DrJ

Late in the game, so I'll keep it simple - this is a do not miss boxed set. Great music, variety, excellent sound quality, definitive booklet, and composed mostly of stuff that was truly rescued from obscurity (at least as far as U.S. reissue is concerned). Pricey, but worth it, particularly with the current True Blue/Mosaic deal.

Great Conns (don't know if they are "the best" but certainly ones I have really enjoyed): Grant Green - SOLID Hank Mobley - A SLICE OF THE TOP Jackie McLean - DESTINATION...OUT! Bobby Hutcherson - well, any of them, but probably COMPONENTS is favorite INTRODUCING KENNY BURRELL 2-fer Tina Brooks - TRUE BLUE Freddie Hubbard - READY FOR FREDDIE Wayne Shorter - ETCETERA Andrew Hill - JUDGEMENT! OK, way more than 5, but these are all "must haves" in my view. There are no Conns I think are truly dogs, but probably Sonny Red's OUT OF THE BLUE is the weakest, redeemed somewhat by the added previously unreleased material (which is far better than the original album to my ears as far as Red's playing is concerned - especially his intonation). This album actually totally soured me on his playing, and as a result I never gave him a fair chance for a long time. After coming around, I have to say he's a much better player than reflected on that album - for example, check him out on Bill Hardman's Savoy date.

I agree that number of selections for the "official" part of the BF test should be no more than 8-10, as anything else would get unwieldy. Whatever else goes on the disc should be at individual discretion. I for one don't have time right now to do anything more than the minimum or to listen to more than 8-10!

Found something kind of interesting this weekend - an advance, promo copy of the Thelonious Monk COLUMBIA YEARS 3 CD boxed set. It has all the music as well as the liners, but they are on tray cards that you have to read through clear CD holding trays, only a minor annoyance. Best of all was that it cost only $14 used. Normally would not have gone for the box, but easily worth $14 to get the few odds and ends tracks not readily available elsewhere (although most are now appearing on the new Legacy reissues of his Columbia dates).

OK folks, we've heard your feedback and now I think it's time to solidify a plan for how the Organissimo blindfold test might work. 1. First off, in Dan's poll, it seemed clear people generally want these to be assembled by a single board member on their own and then disseminated, with a "theme" (or no theme) of the assembler's choosing, rather than having multiple people all send 1 or 2 tracks in. I think this makes good sense. 2. While there is some support for downloads, I think for both legal and logistical reasons CD-R is clearly the way to go for now - with the person doing the selections being the one who either covers costs or comes up with some other way to get the CD's copied/mailed (has people send money, etc). I don't want to micromanage - I think people can figure this out on their own. If anyone has the time/energy to do a download strategy in the future that is both legal and feasible for all, well then, more power to ya! 3. Since I suggested the idea, I will do the first blindfold compilation. With the new baby things are hectic, so Dan has graciously agreed to help me out with copying and distribution (I'm at least partially covering costs). I've already begun mentally selecting tracks. 4. I nominate Dan to be up for the next blindfold test as a result - and after that we'll have to come up with a line-up as has happened for AOW. 5. I am hoping to get my 10 or so selections down on a CD-R within the week, then get it to Dan for copying and distribution. I guess once he's ready he will have people confirm whether they want to be involved with this go-round (I have the old thread but we probably will need to confirm). 6. About 2 weeks after we would expect everyone to have gotten the discs (probably three weeks after mailing) we'll put up a discussion thread as has been done for AOW, for people to start posting impressions about any/all of the tracks - who they think it is, or at least key players, connections between the tracks, whether they dug it or not, etc. Consult any DOWNBEAT blindfold test if you're not sure what to comment on. All this should be in good fun - I'm asking people to NOT jump in and say things like "how in the hell could you NOT know it's such and such, you tin-eared moron!" The goal is not to guess every song/musician correctly, but to broaden horizons, look for new connections, question what may be some long-held and unrecognized biases, etc. 7. Dan, or anyone else, have I forgotten anything? Let me know pronto - and thanks for your support everyone, this should be FUN!

I could be wrong, but I could swear that Fuel just last year reissued all this music but on 2 separate CDs. If so, I would imagine it would be the same remastering - I don't have either so would have to rely on someone else to give us a review on the sound quality vs older reissues.

Big fan of Benny. In addition to the Candid, one of the nicest places to hear his gorgeous and BIG tone is on an album called THE MUSIC OF QUINCY JONES PLAYED BY BENNY BAILEY... (there's more people then listed - one of the longer album titles ever, I think) on Argo. Both his lead playing and soloing are well represented. I think this is still available as a Japanese LP-sleeve reissue, came out late last year/early this year some time.

