It looks like we’ve received all the responses we're going to get, and I have a little time today, so here’s the reveal:
Track 1: Gene Ammons - St. Louis Blues (Handy). Marvin Randolph, trumpet; Gene Ammons, tenor sax; Albert Ammons, piano; Ike Perkins, guitar; Israel Crosby, bass; Al Burroughs, drums. 8/6/47. From “Jug Sessions” (Mercury). It’s not clear whether this was originally issued under Gene’s name. I love this track because it starts out sounding like a track from Blue Note’s “The First Day,” then Gene and friends step it up a notch. Albert sounds like he’s having a ball, and I love that father and son are playing together.
Track 2: Ed Blackwell - Blues For J. A. M. (Redman). Dewey Redman, tenor sax; Cameron Brown, bass; Ed Blackwell, drums. Hampden Theatre, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 2/27/92. From “Walls - Bridges” (Soul Note). Surprised no one nailed this, though one person came close. Fun, intelligent, gut-bucket R & B.
Track 3: Herbie Mann - Here’s That Mann (Costa). Herbie Mann, tenor sax; Phil Woods, alto sax; Eddie Costa, vibes; Joe Puma, guitar; Wendell Marshall, bass; Bobby Donaldson, drums. 5/14/57. From “Yardbird Suite” (Savoy). I tried to fool people by having Mann on tenor, but he was identified. He plays it well, and Eddie Costa is always welcome.
Track 4: Red Rodney & Ira Sullivan - Island Song (Dial). Red Rodney, flugelhorn, trumpet; Ira Sullivan, flugelhorn, soprano sax, alto flute, shaker; Garry Dial, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Steve Bagby, drums, percussion. September 21-24, 1981. From “Spirit Within” (Elektra Musician). This provoked some heated commentary, but was not identified. I like the tune, but then, I like “pretty.” Both Red and Ira had eclectic minds, and I think this works.
Track 5: Airto Moreira - Lucky Southern (Jarrett). Hubert Laws, flute; Joe Farrell, soprano sax, flutes, piccolo; Keith Jarrett, piano; George Benson, guitar; Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter, bass; Airto, per., wood flutes, vocals; Flora Purim, vocals. March and April 1972. From “Free” (CTI). I thought this would stump some, but apparently it’s more well known than I realized. I liked it because it’s short (single length!) and showcases Keith’s poppy sensibility. Also, just look at that lineup. It was a time.
Track 6: Pat Martino - Mac Tough (Martino). Pat Martino, guitar; Eric Alexander, tenor sax; Delmar Brown, keyboards; James Genus, electric bass; Kenwood Dennard, drums. February 14 & 15, 1998. From “Stone Blue” (Blue Note). Identified and discussed in the BFT. I liked Thom’s comment about Alexander sounding like “Somebody from the conservatory set.”
Track 7: Ron Affif - Bohemia After Dark (Pettiford). Ron Affif, guitar; Essiet Essiet, bass; Jeff "Tain" Watts, drums. 10/95. From “52nd Street” (Pablo). A lot to like here. Watts especially impressed me (I didn’t really notice the “compressed drums”). I followed Affif for awhile, and think he’s a true casualty of the drop-off in the jazz market - he would’ve been big a few decades earlier. Best I can tell, his last leader date was on a Polish label in 2005 (which I have).
Track 8: Lorne Lofsky - Stolen Moments (Nelson). Lorne Lofsky, guitar; Kieran Overs, bass; Joe Bendzsa, drums. 4/15/80. From “It Could Happen To You” (Pablo). A bit obscure, a bit short (have I mentioned I like short?). Lofsky is from Canada and played with Oscar Peterson, who produced the album. I could’ve showcased him better with a longer track, but thought it fit this “guitar” section of the BFT and was a good lead-in to…
Track 9: Sheila Jordan - Reel Time (Lee). Sheila Jordan, vocals; Theo Bleckmann, vocals; Steve Kuhn, piano; David Finck, bass; Billy Drummond, drums. April 1 & 2, 1998. From “Jazz Child” (HighNote). I find this track charming, and Kuhn shines.
Track 10: George Van Eps - Tango El Bongo (Van Eps). George Van Eps, 7-string guitar; Alvin Stoller, bongo. 1956. From “Mellow Guitar” (Columbia). Glad I could raise some awareness about Van Eps. This sounds like something Earl Klugh could pull off. And talk about a beatnik vibe! Bongos, baby! I picture Maynard G. Krebs grooving to this.
