MartyJazz

No need whatsoever to denigrate OUR MAN IN JAZZ. It stacks up very well against any recording, bootleg or commercial, that Rollins ever did. His playing alone on the 25 minute track "Oleo" is stupendous and I haven't heard anything in the bootleg recordings of Rollins with Cherry that compares to it.

The Denmark CDs are not from the '63 period with Cherry. Rather they are of concerts done in Copenhagen in September '68 with a quartet that consisted of Kenny Drew, NHOP and Albert 'Tootie' Heath. While uneven, some of the music is quite good.

Now, I'm really tempted to pick up that Dexter Prestige box. With coupon, price is down to $98 (plus tax).

You must be as old as I am. I recall Wayne Embry. He played about 11 years in the NBA, ending his career sometime around 1970 I think. Alan Embree is the pitcher the Yanks signed after he was waived by the Red Sox.

I'm having the most difficulty. This is a genre that I've purposely (I'm afraid) ignored from Day One. Rather than listen to this stuff at home where quite frankly I find the music mostly disruptive, I'll begin anew in my car which serves as the optimal listening booth for me. Hope to get back to you, Jon. Thanks a whole lot. l

Guilty as charged. I only recently got to know Carl. He's a very dedicated guy. It's kind of amazing that he first saw Rollins in the year 2000 yet has been able to amass such an incredible private tape collection of the man's work in a relatively short period of time. It's also kind of ironic that in the only two occasions I got to meet Rollins in person, I knew not to mention that I have a significant amount of private material for fear of incurring wrath, or at the very least, disapproval. Anyway, it's been a very positive relationship.

Red Sox now up on Yanks by only 1-1/2 games. Looks like the six games left between the two teams will decide another AL East division champ.

Ten among the very many that come to mind: Charlie Parker: "Koko" (Christmas '49, Carnegie Hall;) Dizzy Gillespie: "A Night in Tunisia" (Feb '61, Carnegie Hall, Verve) Clifford Brown: "Brownie Speaks", ('53, Blue Note) John Coltrane: "Blues Minor" ('61, Impulse) Sonny Rollins: "Street Runner With Child" ('66, Impulse) Eric Dolphy: "Mysterious Blues" ('60, Charles Mingus - Candid) Dexter Gordon: "The Maze" ('62, Herbie Hancock - Blue Note) Sam Rivers: "Fuchsia Swing Song" ('64 Blue Note) Thelonious Monk: "Evidence" (May '63, Japan TV quartet performance - to see it especially is to know what jazz is all about) Joe Henderson: "Blue Bossa" ('71 live in Tokyo, Milestone)

Yep, there's a smiley for just about everything... ← ←

Eric Idle: "The Greedy Bastard Diary"

You're most probably correct. I have a bootleg video of the group in Japan around this time in which Bill Henderson appears and sings on alternate tracks.

Yes, Fisk was appalled at Sanders doodling in the dirt but it was his disrespect for the game and how it is supposed to be played that triggered his outburst, which nearly triggered a brawl after Deion's mindless retort. And I would hope that even among Yankee fans, respect for Fisk increased significantly after that incident. ← Fisk didn't have to do that for this Yankee fan to have respect for him. I always thought he was a great ballplayer who had a terrific respect for the tradition of the game and a well deserved Hall of Famer.

At the time Deion was a Yankee and Fisk said something to the effect, "You should be ashamed of yourself. You're wearing that uniform and that's the way you run out a ground ball?" I hadn't known what Deion's response was. Thanks.

