webbcity

I'm still planning to do this one! Haven't peeked at any of the guesses but I noticed a reveal and then saw your post above. So I have 2 hints at least. Going to try to get to this in the next couple days while avoiding spoilers...

Thanks for your efforts, Dmitry, some great stuff here. Very much enjoyed it.

Jumping in at the last minute here... busy couple of months, and I was sorry to miss last month's BFT but wasn't going to miss another if it killed me. I haven't read the above posts yet, just pasting my impressions here, which I wrote as I listened... I look forward to going back and seeing people's guesses & comments... Track 1 - Wow... now that's a tempo. Burning! First thing it reminds me of is the Booker Ervin quartet from the mid 60s with Jaki Byard, Richard Davis, and Alan Dawson. And it does kinda sound like Book to me. I'm not confident in that guess though. But I like this a lot, great overall feeling and some very free improvising, in the non-literal sense of the word. Nice track. Track 2 - Honest to god... I used to know the names of all those Bird tunes but I'm blanking on this one. This is a tight trio. Really loving the drummer especially. Tasty, tasty stuff. Louis Hayes? Some really interesting lines in the piano solo. Is this the Barry Harris Trio? BH is someone I'm no expert on, need to listen to more. This could be Sam Jones on bass then. This is excellent. Track 3 - Sounds like we're jumping to the 70s now, and that's no bad thing! Beautiful trumpet sound! Or fluegelhorn? I'll note that I am not listening on a great sounding device unfortunately. The bass player sounds a bit Buster Williams-esque. Nice solo! Another winner for me. Track 4 - "A" Train of course... solo piano? Damn solid, beautiful feel and total command of the instrument. Whoo! That ascending bit around 1:38. This is killer. Huh... there are definitely bits here that sound like OP to me, but it couldn't be him... could it? This is so damn good. Whoever it is, they're absolutely swingin their ass off. Outstanding! Track 5 - Arg... having another memory lapse in trying to remember the name of this tune. That sure sounds like Jim Hall on guitar. No, wait a minute... I don't think so. It gets a bit less interesting to me once the guitarist gets into the continuous fast lines. Whoever this is has certainly listened to JH though. Overall I do like this but it maybe gets a little too clever for me. And I feel conflicted about the drummer...probably need to listen again to absorb all that's going on. Track 6 - This is cool! It's landing somewhere between Mingus, Muhal, and Roscoe Mitchell for me... those are just initial impressions, people who are jumping to mind, not actual guesses though. This is wild! First solo is fantastic, hearing a lot of Dolphy influence there. OK, now that trombone player has THE SOUND. This is one I'll need to hear again to really process what the rhythm section is doing. This is a very happening track. I'm sure I know who these folks are but it's not coming to me at the moment. Track 7 - Bass player sounds very Scott LaFaro to me. "Someday My Prince Will Come." Interesting guitar player. This is kind of fascinating... I'm having trouble placing it historically because of the recording. But the guitarist has my attention. Definitely some unpredictable twists and turns. It's funny, there are some bits here that sound like Jim Hall to me too. Maybe every guitar player sounds like Jim Hall to me? (No, not really...) Definitely curious about the reveal for this one! Track 8 - This one is kind of a puzzle... it's the first track that doesn't really speak to me. The players are all clearly good, and style-wise it appeals to me, but to my ears, nobody is really saying anything. I'm probably gonna regret saying that, but that's how I'm hearing it right now. As I mentioned above, I did not have a great listening device at my disposal when listening to this-- I listened through a TV. No, I don't normally listen on a TV. Long story, not very interesting. But I hope to go back and check it out again on some decent headphones. Thanks for your efforts Dmitry, a very enjoyable BFT!! EDIT: See? I told you I'd regret my comments on #8!

It will be merely an opening act for the epic BFT that I hear is coming in December!

Fantastic! Needless to say, loved this BFT. You have impeccable taste, my friend. Thanks for putting this together!

Ahhh! I have that CD!! Well that's embarrassing. I guess I know what I need to listen to more of...

