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eklaxton

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Posts posted by eklaxton

  1. BFT 197 REVEAL

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    Sorry this is late everyone! I just became a student (officially) for the first time in a decade and misplaced my responsibilities here. Thanks for all the participation. This was fun. I hope to continue to engage with all of you as we hear more music together! 

    If I don’t provide enough info on a recording, feel free to ask me about it.


    1. Sir Roland Hanna- In My Solitude

    2. Nicholas Payton w/Doc Cheatham- Dinah

    3. Melissa Aldana- Ask Me Now

    4. Ben Webster- Single Petal Of A Rose

    5. Roy Hargrove- Valse Hot (from tenors of our time. First tenor soloist is Branford Marsalis while the second is Ron Blake)

    6. Joe Lovano- Donna Lee (from Bird Songs... there are two drummers here: Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela)

    7. Joe Henderson- Power to the People (titular track from the record. Herbie on keys! Jack DeJohnette crushing the drums)

    8. Jerry Bergonzi- In Your Own Sweet Way

    9. Bill Frisell- Shenandoah 

    10. Joe Martin- Semente (this record is called “Not By Chance” and the personnel is Chris Potter, Brad Mehldau, Marcus Gilmore (drums), Joe Martin (bass). Marcus is one of my all time favorite drummers.

    11. Ben Allison- Fred (from the record Think Free)

    12. George Garzone- Plaka (George is a hero of mine. He’s oft found exploring sound freely with the Fringe, but this tune is beautiful and I can’t resist feeling alright while it’s on.)

  3. BFT 197 Link & Discussion

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    I love how the group is piecing this all together. 

    The vocalist on Dinah is a trumpet player but not the trumpet player on the track. The record is a young mans nod to the tradition and a collaboration with his elder.

    10 is a real sleeper album and like I said it’s an unusual collection of players. Brad is def playing piano tho. One of my favorite drummers sitting at the kit. He’s a special dude. And I’m seeing the bass player on more and more records in the last 5-10 years. He’s def one of New York’s go to guys. 
     

    11 not a Klaxton piece but it is the guy that showed us the power of using simple triads. 
     

    I was hoping Thom would get 12. That tenor sound is one and only! Tho the composition is not his regular setting. 

    And you guys got Donna Lee! Maybe my favorite presentation of it ever! It’s like the Monet/Picasso version. 

  4. BFT 197 Link & Discussion

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    On 8/1/2020 at 3:37 PM, Milestones said:

       1)     This is “Solitude” played solo and with a great touch and sensitivity.  I don’t listen to a lot of solo piano (mainly Tyner and Weston), and I don’t have any idea who this is.  But it is a lovely performance.

     

    2)     That’s a curious piece; I don’t know what of make of the vocal opening. Then it’s full-blown New Orleans, though almost certainly a very modern or recent recording.  It made me think of Wynton Marsalis, but I doubt it.  However you regard him, he is a more distinctive player than this.  But it is a fun little performance.

     

    3)     “Ask Me Now”—Monk masterpiece!  Others besides Lacy can do Monk solo.  This guy sounds quite masterful.  It reminds me of Joe Henderson, but is more likely someone who has Joe as a pretty significant influence.

     

    4)     “The Single Petal of a Rose”—Ellington masterpiece.  That’s Ben Webster.  I don’t think I’ve heard Ben perform this before, but it is unquestionably him.

     

    5)     This is “Valse Hot.”  I believe Sonny wrote this one and performed it with Clifford Brown. This comes from the Roy Hargrove album with various tenor players.  Is it Branford and the more obscure Ron Blake?  I think Roy has the standout solo.

     

    6)     Joe Lovano…that was clear within seconds. I can listen to Lovano on ballads all day.  Not sure what this is.  The drummer makes me think of Bill Stewart, whom I have been checking out lately. But it doesn’t appear to be from Landmarks.  DeJohnette on drums?  This is likely an original—not a standard.  I have tons of Lovano; I should know this.

     

    7)     Not sure here.  It certainly has a bit of a Blue Note sound; but whether it’s BN or not, it seems to come from the 70s.  Then again, some artists in the past couple of decades have been returning to this sound.  I kind of like it, especially the tenor solo. Joe Henderson?  I seem to have him on the brain.

