Dan Gould

Its a very happy day in the Gould household-my Red Sox are already in the big dance, and CubsWIN CubsWIN CubsWIN Guess my avatar brought them home, huh, GoM? Now, what are the odds of a Cubs/Red Sox series? B)

Yeah, imagine if Jim had my golden pipes and his eloquence: He'd be saying "That's Mr. President to you, pal"!

Well, I'm glad you liked it. You know, another theme could have been "crowd-pleasing" jazz, as none of the tunes were especially challenging and I thought that they ought to go over well with most jazz fans (of course, its possible that Dr. J. and Jim R. aren't like most jazz fans

Brad, the Artist Index page for Criss Cross shows no fewer than twenty five releases with Eric Alexander. ******************************** And Alexander, if you really wanted to listen and post your responses on the Discussion thread, there was nothing stopping you. That was the idea of a discussion thread and an answers thread-so that people who get a disc late or are just slow to get around to listening can still participate, if they can control themselves and not open either thread til they are ready to post.

Wait, wait! Don't listen to them! I can see it!!!! A sort or Asian looking girl on the hood of a red car, in a short black dress. Keep it!!!

Now if that shouldn't be an avatar, I don't know what would ...

Some might look at my collection, particularly my hunt for things like Argo LPs, and label me a "collector" but in reality I definitely consider myself a fan. I think its the hunger for the "new" that leads me to find obscure labels or albums, because I have largely exhausted the catalogs of the "majors". But its not a compulsive need to buy or acquire, its the thrill of the "new" (though there is an element of appreciation for the "rare" which probably gives an extra kick. But its all meant to thrill the fan in me above all else). As to the point of keeping "touch" with your collection, I have made a strong attempt to do just that, as for the last several months, I have systematically shuffled CDs to the office-I can't recall how many months exactly, but just this week I returned from vacation and I have just started the process over again. The first time through, I picked out CDs I hadn't heard in a while, and now this time, I am trying to remember which ones I skipped over last time and will try to pick others. Not as systematic as the LIFO system, but I am pleased to be rediscovering a lot of great music, and on top of that, I managed to take a couple of months to do the same thing with my vinyl. Heck, I've even stuffed my Car CD Case with pop/rock/blues discs, so it will be about three weeks before I return to jazz in the car. In the meantime, if I can just get through the music I got for my birthday, I'll finally dive into the box of 58 burns I received in August, so in some ways the mad acquisitions continue

Nary a clue, and this Seminole is not about to go make a visit to Gainesville to ask around!

Ray (and anyone else interested in Cochrane) the disc is available from Stateside Distributors: Stateside Distributors-1004 N. California. Chicago, IL 60622-3408 Attn: Pete Crawford. Phone toll-free 1-888-776-0436 or e-mail stateside@prodigy.net

That would be because the album just says "Flutes & Reeds" But its clear from the liners that Wilkins should get credit-he says he always wanted to do such an album, he picked Wess and Richardson and wrote the arrangements, so to me its pretty obvious it should be listed under Wilkins.

What can I tell you, Mike? I guess my copy of the Palo Alto was in a touch better shape than yours-I didn't even have to do any manual pop/click removal. Oh, and I got it for $5.

