tooter

Glad of the AMG warn-off - thanks Tom. 1. I haven't a clue - someone like Don Cherry or Lester Bowie? Not my kind of thing. 2. is this guy I feel certain and the tune will not be a mystery to many - St Thomas - he wrote it. Could hardly hear the bass, particularly at first. Could the drummer therefore be Max Roach? 3. The guitar player seems very familiar but is he out of his usual setting? Can't dig up a name yet - maybe Kenny Burrell. 4. Drummer very loud again - tune will not puzzle anyone, surely. Quote from Naima near the end and another quote I can't quite identify earlier. No names. 5. What is that tune? - somehow the name Freddie Hubbard comes into my mind, apropos the tune that is. It's on the tip of my tongue...Grrrrr.... 6. Certain I know the trumpeter, but last time I tried to put more than one link in it wouldn't work, so I'll just say "arborial". If I'm right, the sop sax could be someone whose name starts at the beginning and the end of the alphabet (is that too obvious?)

Well, may I start the ball rolling? 1. My Favorite Things, of course but no idea who it is. Style not at all familiar to me. Nice though - sensitive. 2. Outside my ambit but I recognised the clarinet solo, having played it numerous times, so I'd say High Society. Can't even begin to say who though. 3. This one I knew the tenor immediately, and soon after the trumpet. So it's this if I can get this link business to work. The tune is of course only too familiar, unaviodably so. After buying [The Beatles' Music by the Session Men] by Ronnie Ross and co which I promptly got rid of, I am very averse to Beatles tunes. More later...

I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

Discs arrived in good order this morning - thanks ,Tom - sounds like an interesting collection as far as I've listened already, plenty of variety. Know something too.

I got another reply from the great Dave Cliff. He has had a listen. Wasn't that nice of him? He didn't know who it was but I am very pleased and grateful that he took the trouble. End of the line I think. I've tried a few British guitarists I thought it might be but doesn't sound like any of them. Just have to grin and bear the "unknown" in the Ronnie Ross discography I guess. I'm very buoyed up by the support I got here though - thanks to all who helped.

Well, if we ever get a dog we shall certainly call it Andrew (even if it's a bitch - like the theme). I listen again and think "why the hell didn't I recongnise....".

Listening to the last four now. 7. None of the players familiar to me and niether do I recognise the tune - blues, of course. Earthy stuff, laid back. 8. Another blues. Know the tune but still no name. Those of us getting on in years are at a distinct disadvantage here (in a plaintive tone) - such a test of a failing memory. At first I thought I'd got it somewhere but then the tenor player dispelled the notion as unlikely - a bit further along the style spectrum that the area I inhabit. Trumpet player does not seem familiar either although there's a phrase in his solo I'm sure I know. No name for pianist either. 9. No guesses - not my kind of thing I'm afraid. 10. Willow Weep for Me, of course. Style again for me - can't name anybody. So I recognised hardly anybody, Dan, but enjoyed the disc nonetheless for that. Thanks for a demanding exercise at which I can at least say I tried. Will look for answers now.

Second instalment on Disc 2 from me. Doing just the next three. Haven't looked at any other comments. I don't go for the styles of 4 and 5 very much. Seem to know the sound of the tenor player on 4 though - usual story, just can't dredge up a name. Sounds something like Stanley Turrentine but I'm reasonably certain it's not him. Less familiar with sax on 5 but still no name. The tune (blues) on 6, after the piano choruses, is more familiar but I don't know what it is. No names again.

Stony silence elsewhere! To summarise, now know it is not Dave Cliff, Philippe Catherine or Louis Stewart. David O'Rourke a possibllity. In view of his taking the trouble to reply, I have emailed Dave Cliff to ask if he would have a listen.

A reply from Dave Cliff! "Sorry - it's definately not me! Cheers, Dave" Awaiting replies still from Tony Levin and Bob McKay so not given up hope yet.

Thanks for the plug in "another place", Jim - they do seem a little slow, don't they? Some views but no feedback, even negative. And thanks for the feedback here, JM - I am wondering what I can do with it next! I was a bit slow posting here - couldn't get onto the board.

Dave Cliff has been emailed....

O'Rourke is a new name to me so thanks for the pointer. Just the Irish connection made me think also of Louis Stewart but I've only got one example of him playing with Ronnie Ross, in a Tony Kinsey band so not too likely I guess. But I have received an email saying that my request for the info from Bob McKay has been forwarded to him, so that is hopeful - thanks to JazzShrink.

