Hot Ptah

Disc 2, Track 9. I never did identify this familiar song, but I also thought it could be a Horace Silver tune! That was my best guess. You wouldn't think that Ellington compositions could be confused with those of Horace Silver.

I will resist the temptation to go full on rude here and put it as politely as I can: IMHO talking about Capt Beefheart as a "rock guy" in this, or any other, context is largely unhelpful/meaningless. If there is any comparison to be drawn, how 'bout why was the 'rock world' more open to this particular difficult eccentric than the 'jazz world' or the 'blues world'... My one suggestion re the 'why' posited above is it's about context - since this is a 'jazz board' it might be assumed that we already know the're great, not so much outsiders - but all this putting people and (non)things in boxes is making my head and hands hurt... I did not mean to put him into a rock box. My "rock" comment was unnecessary to the point I was making and I should have deleted it. I have enjoyed Beefheart's music for almost 40 years. I bought Clear Spot the day it came out, with the clear plastic LP cover. I have Beefheart bootlegs. My love for his music is way up there with anyone's. My comment was really a comment about this community. In the past, when certain jazz musicians died, some members went out of their way to make repeated negative comments about them, with the justification stated that it was necessary to make the record accurate, to the point where it became unpleasant for some other members. But then when Captain Beefheart dies, every comment is glowingly positive, gushing even. I just found it very odd. If no one else does, then it's a weird quirk of mine, and can be quickly forgotten.

I took Chris' thread to be a comment on how we have a thread for almost every conceivable type of album cover, including some topics which are quite narrow and obscure. I thought it was funny. However, I have found several times in the past that indirect humor does not always translate well over the computer, just as tone of voice is not always accurately perceived by the online recipient. I have had old friends act genuinely offended at what I thought were my obvious (and to my mind brilliant) online attempts at satire.

I find it very interesting that when some jazz musicians have died, some members of the board have provided their negative impressions of them. No one has done so for Captain Beefheart, despite detailed books written by his sidemen John French and Bill Harkelroad which are harrowing accounts of Beefheart's cruelty. So recently deceased jazz artists have their faults discussed at length, while a rock guy gets a free pass. I just find it interesting.

I am definitely in, and will need a disc.

I have just a few. I saw James Carter in concert in April, 1996, in a small club. His playing was very energetic and it sounded great to me. I was so impressed that I asked for his autograph. I remember thinking, this would be like asking John Coltrane for his autograph in 1955. But then I have never heard him play nearly as well since. It is as if he became a different person after that concert, one who could not play as well, forever after that. I got Clark Terry's autograph about 10 years ago only because I took a client to a concert and this client insisted on going to get Clark's autograph together after the show. I felt embarassed about it, although Clark was very gracious. I got Bobby Watson's autograph on his CD, at a booth where he was selling a privately produced and distributed CD after an outdoor festival performance. The autograph was part of the promotion. I had Sam Rivers sign his Horo Records album after a concert at an outdoor festival in Topeka a few years ago. His daughter was standing there and asked Sam if they had a copy of that album. Sam shook his head and said that he did not know. I got Dexter Gordon's autograph at an in-store personal appearance at Schoolkids Records in Ann Arbor in the fall of 1979. While he was signing, a young man ran up to him and breathlessly shouted "Dexter! Dexter! I love jazz so much, but the only gigs I can get are playing disco! I hate disco! I love jazz! What should I do, what SHOULD I do, to be able to play the jazz I love so much! What can you tell me, Dexter!" Dexter stared at him for a good 10 seconds, let out a long, low pitched, gutteral non-verbal sound for about 10 seconds, and said, "Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh..........Keep on swingin'". That was it. The young man looked stunned, and walked away slowly, backward, in a daze.

I also enjoyed Disc 2 very much. I know much less about the music on Disc 2. 1, 2, 3, 4. These are very interesting songs, very well played, and no doubt by musicians which I should be able to identify. I am coming up empty though. I am not very good at identifying specific musicians by ear. The different sections of the arrangement on Track 2 are intriguing--I am interested to see who the arranger is on Track 2. 5. This is the song "Four" in a Latin jazz version with a vocalist--I have no idea who he is, but he can really scat. 6. Is that an oud? It sounds like a recent recording, and I have no idea who it is, but I like the sound a lot. 7. Is this bassist Avishai Cohen's group? I really like the sound of the horns with the bass. 8. I think that the piano solo and the trumpet solo are both outstanding. Is that Dave Douglas? 9. This is a very familiar tune, a jazz standard, and it is maddening that I cannot think of the song title. Wait, wait, it's coming to me....no it's not. In the original version which I am very familiar with, this tenor saxophonist did not solo. It's a really good version of this song. 10. Is that a melodica? If so, is it Monty Alexander? I am not familiar with the album, but I don't know of anyone else who has soloed on it at any length. 11. An acoustic guitar version of Coltrane's "Giant Steps". The guitarist reminds me of Duck Baker. Well, those comments were just meant to get the discussion going. I am sure that others can do far better than me.

