mikeweil

"Hackensack" was composed over the chord changes of "Lady Be Good" (it probably pre-dates his Blue Note recordings, BTW). Don't know why they didn't credit Monk on the Burrell record. Many possible reasons come to my mind ... Perhaps there were copyright hassles, there is a Coleman Hawkins tune "Rifftide" that is the same, as in other cases (Rhythm-a-ning/Opus Caprice pre-dated by an identical Mary Lou Williams tune).

And could this rare bird be the solution for track # 8? Again, if you don't wanna know, stay away, others are welcome to discuss this.

I considered Joe Williams with a cold, too ... If that's not Joe Williams, I'll eat my hat (provided, that is, that my hat's made out of two slices of bread and some cheese...) Reminds me of betting my left little finger on the drummer on track # 5! Very interesting discussion of a great test! I'm totally certain there is no Eddie Harris nowhere on this disc, BTW. The guess of a Benny Golson/Curtis Fuller reunion for # 6 seems plausible. And after a little research, I may have solved the riddle of the Watermelon Man - if you don't wanna know or haven't posted yet, stay away from this link

VERY interesting to read the differing reactions on the Gaslini side, in both threads, before & after! That's what this thing called blindfold test is all about!!!

I'll take liberties to post two covers designed by couw and posted in the obscure albums thread, of Blue Note sessions not released at the time: I think they're great, especially the first one, and I hope you don't mind John, but I think they belong here!

Yeah, mine too, although I think some of the percussion banging and rattling is overdone.

Jim, howdya like the sessions of Lem Winchester or Johnny Lytle with organ?

I considered Joe Williams with a cold, too ...

Well said! A blindfold is not just the game of recognizing. I'm more interested to hear if you like 'em or not, and for what. Of course it's the wrong guesses that make the fun .....

Milt Jackson with Kenny Dorham, Jimmy Heath, Tommy Flanagan, Ron Carter and Connie Kay on the Riverside LP "Invitation" (available as Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-260-2). A very good album throughout with a haunting atmosphere and excellent playing from all involved. Second, Cal Tjader's from "Sona Libre" on Verve. (The CD Verve 815 058-2 is long out of print.)

But where's the orchestra? And, even more important, where's the rhythm guitar? And it's not Lou Rawls! Regarding two other suggestions: The Watermelon Man version is definitely not Mongo's, and there is nothing from "Swiss Movement", I know both in and out! Reading your comments, I think I should have taken my time a little more, but that's life ...

It seems you guys really don't have anything to do... I decided I don't give a f..., I have the Mosaic box and spend the money on some music I don't have. B)

Yes, that's what I believe, too. Some Santana influence or more probably marketing strategy was inevitable after the group's success, and some musicians belonging to the Santana circle in the early 1970's played in Cal's band: e.g. Pete and Coke Escovedo; but Cal never rocked the way Carlos did, and Bob Redfield? No way, a straightahead mainstream jazz guitarist all the way. I have the Guarabe and Here LPs and their CD counterpart, but there's no Santana rock on them. Even Clare Fischer's MPS/Discovery LPs of the time groove hard, but no real rock. Looking forward to that new CD, it takes a few months until they are released by Fantasy's German distributor. But, judging from the tracklist on Fantasy's Tjader pages they did not include "Gary's Theme", the one track they had to omit from the combined CD release of Guarabe and Here, "Here and There", Fantasy FCD-24743-2, for timing reasons - but it is a jazz waltz with conga player Poncho Sanchez taking a break ..... absolutely not Santana traces here. Seems like they are milking their vaults for unreleased (especially live) material - there was another Tjader Cd of the classic band with Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo in spring - which I can recommend: sound is not great, but the band cooks - and several other previously unissued live CDs as well.

It is, that's for sure!

"Ornithology"!!!! I ALWAYS mix up these Parker tune titles!!!!