11) “Earthdance” (Joe Ford) from Jerry Gonzalez & Fort Apache Band: EARTHDANCE (Sunnyside) – Gonzalez (tp, fl-h, congas); Ford (as, ss); Carter Jefferson (ts); Larry Willis (p); Andy Gonzalez (b); Steve Berrios (d). Rec’d October ‘90. Not great, just a very pleasant Latin jazz piece. I’ve liked this group which has had necessary changes in personnel (Carter Jefferson’s death resulted in his being replaced by John Stubblefield who too, has recently passed away), owning perhaps all of its cds. I believe the group disbanded once Gonzalez decided to move to Spain where he’s been mixing it up with the Flamenco musicians there. This track seemed to stump everyone even though I’ve seen at least one Fort Apache thread elsewhere on Organissimo where at least one contributor has also participated in this BFT. 12) “Song From the Old Country” (Don Pullen) from David Murray: SHAKILL’S WARRIOR (DIW Columbia) – Murray (ts); Pullen (org); Stanley Franks (g); Andrew Cyrille (d). Rec’d March ‘91. At last we hear an organ, however it’s Don Pullen whose primary instrument was the piano and he’s playing the instrument in a manner that can only pin him as the culprit. I like this track quite a lot and confess that I don’t hear the “squeals” from the tenor that at least one of you (that would be you, Dan) has complained about. Chalk that up to the intensive tone tolerance training I received back around ’71 when I would listen to Trane live in Seattle on headsets while smoking a non-tobacco substance. It’s long been obvious that Murray likes to stretch the tonal boundaries, shall we say, but here he sounds relatively benign and very melodic, at least to these ears. 13) “Short Life of Barbara Monk” (R Blake) from Ran Blake: SHORT LIFE OF BARBARA MONK (Soul Note) – Ricky Ford (ts); Blake (p); Ed Felson (b); Jon Hazilla (d). Rec’d August ‘86. At last we come to the final piece which has a “haunting”, “melancholy” aspect as a couple of you have remarked. JSngry alone recognized the piece and termed it “heartbreaking” in view of its attendant history. According to the liner notes, Blake himself occasionally babysat for Thelonious’s daughter (she of “Boo Boo’s Birthday” fame) when she was a child. She died tragically of cancer while still in her 30s. Blake of course dedicates this to her memory and while it’s possible I was predisposed to like this piece when attracted to the cover and having read this background material within the insert in a 2nd hand CD store a few years back, I really did like it on first hearing and its appeal has been steadfast with each subsequent play. I'm glad brownie seems to dig it as well. The otherwise conventional Ricky Ford is the surprising tenor here. This was a lot of fun. Much thanks to all who contributed their thoughts, especially the ones who took the time and effort to "itemize" responses to each and every track. I really enjoyed reading everything you had to say.

