awesome_welles

I'm late to the party and probably won't find the time to give everything a proper listen so I'm not going to ask for a download but I think number 26 must be "Aunt Hagar's Blues" by Art Tatum off a "Zenph Re-Performance" CD that I've heard about. It would make sense since I recall reading that they recorded in a strange stereo configuration where you hear the music as if you were sitting on the piano stool itself. Also Black Coffee is very similar to Aun't Hagar's Blues.

1 - Abdullah Ibrahim & Johnny Dyani, "Namhanje (Today)" from Echoes From Africa. Rec. 1979 Well worth checking out the rest of the album if you liked this! 2 - Mal Waldron, "Warm Canto" from The Quest. Rec.1961 Eric Dolphy (clarinet) Mal Waldron (piano) Ron Carter (cello) Joe Benjamin (bass) Charlie Persip (drums) 3 - Ray Bryant, "Blues Changes" from Ray Bryant Trio. Rec. 1957 Specs Wright (drums) Ike Isaacs (bass) I included this in lieu of the version with Miles Davis and Milt Jackson as they are too easily identifiable. Both versions are lovely. 4 - Booker Little And Booker Ervin, "Stardust" from Sounds Of Inner City Booker Little (trumpet) Booker Ervin (tenor saxophone) Teddy Charles (vibraphone) Mal Waldron (piano) Addison Farmer (bass) Ed Shaughnessy (drums) 5 - Jimmy Giuffre Trio, "The Train and The River" from The Sound of Jazz. 1958 Jim Atlas (bass) Jimmy Giuffre (clarinet, saxophone [baritone, tenor]) Jim Hall (guitar) 6 - Oscar Pettiford and His Orchestra, "Deep Passion" from The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra In Hi-Fi. Rec 1956 Art Farmer, Ernie Royal (trumpet) Jimmy Cleveland (trombone) Dave Amram, Julius Watkins (French horn) Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone) Lucky Thompson (tenor saxophone) Jerome Richardson (tenor saxophone, flute) Danny Bank (baritone saxophone) Tommy Flanagan (piano) Oscar Pettiford (bass) Osie Johnson (drums) 7 - John Mclaughlin, "Arjen's Bag" AKA "Follow Your Heart" from Extrapolation John McLaughlin (guitar) Brian Odgers (bass) Tony Oxley (bass) John Surman (baritone saxophone) 8 - Frank Strozier, "A Starling's Theme" from Fantastic Frank Strozier. Rec. 1959 Frank Strozier (alto saxophone) Booker Little (trumpet) Wynton Kelly (piano) Paul Chambers (bass) Jimmy Cobb (drums) I think this is the nicest arrangement on the album although Booker Little's "Waltz of The Demons" is a nice composition (but the version on his quartet album is better). I'm slightly surprised that nobody spotted Wynton Kelly (or Paul Chambers)! I've always found Jimmy Cobb to be less identifiable than Philly Joe but I do think his playing here is really nice. 9 - Moondog, "Bird's Lament" from Moondog. 1969. Sampled unimaginatively by Mr. Scruff (that's where I first heard it). I also like his composition "Viking I" which has a similar minimalist approach but isn't really jazzy so it didn't make the shortlist. 10 - Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, "That Old Feeling" from Three Blind Mice Cedar Walton (piano) Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone) Freddie Hubbard (trumpet) Curtis Fuller (trombone) Jymie Merrit (bass) Art Blakey (drums) 11 - Sonny Sharrock, "Who Does She Hope To Be?" from Ask The Ages. 1991 Sonny Sharrock (guitar) Pharoah Sanders (tenor saxophone) Elvin Jones (drums) Charnett Moffet (bass) 12 - Sonny Criss, "Love For Sale" from This is Criss! (bonus track). Rec 1966 Sonny Criss (alto saxophone) Walter Davis Jr. (piano) Paul Chambers (bass) Alan Dawson (drums) 13 - Bernie Worrell, "All The Things You Are" from Standards. 2011 14 - Booker Little, "Who Can I Turn To?" from Booker Little. 1960 Booker Little (trumpet) Tommy Flanagan (piano) Scott LaFaro (bass) Roy Haynes (drums) From one of my favorite jazz albums, shame the bass and drums were so poorly recorded though. 15 - Sam Cooke, "Summertime". Rec 1957 I have it on this great compilation.

