bossa, from the Verve LP UP WITH DONALD BYRD. Currently available as a Verve 2-on-1 paired with Grant Green’s HIS MAJESTY KING FUNK
Recorded 12/16/64
Donald Byrd - trumpet
Stanley Turrentine - tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock - piano
Kenny Burrell - guitar
Ron Carter - bass
Grady Tate - drums
Candido - percussion
Tracks like this are the reason I’m so glad we have the Blindfold Test here: this fooled practically everyone on first listen, and pretty much anyone who tried to guess went right in the direction of a Blue Note recording. The Magnificent Goldberg, who eventually identified the whole thing, basically echoed word-for-word my reaction upon first hearing this tune, hence its inclusion here. JSngry got so close and gave JUST the response I was hoping for! Truth is, this track did the exact same thing to me, too! So I figured if it fooled me, it might fool some of y’all, especially since this nice little track is buried in an album that is generally reviled. Dan Gould hammered home that point when he mentioned that the AMG review had scared him off!
Side 3, Track 3:
Junior Mance: Boss Blues, from the Milestone LP THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’, currently available as a Milestone 2-fer of the same name (paired with Mance’s Riverside LP, THE SOUL OF HOLLYWOOD)
Recorded in 1967, “new rhythmic backing…substituted” in 1972
Junior Mance - piano
Aaron Bell or Bob Cunningham – bass (1967 session)
Bob Cranshaw – Fender bass (1972 session)
Oliver Jackson or Jimmy Lovelace – drums (1967 session)
Harold White – drums (1972 session)
Ralph MacDonald – percussion (1972 session)
Another album I wanted to include something from because it has a nice early-70’s boogaloo vibe to it. I picked this track because it sounded like something Horace Silver mighta done around the same time. That woulda been my guess had this been anyone else’s BFT. Apparently I was alone in this assessment. No wonder I’m so clueless about jazz after all these years!
Although nobody identified it, the general consensus was that y’all liked it enough! Orrin Keepnews liner notes indicate that this was part of an album first issued on a small label with little distribution. Although those notes don’t say why, I guess it was for legal reasons that they felt they had to re-mix this album with new rhythmic backing.
Side 3, Track 4:
Sonny Stitt: Touchy, from the Impulse LP NOW. Currently available as a 2-fer with his album with Paul Gonsalves, SALT & PEPPER.
Recorded 6/10/63
Sonny Stitt - tenor sax
Hank Jones - piano
Al Lucas - bass
Osie Johnson - drums
Here’s why this track, and in particular everyone’s guesses, drove me completely batty: when I recently listened to this the first time on the Impulse 2-fer, (which, incidentally, I got in the same trade as the Grant Green/Donald Byrd 2-fer), I thought it was Paul Gonsalves quoting his solo from Newport. Then I realized there wasn't a second sax solo, which drove me to actually look at the digipak and see what’s going on. And whattya know: it’s Sonny MFing Stitt quoting Gonsalves left & right! Heck, I'm surprised Stitt didn't toss in the last lick from "Hey Good Lookin'" to wrap up his solo!
And once again, nobody but me noticed this. I guarantee, if someone else had put this on their BFT, I woulda gone apeshit first by trying to find that RCA album he did where he started the album with “Diminuendo & Crescendo,” then when I realized it wasn’t that, woulda gone in search of other Gonsalves albums. I’m pretty sure I woulda argued with the BFT creator that, even though they’d told me this wasn’t Gonsalves, they were wrong and I was right!!! Because I’m a little nutty like that when it comes to my jazz cluelessness!!!
So, anyway, now you know, go get this nifty little 2-fer and decide for yourself if I’m losing my mind!
Oh yeah, and don’t Osie Johnson just swing like a MUTHA???? I thought so too!
Side 4, Track 1:
Righteous Buddha: Ancient Chinese Secret, from the CD GET RIGHT.
Recorded 2002/2003
This is on here just because I like it. It’s cryptic, eerie, & greeeeazy, which is good enough for me. I didn’t expect anyone to know this, and wasn’t trying to fool anyone with this; just wanted to get everyone’s opinion, which was generally positive. I like it that a lotta folks thought this was Weather Report, and I can see that now that y’all mentioned it.
I forget who on this board hipped me to them so long ago, but I am eternally grateful they did. This whole album shimmers with grooves so thick they don’t so much drip outta your speakers as ooze. If anyone is that interested in it, I’ll be glad to make a copy for you because I have NO idea if this is available anymore. None of their web sources have been updated in a year. Of course, if someone finds an outlet for this disc, the offer is rescinded.
