Spontooneous

Time for the last half. 9 I should know the tune, a standard that the Dixielanders like, but I don't. The quote from Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in the second strain is always a hoot. This is a wonderful performance circa 1928. The accordion is not a drag. The bassist is superb, really driving this thing – he sounds like he time-warped in from a few years later. The last chorus is a delight. 10 It probably isn't Gil Evans, but it's arranged by someone who paid a lot of attention. The bari solo, probably not Mulligan, starts well but runs out of ideas. Very nice trumpet solo. And during the trumpet solo, the whole band starts to relax and really swing. There's probably more intellect than soul behind this piece, but somehow it's still cool. 11 A real sense of instrumental dialogue here. I like how the bassist takes his time before entering. The portion with bowed bass I like less, but that's often the case with me. After he puts the bow away, things are better. The piece comes to a satisfying end. The ringtone or electronic toy is a funny touch or a happy accident. Don't have a guess as to anyone's ID. 12 Wow. The piano groove for the first two choruses is just great. He has some other grooves up his sleeve too, but that first one just slays me. Is that Henry Butler? Got no problem with the clarinet either. 13 I'm not feeling it today, but maybe that says more about me than about the music. It sounds like the mid-'70s, and maybe they're trying too hard, or maybe it's just my mood and next week this will sound wonderful. 14 This is my favorite thing on the whole BFT. Wonderfully mysterious. Circa 1930-32, bowed bass and all. Is the tenor perhaps young Chu Berry? There's a teasing melodic resemblance to "Some Other Spring" for a couple of bars, but just a couple. Not Duke, but it seems as if somebody was out to make a record that sounded as Ellingtonian as possible – very interesting at this early date. Think I'll play this one a few more times. 15 Two altos, each determined to show up the other. Quien es mas macho? It's fun, and an interesting clash between the bebopper on the left and the cat on the right who's trying to be "modern," whatever that means. After a while, it occurs to me: It's track 5 here. 16 A New Orleans-blues-gospel-jazz-hiphop combination that sounds really organic. I've been waiting for something like this to happen – I've heard too many jazz-plus-hiphop attempts that have sounded forced. I hope these guys have done more of this, because it needs to happen. This is a good time, Jeff, and 14 and 16 are altering my brain.

Horace Tapscott, "For Fats" = Arthur Blythe, "Miss Nancy"

I'm not familiar with the title Stuffy. Is that common? I know it as Rifftide. We're mixing things up here. Hawkins "Stuffy" = Monk "Stuffy Turkey" Hawkins "Rifftide" = Monk "Hackensack"

But for the lyrics, "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Werewolves of London."

I've been slow on this one. Here's the first half. 1 The tune is Jackie McLean's "Donna." I don't respond much to the tenor, but I'm not bothered by it. The tenor-and-drums chorus is pretty nice. The tenor's high notes remind me of Bennie Wallace, but I don't think it's him. I like the many details of the piano solo, which reminds me of Martial Solal. I see my responses are all over the place here. 2 "Ain't Misbehavin'", in a fine transfer from 78. The piano isn't Fats, but the tenor might be the real Gene Sedric. I get more out of 16 bars of this than I did out of all of Track 1. The guitar solo is really creative, and the piano is pretty wonderful too. 3 Yeah, that's gotta be Lacy. Fact remains that the soprano never sounded quite like that in anybody else's hands. It's Track 3 here. It's great to hear him relax and really dig into the changes of this Jobim song. 4 Something from Eastern Europe, I guess. The tuba is rockin', though perhaps overplayed in a few spots. The clarinet is very good, the alto not on the same level. I hope I didn't just diss Mr. Zorn there. 5 Maybe it's one of those Joel Forrester things, or something by somebody who hangs out with Joel. I like. The tune itself sounds like one of those Radiohead-inspired compositions that I'm hearing more and more of. I'll probably get tired of those Radioheadish things soon. 6 Wonderful 78. Can't ID the singer. But I sure do like the pianist, who's grappling a little bit with Basie. Trumpet is lovely. If they'd contoured the rhythm differently, this would sound very Kansas City. 7 It's "You've Changed" on trombone. A forthright performance. I hear a Dicky Wells influence in the first eight bars of the second chorus, but obviously it isn't him. A few trombone tricks later in the solo come close to wearing out their welcome. 8 A supremely weird thing. Circa 1946-48? Is this Boyd Raeburn? Have we hit all the key centers yet? Note at about 1:20 an idea that would pop up again in the Ellington/Jimmy Hamilton "Ad Lib on Nippon." It would be a hoot to find out that Jimmy Hamilton was connected to this side somehow.

