Hot Ptah

This is a really fun and enjoyable BFT! I am not having a lot of luck identifying anyone yet, but I am having a really good time listening to it. I will be back with some comments.

I have a used LP which I purchased in the store closing sale of the Music Exchange, which was a long time, very large Kansas City used music store. The LP has handwriting on the back by the artist (an obscure musician, I can't remember his name), warmly presenting this copy of his album to Jay McShann. In other words, Jay McShann or his family dumped it off at the Music Exchange after receiving it.

I just discovered that I cannot stream from Thom’s site on Internet Explorer, but that it works fine if I use Mozilla Firefox.

Even now, nothing happens when I click on the songs in the streaming part of the page. Is it just me?

Is the streaming link working for anyone else?

Thanks, Jim!

Where is the link?

Based on this track, I would be quite interested in any recommendations you may have for additional Teo albums.

What are the three albums in your collection which you missed?

Great Blindfold Test! I like how you took some chances with longer tracks and some avant garde music. Your choices all seemed compelling to me. Once again I am embarrassed, because I have the 'Bix Duke Fats" album but did not recognize Track 1. Track 14 is quite a stunning recording. I have some Lounge Lizards albums but they never made as much of an impact on me, as this Track 14 does. I wonder if there are more Teo Macero albums with music like this.

That is an interesting question. I seem to recall hearing Charlie Haden sing somewhere else, but I can't place where. I do not know who Steve Ferguson is.

Actually, Track 11 is also from Escalator Over the Hill. Tracks 11 and 12 make up Side 5 of the 3 LP set of Escalator Over the Hill. Don Cherry and the Desert Band begin the music on Side 5 with our Track 11, entitled “A.I.R. (All India Radio)”. That is followed on Side 5 by our Track 12, “Rawalpindi Blues”. Track 12 starts out with Jack’s Traveling Band (Jack Bruce, John McLaughlin, Carla Bley, Paul Motian). Then the Desert Band with the Sand Shepherd (Don Cherry) closes “Rawalpindi Blues” and Side 5 of the album.

Thom Keith says that the link should be back up and running now.

I will find out.

8. I find this to be a lovely performance, with a nice feel. I take it that the guitarist is the leader. The saxophone player is also very good. 9. A pleasant little guitar piece. No idea who it is. 10. This has a relaxing feel. It is a unique style and sound. I don't recognize it. 11. This is a favorite of mine. Thanks for including it. I went back and looked and see that no one has identified it yet. This is an album I have played very often. I will wait to see if anyone else identifies it by the later part of the month before I do. 12. This is another selection I know. Again I will wait for someone else to identify it until the later part of the month. 13. I think that this is Anthony Braxton on the 2 LP set I bought and enjoyed in the 1970s, the Montreux/Berlin Concerts. That would mean that Kenny Wheeler is the trumpet soloist. There is another track on that album with this type of tempo and feel, featuring George Lewis on trombone. I like both tracks. 14. Wow, what IS this? WHO is this? A long combination of classical and jazz. I can't wait to find out who this is. This is quite an enjoyable set of tracks.'Thanks for putting it together.

1. A quirky, mildly ambitious piece. It reminds me at times of early Sun Ra but I am pretty sure it is not him. 2. That is Eddie Lockjaw Davis with an exciting trumpet soloist and a lively pianist who can play stride. No idea what album this is or who they are. 3. That is a ripsnortin' track! I like this s lot. That is some exciting saxophone playing. I don't know who it is. 4. Tanja by Randy Weston, the title track of the album. Billy Harper on tenor sax. That is a great track. I bought this album as a cutout during my first burst of jazz enthusiasm and have always liked it a lot. 5. Hello Little Girl from Duke Ellington's Jazz Party album. Dizzy Gillespie is the trumpet soloist. Jimmy Jones is on piano. Jimmy Rushing on vocals. It is so good to hear this again! 6. I know this one too. Betty Carter from Now It's My Turn, the Cole Porter song Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love. I saw Betty live many times from 1978-82 and she was incredibly good in those years. This recording comes close to what I witnessed. 7. That is Rex Stewart, with Duke Ellington, the song Boy Meets Horn. It is on one of those 2 LP Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall concerts of the 1940s which were released in the mid to late 1970s. i will discuss the rest of the Blindfold Test later. So far I am really enjoying this one!