He was unique, a masterful player on both saxophones and flute, combined with a truly humorous personality onstage. This is a great loss.

I have changed my post in which I discuss the songs on Disc 1 to state that I am missing Track 10.

I agree with that. However, if someone does guess the exact artist, song and album, or some combination of the three, the leader will generally provide that confirmation.

I have only listened to Disc 1 so far. This is one of the most sheerly enjoyable BFTs I have heard. 1. Sounds like an ECM cut to me, but I cannot place it. The guitarist has a sound which is very familiar from ECM records. A very appealing opener. 2. Either Wayne Shorter or someone influenced by him. I am not familiar with any album of his with an acoustic quartet and then a group of brass adding backgrounds at times. Sounds like late 1960s Blue Note, the Speak Like a Child type of sound. 3. I have no idea. At times I thought it could be Herbie Hancock, but if so, it is an album which I am not familiar with. I really like the tenor saxophonists' tone. 4. "Lonnie's Lament". I couldn't place it at first but knew it was a song I had heard very often in its original version. Then I suddenly remembered Coltrane's "Crescent" album. Is this Anat Cohen on clarinet, from the Poetica album? 5. I like this a lot, especially the Latin rhythms, but have no idea who it is. 6. It sounds like a Jobim tune, for trumpet, acoustic guitar and accordian. I don't know who it is. 7. This is Miles Davis' song "Filles de Killamanjaro". Could it be from George Schuller's "Round 'bout Now" album? 8. The Beatles "Long and Winding Road", with alto sax, baritone sax and acoustic bass soloists. I have no idea who it is. I like the lyricism of the alto sax player. This material can become sappy when played by jazz musicians, but it was not so this time. 9. No idea. The first guitar solo had a tone which I have heard on Frank Zappa's 1988 live CDs, such as "Make a Jazz Noise Here", but it is most certainly not Frank. It may be the sound of a particular kind of guitar synthesizer setting. 10. I am missing this song on my physical disc. Those who received a download should have it. 11. Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water", with a short passage lifted from Santana's "No One to Depend On" (I think--it's a very familiar Santana moment from one of the first three Santana albums). I have no idea who this is. This was great fun! I can't wait to play Disc 2!

Yes, thank you for a very interesting BFT that is a great listen as well!

I have had the same problem with my Reveals. I just break it into two posts. You could now post Tracks 10 to the end in a new post, with photos.

I did not notice this! Thanks.

Will there be a Reveal for this BFT soon? I really want to know about the unidentified tracks in particular.

