jeffcrom

Thanks, Thom. I'm in and already have the music. I'll try not to cheat, though....

A few changes in the BFT schedule: Berigan is going to wait until January and present BFT #94. Thom Keith has graciously agreed to take #89 for August - he had previously told me that his test, although scheduled for February, was ready to go at any time. Thanks, Thom! I'd like to have February or March - I tentatively put myself down for February, but if someone else wants it, I'll take March. You can request a month as long as it's at least 12 months past your last BFT. Look for the BFT 89 sign-up thread soon. It's here.

For those who are into Boyce, the "Brother Matthew" LP is on Ebay for a good buy-it-now price. Boyce is rusty, but interesting, on this record.

I just got some feedback in German for one of my Ebay CD sales. I ran it through an online translator - it says "Only Jesus can do it better."

Allagash Curieux - a strong ale aged in bourbon whiskey barrels. It's pretty wonderful, and goes great with Eddie Johnson on the stereo.

Okay, I don't feel too stupid yet, although I will if that really is Richie Cole rather than Sonny Criss on track 1.

I'm a little late in making my comments, but at least I'm not as late as I was to BFT 87, which I just got to a few days ago - three weeks late! I feel like I should have recognized more of this - I predict that I'm going to feel pretty stupid when I read everyone else's comments. 1. Sounds like Sonny Criss. This is very hot, impressive playing, just this side of being frantic. I like it, but it makes me a little nervous. 2. Well, I feel like I should be able to identify all of these folks, but I can’t, except that the tenor player seems to be named George, if I understand someone’s spoken encouragement correctly. Everyone leaps in nicely here, but on the other hand, nobody really rises above the ordinary – to my ears, anyway. I’m curious, though…. 3. When I hear jazz played on a classical guitar, I automatically think of Charlie Byrd, but I don’t think it’s him. Maybe it’s Laurindo Almeida and some Kentonites, but I really don’t know. The trombonist has that Kenton band trombone solo style going on, but I don’t know who it is. This one impresses me rather than moves me, it that makes sense. 4. Wow – nice to hear a big-band alto sax battle; the tenor players usually have all the fun. And this one is fun. The second altoist sounds like Phil Woods to me, but I don’t know when he would have ever been a part of something like this, so it’s probably not him. This was a blast. 5. Nice! “Memories of You” is one of my favorite old pop songs, and this is a very enjoyable version. The tenor player reminds of Flip Phillips, but probably isn’t – I don’t know who anyone is in this BFT, hardly. Thanks for this one. 6. One of the trumpeters sounds like Clark Terry. In any case, they’re both very good, although I enjoy Terry (or whoever it is that sounds like him) more – the playing is more interesting and individual, to me anyway. 7. Ben Webster, I think, and Slam Stewart in the group, playing “Lover Come Back to Me.” Is that Sweets Edison on trumpet? Good stuff, whoever it is. 8. Some young, strong guitarist doing “Work Song.” Once again, don’t know who it, but it’s impressive playing. Like the Sonny Criss, it's almost too much at times. Right around the turn of the 1970’s, I would guess. 9. Very nice, although part of me got slightly annoyed by the extra notes the trombonist put into the melody. That’s just me being cranky, though. Really nice groove. At first I thought this was Vic Dickenson, but some of what the trombonist is doing sounds too modern for Vic. But this is good. 10. Horace Silver’s “Nica’s Dream,” but don’t have a clue who it is. I like the fact that the piano player is kind of sloppy. This is another one that’s good, but doesn’t really reach me for some reason. 11. More Silver by somebody else – “Sister Sadie,” of course. This cooks pretty well – good playing by all involved. I should probably know who it is, but I don’t. 12. Sounds like the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band. I hear Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer and Zoot Sims (I think). I don’t know who the trumpet player is, and I can’t remember the name of the tune. Nice chart; swinging band. I like this a lot. Thanks for a very hard-swinging BFT. Off to read the rest of this thread now.

I have lots of Mr. Hyman's recorded works in my collection. But my wife had never heard of him until about six months ago, when she came home and excitedly told me that she had heard a jazz pianist named Dick Hyman playing "Wang Wang Blues" on the radio.

