Dan Gould

We seem to have hit a roadblock, though, in terms of participation. I've sent out 15 discs, one arrived cracked and has been replaced, I know there are at leat a couple of people who haven't posted the full top-to-bottom report yet, but others haven't even said if they've received. Can we get a roll call of people who asked for but have yet to receive their disc?

John, are you telling me that "The Andy Griffith Show" doesn't travel well in TV syndication land? Well, "The Andy Griffith Show" was a very popular show of the sixties which featured Andy Griffith as the sheriff of a small town-Mayberry, with Don Knotts as his moron deputy, Barney Fife, and a very young Ron Howard as his son, Opie. Yes, they really named the kid "Opie".

Wait a minute-Don Knotts wasn't 21 in 1958.

This could seriously impact the Blindfold Test if we won't be able to link to the answer.

Well, I'm only pondering one or two obscurities, so I guess I'm safe.

My exposure to Tete is through all of the Dexter in Radioland Steeplechase LPs, which are all quite nice. And dig the way Dex introduces "El Gran Señor"!

I think Rooster brought this up in one of the early blindfold threads but I don't think there was any real discussion. Is it "OK" to slip in an artist if that artist is really quite extremely, totally, 100% obscure, yet obviously talented and with his own conception? Basically, the artist who it is virtually impossible to identify unless you own the album the tune comes from (or maybe, just maybe, if you've heard him live (the artist I am thinking of is definitely obscure, no reissues, but still does currently perform). Is it fair to make people guess when the answer will bring about a big "WHO?"

Not only did he cut that album for Verve, but it was reissued by Verve a few years ago. Dusty Groove stocks it fairly regularly. Can't say myself what he does with "hip" commercials, the subject didn't hold enough appeal to find out.

I hate to break it to you, B3-er, but I saw the same spot Free For All did. In fact, I was going to post about it with a thread title of something like, "First Rod Stewart, now ... Michael Bolton??!!" Truly frightening. Be thankful you haven't seen the spot. I believe "Summertime" is on the record. That ought to be worth a trip to see Dr. Kevorkian.

Years and years ago-maybe within six months of my catching the jazz bug, I picked up this OJC. Ultimately didn't do enough for me and I sold it and haven't thought twice about it since. Til now, that is. This thread makes me seriously wonder whether this was another one I'll end up re-buying.

I have no idea about him, but I'd just like to say that the title of the thread made my heart jump as I feared this was some new tome about Iraq and that Greg had somehow slipped back in!

OK, this is my anal nature showing through here, but there are a couple of other threads that should be moved to the new Blindfold forum. They're in the Forum discussion section and would let newcomers get a handle on the development of the way the test is being conducted.

Well, Tony, the lack of guesses on the "theme" might be a good indication that its too darn nebulous to be recognizable! Honestly, I think maybe only I specificallly knew you had a theme in mind, but I didn't even think about it after I fouled a couple off, poked a single to left, and whiffed on the rest

Not sure I know you, Tom, but welcome. Keep an eye out for the next announcement for Test #2 (mine) and folks will send PMs to me if they wish to participate (It'll be nice if the first one is so popular that we end up with 25 or 30 participants on the next one!). And to Jim Dye for stepping in with a burn offer and saving me the trouble, Your Burn Master thanks you.

Well, actually, if you read those DB blindfold tests, the upper limit of stars is infinity (though usually those ratings are given after they know who the artist was

I'm sure some of you remember that charming jazz discussion board member "Conan Nardo". Well, I swang by AAJ for the first time in a while and I saw this goofy thread about :I Can't Imagine Being a Jazz Fan Without Being a Musician" and I'm reading through it and it suddenly occurs to me: He's a guitar player, hates rap. Is it Conan? As Lon said to me, "Holy Deductive Reasoning, Batman!" http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread....41251#post41251 Damn, I'm good

That's a darn good cat and some pretty cool neighbors, Moose! Wish my neighbors listened to the Sounds and not the godawful crap that makes my wall vibrate.

Well, 15 went out, three to Europe, and six have commented so far. So, a small group but still 40% of the total class. I'm sure we'll get more after the holiday. Another thought I've had. Everyone's commenting on the "who" and "what" of the test, but other than me and Moose, how about more on the "how," as in, how did the tune strike you? A big part of the blindfold test is evaluating the music by number of stars, and I'm the only one who bothered. Not that the stars are critical, but I know that when it comes time for my test, I am most interested in the evaluation of the music, more than whether or not someone sleuth's out who the player is, or fishes out a disc and figures out what the tune is.

Of course, but there's lots more where that came from, so why make it especially easy? In short, my set list has become decidedly unsettled.

Well, now I am reconsidering some of my choices, having not realized how people would really try their darndest to figure out the tunes. I had in mind a performance of an easily identifiable pop song. But I think I am going to have to replace it for the simple fact that just looking the song up on AMG will *instantly* reveal who the musician is, and what's the point of that? I thought the tune was a good choice-there's a nice arrangement and good solos, but I now realize there's no challenge to this tune. I have other tunes in mind that are also pretty familiar, but those are OK. I mean, with 180 performances of "Watermelon Man" its probably a good shot that people won't be using AMG to figure it out. On the other hand ... who knows? But again, nice performance, but do I leave it in or pick something not so obvious or easy to figure out with outside help?

Thanks AB but it was Tony-Dr.J. who came up with the idea-in the middle of the night, while feeding his newborn. Someday I hope to experience the same thing, and be equally inspired in my idle thinking

Oh, I figured you were enjoying the sleuthing! You forget that Rooster's gonna come in and have the answers for all that we seek.

I hate to say it, but I've thought some more about the way we're going about this. Not only is it an open book test, but talking is allowed, too! I think Tony's lost control of the classroom! And the way things are going, by the time Tony is ready to reveal, people will have figured it all out amongst ourselves (well, I've contributed as much as I can). Guess what I'm saying is, is it necessary to take this as a challenge and to use every resource available, including internet audio clips, to figure it out? When Jim gets together with Andrew and Shawn-do you give the music to take home or do you play it and try to figure it out, right then, and if you don't get it, you don't get it? Personally, I'd prefer to hear initial guesses and comments, followed by Tony's answers, followed by further discussion. But that's only my two cents worth.

Yeah, now that you point it out, it is pretty obvious. But the thing is, as styles get distilled, originators can sometimes be obscured, at least in our ears. And if a pro like Ernie Watts can misidentify Hawkins for Pres, there's no dishonor in missing that BIG clue (was it Watts that Jim said really screwed up on a DB test? Think so ...)

Well, another guy I've never actually listened to, so no dishonor in not recognizing him.