randyhersom

Well I don't live in a police state and am doing what I can to keep it that way. But I think it's great that those who like Woods and Cole are speaking up. And I did note Woods' excellent taste in rhythm sections on Exhibit A.

I often saw him in the same light as Phil Woods, technical facility but not that much feeling. Collaborations with Eddie Jefferson are probably his high points.

My thoughts on 6 have shifted to the named bands like 8 Bold Souls or Dead Cat Bounce. The alto is very accomplished, but I don't think it's Threadgill.

Perugia is a long time favorite, I'm with JSngry and TKeith here. Julius Hemphill - Raw Materials and Residuals comes to mind for a later album that could be #6.

I couldn't help but smile and think of Harrison when "indeedy" was added to the Scrabble dictionary!

1. Familiar composition, played faster than I remember. Johnny Griffin comes to mind. 2. Yardbird Suite by a piano trio, Hampton Hawes, I think. 3. Sure sounds like Art Farmer. One of the many times I said that, I was actually right. 4. This is Roland Hanna playing a Duke Ellington composition from the album Perugia, recorded live at Montreux. I think it's Take the A Train, which may be Strayhorn. Recorded just after Duke's passing. 5. Jim Hall? 6. Charles Mingus? Quite possibly with Dolphy. 7. Someday My Prince Will Come on guitar, introduced by long bass solo. NHOP, maybe with Philip Catherine? 8. Expressive trombone intro, with Trane aware sax coming in later. The sax makes me lean away from J. J. Johnson and Slide Hampton, and I don't think it's Grachan Moncur. Steve Turre?