Side 4, Track 2:
Gary McFarland & Co.: Mary Jane, from the Impulse LP TIJUANA JAZZ. No idea if this is available anywhere and, judging from the responses, it doesn’t look like I need to worry!
Recorded 12/6/65
Joe Newman, Clark Terry - trumpet, flugelhorn
Bob Brookmeyer - valve trombone
Jean "Toots" Thielman - harmonica, guitar
Gary McFarland - marimba, electric piano
Barry Galbraith - guitar
Bob Bushnell - electric bass
Grady Tate or Mel Lewis - drums
Willie Bobo - percussion
Jim R & webbcity pegged the whole reason for this track’s existence on the BFT: I also thought of Sesame Street the first time I heard it! Little did I know the amount of revulsion this would generate! Hardly the kind of album one would associate with Impulse, but I dig it.
Plus, I generally dig Gary McFarland, which you mighta noticed by the fact that he has two tracks on this BFT. But that’s precisely why I like him: no two albums of his (at least that I’ve heard) sound the same, and I like it that there are records of his that I REALLY don’t like, so I like it that each new discovery of his is a real adventure (in the lightest sense of the word, of course)!
Side 4, Track 3:
The Jazz Crusaders: Way Back Home, from the Chisa LP OLD SOCKS, NEW SHOES…NEW SOCKS, OLD SHOES. Might still be available in the Verve Originals series.
Recorded 1970
Wilton Felder - tenor sax
Wayne Henderson – trombone
Joe Sample - electric piano
Arthur Adams, Freddie Robinson - guitar
Stix Hooper - drums
Wait, no bass player? That can’t be right! Wish I had the CD with me! Will update this part later!
Another track I just love. Love to hum along with the harmonies of Felder & Henderson.
Fully and heartwarmingly identified by Jim R, with history related to this track provided by JSngry.
Side 4, Track 4:
Lennie Tristano: Intuition, released on various LPs over time. The source for this track was a CD called INTUITION on Capitol Jazz, which pairs the Tristano May 1949 sessions with a Warne Marsh LP for Imperial.
Recorded 5/16/49
Lee Konitz - alto sax
Warne Marsh - tenor sax
Lennie Tristano - piano
Billy Bauer - guitar
Arnold Fishkin - bass
This literally was a last-minute addition to the BFT. I’ve had this CD for a while, it was one of those purchases-for-historical-merit things that I never listened to. Been going through a lotta CDs to sell and was listening for a reason to hang onto this one. Well, I still didn’t find it, but this track intrigued the heck outta me! It’s very free, but I love how melodic and methodic the playing is. It sounds like they’re just playing follow-the-leader, one note at a time. I found it fascinating!
A lotta y’all knew this was a Tristano piece, but only Jeffcrom fully ID’d everything about it!
Side 4, Track 5:
Buddy Bregman: Kicks is in Love, from the Verve LP SWINGING KICKS, currently/last available as a Verve By Request CD.
Recorded 12/20/56
Ben Webster - tenor saxophone
Andre Previn - piano
A nice way to close the BFT, but a dirty rotten trick on my part: a track from an album where none of the players is the leader of the album! This, I’m pleased to say, fooled everyone, despite the fact that everyone knew it was Ben Webster. Plus, I just love this album, which has already seen one track appear on a BFT years ago. It runs the gamut from small-group jazz to big-band swing, but THIS track is the reason you should find this album NOW! Well, except that now you have it courtesy of this BFT. But I’m telling you, this album is SUCH a treat! Fun for the whole family!
This will likely get edited as I find more info I left out & whatnot, but the explanations, excuses, rants, and gibberish will remain the same. Thanks to all eight of you who played along! As always, I enjoyed it!
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Side 1, Track 1: Fully ID'd
Side 1, Track 2: Fully ID'd
Side 1, Track 3: Not ID'd
Side 1, Track 4: Not ID'd (and I wish mikeweil would take a stab at this, cuz this was aimed directly at him!)
Side 2, Track 1: Fully ID'd
Side 2, Track 2: Not ID'd, and I won't lie: I'm pretty proud of myself on this one!
Side 2, Track 3: Fully ID'd
Side 2, Track 4: Fully ID'd, and I won't lie: I really didn't think that would happen!