Some general comments first: I am pleased that so many participants reallly seemed to dig most if not all of my compilation. On the other hand, I remain perplexed at some of the "digs" on certain cuts, like the vocal track and the long, slow blues that wrapped things up. But to each their own, no accounting for taste, (insert your cliche here). Tony Jerant came closest to identifying the theme: "the thematic link being bluesy, soulful jazz." Only I had a different word in mind: GREASY (Remember that I did write that the theme was not entirely consistent, so if you ignore the ballad and the boppers which don't quite fit, well, there's your theme!) The one specific approach I took was to choose tunes which would be recognizable, largely. Of course, some of these were originals and not recognizable immediately, I considered tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 11-13 to be tunes that, certainly the board in toto would recognize. So my approach was different from Tony Jerant's in that I was, for the most part, asking people to identify artists on familiar themes, and I did this knowing that by choosing recognizable tunes, it could make the solving of the puzzles easier due to sources like AMG. Not saying its wrong or right, just saying that was the situation I knew I was setting up. ******************************** Track #1 Many people guessed Gene Harris, but many people also appealed to "reverse psychology" as a reason to reject that identification, but no one quite picked up on just how much reverse psychology I used. You see, "I'll Drown in My Own Tears" was on the Live at the Light House CD, however it was one of those tracks on which Harris overdubbed his organ, so I gave you a recognizable "Sounds" tune but in a version which could not have been on Blue Note. In other words, I was pretty tricky here. I'll Drown in My Own Tears (Ray Charles) Ike Isaacs, Ike Isaacs at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper (NORMA) Isaacs-bass, Jack Wilson-piano, Jimmy Smith-drums 1967 This is surely the most un-Jack Wilson sounding Jack Wilson LP you are likely to hear. He's quite different from his Blue Note albums, but obviously Jack fit right into Isaacs crowd-pleasing soul jazz vibe on this live recording. The CD was available earlier this year from Dusty Groove and while it is rather short, I do recommend it. **************************** Track #2 I honestly did not expect any debate on whether this was Joe Williams, I thought that much was quite obvious. The song was also chosen for its surprising pianist, but few people even guessed who that might be. Well, here it is: I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water (Eddie Miller) Joe Williams: A Song is Born (VHS-View Video) Joe Williams-vocals, George Shearing-piano, Neil Swainson-bass, Paul Humphrey-drums 1991 at the Paul Masson Winery (yes, the crowd was extremely "vanilla"!) Anyone else surprised at George Shearing's way with the blues? The entire video is terrific, a mix of ballads, blues, Ellingtonia, and in awesome sound. It was dubbed direct from the VHS audio outputs to the PC. And best of all, CD Universe is currently listing it as available: ******************************* Track #3 It was quite interesting to see different reactions to another tune I expected people to identify: "Stand by me" "No, its 'Stand By Me' chord changes" No, its a "knock off of 'Stand By Me'". And actually, its inclusion was due to my own confusion on this number. To me, it IS "Stand By Me," I just hear LD phrasing the theme a bit differently. And yet the liners just say that "the quintet ranges into the R&B bag and comes up with a Donaldson original." Someone will have to explain that to me. But regardless, a fun tune, I figured that LD's tone would give it away but I guess the tune (or what the tune SOUNDS like) threw a lot of people off ... The Wheeler-Dealer (Lou Donaldson) Blowing in the Wind (Argo) LD-alto, Herman Foster-piano, Sam Jones-bass, Leo Morris-drums 1966 (Kudos to Tony Jerant for his sleuthing on this one) ******************************* Track #4 Watermelon Man (Herbie Hancock) Red Holloway, In The Red (Highnote) Holloway-tenor, Norman Simmons-piano, Peter Washington-bass, Kenny Washington-drums 1998 Jim Sangrey was only partially right about the rhythm section on this one, and I have always felt that Norman Simmons slips below too many folks attention. I also wanted to call attention to one of the great tenor players, of course. I have always been knocked out by Simmons' solo on this tune and was surprised that few people singled it out, and some even thought it was from a younger guy! Anyway, I highly recommend this CD. **************** Track #5 I knew this one was a bit of a curve ball, in fact, it was a last minute addition to the set list, as I realized it would make for a different feel than the rest of the tunes, and was also a rare Savoy album that's never been issued on CD (Good sleuthing, mike weil!) Ernie Wilkins, Blues in a Cold Water Flat (Ernie Wilkins) Flutes & Reeds (Savoy) Ernie Wilkins-alto and arrangements, Frank Wess-tenor, Jerome Richardson-tenor, Hank Jones-piano, Eddie Jones-bass, Kenny Clarke-drums (Solo order of the reeds is Wess, Wilkins, Richardson) No date on LP, it is an RVG engineered recording, however. I came close to picking one of the flute tracks but space limitations led me to this one, which had solos from all the principals plus Klook trading fours. A great, great album, why in all of the Savoy reissue programs it hasn't seen the light of day is completely beyond me. ***************** Track #6 Continuum, "Sid's Delight" (Tadd Dameron) Mad About Tadd (Palo Alto Records) Slide Hampton-trombone, Jimmy Heath-tenor, Kenny Barron-piano, Ron