2. “Throw a Little Salt on the Bluebird’s Tail”: Eddie South and his International Orchestra 1933. From a cd that came with the book "Playing the Changes: Milt Hinton’s Life in Stories and Photographs". Milton Hinton (bass and vocals) Clifford King (clarinet), Eddie South (violin) Antonio Spalding (guitar), Jimmy Bertrand (drums).I thought someone might recognize Eddie South and remember Milt played with him. I have some Eddie South on CD but never heard this song. What a great, obscure source for the recording! 6. “Dark was the Night”: The Kronos Quartet. I guess we’re hearing plucked viola and violin strings and not a guitar. The “moaning” is probably from a cello. This is from a very nice 2 cd set entitled “Dark was the Night: A Red Hot Compilation.” It’s part of the series of cds issued to raise money for AIDS related charities. Kronos is a bit of a ringer as everyone else on it would probably be described as “Indie Rock” (e.g. Feist, Grizzly Bear, Arcade Fire, and—my favorite—Bon Iver). Wow, that was the Kronos Quartet? I would never have guessed that. I love this choice for a Blindfold Test--an unusual recording of familiar material, by an artist straying out of its usual place, on a recording most of us don't have. I am really glad I got to hear this. 8. “Bird Count”: The Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra From” Live at the Jazz Standard--Days of Wine and Roses.” 2000. Soloists are Frank Kimbrough piano, Ingrid Jensen trumpet, Larry Farrell trombone and Scott Robinson Bass Saxophone. I really like Maria Schneider and I like this cut but to be honest it’s not typical. Most of her work is more ethereal—very influenced by her mentor, Gil Evans. I bought her first record because of her connection to Gil and that led to me getting everything she’s done since. (This one was originally only available as a bonus with two bottles of Riesling. To get it I searched every fancy grocery store near me in Southern California and I don’t even like Riesling.) I thought people might recognize Scott Robinson (who plays with her a lot) since there are so few bass sax players. I once bought a copy of a Robinson record for my late friend Josef Skvorecky because he wrote a story called The Bass Saxophone which I think is the best work of fiction ever written about jazz. I have several Maria Schneider albums but have never heard her present material like this. Ingrid Jensen on trumpet! I liked the trumpet solo, now it is easy to see why. I am glad that I got to hear this. It gives me a new perspective on Maria Schneider. 10. “Bluefish”: Gil Evans. 1971. Gil on electric and acoustic piano, Joe Beck guitar, Herb Bushier bass, Billy Harper flute, David McDonald drums and Warren Smith percussion, synthesizer. The first two minutes reminds me of Maria Schneider. Written for a documentary film, this was included on a Folkways record called New American Music along with pieces by Milford Graves, Mary Lou Williams, San Rivers and Sunny Murray. I got it as a CDR from the Smithsonian. ( I’m a Gil completest—yes I do have the Johnny Mathis record he worked on.) I have never heard this Gil Evans recording. It comes from a rather obscure recording. I am glad I got to hear this. You have treated us to major artists recording on out of the way releases. I like that! 11. “Abide with Me/Blue Monk” : Richard Stoltzman . 1985. Stolzman clarinet, Bill Douglas piano, Jeremy Wall synthesizers, Eddie Gomez bass. Stolzman is regarded as a great classical clarinet player. I have several of his non-classical records and have seen him perform a Steve Reich piece he commissioned. I used to run into Bill Douglas in Toronto at the John Norris/Bill Smith Jazz and Blues record store. Bill was a huge fan of Bill Evans so it's fitting he got to play with Eddie Gomez. I would never have guessed Richard Stoltzman, or Eddie Gomez, for this track. Very interesting! 13. “Hey Troy, Your Moma’s Calling You”: Trombone Shorty (Troy Andrews). This is from a terrific cd done to raise money for Katrina victims, called "Sing Me Back Home " (even though that song is not included). Other cuts are by three different Nevilles, Dr. John, Wilie Tee etc. I thought this had disappeared but finally found it by looking on Amazon under “New Orleans Social Club.” I first heard Trombone Shorty when he showed up with a band at a friend's wedding in N.O. as a replacement for the Rebirth Brass Band who had been booked. After our initial disappointment we ended up loving the band and dancing the night away. I’ve seen him in concert twice since though the last time he seemed too James Brown influenced for my taste. This is such a happy song if I’m down it always cheers me up. BTW there are no liner notes for this. I presume Shorty is on Trombone but he plays trumpet a lot of the time so maybe he overdubbed himself and is playing both instruments. I have heard Trombone Shorty live and on CD and had no idea it was him. I have heard him play trumpet live, but am not sure it is him on trumpet here. Another obscure album. I am glad that I got to hear this! Great job on this BFT, medjuck! It is one of my favorites all time.

