mikeweil

Hope you have a nice one!

Same here!

I think one test a month on a regular schedule is fine and can be handled, listening-wise - it will facilitate the planning considerably. If one senses he can't make it in time, let the next step up or switch positions. I'm fer it!

Somehow the page won't load far down enough to display the tune link ... can you post a direct link to the sound file?

To Mike's list I would add the albums on Decca & Enrica. Bennie was a fine trombonist - love his sound! ← You're right, of course - I was just too lazy to walk over to the shelf .... second the recommendation on the Four Trombones date and the Jo Jones. The Deccas are included on a recent Ocium CD. Have "Pow" as a Saba issue - nice but not as good as the others IMHO. Isn't there another Stitt/Green session made earlier?

Same here! Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Hope you got some good music!

I have all the Blue Notes, Prestiges, the Jazzland, the Time, The VeeJay, the Bethlehem - all are good, although IMHO the Blue Notes are a notch above the others. Well I'm biased 'cause he's one of my favourite 'bonists, but if ya like one of 'em ya will like all of 'em!

I have to apologize for being that late, but my first listening session into these discs was interrupted by falling asleep after track 8, and I hardly found the time to continue due to all kinds of work being thrown at me without warning, and never again found myself in the proper mood for much of the music. I'm into a somewhat difficult situation at the time, old things gone, new not really working so far, and rarely find the time and relaxation to listen to any music at all. This is not your fault, Rooster, the sequencing is admirable, and the choices are inspiring. These are my first thoughts (worked over just a little bit): # 1: ... and I was thinking whether I could include a "classical" track! Starts out like an early 20th century piece, between Ravel, MacDowell, and Gershwin, but I have no idea who wrote this. # 2: Didn't notice the edit at first listen, very nice idea, "Waltz for Debby", but not Bill Evans. Played with a very "classical" attitude, well done, but not my cup of tea. #3: Another perfect segue into the next song. Milesian trumpet, but not Miles. Technically very assured player, and a very nice composition. I love orchestral pieces with a rhythmic attitude like this. Great thematic material, would like to know who/what this is. Something I would buy. Terence Blanchard? Not Wynton. Like it! A lot! My favourite track on disc 1. # 4: Yeah! Son of Freedom Jazz Dance. I love this type of thing, except for the boney bass drum sound. Very nice cool sax here. Guitarist leaves me indifferent. Would prefer the drummer to get more different colors and dynamic nuances from his snare drum. He and the bassist are not really together. Like the theme best here. # 5: Know that one - from a movie of my top favourite director. Saw it countless times, have the DVD. The saxist should be easily recognizable - too bad they faded out once they had enough music for the scene. He was a lot into late Trane here. Great. (link) # 6: Son of Bitches Brew ... Know that one too - liked it from the first day I heard it on the radio and bought it soon after. This pool of musicians played the most satisfying electric/acoustic fusion, IMHO. As of now I like this better than Bitches Brew. (link) # 7: Somehow this tenor sounds familiar. Hmm ... Dewey Redman came to my mind first, but that slightly flat sound and vibrato are not his. Billy Higgins, for sure. Some ECM Charles Lloyd CD? Don't like the pianist, I prefer them in or out, this borderline playing rarely works for my taste. Steve Kuhn comes to mind, who had me react similarly when I first heard him. Nice neo-bop theme, but why didn't they keep the fine brush groove - the solos could be from any other piece. # 8: Nice, but one of the pieces beneath me right now. I heard a lot of this in the 1970's, but grew somewhat tired of it. I probably know some of these guys. A little too long for what they get from it. Don't like the flat tenor sound. But the idea to have them improvise together is nice - curious about the trumpet player. Rooster likes trumpet a lot, it seems .... # 9: Don't know why, but when I noticed this was solo trumpet I felt the urge to rate this a lot higher. Takes a lot of courage to play trumpet and improvise without rhythm, which he has - both courage and feel for time and rhythm. Like the way he paces himself and toys with the time, but still keeps the beat. # 10: NMCOT - too short for comment. Don't know what they wanna say with it. # 11: Oooh - fast Traneish hard bop - Freddie Hubbard? Junior Cook? Or rather that younger tenor guy that was with Freddie in the 1990's? Javon Jackson? This exhausts me. # 12: Puckish theme - son of Matrix. Don't get much from this right now, although their interaction is great. They really listen to each other. # 13: More Hubbardish trumpet - Woody Shaw? Courageous. Like this bass drum much better, although many will probably find it obstrusive, but that's the way it should sound, with a little tone. That China ride is a little obtrusive. # 14: Hhmmm ... can't identify any of the players here. Like the way they break up the chorusses at the beginning. Too bad they didn't continue that way. The alto cat has listened a lot to Jackie Mac. # 15: Is this another slightly flat saxist or do I need some ear examination? No idea who this is. So relaxed it is almost sleepy - and lively at the same time. No idea who they are. Electric bass? Acoustic would fit better here, and a less bangy drummer. # 16: The theme that bassist plays reminds me strongly of some horns theme I heard/had many years ago. Again, not in the mood for this right now. Thanks Rooster, for the care you took in sequencing this CD - very good job!