And Thom, we talked about this but I forgot to put it in writing-- I'll be happy to take November's BFT. Thanks!

And to be extra fair, I gave you track 7 too! So... if I hadn't ID'd both of those, a public shaming would have been in order!

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear this. I still remember a nice discussion I had with him years ago on this forum (which I think I shared with you Thom), just around music and the Blindfold Tests. He was so enthusiastic about music and seemed like such a kind person.

Cheers! First time I heard Bowden was with Douglas Ewart's group at Chicago's famous Velvet Lounge (R.I.P.) in the early 2000s. That was a mind-blowing and ear-opening show. The second time was with the AACM Great Black Music Ensemble at the Chicago Jazz Fest. Bowden was magnificent and had a way about him on stage that was impressive to say the least. He led the group with a combination of youthful vigor and ancient wisdom, and successfully communicated what could be considered "difficult music" to the large and enthusiastic audience, in an accessible way, while still pulling no punches. It made a big impression on me. As I think I mentioned earlier, it's hard to find a lot of Bowden on recordings, apart from Ed Wilkerson's 8 Bold Solds or Shadow Vignettes. But this disc comes closest to the energy I've seen from him in a live setting. Except that's it Billy Higgins...

Yes, it's a price thing for me... Being in the US, most options are shipping from overseas and that makes the total cost a minimum of $40-45 with shipping. That seems like a lot to me, even for a CD I really want. But we'll see... it may be that I'm just going to have to pay a lot no matter what, and I can get myself used to that idea eventually...

Oh man, thank you! Did not see that! Time to go digging for the best price I can find...

Do you happen to have the Ensemble Al-Salaam? As I'm thinking about these, that's one that I recall actually having good sound. I'll have to pull it out & play it again to make sure I'm remembering correctly though... In the World has been on my want list forever! I missed that CD when it came out... I really hope someone reissues that again someday.

For whatever it's worth, I have this cheap LP reissue from 2002 and always thought it sounded pretty good... which surprised me considering the cost, and assuming it just came from a digital master... https://www.discogs.com/release/2026710-Doug-Hammond-David-Durrah-Reflections-In-The-Sea-Of-Nurnen But having said that I'm going to go back & listen again. Seeing that the Now Again reissues were cut by Bernie Grundman, I can only imagine that his cut will be an improvement on what I have. Decisions, decisions... I think that might explain it. While I haven't heard this particular album on P-Vine, I've had others from the same series and they sounded horrible. I had the P-Vine "mini-LP" CD version of A Message From the Tribe and it was compressed to hell, no-noised to death, and the high end jacked way up. It was seriously painful to listen to.

Same! Where do we sign up?? That is a lot. It's too bad Asian Improv doesn't have a Bandcamp page... huge missed opportunity IMO. The quality of music on that label is very high but accessibility seems to be quite low...

The odd thing about the Bowden is that it only seems to be available through Amazon. I was looking at other options myself, after I bought my copy... but the label (Asian Improv, Tatsu Aoki's label out of Chicago) seems to use Amazon as pretty much their sole distributor from what I can see. I did a quick look and it does appear to be available at Amazon UK-- https://www.amazon.co.uk/FOOT-n1FOOT-OUT-Mwata-Bowden/dp/B081WPWM5F/ Nice!! I am *definitely* gonna dig into this. So, no "official" release on this one then, I guess?

Thanks for sharing those! I do have the "complete edition" of A Message From The Tribe but didn't realize they had expanded all of these... will have to give a closer look to the bonus tracks. And yes, I definitely have my eye on that Harrison release!

Big fan of both of these labels. In fact, I must have posted in this thread years ago but I'm too lazy to look... hopefully I'm not about to repeat myself... Very happy with the latest Black Jazz reissues from Real Gone... a lot of those have been unavailable & hard to find for a few years. I was able to fill some holes in my collection. Favorites for me are all of the Doug Carn records, both LPs from The Awakening, both from Rudolph Johnson (talk about someone who deserves wider recognition! ), and the two Henry Franklins. There are still a bunch I'm not familiar with yet though. As far as Tribe goes, A Message From the Tribe is one of my all-time favorite records. Reflections in the Sea of Nurnen is right up there also. And there's a lot of Wendell Harrison's work post-Tribe Records period that is outstanding.

