Tom Storer

I got a bunch of Xanadus in MP3 format from emusic. I think my favorite is the Jimmy Rowles/Al Cohn duo, "Heavy Love"--got to be the swingingest piano/sax duo I've ever heard.

I saw Nat Adderley there, also Dewey Redman. And on one memorable evening I started out upstairs in the bar where Jaki Byard was playing duets with a bassist--I still recall his boogie-woogie version of "Take Five"--and then went downstairs to see the Wynton Marsalis quintet, the "Black Codes" line-up. One of my greatest jazz regrets involves the Village Gate. One winter evening in the late 70's I was in New York with my girlfriend of the time and another couple. We were college students. We strolled past the Village Gate and I saw that Mingus was playing. I stopped and eagerly suggested we go in. The suggestion was nixed because my girlfriend didn't want to spend the evening having to shut up while I ignored her and dug the music. She had a point, of course, but we broke up not too long thereafter and I still think, "DAMN. Why did I listen to her?"

After years and years and years of simply not watching television, I caught a part of "The Shield" shown in English on a cable channel in France, where I live. Then I saw it on again the following week (my son was watching) and I sat down and watched to the end. I was hooked. Then my wife noticed that I was watching TV and was intrigued. She got hooked too. We watched up to the end of season 3--which was at the end of December, 2005 here--and then they took it off, no doubt waiting for another season or two to build up. So I ordered season 1 on DVD. Loved it. That's the only TV show I have on DVD. Just ordered season 2.

Dropped into jimhall.com and ordered his live CD with Scott Colley and Lewis Nash--the ArtistShare thing. I might also pick up his new duo record with Enrico Pierranunzi.

Sounds interesting. I have trouble imagining Nels Cline actually playing with Andrew Hill, but that group should have an intriguing take on it.

Aw, that's kind of cold. It only looks silly now because the look is so dated. Back then, it was what hip young white musicians wore. Half the audience probably looked the same way!

This wouldn't be a quintet with tenor sax and trombone, by any chance?

I saw the concert that was released as "Dark Magus." I was quite young and found it all mystifying but very exciting. I still feel that way, actually!

A couple of days later than I had hoped, I've completed the burns and put the packages in the post, just this morning (Saturday). Brownie, chuckyd4, couw, mikeweil and king ubu, you ought to get your BFT#25 sometime next week.

Mine arrived this morning--and of course I'm fresh out of CD blanks. Will purchase same tomorrow, burn tomorrow evening, and get them in the post Thursday morning. I've been listening to CD1 today--it was worth the wait! A very distinguished collection of tunes, and carefully sequenced. Hats off, Rooster!

This is great! When you purchase a track, you get to choose between FLAC and MP3. FLAC means bigger files but no loss of audio quality. Excellent work they've done!

Tabla Tarang sounds like a nice idea. Is it an ancient tradition, or a recent innovation? (Recent in the context of Indian classical music meaning "sometime in the last hundred years"...)

The whole appeal of EZT was that the concert performances being shared were not commercially available anywhere and most likely never will be. I've been thinking about Sangrey's and Ellery Eskelin's objections that these concert performances are blemished and imperfect and therefore not kosher to pass around. Without contesting the artist's prerogatives, it seems to me the fan's motivations in wishing to hear and share such material stem from a fundamentally more generous attitude than one of cold and demanding judgment. Anyone who's heard more than a few of the kinds of things that circulate, let alone people who listen to a lot of them, know that they rarely equal a well-prepared studio session, but also that well-prepared studio sessions rarely equal the best moments of exceptional concerts. Those exceptional concerts are the rare nuggets whose existence makes the whole business of acquiring unreleased concert recordings worthwhile. The sub-par stuff doesn't bother us because we also go to concerts and understand that not every concert is perfect, and that even imperfect concerts have moments of beauty that make the imperfections worthwhile. Artists are understandably nervous about how they are presented, but fans have already seen and heard them warts and all, and love them anyway. Every jazz fan knows that live performance is what it's all about. 99.9% of the bittorrent and postally traded recordings are live. What we're trying to do is be a fly on the wall at all the concerts we couldn't attend because we can only be in one place at a time. One can object that we don't have the right to attend those concerts virtually and after the fact, and I can't really argue that we do. But our keen and selfish desire to listen, in the absence of a commercial interest that would be adversely affected, gets the better of us. And I believe that the more we hear, the better listeners and fans we become, and the stronger the bond there is between us and the musicians, whom we continue to see in concert and whose CDs we continue to purchase--even if we piss off artists with the show-trading thing. An artist might retort, "My interest is not in how much or how well you listen, my interest is in controlling the presentation of my music." Therein the interests of fan and musician quite naturally diverge. Like couples in love, artists and fans are in a symbiotic relationship that involves both deriving advantage from one another and looking after one another's welfare, and the line between them is often an area of conflict.

