Noj

I really have no idea, there's so many variables. Is Wade healthy enough to perform? Will the home team get the home cookin' from the refs, or will it be evenly called? Will the Heat role players be up to the challenge now that the chips are down? I'd give a slight edge to the Pistons, but I know the Diesel will be bringing the thunder tonight.

Brandon, you're always brimming over with valuable information, and I appreciate it!

Right on fent99, thanks! It will be cool to hear more from Ranglin, that "Surfin'" track has instantly become a favorite. CDUniverse has the full-length disc available with audio samples: Ernest Ranglin - Surfin' EDIT: Actually, the version of "Surfin'" I have is different from the one on this album. The one I have is superior!

Happy Birthday Ray!

Blindfold Test #24 Disc Two 1. Zany! Soundtrack to a circus act. NMCOT 2. "I joined Lionel Hampton in 19...shit." LOL! 3. Ah, something slow and bluesy. Nice, no idea. 4. Pretty sure I've heard this tune before, but I can't name it or identify who is performing. 5. No guess. I like how this builds to the emphatic climax at 1:30. 6. Louis Armstrong? No, not him. No wait, is it? "Basin Street Blues," I presume. 7. Fun! Phil Ranelin? 8. A very soothing ten and half minutes, amazing that the musicians do not lose focus over such a slow pace. I wish people would wait until the end to applaud. McCoy Tyner comes to mind. 9. Horace Silver-ish. Not bad, not great. 10. A bit corny to my ears at first. I like it better when it switches to organ and the guitar player gets going. Charles Earland and Melvin Sparks? 11. Reminds me of Jimmy Giuffre. Cool! 12. Low and cool like the previous track. Between #8, 11, and this one I'm a little drowsy! Nice stuff, though. 13. I don't recognize the voice. 14. Wheeling back to the early days, it's a rompin' good time. I don't know the singer, but those are some hilarious lyrics! Dude can tickle some ivories, too.

Thanks to his royal highness King Ubu for the well-varied selections, quite the eclectic mix! I dig the funny quotes mixed in, too. Blindfold Test #24 Disc One 1. Somewhat of a tearjerker. I could see myself getting all emotional listening to this. 2. I feel as if a train just roared by! 3. Express rail three! I'd have little luck guessing as my listening of music from this era is very limited. 4. I'm sensing a theme! I like this better than the previous two. A shame about the noise in all three, but it doesn't bug me too much. I dig these old sub-three-minute tracks. Hit it and quit it. 5. This cooks! Would I be wrong to suggest this is...funky even? Funk before there was funk. That muted trumpet is having a blast! Is this Hamp on the vibes? Nice solos all around. 6. Blue Note? Top notch. 7. Don't know the vocalist, but she's cool. Drummer's band? I like the trades with the piano. Good stuff! 8. Is that an accordion? That's unexpected. Rufus Harley? No, he's bagpipes. Anyway, this isn't your average accordionist. Great track! I love those quirky, seldom-used instruments: harps, bass clarinets, accordions, and what not. 9. I feel as if I should know who is playing. I dig it, especially the piano! Wynton Kelly? 10. Now things have gone off-kilter, and not necessarily to my liking. Too fast, and I'm not sure if they stay together the whole time. It creates an uncomfortable mood, lost sounding and desperate. The cut to a bass solo was unexpected. Yet again, it is searching for something, frantically; nearly dropping into a beat then trailing off. It tells a story, but in a disturbed voice. I don't think I would listen to this repeatedly. 11. Switching gears again, this sounds a bit cheesey to me. There's something in the overall theme that I don't like, it's too happy or something. 12. A drone and we're elsewhere. I like this quite a bit, the way the droning bowed bass and the congas get the pace going. It reminds me of a Jack Costanzo track I have with a latin theme, but this one is more Middle Eastern-sounding. Nice! 13. More droning, sounds a bit spooky. Ghostly whines. Like #10, this is somewhat uncomfortable to listen to for me. Unnerving. 14. Les McCann? I love this sort of track, really my kind of stuff! 15. Beautiful. No guess, no complaints. 16. Weather Report-ish, but I wouldn't make that my guess. An odd synthesis of styles. Fun, but not something I'd consider a favorite. I like the electric bass here better than #11. 17. Sonny Sharrock? 18. Nice outro! Thanks again, King Ubu! On to read the responses!

Did I scare everyone away?

I can't speak for all of Al Hirt's catalogue nor his status as a jazz musician, but his song "Harlem Hendo" is a healthy part of any music collection. Trust.

So what teams were better, Guy? The Spurs? They choked against a hobbled Laker team and the miracle Derek Fisher pulled out of a perfect pass from the Glove. The Kings? They've always got their "regular season champion" hats. The TWolves? They were playing over their heads as evidenced by their horrendous play this year with virtually the same squad. The Rockets? No. The Mavs? No. The Suns? No. I knew as soon as Rasheed Wallace joined the Pistons that they were tops in the East, so all East teams are out. The Wallace/Wallace combo is the real deal.

My apologies to impossible, king ubu, and Rooster Ties for lagging with my responses. I hope it's cool if I respond as time permits! I just got to #23 last night...

Hi Noj, Yeah, Ernest Ranglin has been laying down some GREAT grooves for many years! He came out with a 2-CD set a little while ago called "Ska Way 'Dat"... there should be some samples floating around the 'net. You should be able to pick this up (and other titles by him) for cheap over at Amoeba. I think I found it new and mispriced for $8.00... not bad for a 2CD set! Ernest has played with virtually EVERY major ska/reggae artist, and has had his share of work in the jazz world as well (played with Monty Alexander for a spell). I'm a huge fan of his! Cheers, Shane ← Thanks Shane, I'm going to hunt that 2cd set down!