OK, this disc contains more recent material, i.e., recorded within the last 20 years. JSngry astutely notes that in comparison with Disc One in which there was a “looking forward” and “discovery”, this disc seems, at least in some places, to have more of a “looking backward” and “reiteration” aspect. While the majority of you did prefer Disc One, a couple of people here (John B, naos) are more partial to “contemporary” (and I mean that in the best sense of the word) stuff or are at least more comfortable in terms of guessing or identifying what’s on this disc. 1) “Blues for Astor” (Diego Urcola) from Paquito D’Rivera & the United Nation Orchestra: A NIGHT IN ENGLEWOOD (Messador) – Multinational big band featuring on this track: Raul Jaurena (bandoneon); Urcola (tp); Andres Boiarsky (ts); Carlos Franzetti (p); Oscar Stagnaro (el-b); Adam Cruz (d); Bobby Sanabria (perc). Rec’d July ‘93. Not being a Paquito D’Rivera fan, I graciously accepted this gift CD from a Latino friend (my barber) and found that surprisingly I do like it overall, especially this track that among other things has the virtue of NOT at all featuring the frequently strident Paquito. Rather, three Argentines solo, the soulful bandoneon of Jaurena (Stereojack and brownie had this instrument pegged correctly) standing out as well as the tenor contribution by Boiarsky. At least one listener here was disconcerted by Urcola’s “jazz messenger” solo which alters the feel of the piece quite a bit. Since Urcola is also credited as the composer, one wonders what his motivation was. Incidentally, this is the orchestra that was first founded and led by Dizzy Gillespie back around ’89, a couple of years before this recording was made. 2) “Promethean” (Mulgrew Miller) from Tony Williams: YOUNG AT HEART (Columbia) – Miller (p); Ira Coleman (b); Williams (d). Rec’d September ‘96. I enjoy good solid straight ahead hard boppish piano (see Hawes on Disc One) within a trio context and this track definitely fits the bill. Mulgrew recorded this original earlier on one of his Landmark cds but this version stands out more for me especially with Tony Williams, the leader of the date, being so propulsive behind him. Musicians here may recognize that this piece is based on the changes to “Days of Wine and Roses”. 3) “Like Sonny” (John Coltrane) from Ray Barretto: PORTRAITS IN JAZZ AND CLAVE (RCA Victor) – John Bailey (tp); Steve Turre (tb); Adam Kolker, Joe Lovano (ts); John Di Martino (p); Kenny Burrell (g); Eddie Gomez (b); Vince Cherico (d); Barretto (congas); Bobby Sanabria (perc). Rec’d March ’99. This Trane piece has a Latin rhythm component that I expected might cause a few to think perhaps of the Conrad Herwig aggregate album, “The Latin Side of John Coltrane”. However, Rosco first id’d this track correctly based on his instant recognition of Lovano. While the solo order is not specified, I think we can agree that it’s the less known Kolker who leads off with Lovano following. I really like their interaction, the track definitely being the highlight of this Barretto cd, IMO. 4) “Optimism” (M Weiss) from Michael Weiss: SOUL JOURNEY (Sintra) – Ryan Kisor (tp); Steve Davis (tb); Steve Wilson (as); Weiss (p); Paul Gill (b); Joe Farnsworth (d); Daniel Sadownick (perc). Released 2003. I really like this piece and the entire cd it comes from. I say this because I confess that I’ve known Michael Weiss for over 20 years ever since we met when residing in the same Brooklyn apartment building. (Indeed, Michael was a guest and played at my wedding). Comments by and large were positive and I note that both Stereojack and JSngry thought that the pianist might be Cedar Walton. Naos shocked me with his guess of Michael but evidently he is unaware of the SOUL JOURNEY cd as he wondered whether Eric Alexander was also on it, perhaps on alto. I copped this excellent cd one evening when my wife and I together with a couple of friends surprised Michael a little over a year ago by showing up at a concert he led at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. If I recall correctly, the personnel that night was altered only by the substitution of Adam Kolker and Jim Snidero for Davis & Wilson, the program consisting entirely of Michael’s compositions from this album. I’m hereby plugging Michael’s cd (I doubt that he minds) so if you want to cop it, by all means use this link: Michael Weiss CD: SOUL JOURNEY 5) “Little Niles” (Randy Weston) from Stefon Harris & Jacky Terrasson: KINDRED (Blue Note) – Harris (marimba); Terrasson (p); Tarus Mateen (b); Terreon Gully (d). Rec’d January 2001. I’ve always liked this relatively little known Weston composition since first hearing it on a George Shearing live date for Capitol. This version with marimba really cooks. 