Thanks, Milestones

The partial theme was Jazz Firsts. I On three occasions I discovered that what I thought was a first was not, two of those three happened after the BFT was posted. I will be forever grateful to the late Harrison Ridley Jr. for encouraging and refining my appreciation of early jazz music both as an classroom instructor and a colleague at WRTI, the college radio station at Temple University which had an all jazz format at the time. 1. Louis Armstrong Hot Five - Heebie Jeebies 1926 Louis Armstrong cornet, Lil Hardin Armstrong Piano, Kid Ory trombone, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, and Johnny St. Cyr Guitar, Banjo Some sources have said that this track was the beginning of jazz scat singing. Just last night I looked at Wikipedia while gathering personnel, and saw the statement "Armstrong did not invent scat singing, because it was already practiced by many musicians in New Orleans during the early twentieth century". Digging a little further in https://web.archive.org/web/20071223035158/http://criticalinquiry.uchicago.edu/issues/v28/v28n3.edwards.html we find the specifics: Baudoin notes Don Redman, who recorded a scat break of "My Papa Doesn't Two-Time No Time" with Fletcher Henderson five months before "Heebie Jeebies." Will Friedwald, in Jazz Singing, points to vaudeville singer Gene Green's half-chorus of imitation-Chinese scat in his 1917 recording of "From Here to Shanghai," and mentions other overlooked figures including Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards, who scatted on a December 1923 record of "Old Fashioned Love," and used to work in a theater accompanying silent movies "with his ukulele as well as with singing, vocal sound effects, and 'eefin'" (the word Edwards used before anyone had thought of 'scat')." In the late-1930s, the champion self-promoter and deft revisionary historian Jelly Roll Morton told Alan Lomax of his own role in the mode's origins more than twenty years earlier: "People believe Louis Armstrong originated scat. I must take that credit away from him, because I know better. Tony Jackson and myself were using scat for novelty back in 1906 and 1907 when Louis Armstrong was still in the orphan's home. 2. Duke Ellington - 05 - Creole Love Call 1928 The first here would be a jazz composition using entirely wordless vocals. A hit record in its time, and a recognized Elington classic. Bubber Miley, Louis Metcalf(t); Joe Nanton(tb); n/k(cl,as); Edgar Sampson(as); Otto Hardwick(cl,ss,as,bar,bsax); Duke Ellington(p); Fred Guy(bj); Mack Shaw(bb); Sonny Greer(d) Adelaide Hall(v) 3. Clarence Williams Shooting the Pistol 1927 The first jazz flute solo. I had thought that honor belonged to the next track for a number of years. Clarence Williams Piano, Albert Socarras Flute and sax 4. Benny Carter - Devil's Holiday (Carter) Benny Carter Alto Sax, Wayman Carver Flute 5. Jess Stacy - Barrelhouse 1935 Jess Stacy (piano), Israel Crosby (bass), Gene Krupa (drums) The first jazz recording with instrumentation of piano, bass and drums, a combination that would become commonplace. 6. Coleman Hawkins - Picasso Coleman Hawkins, Tenor Saxophone The first jazz solo saxophone recording 7. Coleman Hawkins - Woody 'n' You (Gillespie) Coleman Hawkins, Tenor Saxophone, Dizzy Gillespie Trumpet The first commercially recorded and released bebop record. There was a home recording of Bird and Diz the previous year that wasn't released until much later (if at all?) 8. Eddie Jefferson - Body and Soul I had seen sources that credit Eddie Jefferson's recording of Body and Soul as the first example of jazz vocalese, where lyrics are fashioned to the melody of an actual jazz solo. I knew this wasn't that recording because King Pleasure had a huge hit with Red Top not long after Eddie's original Body and Soul, and this was a much later recording. Then I found this in the Wikipedia for vocalese: However, Kurt Elling makes a point to recognize Bee Palmer, who sang lyrics to a Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trumbauer solo on "Singin' the Blues" as early as 1929. That's on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H4gY8hQqEs. I still would like to dig up the details on Eddie's original Body and Soul. Departing from the theme in order to increase the challenge of this BFT over the next three tracks 9 Gerry Gibbs - Love Letter to Dawna Bailey - Acoustic Bass – Derek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz, Drums, Cowbell, Wood Block, Gong, Bells, Chimes, Whistle, Sounds [Bike Horn], Glockenspiel [Glockenspiel Keyboard], Rainstick, Arranged By – Gerry Gibbs, Piano – Billy Childs, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Ravi Coltrane, Vibraphone – Joe Locke, Violin – Mark Feldman I became aware of the leader during Michelle Coltrane's set at the High Point NC John Coltrane Festival - Gerry was Alice Coltrane's stepson and he and Michelle had grown up together. During the same festival, Ravi Coltrane played a set of his mother's music at the festival named for his father. I enjoyed the set and appreciated the subversiveness of the choice, I think John would have approved. 10. Francisco Mora Catlett - Saints at Congo Square - Afro Horn MX - JD Allen: tenor sax; Vincent Bowens: tenor sax; Alex Harding: britone sax; Aruan Ortiz: piano; Francisco Mora Catlett: drums, bata; Roman Diaz: congas, bata, voice. I came across this when checking out some JD allen titles mentioned on a thread here and searched Amazon Music for JD. Was fascinated that the leader had been a Sun Ra sideman. 11. Preservation - Nublu Orchestra conducted by Butch Morris — LIVE AT JAZZ FESTIVAL SAALFELDEN - Alto Saxophone – Jonathon Haffner Conductor – Butch Morris Cornet – Graham Haynes Drums – Kenny Wollesen Electric Bass – Michael Kiaer Guitar – Thor Madsen, Zeke Zima Percussion – Mauro Refosco Tenor Saxophone – Ilhan Ersahin Trumpet – Fabio Morgera, Kirk Knuffke JSngry correctly detected he influence of the modern classical field here. Starting out on cornet with his bassist brother Wilbur in David Murray's band, Lawrence D "Butch" Morris later created/explored his own new genre named conduction where his role was composer and conductor of works that included improvisation. 12. Cecil Taylor - Carol-Three Points Cecil Taylor piano, Buell Neidlinger bass, Denis Charles drums, Bill Barron tenor sax, Ted Curson trumpet I had the privilege of interviewing Ted Curson on WRTI in the late seventies. After the on-air interview was complete, Ted mentioned to me that when he was in Cecil's band, they had actually recorded free jazz before Ornette recorded the "Free Jazz" album, and that it wasn't released a the time, but had now come out in the "brown bag" 2 LP set on Blue Note. This is that track and Ted said it wasn't the whole track that was free, only part of it. So this returns to the theme, but not with absolute certainty. Opinions very welcome.