FREE SLAVE was out in 32Jazz's reissue series. Probably officially OOP now but I doubt it will be hard to track down (find a Borders with slow movement of its jazz stock and it's probably gathering dust there!).

MOODSWING, good stuff.

Wow, with this build up, you must be feelin' some pressure! Seriously, welcome!

Warm here most of the summer in Sacramento - and this year has been one of the hottest on record, with weeks at a time over 100. This week has been wonderful, 80's day with lows in 50's overnight. Then again, having lived in both St. Louis and Augusta, GA for 4 year stints and now being back in California, I can at least say (to the great annoyance of many, I'm sure) "yeah, but it's a DRY heat."

It's on my radar screen, since I've yet to hear anything by Blanchard that's truly bad or disappointing. Really looking forward to hearing him in the context of organ. In a quiet, unassuming way, I think that Blanchard has developed into the most interesting and consistent of the mainstream trumpeters of the era. Been playing JAZZ IN FILM to death lately, seldom leaves the multi-disc changer.

I don't have any of these, don't really know this era too well. I'm sure the music is dated in some ways, but it would still probably be worth checking these out. I will say that I absolutely love Coryell's work on Gary Burton's album DUSTER (RCA, last reissued in the U.S. by Koch). That one was recorded in 1967, just a couple years before the ones you list. It has one killer line-up: Burton in his early explorative days, Steve Swallow, the great Roy Haynes, and Coryell. The music lives up to the promise. A very early (one of the earliest?) rock-influenced jazz albums, "fusion" for lack of a less pejorative word. It still sounds fresh and exciting, I never tire of hearing it. I have yet to explore the rest of Burton's albums for RCA from around that period, like COUNTRY ROADS AND OTHER PLACES (by which I think Coryell had been replaced by Jerry Hahn), LOFTY FAKE ANAGRAM, and GENUINE TONG FUNERAL, but it's only a matter of time. I also enjoy what I've heard of Coryell's later albums for Muse in the 80's too, especially SHINING HOUR with Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, and Marvin "Smitty" Smith.

I guess I'm a true fan then! Seriously, I really enjoy Chambers' work overall. His leader dates for BN were refreshingly varied and often quite different from the more typical BN sound (witness QUINTET and BASS ON TOP especially). As far as bassists for in the pocket, mainstream hard bop of the 50's/early 60's, hard to better Mr. P.C., although I do prefer some others above him personally (Watkins and Wilbur Ware right off the bat). I tend to agree with Dave James though about his arco playing - listen to his arco work alongside that of someone like Richard Davis and you will realize pretty clearly he had some technique problems in that area.

I agree with you - Vanguard box is my favorite, for many of the same reasons that I voted for the Plugged Nickel box as my favorite Miles Columbia box in a recent poll. The sound of a group evolving and discovering, growing from track to track.

Agree 100%.

CJ, what I'm hearing is beyond the normal slightly overdriven sound of McDuff's organ (for example, the sound heard throughout the rest of the session). It sounds like the recording level was set just a little too hot. It's not a particularly pleasant sound, but only a minor distraction, and it seems to not be a problem throughout the session, just on the first track. It's a very minor problem, though. GRANTSTAND is indeed a wonderful session and it is all the better for having Lateef on board, one of my favorites (been grooving to his earliest Savoy material after picking up the old 2 LP set MORNING).

I'm with Rooster Ties, SOLID is my favorite Green - I sure wish he would have played in that bag and in that kind of company (and on those types of tunes) more often. After that, TALKIN' ABOUT and the other dates with Larry Young are next on my list - a match made in heaven, with Elvin on TALKIN' giving that one just a little more edge ("I'm an Old Cowhand" - ah, give me that one on the proverbial desert island). And then next for me are the dates with Sonny Clark, and then IDLE MOMENTS, MATADOR, and GOIN' WEST. All this is desert island material for me. The rest are all great - GREEN STREET, STANDARDS, GRANTSTAND, SUNDAY MORNIN', FEELIN' THE SPIRIT, BLUES FOR LOU, and his later years material - but not at quite the level of the "first grouping" for me. I enjoy GREEN STREET, very fine stuff, but honestly it's a little TOO open and spare for my liking, to the point of being a little on the boring side. Green has great ideas and plays well, but the accompaniment borders on the metronomic, and because Green is so much into the single-note style, I long for a little more filling in with some well-placed chords. STANDARDS lacks even the edge GREEN STREET has - again enjoyable, I listen to it quite often, but it's not up to the same standard as GREEN STREET and neither would top my personal fave list. Prediction: when GOIN' WEST comes out in a remastered version, that one is gonna move toward the top of a lot of lists. Superb. Like an even better execution of the type of thing they went for on FEELIN' THE SPIRIT (with Country in place of spirituals). But then again, to me Green never made a truly bad album. I even enjoy the later BNs (with GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL a personal fave).