6) “Chester Leaps In” from Bennie Wallace: THE ART OF THE SAXOPHONE (Denon) – Wallace, Jerry Bergonzi (ts); John Scofield (g); Eddie Gomez (b); Dannie Richmond (d). Rec’d February ‘87. A few of you pointed out that this piece is obviously based on “Moon” changes. I personally like Wallace’s phrasing with its obvious roots in Dolphy and to a lesser extent, ‘60s Rollins, at least to my ears. Since Bennie is not everyone’s cup of tea, here, Bergonzi’s Trane influence should be more palatable, I would suspect, although I note that JSngry also prefers Wallace’s playing. I dig the contrast between these tenors as well as the other two tracks on which they play together on this OOP Denon cd, they also being based on other pop standards, “Indiana” and “All the Things….”. BTW, the cd employs the same rhythm section throughout, the second saxophonists who each appear on the other three sessions on this disc being Lew Tabackin, Harold Ashby and Oliver Lake. 7) “Nightlake” (Richie Beirach) from Kenny Barron: WANTON SPIRIT (Verve) – Barron (p); Charlie Haden (b); Roy Haynes (d). Rec’d February ‘94. I suspect that many of you already own this Verve cd since Kenny Barron certainly does not lack for followers on Organissimo. However I programmed it gambling that this Beirach original would not be easily recognizable. I really love Barron’s expressiveness on this track and marvel at his development since I first heard him as a sideman on Dizzy’s ‘60s Phillips recordings. 8) “Soulmate” (Lucien) from Gary Bartz: THE RED AND ORANGE POEMS (Atlantic) – Eddie Henderson (tp, fl-h); Bartz (as); John Clark (fr-h); Mulgrew Miller (p); Dave Holland (b); Greg Bandy (d); Steve Kroon (perc). Rec’d September ‘94. This is just a very fun piece to get up and move to, the south African influence being quite apparent. A few of you thought it sounded “cheesy” (yuk) or “Disneyesque” (ouch!). But I think on the whole that this Bartz cd is underrated. I see it all the time in the used bins at the second hand CD stores down here in southeast Florida and have been tempted to tell anyone who happens to be standing next to me in the jazz section to pick it up. I’ll continue to refrain from doing so since I see that this track certainly didn’t grab everyone here. 9) “Quarte’s Fever” (Michelot) from Pierre Michelot: BASS AND BOSSES (Emarcy) – Pierre Blanchard (vio); Toots Thielemans (harmonica); Maurice Vander (p); Michelot (b); Billy Higgins (d). Rec’d December ‘89. no cover photo available I got this in a Tower Records cutout store in the east Village many years ago, attracted not only by the low $6 price but intrigued by the presence of Billy Higgins behind a front line of violin and harmonica. This is only one of two originals on the date, the other tracks, also well done, consisting of a number of jazz standards, e.g., “Godchild”, “The Peacocks”, “Jitterbug Waltz”. Anyway, Toots really wails on this one and I particular enjoy the closing exchanges between he and Blanchard. Interesting, as brownie noted, to also hear Maurice Vander as well as the leader, Michelot, some 3-1/2 decades plus after the Django date on Disc One. 10) “Innocence” (Keith Jarrett) from the compilation: AS LONG AS YOU’RE LIVING YOURS – THE MUSIC OF KEITH JARRETT (RCA Victor) – George Garzone (ts); Massimo Biolcati (b); Bob Gullotti (d). Released 2000. A few months ago I was at the local library where they were having a benefit sale featuring quite a few sealed cds priced at $3 apiece. Most of them were of the popular variety but I did notice this one and among the varied artists listed on the back insert, Garzone’s name popped up thanks to an earlier BFT by .:.impossible that turned me on to this tenor saxophonist. This is a short track but I was immediately struck by the obvious ‘60s Rollins influence (seconded by JSngry here) in terms of tone and attack – indeed at 1:10 on the cut, I hear a phrase that seems lifted from the lengthy similar trio instrumentation version of “52nd Street Theme” Newk did with Roy McCurdy on drums for Victor back around ’64. Check it out if you have it. As is known by those who know me, I very much favor any tenor playing that is indeed, or is evocative of, ‘60s Rollins. Anyway, Rosco has been driven to distraction trying to id this piece as he did recognize it as a Jarrett composition (something I could never have done if I was on the receiving end of this BFT), so I trust he’ll be glad to know the particulars once he reads this. To be continued