I had several of the Giants of Jazz series, and agree that they were excellently done. I got rid of most of them as the material became redundant in my collection. The only one I still have is the Frank Teschmacher, which I consider indispensable - it contains his complete recorded works, along with some recordings on which his participation is uncertain.

I found, to my surprise, that I'm up to 14 78s by Sam Lanin, the early dance band leader. So I played them all over the last couple of days, from his 1920 recording debut on Columbia to a 1930 record on Perfect. Most are attributed to Sam Lanin and His Orchestra, Lanin's Roseland Orchestra, or some variant which includes his name, but there are also records using pseudonyms: The Broadway Broadcasters, The Broadway Bellhops, The Dixie Daisies. Eight labels are represented: Columbia, Regal, Gennett, Banner, Cameo, Perfect, Harmony, Okeh. This is pop/dance band music, not jazz per se, but it's very well done, and there are some hot improvised solos scattered throughout. One of the highlights was "Waitin' Around" by the Broadway Broadcasters (Cameo, 1924). Rather than the usual large dance band, this one is by a seven-piece jazz group, with Red Nichols (I think), Miff Mole (I'm sure), and several unidentified musicians. It's not as good as King Oliver, or even the Original Memphis Five, but it's pretty hip for 1924. There are quite a few Red Nichols solos and these sides. Nichols is looked down on in some quarters, but several of these solos are really good - hot, fresh, and imaginative. He's often thought of as a second-rate Bix imitator, but it sounds to me like he was just working on some of the same things. Anyway, I really enjoyed this hour or so of forgotten music.

When I saw this thread's subtitle, I was going to respond with something like this.

Happy Birthday! Glad you're back around here.

Have a great one!

Carey Bell - Last Night (ABC Bluesway) Tough!

Olympia Brass Band - New Orleans Street Parade (MPS). This rivals the Olympia's Audiophile album as the best recording job they ever had.

That's a really nice one. I like Idrees Sulieman a lot on this one. Funny - never seen/heard of that Six Winds LP. I think it's the only one of their albums that not on the Dutch BVHaast label. It was made during a Canadian tour.

I feel kind of stupid over missing a couple of these. In any case, I'm glad I finally got around to listening to all of it. Thanks for putting it together.

Okay, I've posted kind of late before on some of the blindfold tests, but never this late - almost three weeks after it was over. Apologies to Joe - this was a really excellent selection of music. I listened to some of it right away, but got kind of busy for an old retired guy, and never finished until now. I haven't read this thread or the reveal thread, but I did see the Tom Archia thread, so I know he was involved. Anyway, here are my extremely late comments: 1. The first thing I noticed was the “tubby” sound – is this a radio broadcast. I like the major three/flat three/tonic lick in the melody – that lick always makes me think of Miles. Good, solid playing all around. I especially like the pianist – his/her playing is strong and imaginative. I don’t have any idea who anyone is. 2. Wow – that’s intense. Both horn players sound very familiar to me, but I can’t place them. I particularly like the multiphonics the tenor player gets into. The two drummers (at least) work well together. Good stuff. 3. I like it, but it goes on a little too long, in my opinion. Nice contrast between the spare trumpet playing and intensity of the drums. The drummer is very Max Roach-influenced. 4. The use of the electric bass and the general feel, especially of the introduction, make me think of early Sun Ra, but I don’t recognize this one. Any attempted identification of the excellent trombone and trumpet soloists would just be guesses based on the possibility of this being a Sun Ra track, so I’ll refrain. Excellent music, just far enough off the beaten path to be original and very enjoyable. 5. The pianist plays the unusual melody so confidently that I’m guessing that he wrote it. Interesting drumming – very busy, in a good way. It reminds me of Roy Haynes. Very interesting, unusual tenor playing – strong and off-center at the same time. I feel that I should know who it is, but I can’t come up with a name. Another winner of a track. 6. Wow – great groove, great tune, great players. I especially like the bass clarinet solo (or is that alto clarinet). Again, no idea who it is. 7. Very nice – not earth-shattering. You don’t hear that much bass clarinet played in a more or less straight-ahead, chord changes-type context. 8. Bennie Wallace, from the 1985 Blue Note concert issued on One Night With Blue Note Preserved. The tune is “Broadside.” I bought this when it came out, and was very impressed by Wallace’s playing here – post-modern, but with a lot of Ben Webster going on. The rhythm team is Jack DeJohnette, whom I would have recognized even if I hadn’t already know, and Cecil McBee, whom I probably wouldn’t have. 9. Okay, this is where I should recuse myself, since I saw the Tom Archia thread. I think it’s Archia and Gene Ammons – one of the tenors sure sounds like Gene, and the studio sound is very much like a 1948 track (not this one) by the duo on a Chess CD. In any case, great, great stuff. 10. This is beautiful. I can’t remember the name of the tune, but I’ve got another recording of it. If I wasn’t already so late with this post, I’d spend enough time to figure it out. I love playing baritone sax in duets with folks, because the instrument can accompany so well, as the bari player does here for the guitarist. I don’t know who the folks are, but this is really nice. 11. My first thought was Henry Threadgill, but as the piece proceeded, I don’t think so. The altoist has that “St. Louis” sound, like Oliver Lake or Julius Hemphill. Whoever it is, I like this a lot. 12. More very fine, imaginative music which I don’t know. the altoist sounds influence by Jackie Mac, and the vibist is just fantastic. Great listening and group interaction here. 13. My description of track 7 also applies here – nice, but not especially memorable to me. Or maybe I’m just mad because this pianist stole a chord progression at the cadence of the “A” section from me – A flat/G flat/C. I used that one in a tune about 20 years ago. I guess at this point there are probably no chord progressions that haven’t been used. Really great BFT, Joe. Sorry again about the late response. Now on to #88, which I haven't listened to yet.

