jeffcrom

My CD edition (bought in the US 20 years ago) has an an essay by Hiraku Aoki in English, with no Japanese notes at all. Send me a PM with your email address, and I'll see if I can scan it and send you a copy.

Damn, Bill! I'm really sorry to hear this. I'm wishing you a speedy recovery.

An odd one, which I've mentioned before - the soundtrack LP to the 1964 movie Get Yourself a College Girl (MGM mono). It has two excellent tracks each by the Jimmy Smith Trio and the Stan Getz Quartet (with Gary Burton). The rest is rock and roll and pop of the time. Most of that is pretty disposable, but the two tracks by The Animals are pretty tough for 1964.

Robert Pete Williams - Louisiana Blues (Takoma)

Good thoughts certainly headed your way.

Dividing my attention between that football game that's on and: Teddy Wilson - 3 Little Words (Classic Jazz). This was recorded outdoors in Nice in 1976; I love the birds that sing along. Odell Brown and the Organ-Izers - Ducky (Cadet). This is a tough group, even when playing lightweight material.

Oh my god, wasn't that awful?

Al Grey featuring Billy Mitchell - Snap Your Fingers (Argo stereo) Some nice early Bobby Hutcherson here.

It’s only the sixth day of the month, but this thread has already gotten lots of activity. I haven’t read anything here yet,but I imagine that a lot of things have already been identified. What an enjoyable Blindfold Test! This one really made me think and listen. Of course, I like some tracks better than others, but there was nothing here which I hated. 1. Well, this one confused me a little bit. I instantly thought of Marion Brown and his solo version of “Black and Tan Fantasy” from the Recollections album on Creative Works, from 1985. But this is not that version. But it’s so similar that I think this has to be Marion. I love his tortured lyricism. This is affecting music. 2. This track drove me crazy, because it’s something I think I’ve heard, but I can’t come up with where I’ve heard it. Anyway, it’s a pretty interesting track – around 1945 or so, I’d say. It’s very much of its time – pushing toward the modern thing that was in the air at the time. I like it, even though it’s maybe a little self-consciously “weird.” Could be Dodo Marmarosa on piano and Remo Palmieri on guitar, but I don’t really know. 3. Well, you’ve puzzled me again. It’s Tony Fruscella, playing “Blue Lester,” but I don’t know this version. I love Frescella’s playing – he hardly ever ventured out of the low and middle registers, but his improvising was supremely melodic. Beautiful! I thought I had all of Fruscella’s recordings, but obviously not. 4. Lee Wiley, singing “Street of Dreams” from the Night in Manhattan album, with Bobby Hackett on trumpet. Very nice, although I think I prefer Miss Wiley’s earlier recordings, from the late 30’s and early 40’s. This is excellent, though, and you can’t have too much Bobby Hackett. I even like his mood music/bachelor pad albums from the 60’s. 5. Big T – Jack Teagarden. I recognized his horn even before he started singing. I wish he had played more trombone here. I like his singing, but I think his voice and style are more suited to bluesier tunes. I usually don’t like his ballads as much. Although, hmmm – he sure does a great job with “Stars Fell on Alabama.” Maybe I don’t know what I think. Anyway, this is very nice, and I don’t know what album it’s from. I also don’t know who the trumpeter is, unless it’s Hackett again. 6. I don’t know who is playing this version of “I Cover the Waterfront.” I liked the saxophone playing more the more times I heard this track. A few things annoyed me at first – the somewhat raw sound, a few rhythmic mannerisms, a few odd note choices – but after a couple of hearings, those minor flaws seemed pretty unimportant. The extremely out-of-tune high notes still grate on me, though. But overall, nice playing from a very individualistic tenorist. The drumming annoys me no end – it’s stiff and insensitive. 7. Excellent, creative freebop. I like the alto player’s odd, slightly strangled tone. His phrases flow out each other in a really nice way. I also like the bassist’s use of space in his solo, and the way the trio listens to each other. No idea who anyone is, but I’m looking forward to finding out. 8. More excellent music that I don’t have a clue about. Even though this piece is “inside” and lyrical, I would guess that these musicians have at least one foot in freer music – there are hints of that here and there. I could be wrong about that, and I really don’t have any idea who it is. I like it, though. 9. Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath from 1971 (their first album), playing “Davashe’s Dream,” featuring the great Dudu Pukwana. Dudu’s playing has really grown on me for the past couple of years – I love his inside/outside approach. I also like the somewhat raw sound of the band, particularly the sax section. Mongezi Feza is the excellent trumpet soloist, although I would not have known that without the liner notes. One of my favorite big bands, and wonderful Dudu. Thanks for including this. 10. Not for the faint of heart. This sounds like an ESP-Disk session from the 1960’s. Everyone is good for this style, but I particularly like the bassist and the tortured alto playing. I suppose this sounds like chaos to some folks, but this kind of music has its own logic, its own conventions, and ultimately, its own limitations. Don’t know the artists. 11. Same instrumentation as #7, and somewhat similar in style. I don’t know the recording, but is it Byard Lancaster? In any case, the alto player’s phrasing is more regular and predictable than the altoist’s in #7. But there’s a lot of passion here, and a good command of the saxophone. 12. Recognized this one right away – “Doctor Blues” by Luis Russell and His Orchestra, from 1929. The Russell band was incredible during this period, with its New Orleans rhythm team of Pops Foster and Paul Barbarin, its simple, swinging charts, and some of the best soloists in jazz, like Red Allen and Social Circle, Georgia’s own J. C. Higginbotham. Allen in particular was brilliant – he could match Louis Armstrong’s technique, and although his playing couldn’t match Armstrong’s in the brilliance and construction of his solos, he had a wild, avant-garde edge that Louis didn’t have. The alto solo by Charlie Holmes is good, too. Wonderful music. 13. This was maybe my least favorite track from the BFT, although I certainly don’t hate it. This “Poinciana” is a little “precious,” if that makes any sense. And the double-time comping the guitarist goes into at times drives me crazy – I do hate that part. No idea who it is. 14. This one also didn’t knock me out. “Tennessee Waltz” is a nice enough melody, but his pianist doesn’t do enough with it to really interest me. It sounds like a New Orleans guy, so it’ll probably turn out to be someone I like, but I’m just not crazy about this version. 15. The perfect ending to a perfect album – “Union Special” from the same album as #9 above. And a fun ending to a fun Blindfold Test. Thanks again for a good one.