Let that be a lesson to you. You should never mistake Gordon for Nimitz again

"DeNiro"???? What am I missing here? ← D'oh!!!!, it just came to me, the film with DeNiro & Minnelli. DeNiro's a sax player and Auld is who you hear on the soundtrack. Nice reference

12) “Prelude to Bird” (Lasha-Simmons) from Prince Lasha & Sonny Simmons: FIREBIRDS (Contemporary) – Lasha (as, fl, cl); Simmons (as, Eng hrn); Bobby Hutcherson (vb); Buster Williams (b); Charles Moffett (d). Rec’d September ’67. This one was chosen as a change in pace as it somewhat deceptively starts out as a languid ballad but then builds to a wonderful peak with Moffett churning away, spurring the altoists it seems into an exciting passage of avant garde intensity. I kind of knew that however brief the collective “out” passage is, it might shake up a few listeners here. They can view it as the sound of unwelcome surprise. A few contributors were on the mark here not necessarily because they all like it. 13) “Rat Race” (Basie) from Count Basie: THE INDISPENSABLE… (Fr RCA Victor) – Harry Edison (tp); Dickie Wells (tb) Georgie Auld, Gene Ammons (ts); Basie (p); Freddie Green (g); Al McKibbon (b); Gus Johnson (d). Rec’d Feb ’50. Basie is unmistakable but the tenor players here presented more of a problem (understatement). The lighter toned, Pres-inspired tenor up first has got to be Ammons; thereafter it becomes pretty easy to ID who is who. I first heard this on an RCA Victor Vintage series LP anthology I picked up back in the ‘60s titled “The Bebop Era” and now have it duplicated on the double CD shown above. The riff played late in the piece (at 2:10 or so) belongs to “Wholly Cats”, recorded 10 years earlier by the Benny Goodman Sextet with Christian, Auld and Basie. It seems Big Al spotted this cut on a radio program dedicated to the Basie 1950 octets at the last second, saving this track from being a complete mystery until today. 14) “Bleep” (Mike Wofford) from Shelly Manne: PERK UP (Concord) – Conte Candoli (tp); Frank Strozier (as); Wofford (p); Monty Budwig (b); Manne (d). Rec’d 1967. IMO, this piece is a wonderful homage to Monk. Aside from the composition itself, even Wofford’s comping or deliberate lack of it at times is very evocative of Monk to my ears. A couple of you did in fact guess Monk, but tooter early on really surprised me by correctly id’g it. I mistakenly thought this piece was going to be a mystery throughout the BFT instead of the previous track. Interestingly, brownie mistakenly thought that this piece had been on a previous BFT. Oh well. I guess another reason for this selection is that I can’t get enough of the underrecorded Frank Strozier. 15) “Double Talk” (Navarro-McGhee) – master take, from Fats Navarro: THE COMPLETE BLUE NOTE & CAPITOL RECORDINGS (Blue Note) – The Howard McGhee-Fats Navarro Sextet: McGhee, Navarro (tp); Ernie Henry (as); Milt Jackson (p); Curley Russell (b); Kenny Clarke (d). Rec’d October ’48. So many of you id’d this classic bebop trumpet “battle”, there’s no point in giving out so many kudos. It is truly a classic. While I normally can spot the difference in tone at least between Navarro and McGhee, at times it becomes extremely difficult in this piece, at least for me. This is must have jazz IMO. 16) “The Maid With the Flaccid Air” (Eddie Sauter) from Artie Shaw: …AND HIS ORCHESTRA 1944-45 (Hep 3 disc set), features Roy Eldridge (tp); Ollie Wilson (tb); Shaw (cl); Jon Walton (ts); Chuck Gentry (bs); Dodo Marmarosa (p); Barney Kessel (g ); Sauter (arr). Rec’d July ’45. I got into jazz when my father brought home a copy of the “Moonglow” RCA Victor LP when I was 13 years old. When I heard Shaw’s clarinet, I stopped listening to Presley and early rock almost immediately which I guess dates me pretty well. While that LP celebrates the hits of Shaw’s late ‘30s swing band and his early ‘40s band with strings, this particular track emanates from his more forward looking mid ‘40s band which is my personal favorite of the many varied bands Shaw put together during his relatively short but very successful musical career. More so than the renowned and shortly lived ’49 band, because this particular Shaw aggregate recorded exclusively new compositions and totally fresh “modern” arrangements of pop standards plus it had wonderful soloists including Roy Eldridge (heard here on mute), Barney Kessel and Dodo Marmarosa (who has the final note). Stereojack and couw got this one which some here thought as somewhat overly arranged and film score-like, it being composed and arranged by Eddie Sauter (who JSngry nailed without being at all familiar with the piece). There are many great tracks on the Hep 3 disc set cited above that aren’t as programmatic and “arty” as this piece since this Shaw band had quite a few other wonderful arrangers, e.g.., Buster Harding, George Siravo, etc. Shaw has always been the main man on clarinet for me. 17) “Peace Treaty” (N Davis) from Nathan Davis: SEXTET (Fr EPM) – Woody Shaw (tp); Davis (ts); Jean-Louis Chautemps (bs); Rene Urtreger (p); Jimmy Woode (b); Kenny Clarke (d). Rec’d May ’65. LP cover: This was the third ‘60s sextet track with a trumpet, tenor and bari front line. It also was tough to identify as it features as leader a relatively little known tenor saxophonist even though much has been written in these forums concerning his TWO ORIGINALS re-issue that documents two sessions bracketing this particular, exceedingly rare, one. Love Davis’s tenor work and I’m sure that once Woody Shaw was identified (JSngry nailed Davis & Woody as well as well as figuring out which album this track came from), some of you may be kicking yourselves for not at least spotting him. The photo above is that of the original LP which commands a nice sum on auctions and ebay. Anyway, I believe this on the short side CD (at best I think it’s 35 minutes long) is out of print. BTW, The photo of Davis on the CD booklet is far less preferable in that it seems to be one taken at least 25-30 years after the recording session. 18) “Spooks” (Archie Shepp) from Marion Brown: THREE FOR SHEPP (Impulse) – Grachan Moncur III (tb); Brown (as); Stanley Cowell (p); Norris Jones (aka “Sirone”) (b); Beaver Harris (d). Rec’d December ’66. It’s funny that all the years I’ve liked this piece, I always thought it was Dave Burrell clanging away on piano as he is on quite a few of the tracks that make up the original LP and CD reissue. Instead it’s the relatively more traditional Stanley Cowell. While the remaining tracks on this session are very much ‘60s avant garde, this particular cut is much more on the fun side and it does swing in a rather haphazard (a euphemism for “sloppy”) way. I recall diplomatically telling Beaver Harris that sometime in the late ‘70s and he laughingly agreed. Quite a few of you got this one and it was nice to see that Big Al enjoyed it as well. Feel very free to comment on my comments, as I put together the Disc Two answers.