Oh--do you mean this group?

The fact that performers own the intellectual property inherent in their own performance, hence rightfully control distribution of concert recordings, was always the elephant in the room at EZT. It's undeniable that you don't have the right to distribute concert performances without the artist's express permission. That is why, when a lawyer knocked at the door, the EZT folks put up no fight and politely pulled the plug. Personally, I don't see the difference that Jim does between "private" postal distribution of this stuff and "public" Internet sharing of it. The only difference is in speed of distribution: quantity, not kind. There was lots of beautiful stuff being shared and people were discovering new artists all the time. Just the other day there was a recent Terence Blanchard concert up and comments included "Wow! I didn't know he was this good! What CDs would you recommend by him?" Whereas MP3 trading represents a loss of a sale, concert trading doesn't, so my own reaction was to recognize a legitimate (in my view) fan interest that didn't really negatively impact the artist's wallet. Other examples include the Ornette Coleman completists who put up every unreleased scrap they could find from the past forty years, whether shitty-sounding audience tapes or FM broadcasts or whatever. They turned me on to the second version of Prime Time, when Ornette added a pianist, a period I had completely overlooked. I ordered the CD. I think that happened a hell of a lot. But as Mike says, all that doesn't make it legal. I think it does make it right, or mostly, anyway. Or at least not harmful.

Count me in! PM on the way.

Two days have passed without a post... when do you plan to post the answers?

Here goes nothing: 1. Contemporary version of John Philip Sousa? Not bad, and I'm sure it was fun for the audience, but despite a certain polish it's pretty forgettable. 2. Huh. Who joined Lionel Hampton in 19, uh, shit? Whoever it was, it's probably the saxophonist or the singer in the next track. 3. Stately, elegant--Benny Carter? I don't know. The Satchmo vocal interpretation is hokey but sincere. This one grew on me. 4. Another big band with alto - reminds me of the Clayton-Hamilton orchestra's version of "'T'Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)." The screaming trumpet evokes Jon Faddis evoking whoever. Maybe the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra. Nice repertory stuff. 5. A mournful start--ah, it's Duke. Late period. Nonpareil. How can you not fall in love with this music? Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet. 6. Duke again, with Ray Nance singing "Basin St. Blues." A reduced band? Sounds like Barney Bigard on clarinet, which is odd since it sounds like an older Nance. Who else in the band doubled on clarinet in the Jimmy Hamilton years? This could be from the Private Collection, and if I wasn't such a lazy bastard I'd go check. There's Clark Terry! I could listen to Duke all night--and often do, as a matter of fact. 7. "Mood Indigo" by a modernist group, perhaps led by the trombonist. Very affecting--these guys are feeling it. The solos go on a little bit, though, and the trombonist has a great schtick but it *is* a schtick here; on the other hand this was live, and the recording can't show us the energy and the concentration in the room. Given the applause, they judged it right. The bass solo is a slight let-down, not because of the bassist but because the drummer is useless behind him. Tchick, ka-tchick, it's mechanical, it plods--but again, maybe it's louder in the recorded mix than it was as it reached the ears of the audience. I'd love to hear the rest of this concert. The soprano's appearance is brief, probably just as well since he doesn't seem to have as much Duke in him as the trombonist does. 8. "Blood Count" - Hodges and Duke on "His Mother Called Him Bill" and the Getz version are tough acts to follow, but comparison is odious anyway. This version doesn't really approach those, but nor is it half bad. Pretend you don't know the original(s). I thought Lovano/Jones/Mraz/Motian, then around 3:50 the tenor plays a lick that's right out of Houston Person. So, I dunno. 9. Huh. Two pianos playing "Koko"--or is it "Jack the Bear"? Again, too lazy to go check. Nice arrangement. 10. TASTY! I'm not an aficionado of the B3 by any means, but this is pure pleasure. I love the high, sweet sound of the introduction. The whole thing swings so unaffectedly, and with such sly control. That mandolin thing the guitarist does is something else. The organist lets his hair down and it's great fun. Three cheers as well to the drummer for being just where he needs to be with the utmost taste. 11. I can't place this tenor player and it's driving me crazy because he sounds SO familiar. I'm thinking Paul Gonsalvez, Clifford Jordan... but no. I just can't put a name on him. Very lovely playing, that sound is right up my alley. 12. "Body and Soul" There's a good deal of Henderson in the mix, but this player is a lot straighter. This is a beautiful performance--virtuosic, cultivated, in exquisite taste. Somehow it manages to be self-effacing, so very tasteful is it. I enjoyed it--it's a craftsman's delight. 13. Quite right, too. 14. Bright, peppy alto and piano, then trumpet. Back to the old-time stuff, and it's always welcome. No idea who it is, but I like the slightly drunken sound of the saxophone. Based on close analysis, I believe the pianist's first name is "Pete."