In A/B'ing the late 80's U.S. BN CD of GRANTSTAND and the new RVG, the grungy organ sound on peaks in the music is there on both versions. It's no more prominent to me on the RVG, and otherwise there is no comparison - the RVG has a much fatter bass, natural high end, and greater presence and depth. A really nice improvement. While it's true the music has always stood on its own, I find myself warming to this session even more now that it has been given a proper treatment on CD. My guess is that on the original recording, Rudy captured McDuff's organ a little too "hot" at the start of that track and then backed the levels down, but that's speculative since I haven't ever heard, say, the original vinyl - it could be a problem that came up later with tape degradation or a transfer problem.

Add another - bay area multi-reedist Harvey Wainapel's THE HANG (Spirit Nectar), with Kenny Barron on piano and the Organissimo forums' own TrumpetGuy, Phil Grenadier, on trumpet, has a smokin' version that is titled simply "Wilpan's," but it's the very same McBee tune. BTW, THE HANG is a truly GREAT album, probably little known to most outside Northern California. Really should not be missed.

Yes, that was my intention on starting this discussion by posting the idea. One person chooses each time it is done (however often we do the blindfold test). I will look at the poll re: MP3 vs CD with interest. To be honest, as a new father, if we can find a way to do this without requiring CD-R's to be sent all over the world, and it's not illegal, I'd welcome it. I just don't have the time right now to make a lot of burns and more importantly to mail them, and I'm not even back at work full time yet - wish I did, but babies are a full time (albeit fun) occupation!.

Love McBee's playing. In addition to ETCETERA being a favorite spot, he's absolutely on fire throughout Chico Freeman's DESTINY'S DANCE. Also check out Horace Tapscott's DARK TREE VOLS. 1 & 2 - one of the essential jazz recordings of all time. McBee is central to the drama there.

Do not miss it. I initially hesitated based on the concern about all that piano trio music, but couldn't be happier that I took the plunge. I think you said it yourself - it's hard for me to imagine anyone could have too much of Teddy's sublime playing. It is true that I tend to listen to this box a little at a time because there is a certain sameness in general feel, but that is true of much of my collection. It's also true that by this point Teddy was mostly about honing and polishing the diamond of a style he had created rather than exploring new vistas, but hey, that's OK too when you're starting from such a high level. So grab it, and savor it over time. Another thought: it's very unlikely that Verve will get around to issuing even the majority (let alone all) of this material in their reissue program, so would be a drag to miss out now. Sound quality is excellent on most of the box - with a slight decrement to merely good quality for one of the sessions with Jo Jones at the drums (sad it had to be this one, as Wilson and Jones together was truly a thing of beauty) for which the original session tapes couldn't be located and so they had to dub from an LP. Still, that one is readily listenable.

I agree with you, they're wonderful, some of the best rock albums ever made. But still, I find the Velvet Underground to be ridiculously overpraised these days, like they never did anything mundane or less than other-wordly. I have and DO listen to these albums frequently, and while they are wonderful, I honestly don't think everything has held up all that well (LOADED in particular, which despite having a few killers sounds suspciously like some of the magic was wearing off already), certainly not well enough to merit the essentially universal positive reviews. What, there's not a SINGLE critic anywhere who doesn't care for the VU? Why is it that we have critics who say straight-faced that the Who, Stones, Beatles, and Beach Boys were overrated but you NEVER see a single one say that about the Velvet Underground? When I see that happening, I smell groupthink at its worst, and it bothers me. VU was certainly not flawless, and they were no better than the aforementioned bands in my view - just different. I also think that VU breaking up so early will of course mean their consistency quotient is higher than for the other groups who carried on. But when you look at the solo track record of the VU artists, you realize they went through much of the same "wilderness years" problem as the other aging rockers did, they just did it individually rather than collectively. It's a truism that aging gracefully on record in rock is difficult at best, and generally a hit-and-miss proposition.

See, and I have really never had even a moment's time for Cream - bloated, "supergroup" mentality white boy blues. "Crossroads" is the best soporific I know of, totally mystifies me that anyone thinks they were "the stuff." Clapton as a guitarist is probably the most overrated rock musician ever. Wonderful voice, I'll give him that, but totally boring and repetitive blues lick stealing on the guitar. Why listen to Clapton when you can go back to the source? Maybe it was cool and new in 1967, when most white people hadn't ever heard of Albert or BB King, Muddy Waters, etc, but I'm not going to waste my time with that pap now when I know from whence it came, in undiluted form. The other bands you list - Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles, etc - OK, they had influences, but they transcended them. But listening to Clapton is like listening to a blues guitar lick library all strung together. He ain't God; hell, he ain't even Jimmy Page.