Spontooneous

A record dealer in Kansas City, the late James DeRigne, worked hard to create Billy Harper fans in Kansas City. I'm not the only one he recruited who later became a member of this board. Now, knowing about JOS and BH, what do you say about the band on 3?

I can relate to being down on certain tunes. At least this one's from early in Cherokee's life as a showpiece -- a few months before "Koko," in fact. I like your reaction to the trumpet solo, the Roy influence in Dizzy. "Too controlled"? Dizzy would be flattered. Ding ding ding! Tell him what he's won, Johnny! Once again TK proves himself a very perceptive hearer. And I should come clean on this one, because I realize today that something I posted about this tune in haste yesterday might be misleading. Several people have thought they heard Jimmy Smith on this one. It's because they did. It's him. You are the third person I've played this for to pipe up, "Billy Harper!" That's because it's him too. Now the task is to identify the band. I fear that image is going to stay with me the rest of my life. Not Kenny, or Everett. (Wait a minute -- have you heard Everett anywhere but on Billy Harper records?) Not overdubbed. Glad to hear. The tune was written by a friend. Some others have come quite close to identifying this, but not totally there yet. Great comm -- hey, where's my beer? Hon, have you seen my beer? Hon? TK busts me again. It's Carmell. Very impressive!

Catching up ... responding to Felser: It’s interesting how well they captured that fat tube-amp guitar sound on the 78. Some engineer really knew their stuff. Jim R provided the ID above. Yes, you do! It’s 1973 exactly. Yes, a very JOS-influenced player, every time he played. Much more will be said on the subject of the horn soloists before this BFT is over. The corn factor is high as an elephant’s eye here, but this band always makes me smile. It’s the trumpet player’s album and composition. Somebody you might know well. The others may come as a surprise. I heard the same guitarist and same bassist play this tune live a few weeks ago. Wish I had a recording of that version to share. But this one works just fine. Ray yes, Duke no. Michael Weiss got it, and I’d be secretly disappointed if he hadn’t. I figured somebody would recognize the tune. Already an interesting range of opinions on this one. The reveal of 11 won’t surprise many people, but 12 might.

On 1: Bill F got the Dizzy part right, and Jim R got the rest. On 2: Neither Roney nor Marsalis. A generation or two earlier.

Number one, it's great to see you back in here, Bill! A very perceptive set of comments here. Since it's early in the game, I'll probably be a little evasive in my comments. Don't want to give away too much yet! Time frame is about right, really 1945. Not Tiny Grimes. Not Minton's. I half expect somebody to have an exact ID on this side pretty soon. Ahh, you got me here. It's Ray Nance. But not Duke or Earl. Not Blue Note, though some of the players were heard there. Truth is, two trumpets. Second one might be a little bit lost. I'm a big fan of this pianist. Thanks again, Bill! Yes, sounds a whole lot like Miles at times, and maybe that didn't help his career. And maybe sometimes, with certain leaders, it did help. Hint hint.

Beautiful BFT, Thom, and now I have to listen again with the answers in hand.

Here goes. Latecomers are welcome. Jump on at http://www.thomkeith.com/BFT/bft137.html. Special thanks to Mr. Keith for his wonderful web hosting.

People of Organissimo! Now is the time to sign up for BFT 137, containing carefully selected sounds from way back when to right about now! People who care about trumpets would be especially wise to join in. Everyone who signs on will find something to perplex and delight them, or your money back. It's a download of moderate size, or a single disc. It starts Aug. 1.

You know what I really miss on this board? Universal interns.

Can anybody recommend the best brand of Tortilla-R? Not interested in Tortilla-RW.

And on the B-side you can see the face of Jesus.