Before jumping in with my guesses for CD1, let me say this is one of the best BFTs yet! Flurin, I have to congratulate you on your excellent taste. Definitely a keeper, both discs. Now here goes: 1. Ahhh... Ben Webster, 1950's or 60's. Pure lyricism--so sensual and yet so emotionally pure. In his ballad playing, Webster was always wistfully and romantically tender, but it sounds like it came from experience rather than idealism. (All the raunchy sex he expressed when he was swinging out.) Beautiful start! 2, 3 & 4. Early tenors. Good, spunky stuff. Great playing, especially 3 & 4. If I were you, I'd certainly have put Coleman Hawkins in a series of early tenor players... I think it's him on 4. But he changed so much in his early years that that could also be him on 2 or 3! Or both! Or maybe I'm just getting too clever for my own good. 5. The vibes and era made me think inevitably of Hamp but I'm not convinced of it. The tune is very familiar but I can't place it. Love the screamy tenor sax, the muted trumpet. The rhythm section is very heavy-handed; perhaps this was recorded in Europe? <= typical anti-European prejudice, shocking 6. Moving up the time line. Nice hard bop quintet. Now here's how to do that relentless rhythm thing that the guy in number 5 was doing so badly--this drummer varies it nicely and when he's pushing, he still has that soft touch. Not sure if this is a bunch of originals or later adepts of the style, but they've got real savoir-faire. A Rolls Royce engine here. Love it! 7. I always get Helen Merrill and Anita O'Day mixed up, and differentiate them by thinking of the thing Anita O'Day did with Gene Krupa and Roy Eldridge, "Drop Me Off Uptown." That's not this one, so this one must be Helen Merrill. Serious trio, and she's not flinching, always the sign of a fine jazz singer. This tune has opened my ears--I've got to check out Helen Merrill! Short but sweet, a superb performance. 8. Can't think of the name of this well-known composition. I must say this guy does a more than honorable job of playing jazz on the squeeze-box. This is the Toots Thielemans of the accordion. No idea who it is. I could just about get over my lack of enthusiasm for the accordion if it were played like this all the time. Bravo to whoever it is! 9. An Ornette tune, couldn't tell you the title, played like a straight bop piece. Some don't like that approach, but I think Ornette's tunes are strong enough to be given a variety of treatments. Nicely done here - the tenor has a sound of his own, with a particular little yippy thing he does, which I haven't heard before. Love the drum part, too. 10. I have an idea I have inside knowledge on what this is, so I'm keeping mum. 11. Kind of cheesy, but in a sympathetic way. What a weird sax sound! Some electric treatment--didn't Sonny Stitt and Eddie Harris dabble in that? Good time music, kind of corny but fun. 12. Can't say I really like this. The alto closely approaches some kind of double-reed, Middle Eastern sound, to the extent that I wondered if it really was one. Not a bad sound, but the performance drags on without every moving anywhere. A good and serious attempt at something different but I think it fell kind of flat. 13. A little too po-faced for my taste. Virtuosically played but I hear it as entirely cerebral, and lacking in the playfulness that can redeem entirely cerebral music. The Haden-like bass gives it some body and center when it comes in, but even so, I found the whole exercise rather sterile. 14. I get the idea this trio probably did other things I would like better. They sound very familiar but I can't place them. Despite their simpatico cohesion as a trio, this particular piece is a tad plodding for me. A brighter tempo might have made me like it more. Very nice players, but the vehicle doesn't do it for me. 15. Gorgeously played but for me it doesn't often get beyond the glossy beauty of a high-class photo shoot. They're all handsome and beautiful, real pros, striking poses that seem sincerely felt and spontaneous but are really just terribly well-practiced. Could this be Tom Varner? It's nice to hear such a good french horn player - his solo is the high point, and the others, in my humble opinion, are just being articulate and saying nothing. Top musicians but I feel they're navel-gazing here. 16. Just last week on TV I saw Meshell Ndegeocello's band, and it was an awful lot like this: "free" horn players allowed to do their thing in sections when the rhythm dropped out, then solos over simple, insistent bass guitar lines. For the hell of it, I'll guess that's who this is. 17. Someone in the Frisell school. Maybe a Frisell precursor? Not my cup of tea, but they're quite good at what they do. If this is Frisell, maybe I'll have to give him some more listens. 18. Ha! Very good closer to CD1! What a charmer that man was. Can you imagine him delivering lines like that night after night around the world, no matter what bunch of philistines or crowned heads was listening?