It has been a whirlwind few months for me and I totally fell off the BFT wagon. Now, I finally feel as if I have some time tonight, so I'll start where I left off! Blindfold Test #23 Disc One 1. Bobby Hutcherson? Quite a frantic pace here, enjoyable start to finish. 2. Slowin' it way down, I really dig this piano track. No guess. 3. Love this off-kilter percussion. Really cool. Is that a baritone sax? Again, no guess. 4. Bu? Serious skills on the skins, whoever it is. 5. Nice sequencing. Infectious horn refrain, it gets stuck in my head. Reminds me of tracks on the Grachan Moncur III Mosaic Select. 6. Man, this guitar gets stuck in my head too! I find myself whistling those first couple notes at random times during the day. Larry Young on organ? 7. More ethereal guitar, a nice lazy theme. I'm feelin' these introspective sounds, very soothing. 8. I thought this one might grow on me, but it comes across a bit plodding and aimless to me. Miles? 9. More Hutch? Reminds me of that Moncur set again, great stuff! 10. Holy smokes!!! My favorite so far, this is audio bliss. So much happens in this 2:30. Beautiful. 11. It keeps getting better. This one and the previous are must-haves for me. What a bass line! 12. More great bass. Reminds me of Serge Gainsbourg, which is a very good thing to me! 13. Light, sensitive playing. Pretty, but a bit sleepy. 14. Well, at least I know one song title. I don't know the singer, but I enjoy her minimalism and lack of showing off. She's singing with the band, not trying to overpower them or trying too hard. Very nice instrumentation, a favorite standard of mine. 15. WOW!!! Another must-buy for me. Haven't the foggiest. 16. There had to be a slab o' grease in here somewhere! I recognize the tune but can't recall the name. The vocalizations are throwing me for a loop. As funky as they come! Blindfold Test #23 Disc Two 1. Coltrane? Quality! 2. Whoa Nelly! Now we've jumped on the Sun Ra ship to the nether regions. Intense! The drummer had to be tired after this one. I love what he and the pianist do about two minutes in. 3. Andrew Hill? There is a very complex mind behind this piano playing, that's for sure. 4. Reminds me of Wes and Jimmy though I'm not certain. Grant and Brother Jack? 5. The intro made me think of Joe G's "Life Wish." I like this very much, especially the organ a few minutes in. Sad, but marvelous. 6. Wow, more heartbreaking stuff. I likes 'em slow! JJ Johnson trombone? 7. Ah, a jovial mood. Heck of a piano player. No guess. 8. My favorite on Disc Two. Melodious yet adventurous. Nice touch by the drummer. Pretty in a way I like better than Disc One Track 13. 9. My second favorite on Disc Two. Just good clean fun! 10. I have this. I know this. It's going to bug me the rest of the night. Groove Holmes? 11. Another one I think I have. No, I know I have this. Damn. 12. Samba De Orpheus. Grant Green? 13. I dig the Brasilian theme, a very enjoyable track. Thank you very much impossible for the excellent discs, they will undoubtedly lead to additions to my collection. Now, on to finally read everyone's responses!

All Laker excuses aside, in the end the Pistons were the best team in the NBA last year and won the title outright. They don't call 'em the defending champs for nothing. 26 points, this one is a laugher.

Thanks Jim! I'm excited to see it up there!

I recently picked up a great reggae compilation, and the standout track is an instrumental called "Surfin'" by a guitarist named Ernest Ranglin. It's as if a Wes Montgomery disciple decided to play reggae, simply awesome. I'll be looking for full-length albums by this guy, no question. Ernest Ranglin

Happy Birthday!

During the regular season, the Pistons held opponents to 89.5 ppg During the regular season, the Spurs held opponents to 88.4 ppg ← There you have it. The Pistons would have locked the Suns down with that stifling defense. ← ??? The Spurs have an even more stifling defense than the Pistons (playing much tougher opponents than the Pistons) and still gave up 15-16 ppg more against the Suns than normal. Why would the Pistons be different? Guy ← Even if the Suns scored 104ppg against the Pistons, why wouldn't the Pistons simply outscore them like the Spurs did?

During the regular season, the Pistons held opponents to 89.5 ppg During the regular season, the Spurs held opponents to 88.4 ppg ← There you have it. The Pistons would have locked the Suns down with that stifling defense.

Scoring 104ppg and losing tends to take some of the luster off the number.

Lee Oskar Lee Fields Sally Field

But Guy, in Suns' victories over lesser teams they were blowing them out by 20+ and scoring 130. I'm sure the margin of victory over elite teams was not as large. I'm betting that stat is misleading. That the Pistons were 6-12 when allowing 100+ means they only allowed 100+ in 18 games...

In order to be successful, the Suns need to force turnovers. The Spurs take care of the ball, forcing the Suns to play the half court game. No fast breaks, no quick buckets for the Suns. Hypothetically, I would pick the Pistons and Heat over the Suns.

There used to be an incredible all-you-can eat pizza/stromboli/mojo potato spot in Pasadena which I frequented when I was cleaning pools for my Uncle. This place put Shakey's to shame. I was mighty bummed when I went and the windows were boarded up.

Little Esther Little Richard Big John Patton

"Right On" is the sole track I have by these guys, and it's a funky one! I'll be interested to read more, too.