Download for me too please, thanks!

Thanks for the recommendation Jes1982, I'll definitely check that Bill Frisell album out. Would you like me to send you the download link for this blindfold test?

Well I'm glad you're all enjoying track one (and you're right of course about who it is). It was one of the albums I would play over and over when I was first getting into jazz. Edit: After checking the end of track 7.

Ok cool. Glad you guys are enjoying it.

The download links have just gone out. I'm looking forward to your comments and hope you all find something to enjoy!

Hi there, Please let me know if you'd like to participate and I'll PM you the download link/s in due course (or if you need a CD instead) Adam

DL please and thanks!

I forgot to mention that it's a P-mount turntable!

At the moment I have a Technics SL-BD22, Arcam Aplha 3 amplifier, Wharfedale Denton 2XP speakers which I bought second hand and cost me about £35 each. My stylus is an Audio Technica AT-92E (with an elliptical stylus). I have a bottle of record cleaning fluid and a cloth but I mostly use my microfibre brush. And I have a little stylus brush and liquid similar to this: Would either of these be a useful investment? Knosti Disco Antistat Record Cleaning Kit (£39.95 with free delivery on eBay UK) A tracking force guage (the SL-BD22 is factory preset, does that mean that it'll always be correct or shuld I check it?) And are there any better cartridges out there for a similar price (£20-30)? From a bit of forum browsing, the Shure M92E doesn't seem to be considered better than the AT-92E.

After looking at Jim R's responses to those tracks I just posted, it looks like I got 6 completely wrong! I'm not familiar with Harry "Sweets" Edison but he's an old swing musician isn't he! Actually after relistening I don't know why I thought he was a more modern guy. There's not really any bebop language there at all (maybe one or two licks). Maybe it's the thin (muted?) tone. I obviously wasn't paying enough attention .

6 - I don't recognise either musicians here. Trumpet player sounds like he's a modern guy who also plays in older jazz styles also rather than an authentic pre-bebop soloist. I'm not a big fan of his slightly thin tone. I preferred the piano solo. 2 stars 7 - Aha! Black and Blue! Anyone who's familiar with Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens should recognise this tune. I 'd enjoy it live but wouldn't buy a record of it. Not really doing it for me. 2 stars 8 - It's a Charlie Parker tune, Billie's Bounce I think. Guitarist reminds me a bit of Pat Martino but I don't think it's him. What's that drum fill at 4:31? I think I recognise it off a Max Roach unaccompanied solo on "Drums Unlimited". 3 stars 9 - To me this is ridiculously overdone, especially at the beginning. I'm not averse to those kind of breathy effects etc but this just seems to much. I haven't heard much Ben Webster but that seems to be something he does a lot also (although this isn't him) 2 1/2 stars 10 - Bass sounds horrible. I really liked the piano solo for some reason. The rest isn't doing it for me. I don't like this beat with snare played on the 2 unless it's done sparingly. Ah It's an electric bass that makes sense. 2 stars

After listening to an interview of Norman Finklestein about his book "The Holocaust Industry": (which I haven't read so can't comment on), he mentioned that while there are many historical and academic writings on the holocaust (I think he said that the figure was in the thousands), there is only one (english language) book on the Belgian Congo! "King Leopold's Ghost" by Adam Hochschild: I knew nothing about this period of history (except the horrible figure of 10 million dead) and found this book fascinating and it seems very well researched also. It's a very depressing history but I imagine that it's essential to have a knowledge of this period in order to understand what's going on in the DRC today and why (and of course there are similar stories in many parts of Africa, Asia and South America). I would definitely recommend it. The subject is not only very interesting and little known but it is written in a way that I didn't find at all dry or difficult to get through.

Not that it will change the trajectory of the thread now but I was thinking of the early stride piano stuff (which I'm not as familiar with as I'd like to be) so I guess that's around the 1920s and a bit later? I definitely don't consider Charlie Parker to be early jazz! Thanks for the recommendations!

