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I'm going to post this a couple of days early simply due to a hectic schedule. Gig tonight with Webbcity, two long work days following. I'd rather be a little early than a little late. Please make sure you sign up for felser's BFT. 01 - Friar Tuck - Jerome Richardson - (1959) Roamin' With Richardson Jerome Richardson - tenor sax; Richard Wyands - piano; George Tucker - bass; Charlie Persip - drums I wanted to start this BFT off with something very straight ahead. I was thinking of something from Jimmy Hamilton when I found this track. Richardson is a very under appreciated cat who was the prototypical studio musician for a couple of decades. It's humbling to hear just how accomplished this guy was when few people have an album by him in their collection. 02 - B.G. Mambo - Bennie Green - (1958) Soul Stirrin' Bennie Green - trombone; Gene Ammons, Billy Root - tenor saxophone; Sonny Clark - piano; Ike Isaacs - bass; Elvin Jones - drums There is nothing I don't love about this album. I'm a huge Jug fan, and Sonny Clark is one of my favorite pianists in this pocket of the genre. Hearing Elvin in his development is awesome -- what a force! Billy Root was a surprise discovery when this popped up on my iPod during my commute. 03 - Just Another Sunday - George Benson - (1964) The New Boss Guitar of George Benson with the Brother Jack McDuff Quartet Red Holloway - tenor sax; George Benson - guitar; Brother Jack McDuff - organ; Ronnie Boykins - bass; Montego Joe - drums, percussion George Benson seems to be a forgotten voice in the world of Jazz, particularly since he requested rights to the night on pop radio. This track is poppy, but it just works. Another one that happened across my iPod on the commute and blew me away. Red Holloway is one of those second-tier guys who always makes my ears happy. Where are those guys in today's music? Get out of the practice room and play some MUSIC!!!! 04 - The End of a Love Affair - Richard Noble - (2002) Continuity: In Memory of John Coltrane Richard Noble - tenor sax This was recorded off a radio broadcast to tape, then transferred to CD for posterity. I've never found the original disc (NOT For a lack of trying). My friend Ken Eisen turned me on to this cut, which is by far the class of the album. Noble was fresh out of college when this was recorded and had clearly spent a lot of time honing his Coltrane. What really sells this is how incredibly well they capture the sound of the whole quartet (solos notwithstanding). This one fooled The Boss (my Dad) who saw Coltrane many times. Like most of us, he went for his discography and was unable to find a recording of this song. The other cuts I've heard from the album expose Noble's limits as a player, and I'm not sure what ever became of him. 05 - Old Portrait - Charles Mingus - (1964) Mingus Plays Piano Charles Mingus - piano Yeah. I was surprised nobody got this (particularly given the song ID!). When I found this album, I couldn't wait to hear it. Mingus is not the most accomplished pianist, but man! He sure is musical! There is not a missed moment on this disc -- pure, honest music. 06 - Checkmate - Shelly Manne & His Men - (1961) Shelly Manne & His Men Play "Checkmate" Richie Kamuca - tenor sax; Conte Candoli - trumpet; Russ Freeman - piano; Chuck Berghofer - bass; Shelly Manne - drums So, who even thought Kamuca for a minute? My first leaning when I first heard this was Golson, but I knew it wasn't him. I didn't know Richie could play like this. This album is all music by John Williams (yeah, THAT John Williams) and there is not a dull moment on the record, though I believe this track is the class of the album. It's tight and the whole thing swings like hell. I've always seen Kamuca as the dividing line in taste between my father and I; I always seem to prefer the other tenor player in a band with Kamuca, though I enjoy his playing and respect his musicianship. If there were more Kamuca recordings like this, I would count myself a huge fan. 07 - If Ever I Would Leave You - Chuck Mangione Quintet - (1962) Recuerdo Chuck Mangione - trumpet; Joe Romano - tenor sax; Wynton Kelly - piano; Sam Jones - bass; Louis Hayes - drums Saxophonist and educator Tim Price frequently posts what he is listening to on FB, with commentary (anecdotal and otherwise) about the music. He posted this as a demonstration of Joe Romano's work, and I was blown away. I had no idea Chuck went this far back nor that he had played with such heavy hitters. Respect.