Some comments before I get into the personnel, titles and thoughts surrounding the choice of these tracks. One “rule” I set was not to use any pop standards as I think familiarity with a tune can go far towards identifying the remaining details (by googling, etc.) surrounding a particular version of that piece. Also, I wanted no track to run longer than eight minutes. This wasn’t done simply to program more tracks than are typical for these BFTs, although 18 tracks for Disc One (is that a record for a BFT?) and a total of 31 cuts for both discs is on the high side. I just think that when it comes to blindfold tests the listener should not have to “hang in” for an unduly long time on any track that is not that enjoyable. I also think enough should be “stated” in a relatively quick way to elicit like, dislike, recognition, etc., from the listener without having to get into lengthy tracks. (I’m obviously assuming that everyone is giving each track a thorough listen and ignoring the reality that one could conveniently use a remote to skip to the next track). “Keep it moving” is my motto. Lastly, I avoided any duplication of any front line soloist (i.e., sax or brass) not only within a disc but also across both discs. With that out of the way, the overall factor that separates the two discs is period of the recording. Disc One could have been subtitled “Some Things Older” as these tracks were recorded in roughly a 30 year period extending from late 1937 to early 1968. In view of the significant diversity of the tracks, it’s kind of amazing that more time has passed since ’68 than is encompassed by the entire period of the recordings on this disc. Disc Two could have been subtitled “Some Things Newer” as the tracks contained on that disc were all recorded within the last two decades. Big Al was the first to explicitly pick up on this, so while he didn’t have much luck id’g many of the tracks, he did discern the big picture. The comments of others, e.g., Stereojack, JSngry, brownie, etc., indicated an implicit grasp of the overall recording date differences between the discs. As might be expected, the majority of those who listened and contributed their thoughts to BFT Disc One prefer this disc, are more able to fully identify the majority of the pieces contained, and are more passionate about what they like here than in Disc Two. All this of course proves nothing because the choice of tracks was obviously subjective, i.e. what I like to listen to. One final word before all the discographical data and comments. I tried to make a disc that just might be played occasionally by a few of you after this BFT is over with. Judging by some of the enthusiastic thumbs up I received, I trust I may have succeeded. Certainly, I’m still listening to it in the car and at the gym, but then again I’m not all that impartial. Blindfold Test #28, Disc 1: 1) “Jubilesta” (Juan Tizol - Ellington) from Duke Ellington: THE DUKE’S MEN – SMALL GROUPS, Vol. 1 (Columbia) – Cootie Williams & his Rug Cutters: Williams (tp); Juan Tizol (tb); Otto Hardwick (as); Barney Bigard (cl); Harry Carney (bs); Ellington (p); Fred Guy (g); Billy Taylor (b); Sonny Greer (d). Rec’d October ’37. The Ellington small group sides from the ‘30s and ‘40s are just terrific and this cut is a solid, swinging way to start off this BFT. I chose this piece not only because it highlights Cootie’s growl trumpet which I love (I was almost tempted to use Lionel Hampton’s “Ring Dem Bells” for another great example of this facet of Cootie) but also because the melody itself evokes for me an eastern European Jewish influence. Being of that ancestry myself, I look past the title at the obvious “jubilee” reference and see “Jew”, “Esther”, and I wonder at Duke’s subtlety concerning the title of this piece (even though I know that Juan Tizol is credited as co-composer). This conjecture may be far off the mark, but here’s the place to say what I think, right? Anyway, couw was reminded of “Bei Mir Bist du Schon” so I’m not totally off base. Kudos to Harold Z and brownie for getting this one totally correct. And no, Dan, my father wasn’t that hip to introduce me to Duke back when I was a young ‘un; I’m grateful to him for pointing me to jazz but it was the popular (i.e., white) swing music of his youth that was, and remains, his bag. In fact by lucky coincidence, I turned my dad onto this cut just this past night while driving him back from a restaurant wherein we had celebrated my daughter’s 14th birthday. 