Jazz is jazz, whether crappy or not. It's too easy to say it doesn't fit your ideals, so it isn't real jazz. Sure it's real jazz, and neither Murray nor Marsalis are without saving graces, even if not enough to make you like them at all. You have to give people the benefit of the doubt, after all.

When I first heard David Murray, back in the late 70's/early 80's, I found it terribly exciting music - passionate, full of feeling and movement and verve, both challenging in its "free" aspects and reassuringly earthly in its gospel roots. He has an unmistakable personal sound, too. That heated spectacle and personal commitment is still what I admire in Murray. It's a very positive, soulful vibe. However, over the years I became less taken with him. I guess it's because I was continuing to listen to lots more music, coming into contact with most of the players on Allen Lowe's list, and the shortcomings that have been mentioned started to be noticeable to me. When he began playing with his more straight-ahead quartet, I remember listening to him play "Impressions" and thinking, "he's just not on top of it." Compared to so many "inside" players whom he was explicitly placing himself beside, his playing seemed imprecise in both its phrasing and its melodic flow. I'm not a musician, so these remained (and remain) impressions I have of a lack of focus on the detailed level in favor of just wailing over the top in what came to seem a predictable routine. Therefore when I read musicians' critiques of his grasp of harmony and meter, it made sense to me. (I do dig his compositions, though.) Ten or more years ago I had the opportunity to see Murray's octet and Wynton's septet within the same week. Compared to Murray's crew, Wynton and his boys seemed tight-assed and smug, but compared to Wynton's group, Murray and co. seemed sloppy and almost unprofessional. Murray had most of the joy and the self-indulgence; Wynton's band had most of the craft and the inhibition. I remember being glad jazz had both extremes and, especially, plenty in the middle. Joy and craft together, that's where you want the music to be. I'm happy to hear Jim S's estimation that Murray continues to work on his craft. I don't listen to him as much as I used to, but I still recognize all he has to offer. And if you're going to be a crowd-pleaser, better to do it with all his warmth and generosity than with sterile mastery of convention.

OK, here at last are my comments--hardly any guesses! 1. Wow. But this strikes me as more an athletic feat than musically special. It's fun to hear people managing to keep that tempo, though. 2. Monk tune, can't recall the title. Not bad. Nothing surprising but the pianist sticks to his tough, unsentimental reading, which is miles from Monk's playful irony. Fingers of steel. Marcus Roberts? 3. Another Monk tune, "Ask Me Now," complete with tap dancer. A present-day bit of comfortable nostalgia. 4. M'Boom? Pieces of Time? No idea. Interesting sounds, not very groove-oriented. I like it. 5. Good transition from the percussion ensemble! Two very serious tenor players here. The first one sounds like Lovano to me. The second is also very much at ease. I thought of Joshua Redman because I know the two of them did an album together, but he tends to have a lighter sound and simpler lines. Could it be Branford? 6. I was skeptical at first because I thought the guitar sound was reminiscent of Bill Frisell, not my favorite. But in fact it's not terribly Friselly after all, and I really like the tune, as well as the very laid-back way it's taken. No clue who they are, but it's very tasteful and low-key. It grew on me a lot. 7. Another good transition - the guitar, the low-key atmosphere, the pretty harmonies. Very soothing. I feel like it's probably out of context; on the CD it's from, I can imagine this being one part of a longer flow. Works well here. 8. Nap time's over! I like this--might have liked it more if there were a pianist on board. The trumpeter sounds very familiar, with Miles and Cherry touches, but no guess. 9. Beautiful vibes. Kenny Burrell on guitar? 10. Less my cup of tea. The pop-rock segments with the guitar don't do it for me. I'd say a late 60's/early 70's Gary Burton group, perhaps remastered since it sounds pretty recent. This particular piece has dated, I think. 11. Good players, well crafted arrangement. Sounds recent but perhaps from someone who's been around awhile. The trumpeter certainly has a strong personality. Can't place him, though. 12. Archie Shepp? Bluesy, gutsy, kind of rudimentary. Good contrast with the previous tune. But I don't like the bassist at all--dull and plodding. 13. Don't know, DO care. Monkian, Ellingtonian... but who? 14. Not a bad singer. Don't recognize her, though. 15. Not sure if is this is modern or not. My first thought was Booker Ervin. BWTFDIK? 16. The only tune that made me want to fast-forward.

Up!

PM sent.

I'm not even participating in this blindfold test but I have a guess for number 14, based on people's descriptions thus far. I'm guessing it's number 5 on this. If you think it's cheating for me to offer a guess when I'm not playing, don't click the link!