Very cool - congrats!

Original Dixieland Jazz Band - The London Recordings (World/EMI). I can only listen to the ODJB in small quantities - they were limited and very repetitious. But they're also a lot of fun in small doses.

Luis Russell and His Louisiana Swing Orchestra (Columbia). Disc one - prompted by something I heard recently.

The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve, disc 2 - including the first session with Machito and the quintet session with Dorham.

Since so many people were taken with the Matt Perrine track, I thought I'd post the link to the current Offbeat magazine cover story on Perrine and his vocalist wife Debbie Davis.

Yesterday and today I cleaned and played all the 78s I picked up in Alabama and Mississippi last week. (No Charley Patton Paramounts, unfortunately.) It's a wide variety of music. I won't list the duds, but the winners are: University Six - Oh! If I Only Had You/I Ain't Got Nobody (Harmony, 1926). Really nice hot jazz, with Tommy Dorsey and Adrian Rollini on board. Eddy Howard - Old Fashioned Love/Stardust (Columbia, 1940). Is some ways, this was the real revelation of the bunch. Eddy Howard was a decent singer, but Teddy Wilson organized the backup band, which includes Bill Coleman, Ed Hall, Bud Freeman, and Charlie Christian. There is a short, but stunning, Christian solo on "Stardust." This track is not included the Columbia's "complete" Charlie Christian set. Dean Hudson and His Orchestra - Blitzkrieg/You're Gone (Okeh, 1941). This one is interesting to me because Dean Hudson led a big band in Atlanta for many years, into the 1980's, at least. He's not listed in Rust, but this record's not bad. "Blitzkrieg" is a feature for drummer Parker Lund, who's mentioned on the label. Buddy Jones - She's Got the Best in Town/In the Doghouse Now No. 2 (Decca, 1939). I like this country/western swing record; great guitar and steel guitar work. Shelton Brothers - You Can't Put That Monkey on My Back No. 2/Just Because You're in Deep Elem (Decca, 1939). Similar in style to the record above, but smoother. Ed Wiley - Cotton Pickers Blues/My Heart is Going Down Slow (Sittin' In With promo, 1951). Nice blues by the tenor saxist. There's some great blues guitar, but the discographers don't seem to know who it is. Wilbert Harrison - Don't Drop It/The Ways of a Woman (Savoy, 1954). Good R & B with some excellent Mickey Baker guitar. Chuck Berry - No Money Down/The Downbound Train (Chess, 1955). I have this on CD, of course, but it's a lot of fun to hear it on 78.

JohnS, you are officially the coolest guy here.

Happy birthday! You're prime!

Sure! The response to this thread has been so good that the next open slot is now October - I'll put you down for then. There is a slight chance that the last couple of slots could move up a month. Just don't forget me for this year! I already have my BFT finished! Well, damn! I had forgotten that you had requested a 2011 slot. You are now down for BFT #92 in November. And I added a "down the road" section to the Master List to remind myself of requests that are further out than a few months.

Thanks, guys. I'm gratified by your comments, and am glad you found some new things that you enjoyed. Sorry about your spill, NIS. Nebraska's a dangerous place - on my first visit there, I slipped on a frozen lake and cracked a rib. Of course, I was being stupid - carried away with the novelty of begin able to walk on a lake (which we can't do here in Georgia), and showing off for my girlfriend (to whom I'm now married). And for what it's worth, I was unaware of the Randy Sandke literary controversy until yesterday; it was purely coincidental that I used one of his tracks in the BFT. Thanks again for participating. Now I need to turn my attention to BFT #83.

Sure! The response to this thread has been so good that the next open slot is now October - I'll put you down for then. There is a slight chance that the last couple of slots could move up a month.

After Chico: Chick Corea/Miroslav Vitous/Roy Haynes - Trio Music (ECM). Disc 2 - the Monk stuff. Mighty Sparrow - Calypso Carnival (Id). Nice soca/calypso from a 1968 Trinidadian album.

Chico Hamilton and the Players (Blue Note). A pretty good, not great, 1976 album. Arthur Blythe and Rodney Jones are the main soloists. And Steve Turre is a pretty damn good bass player.

And I can't help pointing out - look closely at the cover picture of the Matt Perrine album. To the right of the sunflower, you can see an "X code" sign used by the search and rescue teams after Katrina. The markings indicate the date the house was searched, which team performed the search, any hazards in the house, and the number of bodies found. When I noticed that, the cover, and the entire album, took on a deeper meaning for me. In an interview, Perrine explained that sunflowers were the first flowering plants to return after the water receded.

I'll be glad to give you any help you need. We've had pretty good response to this call for presenters - do you want August?

After Lee & Warne, a buncha blues: Eddie Shaw - King of the Road (Rooster Blues) Clayton Love - Come on Home Blues (Red Lightnin' 10") Delta Blues Festival '79 (Delta Arts Project) The last one is from a Greenville, Mississippi blues fest, and includes some great music by Napoleon Strickland, Boyd Rivers, Big Joe Williams, Johnny Shines, Sam Myers, and more.