Spontooneous

OK, here goes for Disc One: 1 The bottom-heavy reed sound and splattery brass make me think this is the Ellington band, maybe on Reprise. Then again, the chart doesn’t sound like him. I’m mystified. 2 The rhythm track sounds like a sample, not live. Some of the horn backdrops might be samples too. There’s a weird tension between improvising, smart ensemble writing and slick studio playing. The “out” climax seems engineered instead of achieved, if ya know what I mean. Goes on longer than it oughta. The suggestion that this is the Kenny Garrett record where Miles plays was good, but incorrect. I don’t have the correct suggestion. 3 It’s so modernistic! Jeff beat me to the ID for this unforgetable record. JPJ meant to be tongue-in-cheek, I’m thinking, but ended up being prescient. Where did you get this great transfer from the 78? 4 Yeah, I thought it was Django and Steff until I checked my collection. My original notes said “Steff in peak early form here.” But Eddie is even better. Thanks for reminding me of this one. 5 They didn’t make ‘em like this by the time this was made. So very few people playing this way in the stereo era, so I’ll make some guesses: Willie the Lion, Claude Hopkins, Joe Turner. Whoever it is, I want the record. Now. 6 Seems like some things slammed together in a studio rather than things that came together on their own. When in doubt, slap on some phasing effects. I thought I heard an oud, and then, about 4 minutes in, sounds like banjo -- so I’ll guess it’s some Bela Fleck project. A nice try. 7 Quick recognition of this performance, but somebody else ID’d it first, so I’ll just say I love this smart and sensitive improvisation on the piece that the composer never improvised on. MRA’s contribution to this CD set is my favorite part. 8 Rickety waltz. I could do without the sound effects. Then again, that long ensemble might get tedious without them. Tenor solo doesn’t accomplish much, but I like the Rouse-like tone. I hear little bits of plucking that might be a cello. Threadgill? Or someone who wants to be Threadgill? 9 Sounds like something Joel Forrester is involved with. I wasn’t expecting that slide-guitar sound. But I was the world’s biggest Duane Allman fan when I was 15, so it’s fine with me. I want this record. 10 I had a bet with myself that you wouldn’t leave Sun Ra off this BFT. I’m guessing this is it. High Space Fidelity! Really a lovely trumpet solo. I think I’ll play this again right now. 11 No blues or bebop in the pianist’s language, but it’s none the worse for that. I’ll guess Lynne Arriale, though I can’t pin the performance down. 12 Jeff got it already, of course. And I didn’t. Another VERY good 78 transfer. 13 Trumpeter ventures into Lester Bowie territory, but maybe it isn’t him. Tenor reminded me of George Adams for a minute, then didn’t. More bashing and gesturing than ideas in the piano solo – I thought Don Pullen briefly, but I expect better from him. Respect but not love for this one. 14 The Mariachi Brass on mescaline? Tack-eee, but fun. 15 Reminds me of Cab Calloway and Bob Wills at the same time. Someone does a good job of playing tenor like Chu. The rhythm section is pretty wooden. 16 I’ve loved this on a Crown LP for years. I’ll take it over the “original” any day because B.B. blows Joe Williams away without even trying. The sound and feel are right for Basie, because nine guys in the band are from the Basie organization, according to the album cover. Maxwell Davis was the leader. A few propers for the Bihari brothers, please. I’m fascinated by the world of cheap knockoff albums, especially when they result in wonderful music like this. Where did you get such a great-sounding copy of this music? I wasn’t aware this had been on CD.

My mother insists on calling me by my full name. As for the tribute album, better "And His Mother Called Him Spon" than "He Loved Him Badly."

Maybe an allergy? Y'know what makes me cough? That darned hand sanitizer stuff that everybody is using. Seriously. Every time. I'm allergic as heck to the active ingredient.

I'll fix soon. Maybe I can guess some of these before Jeff does.

LOTS of evolution over a short period. This band moved fast. The change in the drum chair, from Terry Chimes to Topper Headon, provided some fuel for the rocket's brief flight. Topper schwings, indeed.

Wow. Any satisfaction I might feel from identifying Bobby Bradford on 18 is obliterated by the feeling of stupidity for having missed Buster Smith, whose alto is on display at the club I visit most in Kansas City. I'll be ordering some of your CDBaby finds, and trolling around for that Leo anthology.

Don't forget that Dolphy's involved in the Colpix sessions of Lewis' Orchestra USA. Discography here.

Since my buddy Dick Nixon liked it so, I'm in. Download is fine. I remember all those Sunday afternoons we spent in San Clemente, listening to his collection of Saturn sides.

She was more versatile than she gets credit for. Hear her on Nels Cline's "Angelica." She was also a generous interviewee, I was pleased to discover. RIP Stacy.

Don't forget the version of A Train on Mingus Revisited/Pre-Bird that counterpoints the two themes.

And may I add that 10 and 15 continue to drive me bats.

Track 1 was right under my nose, so of course it took me three days to figure it out... It can be found here.

Another Blindfold Testee encouraged me to jump in since so few tracks had been ID'd. I, too, am outfoxed by this one. The only tracks I can ID (3, 12) have already been ID'd. Even my big clever remark has already been made by someone else: I love the way the drummer finishes 21 by alluding to Vernell Fournier. A couple of stabs in the dark: 14. Is that Ricky Ford? 18. Bobby Bradford? I'm having a great time with this, and I can tell it's going to cost me some money if some of these discs aren't already in my collection. Thanks, Joe!

The original pious memo was sent first to my supervisor, then to me. I'm sure that the memo I sent back to the copy editor, through his supervisor, was equally pious. A couple of days later, the paper ran a correction, beginning with the words "Because of an editor's error..."

Back when I was trying to be an upstart young journalist, I wrote something for the local newspaper that referred to Houston Person and Etta Jones. A senior copy editor "corrected" the name to Etta James -- and then sent me a pious memo about how careless mistakes like writing "Etta Jones" will damage my prospects for a career in journalism.

What a ridiculous public wank this review is. But I can say from experience, it has something that newspaper editors value highly: Pop culture references!

Very fond of 6. I might be the only one who feels this way. Also 4 and 8. And I mean to spend more time with 14 and 15.

Yeah. I just wish it had happened years earlier. Even just five years earlier. Even just two years earlier. Because the two 1993 shows with Ornette guest spots are just too little, too late.

I can't for the life of me understand why the Blomstedts are so highly rated. To me, he seems to miss a lot in this music, especially the humor. But his San Francisco set is much better than his first one, for EMI.

Stefan's right. Impressive performances. I'm especially fond of the Fourth and Sixth in this set. The Regis remastering is an improvement over the earlier CD mastering on Unicorn.

Ordered 30 from Oldies. A box of 20 arrived 11 days later. Now I get to sit here and wonder about the 10 backorders.

You see, Ken bought duplicates because he confused the Duane Tatro OJC with his many other Duane Tatro CDs and LPs. It's a simple mix-up, really.

Just about any sentence with "dongle" in it is going to sound vaguely obscene, or worse. Welcome back, MG!

Mo' Arugula, Please

Potato Head Blues was already taken.