Side 3, Track 1: Fully ID'd
Side 3, Track 2: Fully ID'd
Side 3, Track 3: Not ID'd
Side 3, Track 4: Artist ID'd by practically everyone, but nobody's gotten the track or the album (understandable, given that the guy put out about a zillion LPs in his lifetime)
Side 4, Track 1: Not ID'd
Side 4, Track 2: Not ID'd and roundly avoided like the plague. But, a couple of you figured out WHY it's on the BFT!
Side 4, Track 3: Fully ID'd
Side 4, Track 4: Fully ID'd
Side 4, Track 5: Artist identified by practically everyone, but nobody knows the source. Which is PRECISELY what I was hoping for!
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Side 1 Tr 1 - Boy, the vibraphonist sure sounds a lot like Milt Jackson but I can't say for sure that it's him. My reference point for Jackson is the MJQ stuff and a few other earlier recordings of his. This COULD be him in a later setting, or it could be someone else who is influenced by him. The guitar player sure sounds familiar, but I can't place him. Overall, nice tune, nice group with some tasty playing. I like the chord progression of the tune a lot too.
You guessed precisely the way I woulda guessed this had this been someone else's BFT, which is what I was hoping for!
Side 1 Tr 2 - WOW...this is really nice. What a fantastic, sinewy sound the bass player has...and beautiful playing. And the tenor player is outstanding. Damn...who is this? I have no guesses. I am digging the whole vibe of this...great players, and they are totally in sync. I need to know who this is.
By now, I'm sure you know. Curious to know if you were as surprised as everyone else was!
Side 3 Tr 2 - I like it. Nice & easy...sounds like an old Blue Note groover, but I think it could a tiny bit more recent. Nice bluesy solo from the tenor player. The tune itself makes me think Nat Adderley, but not the trumpet playing. But I don't know who the trumpet player is.
Another guess that woulda echoed mine had this been someone else's BFT!
Side 3 Tr 4 - Good stuff, enjoyed the tenor solo, but even moreso the piano solo-- very nice, impeccable. That is some seriously tasty drumming. Really digging the drummer. No guesses on this one.
FINALLY!!!! Someone else didn't know who this was! I feel a little better now. Thanks, Tim!
Side 4 Tr 2 - Sorry, not my thing. Sounds like Sesame Street. That trombone player has a pretty fabulous sound though.
As noted earlier, the whole Sesame Street thing was what got this on the BFT: just to see if anyone else thought of this when they heard it! A point for you!
Side 4 Tr 5 - Man, that sound!! Beautiful tenor playing. Holy cow, that is stunning...that tone just defies gravity. What little I know of Ben Webster makes me want to say that it's him, but I'm probably wrong. In any case, it's fantastic.
Most definitely Ben! My favorite tenor of all time. NOBODY played a ballad like Big Ben!
Thanks Al, for all your efforts in putting this together. Some nice stuff here!
Thank YOU, Tim! Glad you enjoyed it, and I really dug your commentary!
Reveal coming tomorrow! (I hope!)
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All prices include shipping to US & Canada. International ships at cost. PayPal much preferred.
Feel free to make me an offer!
8 Adderley, Cannonball - PORTRAIT OF CANNONBALL (Riverside OJC)
7 Beck, Joe - BECK & SANBORN (CTI, late 80's issue of Kudu LP originally titled BECK)
10 Chaloff, Serge - BOSTON BLOW UP (Capitol)
5 Davis, Miles - THE MUSINGS OF MILES (Prestige RVG)
15 Donaldson, Lou - SUNNY SIDE UP (Blue Note Conn)
20 Genesis - THREE SIDES LIVE (US version, 2-CDs, fatboy)
7 Gordon, Dexter - DADDY PLAYS THE HORN (Bethlehem, SHOUT Factory issue)
7 Haynes, Roy - WE THREE (Prestige RVG)
7 Haynes, Roy - JUST US (Prestige OJC)
15 Hill, Andrew - SMOKE STACK (Blue Note TOCJ, TOCJ-4160, no OBI)
7 Hubbard, Freddie - STRAIGHT LIFE (CTI, 1997 Legacy digipak)
7 Laws, Hubert - AFRO-CLASSIC (CTI, late-80's issue)
6 Mahavishnu Orchestra - INNER MOUTING FLAME (Sony Legacy remaster)
6 Mahavishnu Orchestra - BIRDS OF FIRE (Sony Legacy remaster)
***HOLD*** Malone, Russell - TRIPLE PLAY (MaxJazz String Series)
6 Martino, Pat - EL HOMBRE (Prestige RVG)
5 Monterose, J.R. - MONTEROSE, J.R. (Blue Note RVG, BMG issue
15 Morgan, Lee - INDEED! (Blue Note TOCJ, TOCJ-1538, no OBI)