LA Times is reporting his death. link The attribution is a little iffy, and Johnny's own website doesn't confirm.

We mention Stravinsky's reductions, but we don't mention his original work for the medium. The Concerto for Two Pianos (no orchestra) is one of his best things from the period. Would Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion count?

Oklahomans (odometer-rollback capital of the the nation) Merle Haggard Charlie Christian

Just wondering: Am I the only one who really, really likes "New Potato Caboose"?

A man who definitely walked the walk, for more years than anyone ever had a right to expect. He's part of my definition of greatness.

Run Malwarebytes first. Get it here. That will probably break the back of your problem. Then run a spyware scan to remove any lingering bad stuff.

Exactly. He sounds like my racist uncle. Check out the turd bomb that NP dropped in the comment section of a Kansas City jazz blog where someone dared to question him. link

Thanks again, for music I'll be returning to. Wow, that 1944 Bud Powell intro is something else. And Exploding Star Orch. is still fizzing in my brain.

Second the recommendation for "No Problem."

Very well, then. It's here. I should add that 5, the boogie-woogie track, continues to mess with my mind. Maybe Johnny Guarnieri? Surely not Peter Nero.

There's still time to identify #4! Jeff came really, really close. Really, really, really close.

OK, the last half: 9. Is that an oboe I hear in the opening ensemble? The arrangement and the piano solo make me think you've stumbled on a lost Dameron album. Skillful trumpet, awesome chops. Subtle tenor. The tuba doesn't do any harm. Ahh, there's the oboe. We don't hear the tenor and oboe at the same time, so I have to guess this is a Yusef Lateef project. Probably Kiane Zawadi/Bernard McKinney on euphonium. Maybe Roland Hanna on piano -- he did that clumpy style so well. But what a Dameronian chart! 10. I have to guess Dirty Dozen, sometime after they started using a trap drummer. This is fun. Nothing but admiration for the tuba player. Trombone solo is hot. The solo trades during the out chorus are a nice touch. The tune itself is trying to remind me of another tune, maybe a Blue Note boogaloo. 11. "Jive Samba" with harmonica and waka-waka guitar. And the drummer's on brushes throughout. Sure, why not? Wow, where did that soprano player come from? At first I thought this was going to be a joke, but business is taken care of here, and I'm surprised at how un-tacky the whole performance is. 12. That head is naggingly familiar. After the tenor solo gets going, it's clear who the leader is. It's the first cut on this album. Give the bassist some! And the drummer's imperturbability adds considerably to this trio, especially when the leader is overworking some banal phrases, starting a little after the 2-minute mark. 13. Rough recording, but it sure sounds like it was fun to be there. The tenor might be John Gilmore, and the aggressive pianist might be Mr. Ra. After the tenor, the trumpet sounds a lot like Richard Williams (his pet lick is there). As for the violin, well, I didn't see that coming. I wouldn't mind if this went on a few minutes longer. 14 Heated sax dialogue, and the guy in the right channel sounds like Kenny Garrett. The idea of keeping the solos short and changing it up frequently gives the performance more spark. Geri Allen on piano? Ralph Peterson on drums? Hey, no, that's Jack DeJohnette, isn't it? This ought to be in my collection, but I can't find it there. 15 Head sounds like a dance tune from Eastern Europe twisted around. Do I hear a french horn or two in there? Again, the solo routine is not routine. I love the way the drummer keeps things afloat. I like the bowed bass and plunger trumpet interlude. Perhaps the bassist is the leader? No guess on the personnel, but I wish I had this record. 16 At first I was going to guess Sun Ra, but there's no piano, and it sounds more recent. This gets better by the minute. The ensemble changes colors so subtly! Do I hear two basses in there? I'd better get this one too. This BFT has a lot of things I'll keep listening to. Thank you! Edited to remove redundancies and remove redundancies.