2) “Barengo” (B Harris) from Barry Harris: BULL’S EYE! (Prestige) – Kenny Dorham (tp); Charles McPherson (ts); Pepper Adams (bs); Harris (p); Paul Chambers (b); Billy Higgins (d). Rec’d June ’68. Not too often one can hear a real soulful jazz tango but here’s an optimal example as I note that many of you really dig this piece and are either planning to buy the CD or realize that you had it all along. It also features perhaps the only appearance on record of Charles McPherson on tenor. I knew that KD and Pepper would be ID’d pretty quickly by a few of you but McPherson on tenor? No way, unless you’re familiar with the album as some of you are (couw, brownie, JSngry, catesta). Stereojack was able to more or less pinpoint the album from memory but guessed Junior Cook based, I think on a Barry Harris date around the same time in the late '60s (LUMINESCENCE! – also wonderful) which does indeed have Cook and also features Pepper’s baritone. 3) “Dangerous” (Hawes) from Hampton Hawes: BLUES FOR BUD (Black Lion) – Hawes (p); Jimmy Woode (b); Art Taylor (d). Rec’d March ’68. Most piano trio lovers, myself included, go to the Contemporary sides (earlier as well as later) for their dose of Hawes but I have a special fondness for this late ‘60s European date. When I first heard this cut, I thought of mid ‘60s Chick in terms of the facility and the music itself. I don’t hear anything “tentative” here, Rosco. tooter id’d this one right off the bat and several others did so as well. 4) “Blues for Ike” (Reinhardt) from Django Reinhardt: PECHE A LA MOUCHE (Verve) – Reinhardt (g); Maurice Vander (p); Pierre Michelot (b); Jean-Louis Viale (d). Rec’d March ’53. “Djangoesque”, “Django-influenced”, “Django-inspired”, why not Django himself? It’s obvious why it’s difficult to say “Django, period”. The rhythm section is far too “modern” and removed from that of the Hot Club of France to be associated with Django which makes it especially sad that he died in the year this recording was made. Django would most likely have made many more great recordings in a more modern vein had he lived. Anyway, it’s a wonderful recording and, perhaps surprisingly, there’s more of Michelot and Vander some 36 years later on Disc Two. BTW, Stereojack, paul secor and brownie were able to correctly identify Django. Stereojack also mentioned that Django cut a few late period tracks with Martial Solal, music I’d like to know more about. 5) “Spiritus Parkus” (Cecil Payne) from Dizzy Reece: ASIA MINOR (Prestige New Jazz) – Reece (tp); Joe Farrell (ts); Payne (bs); Hank Jones (p); Ron Carter (b); Charlie Persip (d). Rec’d March ’62. This track cooks and there are wonderful solos by all involved including a really good swinging entry by Hank with great backing by Persip when his turn comes. tooter, Rosco and brownie, who coincidentally recently played this favored Reece cd shortly before receiving my BFTs, got this one pretty quick. A few others realized that this disc has been sitting on their shelves all along and apparently is deserving of more playing time. Big Al seems all set to overspend at Barnes & Noble ($16.99 plus tax for crying out loud!) once he learned the title of the CD this track comes from. 6) “The Moose” (Ralph Burns) from Charlie Barnet & his Orchestra: DROP ME OFF IN HARLEM (Decca) features Dodo Marmarosa (p); Turk Van Lake (g). Rec’d October ’43. This is one track I did not discover by myself. Instead, Gunther Schuller pointed me to it in his marvelous book, THE SWING ERA, wherein he devotes 2 + pages (pp 718-720 for those of you who own the paperback) to what he believes is practically a revolutionary big band track given the period it was recorded. (BTW, not being a musician or musicologist, I am not able to read or understand this book in its totality but it’s a great resource from which to pick up on musicians and tracks as well as to just jump around in). So when I spotted this Barnet compilation in a 2nd hand bin a couple of years ago, I copped it partially due to curiosity about “The Moose” which features a fleet 17 year old Dodo and an arrangement by 19 year old Burns! Quite a few of you heard Basie in Dodo’s playing but Stereojack alone – a man who has obviously done his homework over the years - recognized it relatively quickly. 