JSngry

It was. Thanks!

Now THAT'S something to use the $750K on!

It's going to take me some time to write commentary (in the tradition of the BFT thus far, a tradition I like) for the initial answer post. I've got a busy week and weekend ahead, and realistically, Sunday or Monday will be the earliest I can get that done to my satisfaction. So hang tight. there's still some people who haven't posted ANYTHING (shame on you! ), and I'm sending out two more copies by Express Mail this afternoon. So let's give it the rest of this week to drain it dry, ok? I can say, though, that only ONE selection has not been at least roughly identified! Which one that is, though, I'll NOT say...

Was J.G.W. associated with Zappa? According to a friend who has the recent reissue, that's who the producer is. Obviously, I'm not a Zappa afficianado. Zappa often cited JGW as a seminal influence. This would have been in JGW's earlier, more "pure" Blues/R&B days in the 1950s.

No problem, guys, not at all.

For the record, this poll is not SPECIFICALLY about Saddam. Read the title, and the question and tell me if you see his name! Now, it might be "inspired by a true story", as they say... But really, you gotta laugh at the absurdity of the situation - you're on the lam, running for your life, you got half the world hot on your ass, you've dodged more bullets than any human has a right to expect to, you're literally "holed up", and you got SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND AMERICAN DOLLARS!!! CASH!!!! Sorry, but that just strikes me as an incredibly funny scenario, in either the abstract or the concrete. Like they said on National Lampoon's Radio Dinner (has that ever made CD, btw?): You are a fluke of the universe. You have no right to be here. And whether you can hear it or not, The universe is laughing behind your back. That's where the humor comes from - the cosmic joke of the whole thing. Karma's a bitch, ain't it. BTW, I see that a whopping 10 people have selected hookers and blow. Remind me to look y'all up sometimes...

Now how in all the world did you do THAT?!? BTW, congrats to new status!!! Very appropriate for a new year in your life. I just noticed! The first one got broke on the way home, if you can believe that. I had to slam on the brakes, and it went flying off the seat and into the dash of the car, a not particularly well-padded 1976 Plymouth Duster. Not a major break, but it too a chunk out of it and rendered it unplayable. The second one, somebody sat on. My bad for leaving it out where they could do so, but jeez, people, the human ass is a WMD if used improperly. Proceed accordingly! The third one, was in a sack of sides I was carrying over to a party, and the bag got jostled and fell to the ground. Guess what the only item was that landed JUST "right"? I was really pissed - I had the cut already on an old Atlantic LP, and now have it on CD, of course, but THIS WAS AN ORIGINAL 78!!! THE WAY GOD MEANT FOR IT TO BE HEARD IN IT'S TIME!!! IT SOUNDED IN-FUCKING-CREDIBLE!!!! At 3 bucks a pop, a small price to play for a slice of heaven, even if only for a few days, as it turned out... But hey, life goes on, right? And Fathead's bari solo STILL goes to the desert island if and when I do.

I think the implication of "transcription" was that they were using recorded music to simulate a live performance, replete w/announcers, etc. Remember, in those days, most everything WAS live, as foreign a concept as that might be to us today. I think most people just assumed that if you heard music on the radio and it wasn't a record you could buy at the dime sore or hear on the jukebox, then it was live. Even more astounding is that the providers of the content often felt a moral compunction to mention somewhere (usually at the tail end of the broadcast) that the material WAS recorded and not live! I don't think there ws any legal reason for doing so. Things ain't what they used to be, that's for sure... Hindsight Records released a slew of these things over the years. The Claude Thornhill might be my favorite. Great band, great playing, and captured in really clear, detailed sound. Priceless, at times. I think it was Ajax who released an LP collection of transcriptions of Basie w/Pres & Don Byas (not together though, I don't think). That's some pretty exquisite stuff too. What I need to get into but never have is the whole "A Date With The Duke" series of transcriptions. I keep hearing such good things about it, but there's jus SO much of it... The transcriptions often offered a clearer sound than commercial studio recordings, I think, and are especially valuable for checking out the intiricaies and/or specifics of various larger ensembles. You can hear the details better, at least sometimes.

Ca. 1978, I found a store in Ft. Worht that had 3 copies of Ray Charles' "Greenbacks" b/w "Blackjack" on mint Atlantic 78s. In the space of a month, I had bought and broken all three. The remnant of the last one hangs over the inside of my clsoet door, as a kind of Bizarro horseshoe. But DAMN, that "Greenbacks" is a good cut.

There is another cut or two frow the session, and the estate wants more money for their issue, acording to Osama Bin-Markatverve (he who has vanished), and that's supposedly what's been holding up a new issue.