1 - Enjoyable but very unadventurous. The recording quality suggests that it is a modern recording (I'm guessing 80s or later). For what it is at least it's done well. 2 stars for lack of imagination 2 - Now this I like! Not sure who the guitarist is but he's playing a humbucker equipped guitar and getting a really cool sound. I'm goign to guess Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. I've actually heard very little of his music but the tone of the guitar seems to make his name spring to my mind (along with the image of his cool gibson firebird guitar). The whole band is great on this one. 4 stars 3 - To me the piano player isn't supporting the soloist enough, he's too tame. Also the drummer almost seems caught off guard during the "trading fours" section and his first fill is quite lame. The sax player was really trying to build the intensity but the rhythm section weren't doing it for me I'm afraid. Also those whole tone parts on the piano on the third and fourth bars of the "A" became a bit tiresome by the end. 2 stars 4 - I like the guitarists touch and tone and the riff is kind of cool in it's simplicity. The guitar playing is nice but he's not really doing anything more than Charlie Christian already had which is fine for some I guess. Organ solo is alright but I'd rather hear those kind of block chords ring out nice and rich on a piano. Tenor player sounds similar to the previous track in terms of tone and also the R'n'B strain in his playing. 2 1/2 stars 5 - Another of Duke's songs. The tenor sax on the bridge is absolutely gorgeous. I find the organ comping a little brash but maybe that's just the nature of the instrument. Although I don't recall it ever annoying me on all those Wes Montgomery LPs with Melvin Rhyne. 2 1/2 stars I would lke to hear more of the tenor saxophonist.

Would love to hear what you think of it when you've had time to get into it a bit. I remember flipping through another of the OUP jazz books in that series (Miles' second great quintet) which looked really interesting also. I'm guessing this book also has detailed musical analysis like the Miles Davis one?

I could do August or September but could only send discs out to people in the UK as I imagine the the cost of postage to the USA would be prohibitively high.

I'm not sure I follow you completely. From my own modest collection of his albums, I really enjoy "Like Someone in Love" from Lush Life, "In a Sentimental Mood" from the Duke Ellington album and of course "Blue in Green" for example, and count them amongst the best of his ballad playing (there is a lot of Coltrane material that I haven't heard though especially late Coltrane). Would you say that those are "mystically infused"? How about "Naima"?

I also haven't heard "Seraphic Light" (and some of the others that Guy mentioned) but "Venus" is off "Interstellar Space", a late Coltrane album which is a duet with the drummer Rashied Ali.

THIS. Trane's playing on the Prestige Miles sessions (esp the Nov 1955 and May 1956 dates) was erratic and Miles probably didn't want him screwing up the ballads. I seem to recall that if you listen carefully to the end of "It Never Entered My Mind" you can hear Coltrane almost ruin the ending. I've always the found the album "Ballads" to be enjoyable but a tad underwhelming. Although that's judging it against his other work, so may be a little unfair.

Sonny Stitt - "On the Sunny Side of the Street" from "Sonny Side Up" by Dizzy Gillespie Lee Morgan - Moanin' Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter - "Wrinkles" from "Kelly Great" by Wynton Kelly Charlie Parker - "Parker's Mood" and "Cool Blues" Coleman Hawkins' immortal "Body and Soul" Frank Wess - "Flight of the Foo Birds" - The Atomic Mr. Basie A few from "Kind of Blue": John Coltrane on "Blue in Green" Wynton Kelly on "Freddie Freeloader" Cannonball on "Flamenco Sketches" all of Miles Davis' solos and then of course there's this... I guess part of it is just how well you know the record. Would love to know of any more singable Parker or Coltrane solos or anything on "rhythm changes" (I'm currently struggling to transcribe Milt Jackson's solo off "Delaunay's Dilemma"!)

Thank's for all of the responses guys! Just pulled the trigger on this one as I found a fairly cheap reissue on discogs: I am definitely going to look out for some of the others as well. Looks like I've got a lot of listening ahead of me!