Carter-bass, Art Taylor-drums 1982 I was completely shocked when mikeweil identified this LP and said it was in his collection. I figured this label and this album was quite obscure enough, that it would simply be the challenge of identifying the players, which several people did do. An excellent LP, I wish I could tell you that its available ... *************** Track #7 The single track I was most curious about how it would be received. Let me describe the situation for you: An American musician had returned to the States after many years abroad, and the producer invited him to Florida to record at a concert and at a radio station studio with a local band. Carmell Jones, "Billie's Bounce" (Charlie Parker) Carmell Jones Returns (my burn from PD doesn't mention the label, AMG gives a label for a CD reissue, I have no idea if its accurate or not) Jones-trumpet, Roland Burns-alto, Frank Sullivan-piano, Scott Walton-bass, Billy Bowker-drums 1982 in Gainesville Florida I was extremely curious whether anyone (particularly Jim Sangrey) would pick up on the fact that this is a "star + local band" kind of date. It was quite interesting to hear people try to sort out the inspirations of musicians described in the liners as the "Gainesville house rhythm section" and the alto was a Gainesville resident described in the liners as "not a 'finished' player." So, what do you think now that you know that Carmell's backup was just a bunch of local musicians? ****************** Track #8 Houston Person, Since I Fell For You (Buddy Johnson) Houston Person, The Real Thing (Westbound) Person-tenor, Grant Green-guitar, Jimmy Watson-organ, Hank Brown-drums 1972 or 73, live at Watt's Club Mozambique Another rare one, well worth the search though. A mix of pop tunes including You Are The Sunshine of my Life, the Ohio Player's "Pain", a couple of then-current Spinners hits, but also some standards and jazz tunes like Easy Walker, Angel Eyes and T'ain't Nobody's Business. And great sidemen including Jack McDuff, Etta Jones, Idris Muhammad and ... I just noticed this, James Jamieson, who I just learned so much about when I finally rented Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Cool! Anyway, it was interesting hearing people deny what was pretty obvious to my ears, that it was Grant Green. I thought this would be a gimme, at least on Grant, but you guys took your time to figure it out! **************************** Track #9 Teddy Edwards, I'm So Afraid of Love (Edwards) Soundtrack album, The Legend of Teddy Edwards (Cope Records) Edwards-tenor, Larry Nash-piano, Wendell Williams-bass, Gerryck King-drums 2000 I figured I had to program a ballad and I felt this was a very beautiful one. And if it gets people to purchase the DVD or the CD, all the better! I first got the DVD, and it must be seen, but I also wanted to enjoy the music so I snagged the CD too. Get it! ********************************** Track #10 Eastern Rebellion, In The Kitchen (Cedar Walton) Simple Pleasure (MusicMasters) Walton-piano, Ralph Moore-tenor, David Williams-bass, Billy Higgins-drums 1993 The reason I chose Ralph Moore in the Eastern Rebellion tenor sax poll I started was the two times that I saw the band, at a club on the east side and later at the Vanguard. It was on the former gig that Walton was debuting this tune and it became an instant favorite of mine. Cedar introduced it by saying that it was inspired by and dedicated to his grandson, "who always has so much fun ... In The Kitchen." And they proceeded to serve up a twenty plus minute helping of some greasy, life affirming blues. Great stuff. A little surprised no one picked up on Cedar Walton (but I think someone did say Eastern Rebellion, so I guess its the same thing, but ...) ************************************** Track #11 Michael Cochrane, Footprints (Wayne Shorter) Footprints, Michael Cochrane Trio Plays The Music of Wayne Shorter(Steeplechase) Cochrane-piano, Ron McClure-bass, Yoron Israel-drums 2000 Cochrane is one of those guys that, if there were justice, would not labor in obscurity. Can't really explain it, but I just really dig his playing, and by picking a tune from this album, I hope to motivate a few people to give him a chance. This album is an excellent place to start, he also has several others on Steeplechase, both trio and quartet. ************************** Track #12 Richard "Groove" Holmes, I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts of Town (Razaf/Weldon) Bowl of Soul (Loma Records) Holmes-organ, unidentified big band arranged and conducted by Onzy Matthews Not sure of a date. Had to go with an organist, for Organissimo, right? Didn't think this one would be confused with Jimmy Smith and Oliver Nelson. Some dissed the arrangement but I dug it and the openings left for Groove to wail in between. ********************* Track #13 Wow-the differences of opinion on this one! Junior Mance, Lonely Avenue (D. Pomus) Junior Mance Trio, Groovin' Blue (M&I Records) Mance-piano, Eric Alexander-tenor, Chip Jackson-bass, Idris Muhammad-drums 2001. Available from Mr. Tanno at Early Records What can I say? Obviously I really dug this long, slow blues. When I got this CD late last year, I realized that with Gene Harris gone, Junior Mance is the pre-eminent blues rooted jazz pianist, and I gotta get more of his stuff The CD is great, and for those who don't dig Alexander, he's not on every cut. An almost all blues program but with some surprises thrown in, including Blueberry Hill, Got My Mojo Working, and America The Beautiful. ******************************* Thanks for reading-I had a lot bottled up while I read everyone's guesses! And thanks again to everyone who participated. I hope the answers sparks some more interesting conversation.