20 Nicholas, Gallivan, Larry Young - LOVE CRY WANT
8 Powell, Bud - THE SCENE CHANGES (Blue Note RVG)
15 Salvador, Sal - QUARTET/QUINTET AND KENTON PRESENTS (Blue Note Conn, Connoisseur 10" series)
5 SANTANA (first album, 1998 single-disc Legacy issue)
7 Schifrin, Lalo - PIANO, STRINGS, AND BOSSA NOVA (Verve Original digipak)
15 Sebesky, Don - GIANT BOX (CTI CTI Timeless Collection 40, Japanese King pressing w/OBI)
10 Silver, Horace - THE STYLINGS OF SILVER (Blue Note TOCJ, TOCJ-1562, no OBI)
15 Tjader, Cal - SONA LIBRE (Verve, what the Hoffmanites would call a "W. German pressing")
25 Turrentine, Stanley - UP AT MINTON'S (Blue Note, 2 CDs)
7 Tyner, McCoy - TOGETHER (Milestone OJC)
8 Walton, Cedar - CEDAR! (Prestige OJC)
6 Williams, Cootie - IN HI-FI (RCA Classic Edition, released during Ellington Centennial, holepunch in UPC)
Much more to come!
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I waited until the very last minute, didn’t I?
Believe me, I have NO room to gripe!
1 (Side 1, track 1): Some unusual chord changes here, along with changes of feel. I liked this more and more as it progressed. Compositionally it sounds like something Teddy Charles would do, and the vibes sound like him a little bit, but it’s not any recording I know. Whoever it is, it’s pretty interesting; I want to hear it again.
It's not Charles, but that's a GREAT guess, though! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you find out who it is!
2 (Side 1, track 2) I like the muscular tenor playing. The player sounds familiar to me, but I can’t quite put tone, articulation, and style together and come up with a name. Not brilliant, but very nice.
Also identified, and again, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I know that Jim R & JSngry were!
3 (Side 1, track 3) Cool groove and instrumentation. I hear several different woodwinds in there oboe and saxophone – same person? I don’t know who anyone is, but it’s nice.
Not the same... well, lemme look at the record.... well, whaddya know? It IS the same person! Great call, Jeff!
5 (Side 2, track 1): Very individual flute sound – I like it. And nice medium-slow groove. The best I can do is state who it’s not, but I won’t do that. I like it, though.
8 (Side 2, track 4): I didn’t like anything about this except the guitarist, but he kept me listening – a talented guy doing a dirty job.
On the CD from which this track was taken is the instrumental version of this song. I'm thinking I need to make that available as penance for you guys!
10 (Side 3, track 2) Oh, hell, yeah! What a great groove. That’s Tommy Turrentine’s little brother on the tenor sax, and he sounds fabulous. Could be Misters Mitchell and Green on trumpet and guitar. Part of what makes this groove so irresistible is that everyone in the rhythm section plays their part – no one strays much beyond their assigned role. In any case, why don’t I have this?
Turrentine yes, Mitchell & Green no. I think this one's been identified, and once you see which album it's from, you might understand why you don't have it. A genuine diamond in the rough, this one!
12 (Side 3, track 4) Sonny Stitt doing what he does best – just blowing. At least, I think it’s Stitt – the sound, style, and vocabulary are his (down to the tag at the end), but the articulation doesn’t seem quite right for him. Could be the way this is recorded. Anyway, it’s mighty tasty – good work from everyone.
This track's inclusion, and everyone nailing it, is making me feel pretty darn silly now! Especially after I reveal who *I* thought this was when I first heard it!
13 (Side 4, track 1) A very interesting track, and more importantly, it got under my skin. Someone’s equally adept at electric piano and organ, and got into some very cool, slightly out-there stuff. And the rhythm section grooves hard, changing things up just enough to make it interesting. I like.
Hopefully, this BFT inspires some purchases of this CD!
14 (Side 4, track 2) What the hell is this? I almost skipped on to the next track after a few seconds, but something made me keep going. Then – is that Bob Brookmeyer? Really? What is this?
Yup, it's Brookmeyer. Check out JSngry's hilariously spot-on statement about this track. Nobody's identified it yet, which has actually kinda surprised me. But I still like it!