Time to finish what I started... 9 – Is that the real Stanley Turrentine or somebody who wanted his paychecks? Dig those crazy geetar effects (I really do like them). The organ solo has some wonderful things, and some less-inspired spots. 10 – "Green Dolphin Street." OK, guys, keep the solos short 'cause our manager says we gotta fit more tunes on the LP. I like the trumpet, and the tenor makes me smile. Are these players perhaps from overseas? 11 – Oh, shoot, there's something familiar about this from the first note. A Jazz Messengers tune, though played by another band? Maybe that's a Bobby Watson tune I'm not recognizing? OTOH, that alto is definitely not Bobby. I get the feeling the pianist is the leader, and deservedly so. Mulgrew, James Williams, Donald Brown? Nice arranging touches during the piano solo, and for once the out chorus sounds like a real development instead of a mere repetition. 12 – Solid groove. Trombonist is the leader? But the real attraction is the tenor solo, which slips and slides all over the place as if the player had been listening to Sam Rivers. 13 – This makes me think of John Hicks and Elise Wood. 14 – Somebody beat me to Dick Griffin. Is the brief head immediately after the slow intro really meant to be "Whistle While You Work"? 15 – That alto is strong, with a great sound and great delivery, even if the ideas are running out toward the end of the solo. Violin is interesting. The guitarist delivers maybe the best solo of the bunch. This is a whole gang of fun, Thom. Looking forward to the reveal. Thank you!

Here goes... 1 – Oh yeah. Some older musicians growing old gracefully. There was a Buddy Tate-Al Grey group in the '80s that used the "She got it, she keep it" verse as set-closing theme, so I have to guess at least one of them is involved, and the tenor sounds very much like Tate indeed. 2 – Groove in 5/4 pinched from the "Mission Impossible" theme. Late-'70s/early-80s time frame. Peculiar alto, nice tenor and piano. No guess, but this is pretty nice. 3 – Ohh, nice groove, deep and wide. Consistently interesting tenor. I can't summon a guess right now. 4 – A variation of the "Mission Impossible" groove. A strange thing wrapped in ECM reverb, but probably not ECM. Telepathic responses from all players involved. This is really beautiful. If I knew who it was I'd buy the disc today. 5 – Great minds think alike. I'd considered including Ed Wilkerson's "Light on the Path" on a BFT myself. Not familiar with this lovely version. 6 – Are they playing "Boogie Woogie Waltz," sorta? The guitar is nice. 7 – Great theme. Here comes the Rhodes. Yeah, I'm liking this. 8 – Tasty piano. I keep waiting for it to turn into "Norwegian Wood." The coolest moment, and there are many cool ones, is the harmonic surprise in the coda. More to come.

Thanks for this, especially the live things. Anybody have any insight on why there's "Never Let Me Go" in the middle of "Easy Living"?s

OK, time to finish what I started before a few too many interruptions -- 9 – If this was available through Dusty Groove, the blurb would contain the phrase "spiritual vibe." All I can say is that this is about the best thing I've heard all month and there's no aspect of it that I don't like. Beautiful. 10 – "There Will Never Be Another You." Tenor sure sounds like Jimmy Heath. A textbook written about this solo would set some young players on the right path. Love the signoff, where the player almost makes a banal quote but quickly changes path. 11 – "The Chase," a wonderful example of Charlie Rouse in good, loose form. Tracks 10 and 11 are bebop nirvana, a place I'm always willing to visit. 12 – So is that an older Wayne chart in a newish performance? Endlessly fascinating. 13 – Vonski and Griffski. Think I heard this on a Chicago Jazz Festival broadcast, or maybe it was a CDR. Not enough here to get the real flavor, but still a nice ending. Many thanks!

DL, please and thanks!

1 – Fun, but I've heard a lot of this kind of stuff lately and I'm just not in the mood, sorry. Kudos to the drummer for lessening monotony while the sax noodles. 2 – I confess, this one loses me early, during the head, because the guitarist has to fill every pause in the melody instead of letting it breathe. The guitar solo has some nice phrases but lots of gymnastics. Pat Martino? The organ solo is OK. The out chorus has the same problem as the first. 3 – This is better than the usual neo-soul-jazz. When the guitarist is in full flight, I can't predict where the phrases are going to land. And there's a certain enthusiasm to it all. 4 – Is that Kenny Garrett on alto, or somebody who wants to be him? I kinda like the guitar, even if there are a few too many notes. There are some original thoughts in there. The organ is pretty good too, and I'm enjoying the drumming. 5 – Now leaving Organ Combo Land – please come back soon. This is "Easy Living" by a tenor I can't identify but wouldn't mind hearing more of. The tenor hands off to the piano most artfully after the bridge, and the trio starts playing "Never Let Me Go" instead. But this isn't the Norman Granz ballad medley, because the tenor comes back with the last half of "Easy Living." A little strange. I'm not against combining tunes, but it shouldn't feel so much like "this is my tune, that's your tune, you don't touch my tune and I won't touch yours." 6 – "Warm Valley" with elegant note-bending. There's some deep textural imagination in that guitar solo, and it's well matched by the bass. Yeah. Jim Hall? 7 – "You and the Night and the Music," a slightly conservative duo but that's OK. 8 – Jay Leonhart. Not one of his best things, but you gotta feel his pain on this one. More later.