I keep planning to check their website to see who else gets to share the bill with Organissimo ... I'd say I will definitely plan on being there Saturday and Sunday, I'd love to catch Eric Alexander with David Hazeltine. And I've even got my "uniform" all picked out, guys-the former Gene Harris Fanatic will be known to you when you see the guy wearing the Gene Harris Jazz Festival t-shirt I recently won on Ebay! Anyone else in south Florida interested in joining me?

Yes, it will be on a separate thread and please be patient, it takes time to write up info and commentary on all 13 tracks!

Since time's a wastin' and the mysteries left on the disc are gettin' fewer, I'll be posting the answers momentarily. But I do hope that the folks who have not yet posted their initial impressions will post here before checking the Answers and Further Discussion thread.

Well, considering how items are getting checked off, one after the other, maybe its time to reveal while there are still a few mysteries left?

So which do you think is doing a better job at driving the women away, the Babes thread or this one? Where's that damn P.U. smilie?

Thanks, but I'm going to happily pass while continuing to listen to Payton's Place.

Funny, I almost felt the same way when some of the responses appeared on my Blindfold Test!

Is Garamond as BIG as Jack Germond?

Would I use "guess" if that were the case?

How about, "I received a link to this coupon in an e-mail message I received, and this is clearly a Borders coupon, so why are you refusing to honor it?"

That would explain why, in the Amazon customer reviews of the VHS set, people were bitching and moaning that original music was replaced by 'stock' music. It didn't prevent them from putting out a VHS set, why should it prevent them from doing it properly with a DVD set? Granted, it makes the production costs a bit higher, having to post in generic music, but still ...

Someone else already guessed that one, Ray.

I was thinking about that Dif'rent Strokes episode, definitely not expected, but as expected, he did a fine job. And yes, that episode with the state trooper testing reflexes was priceless, as Johnny's improvement pretty much drove him nuts!