Mmmm... lean pickings so far. My post elsewhere has 0 replies at the moment. This board much better. There has been a suggestion that the guitarist is Dave Cliff but I can't tell. Another possibility that occurred to me was that it might be Philippe Catherine but this is only based on my belief that Tony Levin went on to play regularly with him from about a year later. From my slight familiarity with his playing I shouldn't think he is the one but I wonder if you can rule out either or both of these suggestions, Jim. The remote downloading problem seems to make no sense at all. What are they doing? Does it depend on what applications one has? I can access it without any problem from my first link here on this thread and it plays, after a fashion and with many dropouts because of the dial-up connection. Can anyone else tell me if they have been able to hear the clip, or if not what the problems were? Is it only Jim R who has had difficulty? I might want to post further queries of this kind so it would be good to get it right.

I just knew this wouldn't be simple

Jim - got PM - file has been sent with email. Took about 8 minutes to send is all. Almost the whole thing too. I don't understand why the website clip wouldn't work but this only joins all the other things I don't understand about computers and their use. Hope you can hear it now though. There's always a way I suppose. I've got a pop-up blocker, if you download the Google toolbar, it's available with that. Well worthwhile - nothing worse than those damned things. I found out the other day that if you want to see blocked pop-ups anyway you just hold down control. You didn't really want to know that, did you?

Couw - thanks for the suggestion. Jim - may I make some of the clip into an MP3 file of reasonable size and email it to you? Not much above 1MB - is that okay? It will be shorter than the clip at my site but should be enough to give a clear idea I think. If you only have a dial-up connection as I do then it would take a while to download but not too bad I should think.

Thanks, Jim - I was hoping you might look. When I access my site as a visitor, I just click on the play button (the triangle) of the "add-on" at the bottom of the homepage and it plays. The play button is grey but turns black when it is ready. The download is indicated by the grey bar becoming white but if you have broadband I understand it is very quick. If it still does not work I will seek advice. The guitarist may not be a Brit - could easily be a European but doubtful that a visiting American would be nameless I guess.

Thanks again, JS - will do as you suggest. I did find a Bob McKay with Google and am checking out his site. Email sent to him but it's a tough test for him to remember perhaps.

Thanks JS. I will try to find Bob McKay. Any idea where? You do mean the "Cannonball Club" in Birmingham, England don't you?

As part of my ongoing effort to produce a Ronnie Ross discography, a recording he made in 1988 at the Cannonball Club in Birmingham has come to light. It was a quartet date, the bass player Chris Bolton and the drummer Tony Levin. However, the guitarist is unknown and I am hoping that someone can identify him/her from the clip that can be heard on my (embryonic) website - My Webpage. I only have a dial-up connection and the clip doesn't play very well but with broadband it should be okay. The tune being played is I Love You by Cole Porter, by the way. Many thanks. Please let me know if there are any problems - this is an experiment really.

Tom - sending email today. Thanks.

Doing this one in easy stages - part one:- 1. "Summertine" - no mystery there. I don't know the playing or the voice though. 2. "Isabella" by Kenny Burrell and it certainly sounds like him playing as well. Don't know the album or the tenor player. 3. "Jeannine" by Duke Pearson but I cannot identify the players. All for now.

Now on my second listen. 1. Like it! - Nice cheerful track. It’s a little outside my usual part of the jazz spectrum so I can’t guess who, except to take a stab at Ben Webster. Tune “Girl of my Dreams”. 2. This is powerful playing too, but ditto 1. - no idea who. Blues- don’t know the tune. 3. “Chelsea Bridge” – tenor sounds familiar but I can’t give a name. Standard maintained though. 4. “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be”. Blues of course. Still flummoxed. 5. “The Preacher” by Silver on the chords of “Show Me the Way to go Home”. No idea still. 6. Blues again – I know the tune so well but can’t name it. No guesses but it’s familiar. 7. Blues! Unusual line up. As the bass player solos first perhaps the leader. I’m sure I know the trumpet player – the more one listens the further away does the answer seem to be. The other front-line instrument sounds to me like a mellophonium rather than a valve trombone. Right in my area of choice for style but still no names. 8. Trumpet player familiar again but still can’t dredge up a name. Those descending phrases remind me of Nat Adderley but I don’t think it’s him. Very nice track – my favourite on the disc I think. 9. Can’t guess. Don’t recognise anyone. Bit repetitive. 10. “Maiden Voyage” – no guesses yet again. 11. What on earth is the time signature? Still at a loss – sounds as though the pianist is the leader. Not McCoy Tyner. Sounds as if I should know who, but if I don’t get a name straight away I’ve had it. Could the trombone be Conrad Herwig? So I haven’t got anywhere very much but will follow the discussion with interest. Like all BFT’s that I’ve heard so far, lots of interest, Dan – thanks for a good one.