Ha! Joke's on me. Track 12, which I failed to recognize, is from a disc that I gave to Hot Ptah!

Aren't there questions about how much of Khamma he actually wrote? And some of the orchestration on the Images was farmed out.

Yes, very bootlegged. The music has been in the trading community for years.

Been meaning to chime in for a couple of days but haven't had a chance until today. "Original" and "revised" scores are on IMSLP, along with a copy of the manuscript: here For me, all-time favorite recording will always be Reiner. Astounding clarity, with unstoppable forward motion. In the first movement, the slow intro may be controversial, but it's magical, and the decrescendo with percussion just before the cello passage never sounded better or more avant-garde. And check out the first 15 seconds of the second movement. After decades of respecting the piece, this was the recording that made me fall in love. It's probably easiest to get these days on a CD coupled with Respighi's Pines and Fountains, unfortunately. Get it anyway.

A few years ago I saw that the Kansas Department of Revenue issued somebody the license plate GANJA. I'm guessing the cops often found excuses to pull that driver over.

He probably wrote too much. Could have slowed down and had a better proportion of inspiration to notes. (He was also a doodler; I remember seeing a reproduced manuscript page with a little steam train drawn up up the side.) But you found a good starting place. I can't do without: Symphonies 4 and 6 and sometimes 2 and 3 Piano Concerto 4 (!) Frescoes Flute Sonata Julietta, short opera Some of the solo piano music: Ritournelles; Sonata; Etudes and Polkas. Violin and cello concertos are worth a look. I remember hearing a really superior string quartet, maybe the Fifth, but I don't remember which one. Lately my interest in his teacher Albert Roussel is growing. (Symphonies 3 and 4!)

Don't know that I have much to contribute after so many good identifications, but that's never stopped me before... I'll have to guess Morton, or somebody who paid close attention. Recorded no later than about 1928. The "Latin tinge" is very significant. You want me to guess it's some veteran swing trumpeter in a '50s recording trying to be hip with a younger rhythm section, but a momentary Bird lick makes me think the trumpeter is younger. The tenor could almost be young Gene Ammons. No guess, but that organ solo is cool as anything. You're bound to stick some Sun Ra in High Space Fidelity in there somewhere, and this might be the one. And might that be Hobart Dotson? I half expected to bored with another "Caravan" but this one thrills me. Especially the pianist. The harmony and melody scream Spain, but everything else suggests Abdullah Ibrahim. This is taking the scenic route to "Caravan." At first it seems like Chick playing something reminiscent of Spain, or somebody whose playing is reminiscent of Chick playing something reminiscent of Spain if you know what I mean. But it's too thickly textured to be Chick. And a few spots are pretty weird. Maybe an offbeat choice like some relatively calm Don Pullen. I like it very much. Fascinating way to back into "My Favorite Things." Is this perhaps from overseas? Then again, the pianist makes me think it might be from Saturn, though the tenor doesn't sound like the one we associate with Saturn. Lester Bowie discloses himself quickly, and the rest of the lineup suggests AECO. Famoudou and Malachi lay down an amazing groove here. And the award for most behind-the-beat playing goes to ... this altoist, who might be Threadgill. The group seems like Air. It's like an old rag or march tune, and I mean that in a good way. A rough beast on "What Is This Thing Called Love" changes, with an arrangement more "modern" than any of the soloists. Maybe a Charlie Ventura contraption? Sounds like an ECM, with violin. Jack DeJohnette in the back? Abercrombie? Of course this was the first track to be guessed. It reminds me of something I heard a very respected jazz drummer say: "Drums make you crazy. They made Tony Williams crazy." A fun selection, with nothing that rubs me the wrong way. Thank you!

78 collector wants to know: Does it read vertical-cut 78s as well as laterals?