That's the main difference, to me, between a recording that wants to capture the feeling of a live performance, even in the studio, or a perfectionist production with overdubs a plenty, which is standard in pop music. Much of the time the music is created in the process of afterthought while listening to the tracks as recorded so far - kind of a compositional process without knowing exactly what you want when you start recording. During recording of the last CD of the Kurdish group I play in I noticed the recording engineers with little or no experience in live recording tend to create a transparent virtual soundstage you never have on stage - and this effect the instrument and equipment industry trying to build the hardware to get that sound live - it should be the other way round, methinks.

At the same time Brahms was known to have said "I would be a fool if I played my music the same way every time" - regarding his own performances of solo pianoi and chamber music. The tendency to notate music ever more precisely came from the experience that there were great local differences in performance practice.

Only the next logical step after Blue Note signing US3, e.g. Couldn't those DJ's include a passage in their contracts the labels are obliged to give us decent reissues of the material they use at the same time? :bwallace2:

Isn't that Yusef Lateef's nom de disque?

They made a lot of greazy noise for four people. Anyone have the cover? Don't exactly look like the guys you want to encounter in a dark street at night ... This was presented in a German jazz radio show back then, greazy organ groups for one hour, and I seized the opportunity to buy it a few months later. Still have it, which says a lot ... I like their version of Eddie Harris' "Sham Time" a lot.

Should I send a few bucks more for overseas shipment?

I only know of a Four Star label from California in the 1940's .....

... and a Belgian discographer had trouble in assembling all the data ... Rowles recorded an awful lot of dates. Thanks, brownie!

I sold this many years ago - I liked the accompanying trio (Gene Rush, Steve Novosel & Jimmy Hopps, who played with Lloyd McNeill, too) very much, but neither Herrera's clarinet doodlings nor his preaching. Not enough music on this, for my taste, but the use of a jazz trio to back the choir and some of the lecture was nice.

R.I.P. - I feel like acting the charcater in "But I was cool" .... many of his lyrics are priceless. What a loss to the vocal/lyrics scene!

Sir Elf .... how could I forget him!?!? One of the most rewarding solo pianists ever!

BFT # 26 has arrived - thanks! ... and I haven't yet completed my observations on # 25 - too many things keeping me busy.

IIRC Bruyninckx also has no Rowles version of that tune. Maybe it was a favor - Rowles is one of the most prominent - and best, IMHO - interpreters of Shorter's tunes. There was a discussion about this here or on the Blue Note Board. Hell, I even may have started it ....

It was available as a Japanese Toshiba Liberty CD many years ago, but this was obviously dubbed from LP and had a lot of surface noise. The transfer in the Fresh Sound box is much better.

Ahmad Jamal Geoffrey Keezer

I can recommend any of the numerous solo, duo and trio recordings of Jimmy Rowles that I have. His subtle sense of swing and his timing are of the highest degree! If I could choose only one, it would be the trio on Capri with Red Mitchell and Donald Bailey.