The theme is one that is affected by the discovery of new facts 1,2,3,5,6 and 7 fit the theme to the best of my knowledge 4 almost fits the theme 8 almost almost fits the theme 12 was intended to fit the theme, but there may be much discussion on whether it does,. 9,10 and 11 had different agendas and didn't even try to fit the theme,.

You continue to speak truth.

Not Gil Evans. Recorded this century.

JSngry always knows more than he reveals. Hope he's coming back for further comments.

The guitar player is not leader or composer. Glad it's coming through for you on second listen. Miles is not involved.

My favorite will always be High in the Sky. CT, if you were to read his autobiography, Raise Up Off Me, it would likely pull you into his music,

i just noticed that BillF did mention Eddie Jefferson, so credit is due there. Hawk is not the semi-theme, but is well represented within it.

Felser: 7 and 8 correct and previously Identified.

Thom: 6 is revenge of a sort - you should have stuck with Hawk! On 12, nailing the tenor did help you utter the leader's name, before the google dive, I think. You joined the others in being correct on 1, 2 7 and 8.

EKE BBB has correctly identified 3 and 8 and JSngry has identified a soloist on 4. No hits so far on 5,9,10,11 and 12

Nailed 'em!

Together, Milestones and BillF have fully identified 1,2,6 and 7. No other guesses are correct. Thanks for the comments, all!