     

    8     “In Your Own Sweet Way.”  Biff F I probably correct on the artist. It’s pretty cool, but it does lose the sweetness.

     

    9)  “Shenadoah” by Bill Frisell.  Talk about pure beauty!  This is the version found on Good Dog, Happy Man.  I saw/heard him do this live, and it was just about the greatest concert experience I’ve ever known!  Thanks for putting this on the BFT.   

     

     

     

     

     

    1. The album this came from was the first of this guys playing that I had really checked out. He does all Ellington solo- I’ll try to provide album covers when I do the reveal so folks can get more of what they enjoy. 
     

    2. This album is definitely a love letter to the tradition. It was real early in the artist’s career. 
     

    3. there’s def a whole lotta Joe coming through in this. There’s a live performance of this player doing Without a Song and you can hear tons of Sonny. There’s so much history in their playing... def one of my favorite players out there today. 
     

    4. Ive been getting more and more into Ben Webster. And I can’t get enough of this tune. The arrangement here is pleasantly loose as well. I was excited when I stumbled across this track last year. 
     

    5. ive been trying to decide which tenor soloist is in which spot. When I was really young I thought it was just Branford in both spots. I’d be curious to see if we can generate a little spinoff discussion around just that!

     

    6. he’s all around the melody but never really says it. Not usually a ballad. Drummer(s), I believe. I’ve listened to this a ton to hear how much space one must leave for the other in order for it to remain so subtle. 
     

    7. There’s a live recording of this with Woody Shaw... I do wish he was on this record. Maybe one of the only things that could improve it. 
     

    8. this showed up in my brothers CD collection when I was in middle school or early high-school. It took 15 years for me to get back around to it. So fiery!

     

    9. Hearing that guitar in a room is def one of the coolest things I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing! 

    On 8/1/2020 at 4:08 PM, Milestones said:

          10) Good modern tenor—perhaps Joshua Redman or Chris Potter.  Or  it could be someone lesser known. 

     

    11)     Catchy little piece.  It has some of those Americana qualities found in Bill Frisell and Charlie Hunter.  Mark Feldman on violin?  In any case, not bad.  I like the violin as a change of pace in jazz. 

     

    12)     Somehow this reminds me of Henry Threadgill or Art Ensemble of Chicago.  Just the joyous rhythm of it.  This is played very straight and doesn’t really have avant garde elements.  Nice spirited performance to close out the BFT!

     

    I really love this Blindfold Test.  Clearly we have pretty similar jazz tastes.

     

    10. This personnel line up sort of surprised me. For some reason I didn’t expect it to come together. I was very wrong. I’d be interested to see if folks could figure out each player. 
     

    11. I’ve always loved this players writing. I figured it would be a breath of fresh air.

     

    12. This is one of the least avante garde things I’ve heard this guy do. I love him dearly for his highly creative and exploratory ways. This track just feels so damn good, I landed here. I think it also obscures the band leaders identity a bit. I think folks would have gotten it right quick if I’d put one of his trio recordings up. 

  5. BFT 197 Link & Discussion

    in Blindfold Test

    Posted

    On 8/1/2020 at 2:59 PM, Dan Gould said:

    Welcome and thank you for compiling this month's BFT.  

    I am not sure if it has ever happened before but you went the longest (tracks 1-6) among recent BFTs without forcing me to say "NEXT" and hit the forward button, so that is appreciated.

    I can also say that there are at least two tunes I recognize but can't name, and felt like a couple of others played around the melody but wouldn't come out and state it, so I look forward to having other participants relieve me of that curiosity.

    I don't guess very often on these but will go with Roy Hargrove on Track 5.

    A word on programming that you should definitely take or ignore as you wish: I'd have programmed the solo piano last, as a final slow tune to end on. Better to start with some swinging, and I'd have shifted everything up one, or led off with track 5. But that's just me - who tends to obsessively program his own BFTs.

    Thanks again and I hope you continue to participate both here and elsewhere on the board. :tup

    Thanks for the feedback. I had one order for the tracks that book-ended with solo performances. I’m not entirely sure how I landed on this order but I think I was trying to create a general sense of building throughout. Looking back I probably would have preferred spacing out the two solo performances more. 

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