Going back through the posts, I see nobody has ID'd the Waldron album and I forgot to do so above, so I'll do it here: BOOM

Haven't been 'round these parts for a while, but decided I wanted to jump back into the BFTs this month, even before I knew my buddy Thom was doing it. Bonus! I wrote these comments as I was listening, and was careful not to read any previous posts first (but will go back and do that now)... Track 1 - Gotta love the simplicity of the intro. April in Paris, of course. Beautiful tone on the trumpet player! Oh man... and let's say the same for the tenor player as well, that is gorgeous. Any chance this is Chet Baker? Not very confident in that guess, but it's something. That's a beautiful trumpet solo. Lyrical, dynamic, emotional. The rhythm section is flawless and supportive throughout. Hard to guess on a lot of the players but I really enjoyed this. Track 2 - Ah! Harold Land. Jim, I can name that sax player in 3 notes. That sound!! And it's Alone Together. Hmmm...what group is this though? Maybe Curtis Counce? Oh interesting... a medley. Whoa! That trumpet player sounds from another era. Roy Eldridge? Is this one of those "Jam Session" recordings? Oh wait, would that be Clifford Brown then? Doesn't sound like him though. Holy high notes, Batman! I love how into it the crowd is. Oh yeah... so this must be Dinah Washington singing, on Come Rain or Come Shine? This is good overall... the Land portion at the beginning is definitely my favorite part though. Washington sounds pretty fantastic on that too. Track 3 - Well this is off to an interesting start. What A Difference A Day Makes? I think I have that right. That *is* a soprano, right? The tone is amazing! Soooo smooth, I was questioning whether it was an alto at first. No hard edge at all. Wow. I don't think I've ever heard a soprano sound quite so beautiful. Also hard to tell if that's a bass or a cello underneath. Oh no, it does sound like a bass... he hit a low note right as I typed that. Well, I don't think I have any guesses but I love this a lot. I am floating... Track 4 - Damn, what an intro... that left hand... the bass... wait a minute. Mal Waldron. I think I just listened to this recently. Reggie Workman on bass and Smilin' Billy on the drums. What can I say? A 10 out of 10. Who else can build a tune like this, out of so few raw elements? This performance was forged in fire. Such a simple tune, and they take it to so many different places over the course of the 13 minutes. Track 5 - Hahaha, this is the Jeff Lebowski Quintet - Live at the Bowling Alley. I can't really say too much on this one because I have inside info. But I will say that these are some BAAAAAAAD mofos!! 11 stars out of 10. In all seriousness, I loooove this tune and every one of the musicians here. Track 6 - Right from the get-go, we're dancing... ooooh, this is good. What a beautiful feeling the rhythm section has. I find the "B" section a little jarring and out of character with the rest of the tune. I'm sure that's the point but it doesn't totally work for me. Very nice flute playing. Piano solo--excellent. I feel like this is a bass player I know. Great sound and feeling. And a fantastic solo. Too short! Getting a bit of Buster Williams in there, but I don't think it's him. No guesses, but I liked this a lot. Track 7 - Boom! Boy, now we're in different territory. I love the nebulous, broken-up, and spacey feel of this groove. Oh yes!! William Parker, Mayan Space Station! With Ava Mendoza SHREDDING on guitar, and Gerald Cleaver on drums. The groove on this is SOOO deep, oh my god I love it. I couldn't wait to get this one when I saw it announced. I caught Ava Mendoza at a local show years ago, with her trio at that time. Unfortunately there were only about 4 or 5 of us in the audience but Sweet Jesus, they had to peel us off the back wall. It was a night I won't ever forget. Hearing her in this trio is even more mind-bending. Another 10 out of 10, easy. Track 8 - The tune is Motherless Child and I am loving this alto player out on a limb here... putting it all out there. Oh wow... is this the World Saxophone Quartet or something? This is magical. Talk about ears! Whoever this is, they're playing like they're of one mind & body. ...okay... wow. I had to stop typing for a minute while absorbing the singer & the tuba player. Hell yes, here we go. Um... this is so good I am going to just stop again now. And listen. ... So... KILLER, KILLER sax solo...two drummers... the band is ON FIRE. The bass solo is next level. WTF!? I am at a loss for words to exptess how much I love this. This has Tapscott written all over it to me, but I don't know it. I need it!!! Track 9 - Aha, again! This is Mwata Bowden, 1 Foot in 1 Foot Out, with Harrison Bankhead, Avreeayl Ra, Ari Brown, and Khari B with some powerful words about "Mama Ann" Ward. Oh shoot, I've forgotten the name of the trumpet player... not a well-known name I don't think, but I presume one of the AACM guys. This album is one of my favorite recent discoveries. Bowden isn't well known outside of Chicago and that's a shame. He's one of the most formidable and generous musicians I've ever had the privilege to see perform. Another 10 out of 10, 5 star, A+ record, however you want to put it. This has everything I want from music. I feel a little like I cheated on this, because a couple of these you got from me, and the others... well, our tastes are obviously very similar. But I can't remember another BFT where I pretty much loved every tune. Great stuff man. Thanks for your efforts, will be anxiously looking forward to the reveal on the stuff that I don't know here!!

