Jim R

True, John. I suppose there will always be a trade-off between convenience and accuracy. I just think that a lot of people overlook the accuracy part. To me, taking large amounts of raw data from AMG is kind of a frightening concept.

I do think that song searches there can be quite useful and helpful, and to some extent getting info on sideman appearances as well. However, the idea of going to AMG looking for dates is very iffy, IMO. They constantly confuse dates of recording with dates of release, and even when they don't, they tend to get them wrong a lot of the time.

Man, I gotta think about getting a DSL. I can't keep up with you guys! Anyway, Wilen and Rosengren were both born in '37. BUT, it's pretty obvious that Wilen is better known these days, and has more recordings in circulation, so...

Now that I'm a little more awake (I think), it occurs to me that since I'm only guessing/speculating here, I should feel free to be more specific about #3. I haven't heard that record in 20 years, but the cat's name is Bernt Rosengren. The LP I mentioned, "Bombastica", was probably released after 1958, but I'm not sure of the recording date.

I do use AMG sometimes, but it's not often my first stop when looking for discographical data. I've got no use for their reviews in general (especially the whole rating thing), and the "similar artist" function usually just makes me laugh. At any rate, there are a lot of specialized artist discographies on the net, and they're almost always more helpful and accurate than AMG's. Some of us also have decent jazz databases. So, consider your options before you pay for AMG.

I agree with all of the above. No artist is too obscure to turn folks on to, if you think they're worthy.

Regarding track 3, I've been thinking about a european tenor who recorded for Jazzland (shared the leadership of the session). I won't mention the title, but the LP had a yellow cover. I don't think it was ever issued on CD (Japan, maybe?). Still, I'm not sure this was recorded in '58... ... and I'm not really sure I'm awake yet...

Somehow I missed this thread yesterday. I want to say welcome aboard as well, Tom. I always appreciated your posts at JC.

They could have released this as "Only Trust Your Mama (but she could be jivin' too)"... Also, I'm wondering whether Buddy Guy's career would have been different if he had whistled along with his solos... Try to picture that... BTW, I've always dug Toots, and mean NO disrespect whatsoever.

We bought it last week as well. I was out shopping with my daughter, we happened upon it (also $15), and just couldn't resist. I too enjoyed watching it at home... it seems to go by more quickly in a theater, somehow. I love the grandeur of the films, but I also miss the "texture" that Simon refers to... the real depth of the narrative, the humor, and especially the full development of each individual character is all but impossible to include in these films- as magnificent as they are (and I DO think they're magnificent... particularly when compared to the old Rankin/Bass animated version of The Hobbit). I do think that the ratio of violence to charm is a little high (and that was more of an issue in the first film, I think), but that's just my opinion. As I watch these films, I constantly think to myself that I wish they could be longer, so that more time could have been spent in storytelling and character development. Wishful thinking, I know. I guess dreams can die hard... the idea of truly capturing the magic and depth of the books in a series of films is something that I had dreamed about 30 years ago. At any rate, it's a thrill to be able to sit down and watch these movies with my kids (both are excellent readers, and have read the trilogy already, for which I'm thankful).

Besides #11 (now solved), I've been thinking mostly about #3, #7 and #14. With regard to 14, I haven't really attempted any serious searches (and I'm pretty sure I don't own this version), but a few names have come to mind. I'm not close to really knowing their work, but thinking about modern piano chopsmeisters- and now adding in the possible theme factor for this blindfold test- what about Makoto Ozone or Gonzalo Rubalcaba? Anybody very familiar with them? I've seen both of them in videotaped concert settings, and was impressed (at least) by the chops. Of course, there are surely many other hot pianists out there that I ain't hip to as of yet, but I thought I'd just toss those names out there...

RT, you nailed one that's been bugging me (and no doubt everybody else)- #11. It's the first track on that disc you provided the link for. I doubt I would have ever figured it out. I've heard the trumpeter's name many times, but I'm unfamiliar with his work. I had thought about all kinds of sideman appearances by "the tenor player" ( ), but that's a big body of work to consider. To see when that was recorded... well, all I can say is that's a real eye-opener!

"Bluesette with a feeling... that's what I have today..."

Jim, despite the fact that the info came from AMG ... I'll take your word for it. Now GET BACK TO WORK on #3!!

BTW, Lang was from Pennsylvania. I think he's out. I've been wondering if #1 could be Oscar Aleman (Argentina-born). Been hearing about him for years, but have rarely heard anything by him...

I swear to God, I was just returning here to post the exact same thoughts. This may help us to solve some of the remaining mysteries. After reconsidering my earlier comments about who was involved on #8, I now think I have the answer (I don't own this recordiing, but I'm pretty confident that this is it: #8... Click ========== [sept. 1st edit]: I'm leaving the above link alone (although it was later shown to be incorrect), just to avoid any confusion...

So, can we assume that this beverage affected his mind in some significant way?

Looks like Paul Horn.

This has been bugging me all afternoon. This track (and the tenor player) sounds familiar, but I can't seem to come up with any other ideas. One thing I'm wondering is whether the tenor player was actually the leader of the session. For example, if it's Jimmy Heath, he didn't record as a leader until 1960, and I'm inclined to agree that this was recorded in the 50's. Heath recorded several times in 1953 as a sideman- with Miles, JJ, and Kenny Dorham... but I can't recall any tenor (quartet) features from those dates. The other names Jim has mentioned haven't led me anywhere either, although I don't go very deep with Wardell, for example. So far we're a pretty small group here, eh? I hope more folks will weigh in soon...

You know, that's still puzzling me. Could RT have paid Tony off?

Dan, here's my 2 cents. Obviously this is working differently from the original (Downbeat, interview, time limit, etc) concept, but that's because this is a different situation. It's a process, the way we're going about it. Needless to say, we're a lot more likely to be stumped initially (first spin, first post). In that sense, we can all admit to our limitations (akin to someone being stumped, with nowhere to go, in an interview situation) in terms of answering these questions "on the spot". However, I happen to enjoy the challenge of brainstorming/searching/sleuthing/etc., even if it means using recordings as an aid, and trying to reach the goal before Tony raises the curtain. BTW, I really don't know if we can figure them ALL out, even by helping each other...

The thing about #4 is, even if you DID recognize the soloists right away, you could still very easily (and justifiably) be stumped as to what it was... right? BTW, I don't think we're likely to see much going on in this little game that's going to merit using the term "dishonor" with regard to someone's inability to ID something... unless of course somebody takes a track from Quartet Out, and Jim fails to recognize it.

Okay, I wouldn't have gotten this without the help of one of JS's comments above, so he gets most of the credit. I used the Ellington quote at the beginning as a clue, and did a little web hunting, and... viola... (I'm still not 100% sure of the track name, but that's because of the common labeling errors on websites listing real audio clips). #6... Click #'s 5 and 11 are REALLY starting to BUG me.

Hey Dan- I think that website was partially incorrect- #9 was actually recorded in '68 or '69, not '73, so... As far as the "open book" question, I think it's up to each individual. I like to try to figure things out initially without turning to my collection for help, but at some point I'm going to give in and use what's at my disposal (even Google). It still takes some knowledge and experience to narrow things down, so I don't see it as cheating.

Good idea, R.T. #2... Click #4... Click #9... Click