jeffcrom

Lou Donaldson - Rough House Blues (Cadet mono). One of the perks of a gig in Columbia, SC was the chance to visit Papa Jazz Records. This was one of my finds - the sticker says "VG," but damn if it's not NM. I want to spin "Days of Wine and Roses" again and just listen to Richard Davis' bass lines.

Dave Brubeck Octet (Fantasy red vinyl). My longtime bassist gave this to me during a visit to his house. He called it "too academic"; I know what he means, but I like it. And so did Cecil Taylor as a young man.

Willis Gator Jackson - Live! Action (Prestige mono)

No. Common Louisiana name.

I've listened both ways. And I agree that the CD sounds great - better than any other issue of this material. My initial slight disappointment just came from the fact that I don't think the improvement over previous issues is as dramatic as it was on the King Oliver issue. But like I said, the mastering grew on me as the CD progressed. And the liner notes point out that the Wolverines weren't as well recorded by Gennett as the Oliver band - even the Gennett sides. Yes, the tracks are all from 78 pressings. As on the King Oliver CD, there's a page in the booklet on which they list the issue and condition of each record they transferred, as well as the stylus size and speed they used.

Byard Lancaster - It's Not Up to Us (Vortex)

A unique improviser and a favorite of mine. RIP.

Creative Loafing, Atlanta's alternative/entertainment newspaper, just made the 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra their cover story. There's a certain B.S. quotient to the story, but publicity is publicity. You can read it here. You can hear the title tune from the new album, Abdul the Rabbi, here. It's the least "typical" tune on the album, but it's my favorite. Atlanta rapper Zano came up with brilliant lyrics to illustrate the divided title character. "Always the bad guy - Abdul the Rabbi."

I posted this a few months ago, but for personal reasons I wanted to repeat it tonight: The First Green of Spring Out walking in the swamp picking cowslip, marsh marigold, this first sweet green of spring. Now sautéed in a pan melting to a deeper green than ever they were alive, this green, this life, harbinger of things to come. Now we sit at the table munching on this message from the dawn which says we and the world are alive again today, and this is the world's birthday. And even though we know we are growing old, we are dying, we will never be young again, we also know that we're still right here now, today, and, my oh my! don't these greens taste good. - David Budbill

Dang - has it really been over a year since your BFT? Okay, you're down for August, 2013 - which will be here before you know it. And Thom, I know that August, 2013 was your next eligible month. I put you down for September, 2013. I hope that's okay - I did it that way because you have done one since NIS has. I guess that all of this interest in presenting a BFT is a good sign. I hope that all of the upcoming test attract lots of listeners.

Dang! I was already halfway through compiling "BFT 110 - The Complete Jeffcrom Jazz Collection," which was to consist of every record I own.

Lu Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band - Complete Good Time Jazz Recordings, disc one. I used to think this band was totally derivative of New Orleans music, but this music has its own weight and emphasis. I wouldn't take this over King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, but I'm glad to have both. I still hate Wally Rose's piano playing, though.

Okay, I don't won't to cut off discussion if folks have more to say or still want to vote, but something tells me that we're about done. Here's what I think - see if everyone can live with this: I think that the fact that a majority of folks voted to limit the length of the BFT ought to count for something - but not too much. Only 14 people voted, which shows that those of us who are interested in the BFT constitute a minority on a minority-interest forum. Although 10 votes out of 14 is a majority, I'm not comfortable calling that a consensus. And although I think that the folks who want to present longer BFTs ought to take a look at the 11 out of 14 votes saying that longer BFTs reduce the listeners' interest and enthusiasm, I think that their right to have a different approach to the BFT should be respected. So I propose that the BFT Q & A thread be amended to say: "It is suggested that you make your BFT no longer than the length of a CD - 80 minutes. Some listeners have stated that longer BFTs may reduce their interest in participating. You may make your BFT longer if you wish, but that increases the chances that participants may not listen to every selection." Does that reflect the will of the majority while not imposing a hard and fast rule? Can everybody live with that?

Thanks for asking! Overall, pretty well. He likes most aspects of living there. He eats better than he did on his on and he's reading again - he had pretty much stopped reading books about a year and a half ago. One member of the family or another visits him almost every day. He still has days when he doesn't feel well; I was there last night and he was pretty tired, but said, "I'll be okay tomorrow." His short-term memory is still pretty poor, in spite of some therapy with a memory coach. But overall, he's doing well, considering his 85 years. The assisted living facility where he's living is pretty good, but the service in the dining room has gotten worse. The food is pretty good, but I can't tell that there's any system that the wait staff is following, so people don't always get what they want, or have to wait 45 minutes for their food. I think it's time for a letter to the director - the residents are paying too much to put up with the lousy service they're getting. But that's the only aspect of the place I don't like.

Happy birthday!

I don't see where you indicated why this is your preference, and I'd be curious to know. Because, to me, that's the point where it starts to turn from a fun activity into a chore. And yes, I can stop listening at the 80-minute point. That's what I've done with several BFTs that went beyond a CD's length. But in those cases I have felt that the experience has been degraded, however slightly. I feel some slight exasperation with the amount of music I have been presented, and the compiler seems disappointed that I haven't listened to the whole thing. It has become slightly less fun for me and the compiler. Here's a possibly stupid analogy: There's a party with lots of food. The host insists of piling too much food on everyone's plates. No, the guests don't have to eat it all, but an element of awkwardness has been introduced. The guests have to decide how much they can leave on their plates without offending the host. They're probably going to feel some obligation to eat more than they really want to, and the host is now probably going to be end up being slightly offended that they didn't eat it all.

Yep - driving through the southern United States, you can still hear some amazing stuff on AM radio. Not as much as 20 years ago, but still - yes. And WMLB, AM 1690, in Atlanta is one of the brightest lights in a place that's kind of a cultural wasteland for a city this size. They play good music of all flavors - you might hear Count Basie, John Lee Hooker, Patsy Cline, and Debussy in the same afternoon.

Olympia Brass Band - New Orleans Street Parade (MPS). The Olympia in Europe, 1974. Glorious.

Bump. I'd love to get more input, both in terms of votes in the poll and in posts.

Steve Lacy/Steve Potts - Tips (Hat Hut)

I'm in.

Frank Wright Sextet - Stove Man, Love is the Word (Sandra). Live in Munich, 1979.

Thanks for the quick shipping; I'm listening to the Messengers at the Bohemia now.

Welcome back! I think I saw the young lady sing a couple of songs with Mr. Freeman at Andy's in Chicago a few years ago, but I don't remember her name. (Real helpful, I know.)

In my response to Thom Keith's excellent current Blindfold Test, I again made reference to my preference that a BFT should not be longer than a CD. Every time I say something like this, I feel like the elementary school hall monitor whom nobody likes. So I want to see if there is a consensus on this. Background: I'm the BFT manager and have been for about two years. I got the job by volunteering, and nobody objected. Before I took over, there was a thread (here) that included some discussion of limited the BFT to 80 minutes. In my memory, a consensus was reached that such a limit was a good idea, but reading back over the thread, I see that there really wasn't a consensus. My personal preference is that the BFT be limited to 80 minutes. But I don't want to dictate to the group. So if you are interested in the Blindfold Test at all, please answer the questions above. The answers to the first two will be very helpful to me, and I'm curious about the third. Feel free to vote even if you're not a regular BFT participant. Whatever the consensus is, I'm not particularly inclined to try to "enforce" it, even if there was some mechanism to do so. But I'd like to know what the consensus is, so that I can continue to provide gentle reminders or shut up about it. And please use this thread to make any suggestions about the BFT and how it is run. And that includes changing "managers"!