The Six Winds - Elephants Can Dance (Sackville). The Six Winds are a Dutch/Danish/Canadian saxophone sextet, using all the saxes except contrabass - from Bill Smith on sopranino to Klaas Hekman on bass. Among the guys in the middle is John Tchicai. Red Norvo in Stereo (RCA Living Stereo). 1958 recordings of Norvo's big band charts from 20 years earlier, mostly written by Eddie Sauter. Helen Humes is in the Mildred Bailey role.

The most interesting 78s I spun today, both musically and as collectors' objects, were two Columbia "blue wax" records from the mid-30's. For a short period in the 1930's, Columbia pressed their records in blue shellac instead of black. They look pretty cool. Claude Hopkins and His Orchestra - Minor Mania/Marie (1934). Edmond Hall does some nice playing here. Benny Goodman and His Orchestra - That Dixieland Band/Down Home Rag (1935). The Goodman band is still very much Casa Loma-influenced here. They started swinging a lot more a few months later when they began playing Fletcher Henderson arrangements.

Happy Birthday, and nice that you "gained" (or lost?) a year.

I would add The Great Paris Concert, my favorite of all of Ellington's latter-day live recordings, and one of my desert island Ellington discs.

Do you know this one? It's excellent - one side of Ewart compositions and one side of Lewis's. And how about: Voyager. I can see some folks not liking this one, but it just fascinates me. Voyager is a musical computer program written by Lewis, designed to interact with an improvising musician. Lewis and Roscoe Mitchell each play four duets with Voyager, and it amazes me how differently the program responds to/interacts with each of them. The Mitchell/Voyager duets in particular are just amazing.

From Dixie to Swing (Classic Jazz). Doc Cheatham, Vic Dickenson, Kenny Davern, Dick Wellstood, George Duvivier and Gus Johnson. This is mostly pretty nice, but has some slightly strange moments - it's available in this form (now on CD) and as a Music Minus One recording, or rather six different MMO CDs, each with one instrument missing. Many of the piano solos are so spare that they seem to be intended for extra improvised choruses for the MMO versions. Other than that, this is a pretty good record of what used to be called "mainstream."

Yeah, every musician ought to see The Gig. It's not perfect, and it's kind of dated in its racial politics, but I love its portrayal of an amateur dixieland band's dream of getting "a real gig." They do - two weeks in the Catskills, and result is a "be careful what you wish for" cautionary tale. Seeing the Nicholas Brothers' performance in that film made me finally appreciate dance as an art form.