Great stuff as always Thom, this was a blast! I loved just about every track. Already picked up the Jazz Crusaders record thanks to this, and a bunch more of these are on my want list now. Thanks for putting this together!

I had wondered about Bluiett on track 2 myself, but then I wasn't convinced. In the right neighborhood though?

Haven't been around these parts in quite a while, but came out of retirement to check out Thom's latest BFT, and no surprise, it was well worth it. It's no secret that we have very similar tastes and I loved almost everything on this BFT. Below are my comments as they came to me while listening... Track 1 - I can name that tune in one note! It is, of course, Stanley Cowell's "Maimoun"... but... who is doing this? My immediate thought is Dwight Trible just because I know he's covered some of this area but I don't really know him well enough to know for sure. I am a massive fan of this flute solo. Wow. Now wait a minute... I have this! In fact, I think I may have put a track from this on my last BFT? It's that Jane Bunnett album "Spirituals & Dedications." Yeah, that's Dewey Redman. And of course, I should have immediately recognized that it was Cowell playing his own tune at the beginning. I can't remember the singer's name on this though. This is killer! Track 2 - Already hooked within the first 30 seconds. The feel on this...damn! Multiple clarinets, and flutes? And some SERIOUS tone on that upright. Drummer right in the pocket. This is deep shit. And that nasty low bari sax... or bass sax even? I should have guesses, I'm sure I know some of these folks, but I'm just enjoying the hell out of this. I need this desperately. Track 3 - Love that shuffle feel, great sounding ensemble and I like the tune a lot. Reminds me a bit of what I've heard from Malachi Thompson, but I don't know his trumpet playing well enough to know if it's him. Feel like I might be in the right neighborhood though. Definitely has that Chicago feel to it. Really like this one, great playing all around and it's right in my wheelhouse. Track 4 - Another deep one... you're batting a thousand for feeling, soul, spirit... just beautiful. Strong solos, again. This is another winner for me, if more of a sleeper. But I can tell that in a different mood/time/space I would love this even more. Track 5 - Harmonically this is wild... and really beautiful. I love the piano intro and how the movement from that to the full group is so natural. Fantastic colors, bordering on Ellingtonia! Brilliant flute solo. Is it possible this is James Newton, or am I way off here? The applause actually took me by surprise... at the beginning of the track I did wonder if it was live due to the piano sound, but then forgot as I was drawn into the tune. I love a good clarinet solo too. This is really something, very anxious to know who & what this is. Track 6 - Yet another winner, right off the bat. Love the feel, the whole structure of it-- that moving piano line under the longer held notes in the horns. This is ultra cool. Gotta be the piano player's date. He/she is groovin hard and all bizness. Super soulful solo. Now that tenor player sounds real familiar and I'm guessing this is one of your guys Thom. Interesting though... I'm listening on headphones and it sounds like there was an 8 bar section that was maybe edited in? Excellent bass solo but it doesn't sound immediately like anyone I know. Overall this is fantastic. Track 7 - This is the first one that hasn't completely knocked me out, but I'm still intrigued. The slow movement of the melody in the horns and piano together was interesting at first, but it ended up feeling a little too clinical to me... not enough real emotional content. The alto solo is a bit that way too. This is for me anyway. Just leaves me a bit cold. This felt more like a classical piece