I won't get any further than these comments, so I might as well post them: Track 1: Ramsey Lewis - I shouted after the first chords. Ramsey used these chords on a rendition in his 1970's album "Upendo Ni Pamoja" it is Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone To Love", of course. But damn, I don't know the Three Sounds that well .... Track 2: I thought of Joe Williams first, but this isn't quite his timbre, but it has his good spirits. I'd like to hear more of that album. Which is to say, I don't know who it is ... Track 3: The pianist again reminded me of Ramsey Lewis, but there were quite a lot of cats playing in that vein in the 1960's. Drummer is typical for what Eldee Young and these guys played. But I have no idea who the alto player is. Track 4: "Watermelon Man", hip little version. Personal take on a famliar tune, all of the players sound familiar, but I won't risk dropping any names. Not spectacular, but nice to listen to, I'm curious who that tenor player is. Track 5. That has a little touch of Ellingtonia in the horns. One of those big-toned bassist like George Duvivier, but he wouldn't walk straight. I bet my left little finger the drummer is Kenny Clarke, it's his snare sound of the mid-1950's before he left for Paris, and his fills. Is that a Savoy session? Then it could be Wendell Marshall. Frank Wess playing the first alto solo? Not sure about the other two. Track 6: Is that "Wee Dot" or what was the name of that tune? Very nice fluent tenor sound, I have something of this cat, *~$%&*##!!! Don't know enough trombone players for a serious guess, but I sure like the relaxed, fluid way they play at that tempo. A wild guess would be a late 1970's/early 1980's Cedar Walton or Barry Harris session with Slide Hampton ... Track 7: "Ornithology". Same relaxation, great swing. Hey they swing like mad! Again I don't dare guess. Track 8: Don Patterson! was my first thought - he used that registration to great effect. But of all the alto cats he played with, noone fits. And the accompaniment isn't like Don's and if it was one of his, he would have played a solo. It's not him. The guitar is one of those Prestige organ session guys. Oh, a live recording - I'll pass on to the next one ... Track 9: Very beautiful!!! I'll play that track often. Again, no idea ... Track 10: Very personal alto sound. Very wide vibrato. Excellent players again, but I hate that bass pickup sound. Nice tune. Track 11: Nice version of "Footprints". Like the way the pianist takes his time. I think I've heard this guy, but again ... Track 12: Groove Holmes? Track 13: A great choice for closers. "Lonely Avenue", but a little blusier than usual. I know that piano player! But again ... Okay, Dan has given us a lesson in lesser known "Mainstream" (in the better sense of the word" players. I'd guess the theme was musicians from Chicago and/or Detroit. There's still so much good music to check out ... and it was all very soulful and bluesy, makes a nice listen from beginning to end. Would be an excellent entertaining jazz radio program. I'll spin that one quite often! Thanks a lot, I certainly faired better on the first test, and if it's going on that way, we'll all be humbled. Had to edit some typos ...

I hear ya, brother, welcome aboard the Mother Ship

Opinions are never wrong! In addition to my dislike of the LT covers, I think they saved on sound quality as well: all of the Connoisseur or other reissues of LT albums I have sound better than the LPs. So I don't miss them at all. Let's welcome the music and take the cover as it is. As far as "Heaven On Earth" is concerned: Isn't that Larry's wife Althea on the cover? Then I'd understand ... Her vocals are harder to endure ...

Frankly speaking, I'm less interested in a competition with other participants, like who recognizes more people or tunes I'm much more interested in personal judgments or tastes - but I think some rules are self-evident, just to test one's knowledge (similar to the way our two Jims expressed it): I personally will write my suggestions including guesses on personnel into a text file and copy that into my post in the discussion thread after I'done - I'll resist any temptation to use my collection or discographies or books or whatever - and only then I will read other comments - I suggest everybody else should do so - it's a question of honor, isn't it ? Received Dan Gould's disk today, damn hard but soulful stuff ....

Thanks a lot, Jim, for that lecture ... as underappreciated as JB is, the band members are just as underrated for their contributions to the architecture of funk: Pee Wee Ellis, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley and all those rhythm cats. They really were bad motorcycles. I listened to that stuff for hours way back then, 'cause I liked it much more than all the white rock stuff, it had so much more groove, and I tried to figure out whar was African about that music, because it appeared so deep black to me. Sometimes the interplay between horns or in the rhythm section are purely African in structure. I'd recommend the Polydor Chronicles compilations over the original LP's or their CD counterparts: their playing time is much longer, they omitt the lesser tunes and present the development of the music in chronological order, often in extendedversions and the commentaries are excellent. Soul Pride: The Instrumentals 1960-1669 - Polydor 517 845-2 Foundations Of Funk - A Brand New Bag: 1964-1969 Polydor 531 165-2 Funk Power - 1970: A Brand New Thang - Polydor Chronicles 531 684-2 Make It Funky: The Big Payback 1971-1975 - Polydor Chronicles 533 052-2 Indispensable are the live recordings: Live at the Apollo, Volume II - Polydor deluxe edition 549 884-2 Love Power Peace: Live at the Olympia, Paris, 1971 - Polydor 513 389-2 (the only live recording of the Collins brothers lineup. HIT IT!!!

Those LT covers could have contained ANYTHING! I alwys felt they were not like Blue Note Covers in any way. Anonymous. I'm not so thrilled about the Larry Young photo chosen either, they probably don't have too many colour pics for choice?

... and the drum is from East Africa!