7) “Aloof Spoof” (Dameron) from compilation: THE LOST SESSIONS (Blue Note) – Tadd Dameron Octet: Donald Byrd (tp); Curtis Fuller (tb); Julius Watkins (fr-h); Sam Rivers (ts); Dameron (p); Paul Chambers (b); Philly Joe Jones (d). Rec’d December ’61. That Dameron sound was pretty recognizable to quite a few of you, some of whom believed that it had to be a Riverside date given its early ‘60s feel I guess. This track is from a “lost session” that contains three other tracks from this session date, JSngry id’g this one immediately once Rivers soloed. Listening to Sam in this period makes me wonder why Alfred Lion waited until ’64 to give Rivers his first Blue Note leader date. Sam is marvelous on this and, considering he was already 38 years young (and still going strong in his 80s), obviously a very mature player. Byrd has that singing Brownie quality on this track which I associate with his best playing. Not sure if this cd compilation can still be found. 8) “G.T. Stomp” (Hirsch-Marks) from Earl Hines: PIANO MAN – HIS PIANO AND HIS ORCHESTRA (RCA Bluebird) features Hines (p), Edward Simms, Walter Fuller (tp); Alvin Burroughs (d). Rec’d July ’39. (no album cover available) This is a real swinger and one that literally makes me move about whenever I hear it. What a terrific stride piano player Hines was! And the arrangement is a knockout, that ending providing a real kick in the butt. Great! Anyway, Big Al, now you know the details, this cut having been somewhat of a mystery although randyhersom did make a stab at Hines as the piano player. 9) “Death and Taxes” (Dickerson) from Walt Dickerson: THIS IS WALT DICKERSON (Prestige New Jazz) – Dickerson (vb); Austin Crowe (p); Bob Lewis (b); Andrew Cyrille (d). Rec’d March ’61. A few of you honed in on this one, although someone mentioned “Dwight” Dickerson – is that a nickname of his? The audible vocal sounds led some to believe it was Dave Pike as well as Lem Winchester, who I think are even less known than WD. Can’t really say why I chose this cut, combination of title, Dickerson’s quiet intensity and a welcome pleasant sounding change of pace to the preceding cuts, I think. BTW, the posts of .:.impossible and mikeweil show them to be apt students of the sound and style of Walt Dickerson. 10) “Figure 8” (Niehaus) from Lennie Niehaus: ZOUNDS! (Contemporary) – Stu Williamson (tp); Bob Enevoldsen (v-tb); Niehaus (as); Jack Montrose (ts); Bob Gordon (bs); Lou Levy (p); Monty Budwig (b); Shelly Manne (d). Rec’d August ’54. Jim R correctly id’d this as a Niehaus octet cut but quite a few more were concentrating on the baritone in this west coast lineup, guessing Mulligan or Jack Nimitz. I wouldn’t be able to discern the difference between Nimitz and Bob Gordon, but the latter it is. Anyway, I love the octet sides Niehaus made for Contemporary in the mid ‘50s, two of which are still available as OJCs and highly recommended. The arrangements are all very good and the tight ensemble sound and interplay, typical of the better west coast stuff, is present throughout. 11) “Avars” (Rocky Boyd) from Blue Mitchell: BLUE’S MOODS (Riverside) – Mitchell (tp); Wynton Kelly (p); Sam Jones (b); Roy Brooks (d). Rec’d August ’60. Quite a few (tooter, Stereojack, couw, paul secor, etc.) spotted Blue Mitchell immediately. While he plays wonderfully here, I picked this track primarily because of how fabulous the rhythm section sounds. I know Kelly-PC-Cobb epitomize the best of the ‘60s rhythm sections but I detect no drop off with Sam Jones (especially) and Roy Brooks on bass and drums instead. To be continued

Damn!!!! That is quite a coincidence that this track would be played on that show. But I guess it couldn't be avoided given the show's title. I was hoping to surprise you personally with the answers tomorrow. Thanks however for not revealing in your post who they are.

"DeNiro"???? What am I missing here?

No activity in this discussion for a few days now. To update, tracks #1, 4, 10 & 11 have yet to be fully id'd. Considering that 11 of the 37 recipients of the BFTs have yet to be heard from in either BFT 28 discussion forum, it would be nice if one of you freeloaders could make a contribution here. Answers will be posted this coming Tuesday.

Yeah, Chad is brittle but assuming that if he does get hurt, it's not for the entire season, then Fiedler is a very adequate backup. As for Coles, it looked like he and Chad had never been parted. They're made for each other. He'll be far more productive within the Jets system than he was for the Skins.

Thanks for the link. That answers the question re Monk's allegiance to Rouse pretty well, I think.