Spontooneous

Took me a while, but I got it... No. 3 is Disc One, Track 19 here.

I'm gonna have to read this. I met Greg Norton a couple of months ago at the Bad Plus concert in Kansas City. He's in a band with Dave King now. But you'd know that mustache anywhere.

Take two. 11. The tune is Ellington's "Azure," for which this intro seems unnecessarily elaborate. Is that a cello I hear? Oh, I'll bet it's a Chico Hamilton band. If so, then Buddy Collette on clarinet? 12. Sounds like John Carter. A little searching in the collection leads me to "Sticks and Stones" on the "Seeking" album. Beautiful, the whole band really sculpting the music and the grooves together. 13. After-hours with Lester Young, "They Can't Take That Away From Me," 1958 Verve. Too many notes from the piano (a rare lapse for Hank Jones), and maybe not enough notes from the leader, but hey, the damage was done to Lester by this time, and his fire's still somehow burning, so no complaints. The trumpets and guitar manage not to break the spell. 14. It's "Crazy Rhythm" with a cutesy harmonic dislocation. I'll guess Artie Shaw. 15. "Someday Sweetheart," and this one sounds like Goodman and Norvo. A wonderful side, though the ending sounds contrived. 16. Here we go again with the old BFT "Is that a bass or a cello?" problem, but a little over a minute in it's clear that there are both. As instruments are added, it seems like this one might go south, but then that lovely loping groove starts. At about 3 minutes I finally figure out that they're working out on "Night in Tunisia." I'm going to guess this involves Steve Turre and Akua Dixon. It's probably their project. The other horns seem like the fifth wheel, despite the altoist's efforts. Is that a fade for BFT purposes, or could they not come up with an ending? 17. No guess, but it's a superior example of its kind, and I wish the trumpet solo was longer. No corn growing here. 18. It's "Waltz for Ellen" from Don Byron's "Tuskegee Experiments" album, for which I still have a fondness despite his recent work! Thanks very much for this. I'm really eager to find out what some of these so I can start searching for them!

Here goes. I didn't peek, I swear. 1. A cute Tinkertoy head. Sorry, but the improvising leaves me cold -- lots of gesture but not much music through there. 2. I really oughta know this one. I'm getting a Buster Bailey vibe. A nice acoustic side, and the tune itself seems familiar (memory is telling me that it's from the '20s vaudevillian blues singer repertoire). 3. Well, the tune is "Something's Gotta Give." Nice ensemble with that Freddie Green-like guitar. Which makes me think that Basie fan Benny Goodman is the leader. But the chart seems too elaborate for him. Love the horn background to the trombone solo. 4. It's a strangely subdued and gray "Blue Skies." Nice vibes and guitar, one of the best Charlie Christian impersonations I've ever heard. The vibist must be the leader – Red Norvo? -- and the clarinet seems like an afterthought. 5. The verse threw me, but then it's "I Know That You Know." Just two horns, the alto and the clarinet? Quite wonderful in its way, but with both horns going at once, the clarinetist is tethered too closely to the ground. Funny that this sounds so much better than track 4, which is from at least a decade later. 6. Swingin' easy. OK clarinet, nice piano, and a minty-fresh Getzian tenor solo. Second helping of clarinet is very boppish. Maybe two clarinets, perhaps Goodman and then Hasselgard? Beautiful whoever it is. 7. "Skylark," maybe a clarinetist whose intonation was better when he was younger. The piano has seen better days too, as perhaps the pianist has. For the second chorus, the harmony becomes very free-spirited, and I'm liking it more every bar. Yeah! 8. No guess. But I like. 9. "Honeysuckle Rose," with a Commodore Records feeling. Dandy piano and tenor solos along with the clarinet. I want this. 10. At first, sounds like somebody trying to copy the Ellington "jungle" vibe. Is the tune Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse" or does this pre-date it? The clarinet-tenor chorus is OK. Then the Bechet-ish soprano appears out of nowhere and the temperature goes up. Strange and fun.

Jim, I still feel bad about missing you in Kansas City! I had to work that night. Sneaked out as soon as I could...and drove up to Knuckleheads just in time to see everybody leaving!

Do not miss "Nuits d'ete." Really. Don't miss it.

Is Fresh Sound even worried about whether he allows it or not?