than jazz to me. Track 8 - Great feel in the drums and bass... beautiful bass sound. Really interesting head, the phrasing is unexpected. Basic blues form but I can hear they are going to be pretty free with this. Really digging the tenor solo, beautiful sound and he/she tells a story. The trombone solo feels a little more disjointed/aimless to me, but I like the sound. I LOVE the amount of space the drummer uses, both up to this point and in the solo. Very musical. Clarinet and bass duet? Hello! Very nice. I like the gentle approach and slow build of the clarinet solo. Track 9 - Ahhhhhh...now hold everything. Rollins! With Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, Stanley Cowell on piano...this is "A House is Not a Home" from "The Cutting Edge." Great, great stuff... hard to know what to say about this because I love it so much. So I'll just listen... Track 10 - Right from the get-go I love the sound of this group. Beautiful waltz feel in the rhythm section, and the flute and vibes play off each other so well. It's obvious the group members know each other well, or at least have a natural rapport... there is some serious music happening here. Great dynamics and big ears all around. They're probably helped by the tune as well, which sounds like pure joy. Really enjoyed the piano solo as well as the soprano solo. Oh boy... this bass player has gotta be Cecil McBee. Hang on a minute... did you play this one for me not too long ago? My memory is so bad I forgot. Thus I can't remember what it is, but I do believe I've heard this. Anxious to learn what it is again! Track 11 - This really hit me just before the 3 minute mark where the singer hits that BIG note. This is intriguing to me but wasn't fully hooked in until that point. I think the recording quality is probably part of the issue there. This is a great tune and I'm loving it more the deeper I get in... the band and backup singers are with us now and I am down for this ride. Boy I feel like I know this. Or I *should*. I expect the reveal will make me kick myself but I have no guesses so far. Damn, the soprano solo is killin. Trombone solo, beautiful! I swear I know this tune. I am sensing Horace Tapscott in here... it has that feeling to it. Is it one of his groups? Maybe THIS is Trible? I am fully sold on this now. Thanks for your efforts putting this together my man, this just made my day! Also, what are you doing to me? I just spent a ton on records and now I'm sure I'm gonna have to add a bunch more to the list... Time to go back and see what has been ID'd so far...

I don't usually jump in so quickly, but I did a quick scan of these just to see if I knew any of them. Coincidentally, the first two tracks are from albums I listened to recently. One of them I considered for the last BFT. [*** SPOILER ALERT!!!! ***] ... Track 1 - This is the opening cut from Griot Galaxy's "Kins," a beautiful record! I love the circular feeling of this tune... the groove that Jaribu Shahid & Tani Tabbal get into is hypnotic, and I just love the way the horns bounce around it. Track 2 - This is Robin Kenyatta, from "The Girl From Martinique." This might be my favorite cut from the album... I think it's called "Blues For Your Mama." Kenyatta sounds so good on the head, over that rhythm section, just laying it out there. The SOUND of this cut is just so great. Organic... raw... beefy bass and crispy drums. And they're just open to whatever happens here. It's a beautiful thing. Gotta love Dauner's clav sounds too, just too cool. I'll have a lot more comments on the other tracks when I have more time to listen, but this BFT is sure off to a hell of a start.

It's a really nice album. You can hear a couple of the tracks here: https://shamieroyston.bandcamp.com/album/beautiful-liar ... and I'm sure the rest of the album is online somewhere.