Even more obscure than, say, The Fringe, George Garzone's longtime group? OH yeah.

Lyrics? On disc 2, track 11? My bad. 2-10!

We'll do that. German Police = easy to annoy, 'cause humour ain't in the book, and if it's not in the book, wel... Howzabout Texan police? Dude - I think we better look for some neutral turf...

Your opinion counts!

Someday we'll hook up in person and have a joint birthday party. Won't THAT be something! (...are German police easily annoyed?)

I tried to celebrate by ordering the Eldridge Mosaic, but for some reason the thing wouldn't go in my shopping cart (NO Mosaic would, as testing revealed, although further testing revealed that True Blue items would). But the sucker WILL be mine one way or the other. I DO pay my phone bill... Many thanks again to all. You all are an oasis of sanity in my life, and if that frightens you, imagine what it does to me!

I've had something in me trying to grab hold and hunker down for about three weeks now, but so far, the only damage has been a general and constant feeling that something ain't right. And Lord knows I'm plenty used to that in some form or fashion... My son had it a few weeks ago though. NASTY stuff...

Well, the discussion period of the two discs is limited (and would be with a single disc as well), but the time to listen to them afterwards isn't. Consider it a Christmas present! As we head down the home stretch (answers to be posted either this weekend or early next due to my schedule preventing anytime sooner), a few comments: 1-1: The subject of much discussion indeed! Has yet to be precisely identified however. Many have come close, though. 1-2: Interesting responses, and somebody is closer than they realize. 1-3: THIS is looking like the one that is going to really raise eyebrows when the answer is revealed! 1-10: If you're getting the Atavistic reissue of the Baby Dodds Folkways material, you're getting some superb music, but you won't be getting this cut. 2-1: I'm pretty sure that the electronic effects on the sax are all post-production (ie - added after the fact). If they turn you off, try listening to the performance and blocking them out. Easier said than done, I know, but there's some pretty unique stuff going on here, I think, stuff that the effects might distract some listeners from. Or not! But one person has hit the nail on the head EXACTLY, albeit without being able to offer any specifics. Go figure! 2-9: Not Rollins. I doubt that anybody will get this unless they have or have heard the record, which is pretty darn obscure. But it is a group of players that I'm going to solicit commentary about from those who heard them first-hand once the answers are revealed, because it's a fascinating group made up of fascinating individuals, the kind of group (and music, and history) that boards like this were made to hip people to. Never heard of them? You will soon enough! And some of you HAVE heard (or heard of) of the drummer in other contexts years after this recording... 2-11: Included entirely for the message of the lyrics as it pertains to the many facets of jazz, in case anybody's wondering why it's here. That and the fact that I like it! Not even REMOTELY Zappa, Although...there is a indirect link to him vis-a-vis the production. But mainly, it's the truth of the lyrics as it pertains to life (and therefore music) that is why it was included. That's all!

Thank you everybody. This might be my best birthday ever. It's a relief not having to live in that damn hole anymore, let me tell you! Your American troops have been very kind to me, all things considered. I was liking the beard though. Wanted to keep it, but they said no way, Jose. C'st la guerre, no? Unfortunately, when they captured me, they didn't give me time to pack all my papers, so the answers to the Blindfold Test got left behind. Perhaps one of you fine folks could persuade the powers that be to let me go back and get them, because frankly, I don't remember one darn thing I put on there!

Now we can get that Complete Ellington RCA/Columbia set. That'll be, what, 150 discs? Same with Armstrong. If there was going to be ANY interest in jazz by this new conglomorate, I'd be intrigued. The cross-pollinatioin between Columbia & RCA could make for somm dream sets of older music.

How many times has that motherfucker died in the last 5 years anyway?

Have a gander at this site and scroll down. now this record would be a cool one to have! ubu It is.

Geez, that alone earns credits in my book.

"I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die", said Mad Johnny Cash, and this kind of thing nearly justifies it.

Y'all should know that it's KILLING me not to be able to chime in on all this. The comments are really interesting (and sometimes dead-on accurate!). The analytical detective work is stuff that I really dig doing myself - saying "I think it's X because of ABC", and then somebody comes back with. "it couldn't be because of DEF". It's not the guessing, it's the sharpening of hearing, discernment, historical awareness, etc. And then to read somebody saying "I don't have a clue who this is, but I like/dislike it beacuse...", well, that's a beautiful thing, and the essence of "blind" listening - how you gonna feel about something totally on its own merits, without any preconceptions? So keep it up, folks! Ok, as for the latest item under debate, I will tell you that the item is listed on AMG under the singer's name, with a photo of the cover, no commentary, and a woefully inaccurate rating. So if you got the patience, you can find it!