OK, just the first half for now. 1. Beautiful bari and trombone solos; I like the others less. The trumpet makes me guess that Maynard is the leader. Maybe Herb Geller or Charlie Mariano for the alto solo. Nice tenor solo. 2. The tenor solo screams George Adams, and I mean that in a good way. The whole thing is Mingus-y -- love the arrangement -- but I can't pin it to a Mingus record. Maybe a Mingus Dynasty thing? 3. Hot descarga. And cowbells in stereo! The powerful timbales solo makes me want to guess Tito Puente, but that guess is low-hanging fruit. I like this very much. 4. I've been asked to recuse myself on this one, for good reason. 5. An interesting boogie-woogie that twists the harmony a little (check the last bars). Maybe Mel Powell or somebody in his age group? 6. "There'll Be Some Changes Made" is the song. A broadcast from Artie Shaw's period with strings in the band? There's a lot to digest in the trumpet solo. I'm impressed. 7. "Honeysuckle Rose" changes, 1944-48 time frame. The tenor makes me want to guess Charlie Ventura. 8. Is that Dudu Pukwana on alto? Very strong, despite the tuning issues. I'm enjoying this tremendously. Got to do some detective work on the second half before I post those.

About a decade ago I had a repair shop send an NAD amp back to the factory for repairs. The process took at least three months, IIRC.

"One Who Is Imprisoned" is nice.

Time to finish what I started many days ago... 7. Nice soprano sound. The head is OK but doesn't go very far; does a good job of facilitating blowing, though. Piano solo OK, and the spot of drums backed by the rest of the band is tasty (I wish more bands did this). The trumpet (or flugel?) solo is pleasantly spare. 8. Accordion, or the more I listen, bandoneon? It sounds like a message from ECM land. Nylon-string guitar? Trumpet solo really works. I'm liking this a lot. 9. The head has a couple of nice twists. Though I've never heard him in a context like ths, for some reason the trumpet solo keeps reminding me of Howard McGhee. Lovely, dreamy guitar with a little Django in the delivery. Better to have a rough recording of this than none at all. Another great choice. 10. No guess on the performer, but I'll guess ECM for the echo. Love the coda, a musical question mark. The theme of this BFT is Sopranos That Don't Suck, right? 11. Some serious stream-of-consciousness piano. Never lapses into flailing at the keyboard. I'll guess it's a European who's spent a lot of time over Debussy and Ravel scores. Superb. Some really good listening here! Thank you!

About three weeks ago, I was lamenting to another board member that I didn't have "Blue Afternoon" on CD. So this is great news for me, too.

OK, I'll try the first half for now: 1. I'm not a big fan of the recent trend of having a voice oo-ing along with the band. But this is well-done. The melody stands up to repetition. I wouldn't mind hearing more from this band and this composer. 2. I keep thinking Charles Lloyd, in good form. Beautiful head. An eclectic guitar solo by someone who's paid attention to Mr. Metheny but isn't him. The bass solo is very strong. On the second go-round, the tenor seems to change direction every chorus. Impressive. 3. A good waltz tune and a good performance. The soprano is a little bit florid, but it really works. 4. I know I've heard thiu! It's a Prestige or Swingville or Moodsville record, right? Al Sears? Jimmy Forrest? Jaws in a subdued mood? Such control of the horn! I'm gonna be really bothered by this until it's identified. 5. No guess, but I have a feeling I should be able to ID the tune if not the performer. 6. "Priestess" was ID'd earlier. Everybody should know about this wonderful album, even if Gil's trio of piccolos gives me severe "Stars and Stripes Forever" flashbacks.

What, no Willie Colon?