Track 11: Al Haig - Jimmy Raney Quartet - Shaw ‘Nuff (Parker, Gillespie). Al Haig, electric piano; Jimmy Raney, guitar; Wilbur Little, bass; Frank Gant, drums. NYC, 11/27/74. From “Special Brew” (Spotlite). Another score from Dusty Groove this year. I got a kick out of Haig, the guy who played piano on the original Shaw ‘Nuff, doing it here on electric. Raney is dependably listenable.
Track 12: Pierre Michelot - Cherokee (Noble). Roger Guerin, Maurice Thomas, Fred Gerard (tr) Charles Verstraete, Raymond Katarzinsky (tb) Raymond Guiot (fl,pic) Georges Grenu (ss,st) Michel Portal (sa) Pierre Gossez (st,sb) Armand Migiani (sb) Maurice Vander (p) Pierre Michelot (b) Christian Garros (dr). July 1963. From “Jazz In Paris: Round About a Bass” (Gitanes). Michelot didn’t have many leader dates, so that alone makes this notable. Maybe it sounds a little like mid-’60’s Tonight Show, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Track 13: Howard McGhee Orchestra - Willow Weep For Me (Ronell). Trumpet – Bill Hardman, Howard McGhee, John Malcolm, Nate Woodward, Stephen Furtado; Trombone – Ashley Fernell, Donald Cole, Elmer Crumbley, Kiane Zawadi; Alto Saxophone – Leon Comigy, Norris Turney; Tenor Saxophone – Clifford Jordan, Russ Andrews; Baritone Saxophone – Frank Capi; Piano – Andy Bey; Bass – Gene Taylor; Drums – Charles Simon. 9/22/66. From “Cookin’ Time” (Zim). No one identified this, but the date seems pretty obscure - recorded in 1966 but not released until 1977. Also, McGhee’s not very prominent on this track. Nice arrangement by Norris Turney, who also had the alto solo.
Track 14: Brian Charette - As If To Say (Charette). Brian Charette, Hammond B3 organ; Itai Kriss, flute; Mike DiRubbo, alto sax; Kenny Brooks, tenor sax; Karel Ruzicka, bass clarinet; Brian Fishler, drums. December 2019. From “Power From The Air” (SteepleChase). The breakout star (at least for me) from my BFT last year, where he backed Ronnie Cuber, is here leading his own band. It’s crazy that I’m barely aware of him, yet per his Wikipedia discography he’s released almost 20 albums under his own name. I like his originality and sensibility; I hope he gets more well-known.
Track 15: Allen Lowe featuring Michael Gregory Jackson - 20 Minutes To Hell (Lowe). Allen Lowe, alto sax; Matthew Shipp, Eliot Cardinaux, keyboards; Michael Gregory Jackson, Ryan Blotnick, guitars; Chris Klaxton, trumpet; Kevin Ray, bass; Peter McLaughlin, drums. From “I Alone: The Everlasting Beauty Of Monotony” (Constant Sorrow). Just wanted to shine some love on Allen and wish him a speedy, complete recovery. I like Jackson’s skronky style.
Track 16: Terje Rypdal / David Darling - Melody (Rypdal). Terje Rypdal, electronic guitar, Casio MT-30; David Darling, cello, 8-string electric cello. May 1983. From “Eos” (ECM). I saw this as just a filler between the prior track and the next, but this got some praise on its own. Rypdal has a pretty identifiable style.
Track 17: Audra McDonald with Michael Tilson Thomas/The San Francisco Symphony - My Man’s Gone Now (Gershwin, Gershwin, Heywood). I was fortunate to score tickets to the opening concert of Carnegie Hall’s 1998-99 season: Michael Tilson Thomas and The San Francisco Symphony doing a program of “George Gershwin At 100,” with guest singers Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Frederica Von Stade. Seeing McDonald sing this blew me away. She brought her theatricality as well as her voice - you could see the grief, terror, and sorrow in her whole being, not just in her voice. I also had never before noticed how singing is a muscular, athletic endeavor. But I did notice that PBS Great Performances was listed as a co-sponsor. When I saw the concert being broadcast, I taped it on my Hi-Fi VHS (remember those?); what you heard here was an audio cassette dub from that. I don’t know if it’s ever been commercially available.
Track 18: Wayne Shorter - Getting To Know You (Rodgers, Hammerstein II). Wayne Shorter, tenor sax; Cedar Walton, piano; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Art Blakey, drums. 10/11/60. From “Second Genesis” (Vee Jay). Identified by many. Great tune played in a lively, swinging way. What could be bad?
Thanks to everyone who participated.
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New interview with Charles Lloyd in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/nov/18/jazz-star-charles-lloyd-im-a-seeker-trying-to-change-the-world-with-sound?fbclid=IwAR0-t9tNTgJ1O6JiuTqZfGLquk8x4cjU39pIR7fa6VQ4bUnLYlp6HX46NL8#comments