"Blem" is another of Ellington's string-of-solos blues, which it means that it's better than 98% of any other jazz composer's output. After the slightly off-center piano introduction, Harold Ashby blows over a pedal tone for awhile; the piece ends the same way. In between there are some simple, but catchy melodies and solos by Norris Turney on alto, Cootie Williams, Tyree Glenn, Paul Gonsalves, and Harold Minerve on piccolo. A word about Turney and Minerve - it took two alto players to replace Johnny Hodges after Rabbit died. Seriously, Ellington often used six saxophones during the 1970's instead of the usual five. I think this was in part due to Paul Gonsalves' increasing unreliability. I've seen video footage from the period which shows Turney sitting with the trombones and playing mostly tenor, so I think hiring him was Ellington's way of ensuring that there would always be at least five saxes on the stand. But having Turney and Minerve in the band led Duke to explore the flute (and its cousin, the piccolo), since both of these men played that instrument. It must have been something of a revelation to have that new color to work with after all those years of composing. "Blem" was issued on the Pablo album Up in Duke's Workshop. On my vinyl copy, the recording dates and credits are all screwed up. Stanley Dance attributes the trumpet solo in "Blem" to Money Johnson, but it seems clearly to be Cootie to me. I don't know if the CD issue corrected the recording info, but as a public service, I'm going to post the correct information for the album below. Duke Ellington - Up in Duke’s Workshop Pablo Blem Cootie Williams, Harold "Money" Johnson, Mercer Ellington, John Coles (tp) Chuck Connors, Vince Prudente, Tyree Glenn (tb) Russell Procope (as,cl) Harold "Geezil" Minerve (as,fl,pic) Norris Turney (as,ts,cl,fl) Harold Ashby (ts,cl) Paul Gonsalves (ts) Harry Carney (bar,cl,b-cl) Duke Ellington (p) Joe Benjamin (b) Rufus Jones (d) New York, June 12, 1972 Goof Cootie Williams, Richard Williams, Harold "Money" Johnson, Mercer Ellington (tp) Booty Wood, Malcolm Taylor, Chuck Connors (tb) Russell Procope (as,cl) Buddy Pearson (as) Norris Turney (as,ts,cl,fl) Harold Ashby (ts,cl) Paul Gonsalves (ts) Harry Carney (bar,cl,b-cl) Duke Ellington (p) Wild Bill Davis (org) Joe Benjamin (b) Rufus Jones (d) New York, June 28 & 29, 1971 Dick Cootie Williams, Mercer Ellington, Harold "Money" Johnson, Eddie Preston (tp) Booty Wood, Malcolm Taylor, Chuck Connors (tb) Russell Procope (as,cl) Norris Turney (as,ts,cl,fl) Paul Gonsalves (ts) Harold Ashby (ts,cl) Harry Carney (bar,cl,b-cl) Duke Ellington (p) Wild Bill Davis (org,p) Joe Benjamin (b) Rufus Jones (d) Nell Brookshire, Tony Watkins (vcl) New York, February 3, 1971 Love is just around the corner Cootie Williams, Harold "Money" Johnson, Mercer Ellington, Eddie Preston (tp) Chuck Connors, Malcolm Taylor, Booty Wood (tb) Russell Procope (as,cl) Norris Turney (as,ts,cl,fl) Harold Ashby (ts,cl) Paul Gonsalves (ts) Harry Carney (bar,cl,b-cl) Duke Ellington (p) Wild Bill Davis (org) Joe Benjamin (b) Rufus Jones (d) New York, February 1, 1971 Bateau Cat Anderson, Cootie Williams, Harold "Money" Johnson, Al Rubin (tp) Chuck Connors, Malcolm Taylor, Booty Wood (tb) Russell Procope (as,cl) Norris Turney (as,ts,cl,fl) Harold Ashby (ts,cl) Paul Gonsalves (ts) Harry Carney (bar,cl,b-cl) Duke Ellington (p) Wild Bill Davis (org) Joe Benjamin (b) Rufus Jones (d) New York, December 9, 1970 Wanderlust Cootie Williams, Willie Cook (tp) Bennie Green, Benny Powell (tb) Russell Procope (as,cl) Paul Gonsalves (ts) Harold Ashby (ts,cl) Harry Carney (bar,cl,b-cl) Duke Ellington (p,keyboard) Paul Kondziela (b) Rufus Jones (d) New York, April 25, 1969 Neo-Creole Black Butterfly Cootie Williams, Willie Cook (tp) Lawrence Brown, Chuck Connors (tb) Johnny Hodges (as) Russell Procope (as,cl) Norris Turney (as,ts,cl,fl) Paul Gonsalves (ts) Harold Ashby (ts,cl) Harry Carney (bar) Duke Ellington (p) Victor Gaskin, Paul Kondziela (b) Rufus Jones (d) Mercer Ellington (tp) Harold "Money" Johnson (tp) Bennie Green (tb) New York, June 20, 1969 Mendoza Cootie Williams, Mercer Ellington, Fred Stone, Cat Anderson (tp) Booty Wood, Julian Priester, Chuck Connors (tb) Russell Procope (as,cl) Norris Turney (as,ts,cl,fl) Paul Gonsalves (ts) Harold Ashby (ts,cl) Harry Carney (bar,cl,b-cl) Duke Ellington (p) Wild Bill Davis (org) Joe Benjamin (b) Rufus Jones (d) New York, June 15, 1970 Thanks, Jeff. I have this album and this is very helpful.

I need a disc. PM sent.

I saw Moe live in 1983 on a double bill with Dizzy Gillespie. The Swinging Shepherd aspect was emphasized big time.

I am enjoying this BFT very much. It is making me feel even less capable at this game than usual. I can not even venture a guess on any of the songs, except for the Don Byron song which I knew. I am stunned at the knowledge that some of the other members have shown in their posts on this thread.

I have three favorites: Morgan/Shorter/Timmons/Merrit/Blakey Hubbard/Shorter/Fuller/Walton/Workman/Blakey Bobby Watson/Bill Pierce/Wynton Marsalis/James Williams/Charles Fambrough/Blakey I saw that last group live several times. James Williams was really outstanding on piano. Wynton was very young and really smoking on trumpet. Bobby Watson was the star of the band and consistently played great.

Thanks Colin. The ways of the postal service are often mysterious. I am enjoying your BFT very much.

I received a CD-R of your BFT 80 from another member, so you do not need to check this, Colin.

I am averting my eyes, and not reading any of the posts in this thread yet, because I have not received this BFT on disc. Colin, could you tell me when you sent it out? My post office guy said that he could predict when it would arrive, if he knew when it had been sent. Thanks.

Is that the "My Old Flame" with Mae West on vocal? She sounds very Mae West-like on it, just like she talks in her films. In other words, she does not burst out with a stunningly surprisingly vocal tone. It is a real oddity which I have always liked for what it is.