Just listened to "Love, Gloom, Cash, Love" this morning. The piano is OK, no worse than the piano on "Money Jungle." Don't know why I never noticed all the Bud Powell quotes on "45-Degree Angle" until today. Second-best album title ever, after "Songs We Taught Your Mother."

Discs arrived yesterday in great shape. Thanks, Paul!

I'm always been amazed that more people aren't bothered by this one... Man, the potential for megadeaths really swings!

The same. Still occasionally gigging at 93, and sounding pretty good. She was in the Harlan Leonard band when Tadd was the arranger, and their paths crossed again and again into the '60s.

Looks kinda like Tadd to me. I'll try to ask Myra Taylor if she ever saw Tadd messing around with the trombone.

Am I alone in finding the blues that Tatum sings with the somebody-buy-me-a-drink lyrics indescribably sad?

Those early sides with Buck Clayton and Herschel Evans are to be treasured! Harry loved the Basie band, but dug Herschel much more than Lester. The result is that we have a few more priceless Herschel solos on record, thanks to Harry.

Just bought a pair of shoes. "Desiccant -- Do Not Eat," the packets say. But they look so tasty...

A download for me, please.

ALL YOUR SUCCES ARE BELONG TO US

Astrobleme. It was on a highway sign in Oklahoma.

Now I've got to catch up with Samuil Feinberg. A wonderful BFT all the way, Michael. Thank you.

Kenny G is EVERYWHERE.

Well, at least I got Lucky right. One joke on me: I've guessed that tenors on other BFTs were Junior Cook, and I've been wrong each time. Remind me never to get in an argument with Marty about clarinetists. Wow.

1. Well, it certainly is fast. And clean. And showy. It's "Tiger Rag" despite the "High Society" quote, right? Maybe somebody like Jimmy Dorsey? 2. Electronically reprocessed for stereo? Oh, I'm gonna hate myself when the answers come in, because I know I've heard this chart before. Is it a Mary Lou Williams chart? 3. Very strong bebop piano. A trace of "Alley Cat" in the head. No guess, but I like. Last chord is magic. 4. Lucky? Golson in Lucky mode? Sounds more like Lucky in every bar. Lovely whoever it is. Another great coda. 5. Love the space, and the hairpin dynamic turns. The piano solo doesn't say anything you didn't already know, but man, there's a lot of information in that arrangement. Really, Michael, any time you want to have the whole board over to listen to your vinyl, I'm there. 6. A mess, but an irresistable groove. Probably not McCoy, but someone who's paid a lot of attention to him. And that isn't the real Elvin, is it? No matter, I'm completely charmed by it. 7. Sounds like a Hutcherson-Land collaboration. Lovely whatever it is. 8. OMG, a contrabassoon and a bass clarinet? And some other stuff. This might work better with two or three fewer guys in the room -- or maybe just fewer instruments in the room so they don't feel compelled to use them all. The cheap organs amuse me. It goes south for me after eight minutes, when the keyboardist on the left goes into glissando mode and too many others follow him. It recovers nicely toward the end, where people are really listening to each other. 9. Scriabin, or something heavily influenced by him. Can't ID the piece. 10. The head may or may not have been Take the Coltrane. Love the tenor's steely tone and confident delivery – also the plummy full high notes. Maybe George Coleman? The pianist does not disappoint. 11. From eastern Europe, I'd wager. But can't tell you more than that. If I could do it all over again, I'd spend more time on ethnomusicology. 12. For a minute I thought Carla Bley. Maybe something like Microscopic Septet or a Joel Forester-related project. Beautiful part-writing. 13. Nice head, and a rhythm section that catches the nuances in it. First tenor solo isn't bad, but doesn't do much for me. Second tenor – I've been waiting for your friend Griff, and there he is at last! Good piano. Griff elevates the tenor dialogue at every turn. Beautiful. This is a blast, Michael.

Haven't been there since 2002. But collecting in Champaign used to be a lot of fun. For me, the best part was the little classical record shop directly upstairs from Record Swap. Hope it's still there. Please let us know what's left.

I just wanted to say that Jess Stacy's solo on 6 energizes my brain every time. Thanks, Bill. Ravioli!

And if you listen real closely to the LP of Joyce reading from Finnegans Wake, you can hear Samuel Beckett whispering prompts to him. No joke. Joyce was pretty much blind at the time.