Dub Modal

Frisell in full effect here.

I think Strut was going for the kitsch factor on their vinyl release of this album. I don't know of many (if any) Sun Ra reissues that don't have digital steps in the vinyl pressing process, so they're never going to be AAA.

Yeah, those were the days. Back when they had so much inventory they basically had to give it away via clubs and cutouts.

Pharoah Sanders' Message From Home. Mid-90s Laswell production that is really nice to listen to. If only I'd come across this stuff back when it was new, I probably would've been bitten by the jazz bug a whole lot earlier... After that; disc one of the 3 CD set:

Oh, that ain't me. When I say sus, I mean reactionary.

Ah, from the Dynasty album - that's why it's so familiar!

Nice, good to hear that.

I can't guess most tunes or players, easy or not - even standards, so my comments are mostly just reactions. Lots of horns in unison throughout this BFT and that's a good thing. There's also a lot of flute: 1 - I like the groove of the rhythm section but the singing isn't for me so glad that doesn't last too long. 2 - The bass clarinet & flute are great. Dig this song. 3 - Love the tone on the saxophone. Trumpet lead has a great solo too. This type of tempo and structure seems to really give a nice bedrock for just about any musician to riff on. The melody is good too. 4 - Great production because the horns in unison sound excellent. Nice soothing track that I could dig almost any time. 5 - Nice moody piece. 6 - Close to 3:30 or so when the sax solo starts is when I really dig this track. The bass solo smokes too. 7 - Nice composition. I like how tension is kept simmering underneath the horns. 8 - Old school sounding production but I don't think it's an older recording(?). Big sound from that trombone too. 9 - Oh lord, this is a song I've heard before. I probably have this album, or at least a studio version. Can't name it though...as soon as I read the other comments and someone has named it..."D'oh!" will likely be my reaction. 10 - I dig that soprano playing. Was wondering if this was a combo with Jimmy Heath and Bags but I don't think it is. 11 - I've heard the Pan African Arkestra do this song but not sure this is the same version. It's enjoyable but for whatever reason I'm numb to big vocal chorals. Playing here is marvelous aside from that. Edit: And I see no one has named #9 yet (until rostasi spills the beans)...I'm surprised!

This was my first time listening to this material and I really loved it all (well, the orchestra piece a little less so). Will definitely listen again soon. NP:

First I've heard of this book and yeah, it's pricey. I've never read Sun's own writings, only previews here and there and honestly they've always been a bit sus to me. Still would like to see this get a repress and probably read it along with Kreiss' work on Ra and the Black Panthers to get a better scope on things.

How is this one? I've skipped over it a few times in the used bins but have wondered how big of a mistake that is.

Extremely engaging Now: Kind of similar concept as the Hemphill/Smith with sax and percussion, but this one is a bit more aloof in comparison - at least on first listen.

mood music

Ha, yeah - small & medium don't cut it for me either. I ended up getting both of those CDs and it was definitely worth it.

Definitely won't be a stranger. These BFTs are too much fun, and I think educational for both listener and compiler.

Well, I had fun making this BFT and hope you all got some enjoyment out of it. I was motivated by JSngry's advice/tip in that these are essentially a modern mix tape platform, and so tried including a variety and styles from different eras and traditions to make a decent blend. The tracks: 1 - Sam's Intro - Count Ossie & Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, from Tales of Mozambique (1975) 2 - Lucky Strike - Elmo Hope Trio, from Meditations (1955) 3 - Testing My Faith - Keith Hudson, from The Black Breast Has Produced Her Best, Flesh of My Skin Blood of My Blood (1974) Hudson's singing is an acquired taste for most, but I find it heartfelt, especially on this track. 4 - Long Rhythm - Julius Hemphill, from Raw Materials and Residuals (1977) Instantly guess-able but I had to include it. Love this record. 5 - A Chromatic Love Affiar - Harry Carney the Great at Duke Ellington's Yale Concert (1968) I've had this on CD for a while, but for whatever reason Carney's playing on this floored me recently and I had to include it here. 6 - How Deep Is the Ocean - Clifford Jordan from Bearcat ('61 & '62) 7 - Felicite - The Leaders from Out Here Like This (1987) The blues these guys segue into is just so nasty to me. 8 - Star Flight - Edward Vesala from Satu (1976) 9 - 45 Degree Angle - Mary Lou Williams from The Jazz Piano (1965) The big mystery track for this BFT. Glad I could get one by yall! She's got 3 trio songs on this comp and they all smoke. 10 - El Carbonero - El Combo Candela from El Ritmo Es Correcto! (1983, aka The Rhythm is Right) but my version is from this well-recommended comp (snag it if you want some excellent Cumbia): DJ Dusk Presents La Musica Volume 1 11 - Don't Come Don't Call - New York Jazz Quartet from Oasis (1981) Frank Wess' two compositions on this album are the best songs there and this is one of them. 12- Mutton Leg - Illinois Jacquet from The Black Velvet Band (1947) 13 - Heart's Desire - Charles McPherson from Jazz Dance Suites (2019) Got a tip that McPherson's newest album was a good one, and so went to his site and ordered it. Good move. Here's the link to the McPherson's online store if interested: https://charlesmcpherson.com/store/ 14 - By the Sea - Enrico Rava from The Pilgrim & the Stars (1975) 15 - Sky Blues - Sun Ra from Disco 3000, Complete Milan Concert 1978 Sun Ra with Michael Ray, Luqman Ali and John Gilmore. Surprised this was picked so fast, but Gilmore's playing is a clue in the right direction I suppose. Thanks to everyone that listened in and contributed. It was fun reading the different reactions and guesses. Looking forward to more of these in the future.

That's it! Glad you enjoyed it and happy to see it was an intriguing enough mystery in this neck of the woods. I've got it on the Mosaic reissue of that piano workshop. I'll be posting the reveal hopefully before noon. Working on that now.

Back in time by a few years before Easy Walker for more Turrentine BN goodness.

Cranshaw, Roker & Tyner fill out the quartet on the original album. This CD reissue I have includes 2 bonus tracks with Ray Lucas on drums, adding Landrum on percussion, Spaulding on alto, Garnett Brown on trombone and Blue Mitchell on trumpet. Those added songs are from over a year after the original album was recorded. This main album though come across as super professional. These guys would have made a helluva touring band.

Reveal coming in a couple of days. In the meantime:

Ha, noticing that now. Left handed guitar? Nah, I'll just play this upside down. Been searching through his discography and it's some interesting stuff.

Seeing that Light In the Attic distributed a UK reissue of this record from Tidal Waves Music that they just put out a couple of weeks ago. Black vinyl of course on that one and both are double LP sets. This VMP can only be had if you join their subscription series. Not a buy for me, but this is at least the second time VMP has released an album on the heels of a UK-first reissue. They did that with Sharrock's Ask the Ages, only they did a red 33rpm compared to Hive Mind's black 2x45rpm. Maybe there's others they've done like that as well.