The changes in type face are of no consequence. Thank you for such an informative reveal.

Great, you can have February!

I saw Frank Zappa live in 15,000 seat arenas which were less than half full.

I will try. Gail Zappa passed away and willed control of the Zappa Estate and the music to children Ahmet and Diva, excluding childen Dweezil and Moon. For over ten years Dweezil, who is a good guitar player, has had a band on the road, Zappa Plays Zappa, which plays Frank's music very well. I have seen them live and they are excellent. Ahmet has used his new control to bar Dweezil from using the Zappa name for his live performances, threatening legal action against his brother if he tries. Ahmet is not a musician. As of this month, September, 2017, he is one of several principals of a business which will develop holographic images of famous dead musicians to be played in live performance. The Hoffman board members generally see this as a crass cash grab by Ahmet, as he charges people to see an artificial performance of Frank's music while ruthlessly preventing his brother Dweezil from performing genuine, faithful live music versions of Frank's music with excellent musicians. Other points--Ahmet issued a press release which suggests that an array of famous musicians have signed on to perform with this hologram, when they have not done so. Some have in fact condemned the idea instead, such as Adrian Belew. Only bassist Arthur Barrow seems to speak on the record as being in favor of being part of the band. Current hologram performers--Elvis, Ronnie James Dio, are not very convincing. The holograms seem stiff and unspontaneous, especially when live musicians play along to them using a click track. The technology has not developed to the point where it could seem like a semblance of a real concert. This will seem phony, stiff and artificial, the opposite of a spontaneous, unpredictable Frank Zappa concert. Frank never drew huge crowds when he was alive. This technology will be very expensive and where will this be performed? In 15,000 seat arenas with $75 and up ticket prices? Who will pay that to see Arthur Barrow playing next to a hologram? It seems very unlikely that this will draw 10,000 people or more to each concert. Other Hoffman members have opined that this is just a silly or gross idea which would have been the subject of a Frank Zappa song ridiculing it, if Frank had heard of it while he was alive. Howard Kaylan (Eddie of Flo and Eddie, and the lead singer of the Turtles before they joined Zappa) has published a scathing attack on this Zappa hologram concept, agreeing with this point of view. A few Hoffman members have said that they never saw Frank live and would like to see this. They are in a distinct minority.

There is a thread containing 337 posts, as of this minute, on this Zappa hologram tour idea, on the Steve Hoffman board. It has been discussed ad infinitum there. Most of the members of that board are negative to severely negative about the idea. Howard Kaylan (Eddie of Flo and Eddie) is quoted on that thread, He provides a blistering negative attack on the idea.

To me, this is just really good music. The proof is in the listening.