There is a theme to much, but not all of this BFT. Enjoy. http://thomkeith.net/index.php/blindfold-tests/ Spoiler space: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Craig Taborn trio starts Day Two in fine fashion. Ches Smith really impressed me playing with Roscoe Mitchell at a previous Big Ears, and Tomeka Reid was a great fit as well. Craig supplemented his piano with some electronics which was done well. I heard some audience members pronouncing the set superior to the 2019 duets with Vijay Iyer, I'd call them about equal. Harriet Tubman is next. The sheer force of the amplified bass dominates the impression, I'm a Brandon Ross fan and enjoy his guitar playing. The best moment is actually when they check Brandon's voice mike in the soundcheck and he gets off a great couplet, expressing sympathy with the mothers of the Russians, then noting that "something needs flushing". But the set itself was fine. I arrive in time for Kris Davis Diatom Ribbons set. Her taste in drummers is once again confirmed, as Teri Lynne Carrington is at the kit. Voice processing electronics are a big part of the set and are a big audience pleaser. I don't have the clear preference for this band that kh1958 had, but liked the set just fine. Now I head for the first Andrew Cyrille duet set with Ambrose Akinmusire. Utterly brilliant. Unfortunately I missed the first part. For the encore, after determining that he has permission from "the cops" he walks around his kit playing from the outside before taking a seat to finish up. I have been schooled on the long lines and decide to get in line for Patti Smith II instead of trying for a part of the second Diatom Ribbons set. It looks like this was the right move. Patti's even better with the full band. She speaks highly of Kim Gordon, and I decide to start around for that set instead of checking out Aurora Nealand. I'm not familiar with any of the material. Videos are used well, first an animation of a triangle drawing geometric patterns, then a city travelogue. Big prerecorded loops of industrial riffs are used a lot and the trio rock hard on top of them. Not my go-to style, but an OK diversion. Unfortunately I stick with it too long and the Frisell/Moran tribute to Ron Miles has 40ish people outside 15 minutes after show time. I know this means "one out, one in" and I liked what I heard of Mdou Moctar on Amazon Music, so I head for the Mill and Mine for their set. The guitarist plays brilliant, ecstatic lines, but the band as a whole is a little too wooden rhythmically for my taste. I stay for the whole set. Day 3 begins with one of the two twin highlights of the festival, Myra Melford's Snowy Egret. I'm pleasantly surprised to hear Cuong Vu announced. I have heard the albums but didn't pay much attention to credits. It turns out the recently deceased Ron Miles was a member of Snowy Egret, and also that Liberty Ellman just had a hand injury so they are playing as a quartet. Passionate playing from Myra and Cuong and I like the chopsy electric bassist and new drummer (I also didn't know that Tyshawn Sorey was in Snowy Egret for the albums). The distance of the walk to see Ches Smith makes me choose a full set of Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah over a part set of Ches. No regrets, he talks quite a bit but I like what he's saying about the jazz tradition, he really talks up his band, and the muscular McCoy influenced band is very enjoyable. Nubya Garcia is up next, She's solid, it's great that what we used to call spiritual jazz is finding a good audience, but it's not very adventurous. I leave early for Zorn's Simulacrum featuring John Medeski. It's more prog-rock than jazz, extreme organ and guitar virtuosity, but the rhythm is anything but wooden, a real trio. I loved it, and want to hear the 2015 album it came from. Now is Andrew Cyrille and Marc Ribot. More brilliance, I like Ribot better here than anywhere else I have heard him. But I have decided to leave this set early for Jason Moran's solo set, and do so. Moran's set is the other highlight of the festival for me. He talks a bit about how the difficulties of the pandemic and how New York is dying a little. He starts out with a nice standard, then namechecks his teacher Jaki Byard announcing the next tune. A little later on he reads some Toni Morrison about how there are different shades of black, leading to the phrase "it might as well be a rainbow" then begins a composition inspired by the words. At some point the lights change so that you only see his hands, as he plays a rumbling low ostinato with the sustain pedal down that changes only very subtly. Then the light on his hands goes away and the stage is entirely dark. there are lights from the back of the theater so you can see the people in rows ahead of you, but you can't see Jason at all. The deep rumbling keeps going on for a long time in the dark, then other shades are explored as the lights come back up. Brilliantly dramatic, and fully musical. I'm getting lucky with the shuttles and catch the beginning of Jaimie Branch's Fly or Die. I'm surprised by her appearance, but enjoy the punk and protest aspects of her set, expressed vocally, as well as her trumpet playing. I leave early, and that was a mistake in retrospect. Annette Peacock is playing solo at the Tennessee theater, with piano and string synthesizer and a drum machine on some tracks. I first heard her during my prog-rock days, but this set is what I think of as a "chanteuse" style. The lyrics are torchy but the vocals are reserved. She's a good singer but there's not much variety. On the last track the "drum machine" turns out to be a tape loop including bass, and then she walks off stage while the tape loop is still playing her voice, and it's clearly not coming from her. Clever, but expressing some distance from the audience. I head back to the Standard which has no seating options unless you paid 3x for the VIP pass. I saw Melford and Cyrille/Ribot here. Joshua Abrams Information Society is very good and just what I expected, entrancing long jams where the horn plays background and the bass and drum instruments shine out front. They did start about 30 minutes later than scheduled. Unfortunately I'm not up for standing the whole set and leave early, but no fault to the fine musicians, and I'm glad I came to hear them The next morning I get in a traffic jam that keeps me from hearing another Zorn act at noon, and before I hear a single note, I learn of a minor emergency at home that I need to start home early to deal with. Big Ears has lived up to its reputation and I'm OK with leaving it under the circumstances, but ready to come back next year.

Day 1 I made a navigational error compounded by other errors and managed to miss Kronos and So Percussion. I checked in at the hotel desk and went straight to the line for Patti Smith. Both of her sets were excellent, and different. People Have The Power is an anthem for our times and closed the sets both Thursday and Friday. Thursday she had only two band members with her, including her son, and included poetry readings on several occasions. Friday was a tight and committed rock and roll band. Next was Trefoil's first set, in progress. There's something mathematical about Kris Davis' playing, feeling more kinship with Anthony Braxton than Coltrane or Ayler. Good, and not unemotional, but architectural. Gerald Cleaver made the strongest impression on me in this set. I got to move up the the front row for the second set and they announce it was being recorded, so please turn of phones. Both Davis and Ambrose Akinmusire turned it up a notch for this set, and I look forward to the chance to hear it again. Joe Henry was quite good. I was unfamiliar with his work, and the presence of Jason Moran in his band was the deciding factor in choosing to see him, but I'll be checking out his work more. More soon ....

Joshua Redman, James Carter, Frank Kimbrough, Joe Locke, Ravi Coltrane, Jason Moran and Stefon Harris get occasional listens. It would probably be more if I lived where I got to hear them and similar players more often. I appreciate a younger musician that takes the time to appreciate the tradition and try not to demand utter originality from day one.