16 (Side 4, track 4) “Intuition” by Lennie Tristano and the usual suspects, supposedly the first free improvisation recorded by jazz musicians (or maybe by anybody – I don’t really know). I’ve known and loved this recording for years, but had forgotten that Billy Bauer almost ruins it with that corny whole-tone scale passage at the 45 second mark. (If I ever write a book on improvisation, it will contain the commandment, “Don’t play whole-tone scales, unless you’re Coleman Hawkins, and you’re not.”) But it holds up pretty well 64 years later.
DING! DING! DING! DING!!! If the rest of your book is as hilarious as that one line, then get crackin', man! I wanna read this!!!!
17 (Side 4, track 5) Just beautiful. When you have a sound like this, all you have to do is play the melody. The tenor playing is so spare that I actually had a hard time deciding between late Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster, but there’s enough there that I think it’s Ben. Don’t know the song or the album.
Yep, 'tis Ben, as has been identified. I think I may have found another diamond in the rough here, but this might've been a lot meaner than I'd intended!
Thanks for a good 'un, Big Al. I'm looking forward to finding out more about several of these. Now to read the thread and see how embarrassed I should be....
Hopefully, you won't be too embarrassed! I mean, I'm embarrassed at my choices, and I made the bleedin' thing!
As I said, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at a lot of these. Thanks for playing and for your wonderful commentary! -
Thanks for the BFT, Big Al. I'm sure you put a lot of time into putting it together, good job. This honestly isn't the style of music I typically listen to but that is why I enjoy these things. That also means I don't have much for comments (not unusual) or Ids (I am pretty sure I did hear Carlos Santana in there).
I'm sure that I've mentioned being a big fan of the vibe, so several vibraphone tracks works for me. The guy on the first track was probably my favorite player here, a Milt Jackson like style. I don't think that is who it is though. Track 3 is the one thing on the BFT that sounded familiar but you know how that goes. I'm going to make my one obligatory wild guess and say Johnny Lytle.
Track 16 was my favorite track. I'm not sure I've heard anything quite like it. I wonder if it is a little different for the group playing it as well. If there is a whole album like this, I will be happy to find out about it.
Thanks for playing along, NIS! Right there with ya about enjoying these BFT's for the sake of the experience, even if I get nothing out of it.
And yes, you (along with everyone else) did indeed hear Carlos Santana!
As for track 16, I'll be sending you a PM shortly about this.
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I don't consider Keepnews Collections OJCs, I just don't.
I'll tell you where a fair number of remainded OJS did show up (and still do, from what little recent experience I've had) - Hastings.
There's a Hastings around here?
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My copy of the VEE is missing the booklet. I will gladly take a scanned pdf of said booklet e-mailed to me. Thanks!
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Still hoping to hear from the following folks:
Bright Moments
jeffcrom
Thom Keith
webbcity
mikeweil
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That Hutch box is not to be missed, especially at THAT price! Nothing but good music from start to finish!
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I wish I could listen to jazz in the car. I get too distracted by the road, so I end up listening to either rock & roll or sports talk radio.
Or NPR.
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Side 3 Track 2 - Absolutely positively Stanley Turrentine. If this turns out to be from after his first run with Blue Note, I'll have to find the record/CD.
Absolutely positively correct, but it's smack-dab in the middle of his Blue Note tenure, and he's not even the leader. This has been ID'd elsewhere here.
I'm ashamed to admit I consciously avoided this one, scared off by Yanow's AMG review - and the thought of what the Donald Byrd Singers might sound like. I actually think I might have snagged it as part of a CD trade a while back but never got to it - I've got to check as soon as I get home. Kinda cool to think of an unheard Grant Green, not to mention Byrd/Turrentine/Burrell/Hancock. Even with the Donald Byrd Singers.
So Al this was a very good BFT since it exposed me to music I should have heard a long time ago and inspired me to finally remedy that oversight.
Thanks, Dan! I'm really glad you enjoyed the BFT. I don't completely agree with Yanow's review (of this OR of the Grant Green LP that Verve issued on CD). Neither album is a major effort from the respective leader, but there is much good to be mined from both albums. And, FWIW, I'll take the DB Singers over his Blue Note albums that also featured singers any day of the week. They're fun albums, nothing more & nothing less, and the CD is well worth seeking out.
Then again, you know my tastes, so you might wanna take that with a grain of salt!
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DL for me, please!