T.D.

Homecoming is one of my favorites, too. More upbeat than many Elmo albums. Just noticed: kind of strange that the above 2 covers use the same photo.

The old Carter recordings by the Composers Quartet are really good, but I think they only did three: 2 on Nonesuch and 1 on Music and Arts. Might be some cheap LPs out there. Complete sets I can only think of Arditti (#5 is an add-on to prior 1-4), Juilliard and Pacifica.

Jim, you've motivated me to get serious about the Bartok SQ. I owned the Novak Qt. recording (Philips) for many many years, but their rendition never registered/resonated so I thought I was a moron/Philistine for "not getting" these works. Came by (free) the Emerson version a few years ago and find that much more enjoyable. Spun it this week and am beginning to appreciate the quartets. I selectively like the Emersons (love their Ives, for instance) and they're certainly technically proficient. Now I'm going to try the other end of the interpretation spectrum with a more "Hungarian" recording. So many versions out there that researching takes a while.

Finishing up: #8: Nice track, sounds like a duet on my bad computer sound system. Suspected a name tenor but no guess. I peeked, and then had to sleuth (withheld) due to curiosity about the pianist, who clearly is not "the usual suspect" Cedar Walton. Pianist is a prominent/prolific guy I like a lot but who sometimes gets some stick on the forum. He's in great form here. #9: Far from my usual listening and absolutely no idea about the musicians, but I like it. Especially the bass line. Looking forward to the reveal, particularly for the bassist. #10: Even more of a departure from usual listening and less able to guess. But a good selection. Percussion is most impressive, arrangement also sticks out. #11: Sounds on my computer like a piano-bass-guitar trio with really nice and subtle interplay, pianist most likely the leader but perhaps it's billed as a trio. The kind of contemplative moody selection I usually like and do here. I peeked at the ECM hints but don't have any guesses and am not sure it's 21st century...could (though less likely) be as early as 1970s. Even though I'm not a big ECM enthusiast, this is a recording I'd consider picking up. Thanks for a most enjoyable BFT. After seeing Jim's reveal, I feel silly about dissing #5, but I've never related to that particular ensemble as much as some others with the estimable leader. Tracks #2, 4, 9 and 11 the most thought-provoking. The #7 leader is always a welcome guest!

Massive surprise. I honestly thought it was an April Fools-type hoax. Music-wise I'm thrilled. However, I've been downsizing and had sworn to purchase no more Mosaic sets since I can no longer abide their bulky format. So probably not.

Whoa, the album's not that scarce. I had only looked for discogs US $ sellers. Currently just one, used, at a high but not exorbitant price. Amazon (where I rarely look any more) has it new at a midrange price. Available used for a song if I wanna roll the dice on ex-library. Label seems to be part of the outhere portfolio, which includes Werner's ezz-thetics in jazzland and a bunch of estimable classical labels, so it's probably still extant.

Have considered acquiring this before, but physical media scarce.

This is really funny. I dig #2 but had no clue. Based on Jim's and felser's posts, I sleuthed it. No credit claimed, but it's here. From one of 2 albums (by the same group) I've seen on DG's "CD Deals" pages from to time. At one point I was on the verge of purchasing both, but held off for some reason. I have heard one tune by this group before, on one of the "Spiritual Jazz" compilations. Since "The Bastards" still have this one for $6.99/2 CDs I just sprang for it.

I know the label mainly through youtube. I like the UJ+RE material and would purchase some at reasonable prices. There's quite a bit of jazz-rock with other headliners, e.g. Nucleus, that I haven't heard. The only physical material I own is a CD of Meditation on a Landscape - Tagore by Dauner and Charlie Mariano. I like it a lot, but it's arguably meditation or "mood" music. I expect there are a lot of similar things on the label, probably quite a bit of dreck mixed in, but I haven't spent that much time looking on youtube. Plum Island by Charlie Mariano is quite good, but does venture into mood/smooth territory at times and I wouldn't purchase it. I suspect that aside from the jazz-rock stuff it's a mixed bag. I've been meaning to explore the Dauner solo albums, but haven't started yet because I expect some duds are mixed in (I'm not so fond of his electronics). I think the label was a cool project and am surprised it went on for so long. But the paucity of available reissues and downloads probably says something.

Sorry. Didn't know the terminology. Thought it'd be weirder.

Thanks. Not being familiar with the usage, I thought things like counterpoint, retrograde, and even serialism might qualify. If we extend "maths" to "probability", even some of Xenakis's stochastic music (which I think is mathematically -at least- lame, having seen some simplistic underlying FORTRAN code).

I'm a nerd and former math major. If there's "math jazz" I'd like to hear some. Although I don't love a lot of the music classified as "math rock". I'm not sure what "math classical" would consist of. Some candidates (microtonalists, Nancarrow) I like, some ("New Complexity") I don't. Would Feldman qualify based on weird time signatures?

I think what imprinted on me is a ('70s) Xanadu album California Hard by Dolo Coker. It's kind of a lemon: Coker (unfortunate surname for a jazzman 😁) can play but was supplied with a Richard Alderson (producer) trademark way-out of tune piano, and Frank Butler plays an interminable boring solo on one tune. The drum solo on #7 is slightly reminiscent of that one. Butler is very good on the old Curtis Counce Group recordings, for instance.

This might be rough and a mess in some ways, but if so it's a glorious mess.

PJJ is my preferred drummer with Elmo Hope, but I own that album with Butler (and a bunch of WCJ / Xanadu titles with him), so the BFT cut rang a bell. "Busy" isn't always a pejorative term for me...I use it positively for Jack DeJohnette, for instance, and often like Butler.

Motivated by another thread on the forum.

Having fun so far. Partial, since my long attempts often disappear before I can post: #1: Thumbs up. No guess, though some players sound familiar. The arrangement suggests the Jazztet, in which case maybe I own it, but no particular album comes to mind. #2: Big thumbs up, even though I'm not a big fusion listener. Enjoy the electric piano. And the 'bone (a lot), which confuses me because I can't think of any big fusion trombonists. Phil Ranelin would be a knee-jerk guess but I don't think it sounds overly like him. #3: Good and pleasant to listen to but not a knockout. No guess, but will probably kick myself upon ID. #4: Thumbs up. Peeked but wouldn't have been able to guess. From an album I've considered buying at various times but never picked up. Big fan of the pianist. Sometimes question the reed player's straight-ahead efforts but dig him here. #5: OK but not a standout. No guesses. Don't love the saxist. #6: Mild thumbs up. Saxist boring in some places but also occasionally interesting. Sax vaguely Middle-Eastern sounding from time to time, which suggests some phase(s) of Shepp, but doesn't really sound like him. No guesses, but expect a forehead slap on ID. #7: Big thumbs up. Being a fanboy of the leader I of course own the album. I like the drumming more than felser: have many recordings with him, very recognizable and often excellent, but tends to overplay on occasion. Back later with the rest. Thanks. Welcome diversion on a day with crummy weather.

OK, the drummer on #7 is good but kinda busy, so Frank Butler came to mind and the album is clear. #4 from this

Thanks. #7 unmistakably (in my feeble opinion) an Elmo Hope tune . Computer sound system @ work is terrible, so I don't recognize the recording straight off, and it might even be a cover by somebody else. Will look through the collection when I get home.

After about 10 days of s**t cold rainy weather, this improves the mood.

Strongly agree on all of these. Iberian Waltz is my favorite of the Sadao recordings, but all 3 are good. +1 Mark is onto something here. 😉 Dear John C. is a great album. I'm weird, but have enjoyed Mariano's Eastern-related music that I've heard (which isn't all that much). This for instance: