Blindfold Test #12

[Daniel A]

OK, go ahead!!! It was fun to put this together, and I'm really looking forward to your comments!

There is a kind of a theme in a very wide sense (admittedly, one or two of the tracks are making it only by a stretch).

[MartyJazz]

OK, an enjoyable BFT. Unfortunately, I recognized more tunes than personnel, but here goes my observations:

1) “Manteca”. Always good to hear this Afro-Cuban jazz classic but unable to discern whose version this is.

2) “Have You Met Miss Jones”. A great tune that Tete Montoliu recorded more than once, however this is certainly not him. Older school, but can’t even hazard a guess.

3) Ah, a real gimmehere. One of the top quintets to appear in the mid ‘50s. I recognized the tenor first, then of course the hall of fame trumpeter. This piece is Track #2 on

this.

4) “Poinciana”. Made famous by Jamal but this is not him. Love this version however. Who is it?

5) This piece is driving me nuts because I feel that I almost certainly own it. Sounds late ‘60s or thereabouts. Clean trumpet evocative of Donald Byrd. Embarrassed to admit that the pianist reminds me of early McCoy Tyner at points, Herbie Hancock at others and I never confuse these two. However, never say never. Maybe (hopefully) it’s someone influenced by both.

6) “This Could be the Start of Something Big”. At first, I thought it was Oscar Peterson because of the fleetness and facility. Then with the change of tempo, I thought it’s probably someone else because O.P., not one of my favorites, usually stays in one gear. So, I don’t know who it is.

7) Enjoyable piece. Charles Lloyd on tenor? Don’t at all recognize the trombone or trumpet.

8) “Maiden Voyage”. Don’t know who this pianist is.

9) Trumpet, soprano front line. Enjoyable. Don’t know who this is.

10) Flute, electric piano, orchestra. HAFC

11) At first, I thought it was Joe Farrell on soprano, however as I listened I was transported back to a couple of early ‘70s occasions at the Village Vanguard where I saw this drummer led group with a similar sounding saxophonist playing this piece. I have the LP in which this bright piece appears. It is Track #3 on

this.

12) “I Cover the Waterfront”. Sounds like a rock vocalist trying to stretch out on something alien to her typical fare. Heavily orchestrated. Didn’t much care for this one.

13) Don’t recognize the tenor, the trumpet player nor the piano player. Nice piece.

14) “Here’s That Rainy Day”. Arrangement is too “busy” for this ballad. Alto player reminds me of Sadao Watanabe.

15) Brief jam rehearsal of “Dark Eyes”. No clue.

Thanks. Had a good time with this.

[mikeweil]

A very interesting and personal test disc! Enjoyed this very much, lots of thanks, Daniel. I feel privileged to be part of this club and find it thrilling to pick discs from all kinds of places from my mailbox ...

# 1 Knew this tune and the version right away, I have this LP, it is the first track. (AMG link)

# 2 One of the nicest solo piano albums ever recorded, and one of the few instances where I like Rudy Van Gelder's piano sound. It's a shame the label hasn't yet included this in its CD reissue program. (AMG link, quasi title tune)

# 3 First I got the drummer, then the tenor sax, and then it dawned on me .... track 2 from (this album).

# 4 Very interesting pianist, but I have no idea .... that applause at the end sounds overdubbed to me.

# 5 That beautiful trumpet sound gave it away: track 5 from (this album). Sounds like that still rather young pianist, who wrote the tune, was heavily under the spell of Cedar Walton and McCoy Tyner at the time.

# 6 "This could be the start of something new". No idea who plays it.

# 7 Trombone and tenor sax .... hmm ... if this is the Jazz Crusaders, it is one more reason to get me more of this band. Tenor is a little coltraneish - all are very competent players. Like it.

# 8 Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage", but not played by the composer. On the long run, a little too sloppy for my taste, rhythmically, especially when the pianist plucks the strings by hand. There is more of a tone poem in this tune than they make out of it. This ship does not quite know its course.

# 9 The trumpet player has a nice lyrical sound, but the soprano sax is of the kind that makes me go up the wall. No idea, and not to my liking - without the soprano it would have been okay for me.

# 10 Knew the tune right away, and the flutist. He and the composer of that tune - he wrote some other very nice melodies and never really got credit for it - were bandmates for several years. Title track from ( this album.) I hate the bass and drums sound of this label ....

# 11 Again a soprano sax player I would fire ....

# 12 "I cover the waterfront". Is that Björk? If so, it's the jazziest I have heard her sing. Nice arrangement. Björk always leaves me with mixed feelings, as I find that she enacts the tunes to get an idea of the feelings that inspired them, than having lived the feeling and singing the tune out of that experience. A thin voice reminding me of Bev Kelly.

# 13 Hmm ... nice groove, but still leaves me a little dissatisfied. Nice trumpeter in a Woody Shaw vibe - or is it him? I don't know too much of his work.

# 14 "Here's that rainy day". Sounds like Stan Getz playing alto ...

# 15 Very nice and funny closer!!! No idea who this is, however.

Except for those two terrible soprano saxists, a very nice disc - thanks a lot!

[brownie]

Excellent mix of various tunes and players.

1- Manteca. Still trying to locate the exact band that plays this.

2- A favorite: track 6 of this classic album

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&u...l=Afzdgylo8xppb

3- I could not miss that one. Instant identification. Track 2 of another classic album:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&u...l=Auqf6zff7ehok

4- I had more trouble with this one. I heard some Jamal but searched for the exact player before guessing it: the opening track of this fake concert recording:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&u...l=A7xddyl58xpnb

5- I failed to identify this one at first but the trumpet player (and also the tune) was a bit too familiar. The search for the right one took longer than the first tracks of this BFT then it struck me that it had to be this one. Track 5 of an album I had trouble getting a copy of:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&u...l=Axycibkr9hak0

6- A favorite of mine - even if there are dissenters on this board! I have enjoyed the album for a long time.

Track 4 of this album:

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/oscarpeterson/m3-6113-e.html

7- liked that but could not guess it.

8- Hancock's Maiden Voyage. Interesting version, pianist sounds familiar but remains unidentified as far as I am concerned.

9- no clue, will have to relisten,

10- another unidentifiable track as far as I am concerned. And not my preferred track,

11- same problems as 11

12- I Cover the Waterfront. Nice band - obviously European - but I had to relisten several times to start to enjoy the vocalist. Will wait for a final identification.

13- no clue

14- enjoyed that one but could not identify

15- very enjoyable version of Dark Eyes but I could not trace the players who must be big names. Still searching for an answer to this final track.

I have played that Blindfold Test a few times after receiving it earlier. I have been sidetracked these past few days by non-jazz activities but I am ready to relisten to some of the tracks I have not been able to pin.

Many thanks again to Daniel for providing a very interesting assortment of music!

Edited June 7, 2004 by brownie

[catesta]

First off, thanks Daniel for the BFT, you made some real nice selections.

1. No idea on the group or any individual musicians, I thought maybe Arturo Sandoval or somebody like that. I think the tune is Manteca.

2. Real nice solo piano, standard guesses might be Teddy Wilson, or Art Tatum.

I doubt it's Tatum, but I hear some influence there.

3. It's good to see these guys get some due in a BFT. This one was easy to find in the ol' collection.Track 2? I say yes! Thanks for the bone.

4. Crap, I thought I had this one. Can't name the tune, it starts off kind of like Caravan and shifts into Tangerine, but it's neither and I don't know the players.

5. I'm guessing Tyner on the Piano, James Spaulding on flute?

6. No guess on the tune, style sounds a bit like Phineas Newborn Jr.

7. Nice piece of music, but no guesses.

8. I think this be Maiden Voyage, but I don't think it be Hancock.

9. I really wanted to say Kenny Dorham, but it's not, so I won't. I'm not really up on the Soprano, so it was no help.

10. Electric Piano gives me no clues.

11. That's some wild soprano being played, didn't really dig it too much.

12. Don't know the vocalist.

13. Really liked the beat on this, nice tenor, nice trumpet, no guesses.

14. Desmond?

15. This was a fast and funny trip. No chances for me to get this right. Definitely a rehearsal.

[Jim R]

Just got my disc in the mail. As usual, I’m going to type as I listen through for the first time...

1. Manteca.... but who is playing? I’m not too up on this style. I dig the use of the organ on this. Not sure if Dizzy recorded this with an organist or not...

2. Have you met miss Jones. Ah, this is bringing back memories of struggling to identify some of the pianists on Alexander’s test. This player has a very controlled and tasty sound. Very articulate, no wasted notes. I like this a lot. Kind of modern with the right hand and more traditional with the left

3. I own this. Uh-oh... The first thing that’s popping into my head is the Curtis Counce group with Harold Land. But now I'm hearing Brownie, so this wouldn't be the Counce group, but the Brown/Roach group. I guess the tune didn't strike me as being from that band. Cant quite place it yet...

4. Interesting. This sounds like vintage stuff, and I dig it... but the pianist’s style doesn’t sound very familiar to me. Ah... this is “Poinciana”. Took me a few choruses to recognize it in this style. I don’t own the original, and really don’t know Jamal’s playing all that well yet. Not sure if this could be him...

5. This is lovely. The piece sounds familiar, but not this specific recording. No doubt I’ll need to add this to the list of things to look for. Very tasteful soloing, nice lush arrangement, nice recording quality.

6. This could be the start of something quite large, written by the very funny man who once wrote: “Tall and thin and pale and sickly, the girls with emphysema go quickly”. This sounds very much like Oscar Peterson, whom I enjoy very very much in measured doses (just like Tatum).

7. Ah, that opening beat is so... 1966. That can be a bad thing for me, but not in this case, because the writing is good and the playing tasty and sincere. It reminds me a bit of the kind of instrumental pop that hasn’t aged very well, but this treatment is of very good quality, IMO.

8. Herbie Hancock tune. VERY famous tune. To not be able to name this tune would be a little embarassing... ... well, I’ll think of it soon... I don’t know this version, but it’s pretty nice.

9. Not my cup of tea, although I’ve heard much worse on these BF tests. Anyway, I just don’t care for that much dissonance (the soprano sax being the worst offender, in this case).

10. Sounds like a CTI kind of thing. Pretty nice, for a change of pace. I don’t know my flutes too well, nor do I recognize this tune. Pretty, though. Not sure I would buy it, but I appreciate it.

11. Don’t hate it, but don’t really like it.

12. I cover the waterfront. This is pleasant, but not terribly moving to my ears. The musicianship is very good all the way around, I guess there’s just no one aspect that really grabs me.

13. Right off the bat, I don’t care for the writing on this. My reaction is very similar to #’s 11 and 12. No matter how well executed the solos, there’s not enough “meat” for me in terms of melody and/or structure.

14. Here’s that rainy day, which has always worked very nicely as a bossa, IMO. My man Louis Stewart likes to do it that way too. I like the arrangement on this, and the sound is terrific. The lead player doesn’t exactly knock me out, but this is pretty short and sweet.

15. You gotta love it- is this our first BF track that’s a breakdown? The tune is “dark eyes”, I believe, but I can’t identify anybody so far...

Okay, that’s enough for a start. Very enjoyable disc overall, Daniel. Thanks very much for putting this together. I’m looking forward to getting to the bottom of some of these...

[Big Al]

Without having read anything before, as usual:

1. At first, I thought I put in the wrong BFT! Then realized it was the source track that made up that BFT track. In any event, I still don’t know who it is. My first thought was Afro-era Diz, but then the organ kicked in. So now I’m torn between Diz or mid-to-late-60’s Duke, with Wild Bill Davis on the organ. Is that Cat Anderson on trumpet?

2. “Have You Met Miss Jones,” sounds like Erroll Garner.

3. Sounds like the Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet. It also sounds like Art Taylor on the drums. Did they ever play together?

4. “Poinciana,” but I don’t know who. A little too show-offy for my tastes (my original scribbles that I jotted while driving around says “flourishy,” whatever the heck that means)

5. The piano player plays some lovely “toans” on this track. And even if I didn’t already own this album (or rather, the Mosaic), this man’s “blue” sound is unmistakable! I like the way Orrin Keepnews described his playing on one of his Riverside records (which sounds a lot like the album from which this track comes): gloriously lyrical. Yeah, baby!

6. “I Know Why (and So Do You),” but actually I don’t. Hampton Hawes maybe?

7. Sounds like late-60’s Horace Silver. VERY funky! Can’t WAIT to find out the source of this track!

8. “Maiden Voyage,” but MAN, this guy sounds bored. At first, I thought it might be that Hancock/Carter/Williams album on Fantasy from the 70s, but Herbie never sounded THIS bored!

9. Impulse-era Trane w/Hubbard on board? Or maybe a Freddie Hubbard date with Trane’s rhythm section? Pretty sure about Hub and the rhythm section, not so sure about the sax player. Then again, I could be wrong about the whole thing, but how can you not recognize Elvin, fercryinoutloud?

10. Alright, this is hands-down, for me, the single-best track of every BFT I’ve heard so far! I don’t know the song or the album, but I’d bet money that the lineup is Hubert Laws, (flute), Bob James (el piano), Ron Carter (CTI electrified bass that I love SO MUCH!), Steve Gadd (drums), and Don Sebesky (arr) for some early 70’s CTI disc. I loved this track so much, I pestered Daniel to tell me the answer NOW, cuz I wanna find this one PRONTO!!! And I hope hope hope HOPE it’s in print somewhere. This track reminds me of everything good about Hubert’s In the Beginning, which is not only in the top five Desert Islad discs for, but I was also gonna use that disc on MY BFT! And I still just might, seeing as how it’ll probably be 2007 before my turn comes around! 

11. Hey, it took eleven tracks to finally break out the dreaded HAFC™! I sure like this track, though!

12. Vocals, yuck! DKDC™, HAFC™, BFD!!!

13. Again, HAFC™, and again, I like this one!

14. VERY lovely!!! Sounds like some long-lost early Jobim track. Another one I can’t wait to learn the source!

15. What was that? Hilarious!!!

All in all, track for track, this is by far my favorite BFT of all the ones I’ve heard! This one’s gonna kill me, financially! A GREAT job, Daniel A! :

[Big Al]

10) Flute, electric piano, orchestra. HAFC

HEY! Don't forget the trademark!

[Dan Gould]

Thanks to Daniel for a very nice compilation.

Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed a great deal of it, very little sparked any suspicion as to performers. Lots of tunes were familiar but couldn't be named, other than the Hancock cover. That one, I found to be less than thrilling, though I've always dug the tune.

The one guess I had was on track three, where my notes say "West coast players, maybe Zoot?"

For the record, tracks 9, 11 and 13 were the dreaded DKDC

Thanks again, Daniel! Now I'll check the rest of the thread and learn the names of those tunes I knew but didn't.

[Dan Gould]

Well, my one guess, it was pretty bad.

But then again, Jim R.'s first thought was Curtis Counce, so maybe "West coast" wasn't such a bad initial thought.

Not thrilled I missed the trumpeter who's "gloriously lyrical".

[randyhersom]

1. Manteca. I'll go with Dizzy Gillespie. Probably Chano Pozo in the percussion section.

2. Solo piano, perhaps as far back as the 40's. Teddy Wilson?

3. Kind of a Horace Silver vibe going here.

4. Could be post-Blue Note Andrew Hill.

5. I can't get away from the feeling that this is Woody Shaw.

6. Ahmad Jamal is a possibility here.

7. It seems likely to be a bone led date, and since the music tends more toward funky than boppish, I'll go with Curtis Fuller rather than J.J.

8. Trio version of Maiden Voyage. I don;t think it's Herbie, maybe one of the newer pianists, say, David Hazeltine?

9. The soprano here plays freer than the rest of the ensemble. Maybe Steve Lacy with Mal Waldron?

10. Hubert Laws?

11. Sounds like a quintet with soprano plus alto sax, but I can't rule out two sopranos. Tyner influenced, but not Tyner.

12. Doesn't sound Brazillian enough to be Flora Purim, but I haven't a better guess at the moment.

13. Very nice. Art Farmer?

14. Luscious, sweet alto tone against luxurious band background. Hodges, Desmond and Pepper all came to mind. Although it sounds a tiny bit too modern, I'll go with Johnny Hodges.

15. This bit of playfulness reminds me of Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

[Noj]

Many thanks to Daniel A for the really cool compilation! I dig the envelope's Swedish postage markings, and neatly cut the side so I could keep it as a permanent cover.

I'll venture some guesses and give a star rating this time around, with five stars being the highest possible rating.

1. "Manteca" - Charles Earland? ****1/2

2. George Shearing? ***1/2

3. Donald Byrd & Pepper Adams? ****

4. Oscar Peterson? ****

5. Woody Shaw? ****

6. Tommy Flanagan? ***1/2

7. No guess. ****

8. "Maiden Voyage" - Ahmad Jamal? Herbie himself, maybe? *****

9. Coltrane-ish...Clifford Jordan? *****

10. Yusef Lateef? ***1/2

11. Eric Dolphy? ****

12. "I Cover The Waterfront" - No idea. I like the version I heard in the soundtrack from the movie Joe Vs. The Volcano much better... ***

13. Junior Mance? ****

14. Getz? ***1/2

15. Fun stuff, no clue. ***

Great music! Many thanks again, Daniel A. Now to read the other responses!

[Noj]

DOH! Of course, I have a song and didn't recognize it. I haven't listened to the cd that Track 3 comes from in a long time, I'll have to correct that.

[Peter Johnson]

Great, great, GREAT blindfold test, Dan!!! Thanks so much for putting this together--I've been digging the hell out of it all day...and it shouldn't surprise me, based on past confluences of ours of musical enjoyment. I will have to do some hard listening to this--won't be hard--but I think I'm already hearing Quincy Jones, Oliver Nelson, Herbie, and...man, so much great stuff...so much lush sound.

I'm lovin' it!!!

Thanks Dan!

[Peter Johnson]

Uhhh...strike that Oliver Nelson. Try Duke Pearson! Sorry, Duke!!!

WHAT THE HELL IS TRACK 13??? I love it.

I have so many of these in my collection...just can't put my finger on them.

Argh!

Edited June 8, 2004 by Peter Johnson

[Noj]

A very interesting and personal test disc! Enjoyed this very much, lots of thanks, Daniel. I feel privileged to be part of this club and find it thrilling to pick discs from all kinds of places from my mailbox ...

# 12 "I cover the waterfront". Is that Björk? If so, it's the jazziest I have heard her sing. Nice arrangement. Björk always leaves me with mixed feelings, as I find that she enacts the tunes to get an idea of the feelings that inspired them, than having lived the feeling and singing the tune out of that experience. A thin voice reminding me of Bev Kelly.

Ditto your first sentiment!

Wow, I think you're right--it is that Icelandic little pixie. I don't care for her take on this one, but I agree the instrumentation is nice.

[Saxophone__Vagina]

Just got through a power outage, and i must say your BFT test got me through it, pulled out the portable disc man and popped this bad boy in. Great comp. Track 1 is a great recording of manteca, very cool. #2 reminds me of Bud Powell, but it is not him. #3...i own this, it has been on the tip of my tougne since i first recieved the disc. I enjoyed every track on this besides track 12, the vocals just didn't work for me, and tracks 5 & 8 came off as a little long/drawn out for me, started good, but went on too long.

Thanks for time and effort, you made the power outage fun!

[EKE BBB]

First of all, thanks to Daniel A for putting together a very nice collection of music. I have really enjoyed this BFT... not many guesses, though! B)

1.- It´s Dizzy Gillespie´s Afro-Cuban "Manteca", but I have no idea of who´s playing.

2.- "Have you met Miss Jones?" (R. Rodgers/L. Hart). My first idea was Teddy Wilson, but it isn´t. The pianist is somebody with a "classic swing" heart, but maybe a bit more modern (50´s ???)

3.- This ensemble was easily recognizable. One of my favorite trumpet players with a wonderful quintet! Track 2 of THIS DISC

4.- "Poinciana", I think. No clue on the pianist. Good one!

5.- A good trumpet player who turned into a pop/funk/soul player later in his life. This is track 28 from this MOSAIC

6.- "This could be the start of something..." My wild guess is that Canadian pianist who was called "the little Art Tatum", but I´m not very convinced and can´t give a recording date. Not sure, really.

7.- Good combination of tenor sax, trombone and piano. Like it!

8.- Hancock´s "Maiden voyage". No clue on who´s playing.

9.- I don´t like that soprano, no, I don´t.

10.- CTI???. I can´t dig electric piano and this style of "sound", actually, so this track´s not my kind of stuff.

11.- Soprano plus alto? This song looks like never takes off.

12.- "I cover the waterfront". Who on hell is singing? The vocals in the introduction reminded me of Björk but she hasn´t done, AFAIK, this kind of stuff. No, it´s not her!!!

13.- but no clue

14.- "Here´s that rainy day" (Burke / Van Heusen)

15.- Funny way to end this nice BFT. A rehearsal of a tune I should know, but I don´t!

Thanks again, Daniel. Really expectant to know the answers for some of the tracks, specially 2, 4, 7 and 13.

Edited June 8, 2004 by EKE BBB

[tooter]

I habitually make a list on a piece of card for the BFT, if seven times is long anough to be called a habit. I then circle the numbers that I particularly like. This one is almost all circles - a long unbroken line of them anyway.

Haven't read any previous comments.

1. Tune is by Dizzy and another. My guess for the band is this

2. Have You Met Miss Jones will not be a mystery. This one?

3. So nice a track that I wonder that I am puzzled that I can't guess who or what. This is one to kick myself about later I guess.

4. Poinciana - could it be tihs?

5. Sure I know the tune but can't give it a name. No ideas.

6. This Could Be the Start of Something Big. I guess this one.

Will post more later.

Edited June 8, 2004 by tooter

[tooter]

Continuation - I sometimes run out of time doing these, fiddling about, and lose all I've done. So in instalments.

7. Ditto 3. No ideas.

8. Maiden Voyage. Composer playing?

9. Know the tune but can't name it again. Shorter on sop sax?

10. Yet again, tune familiar but that's all. Very nice track - I'm sure i know it but can't pin it down.

11. Is Dave Liebman in there? Not so keen on this one.

12. I can never identify singers because I hardly ever listen. Sounded a bit bland to my prejudiced ear.

13. Back on track. I've a suspicion that I know there players but that's all it is - no guesses.

14. Here's that Rainy Day. Very smooth. No idea who.

15. No clue.

Thanks again Daniel.

[Eloe Omoe]

I had just listened to #8 a couple of days before receiving Daniel's BFT disc :-)

Maiden Voyage

A very good pianist, and a very underrated one, in my opinion.

Luca

[mikeweil]

8. ?Maiden Voyage,? but MAN, this guy sounds bored. At first, I thought it might be that Hancock/Carter/Williams album on Fantasy from the 70s, but Herbie never sounded THIS bored!

[mikeweil]

Well, my one guess, it was pretty bad.

But then again, Jim R.'s first thought was Curtis Counce, so maybe "West coast" wasn't such a bad initial thought.

Not such a bad thought, 'cause the tenor was from the West Coast, even if he isn't your prototypical example .... I, too, got him before I checked the trumpet, which not that typical to me on this one.

[mikeweil]

I dig the envelope's Swedish postage markings, and neatly cut the side so I could keep it as a permanent cover.

I thought I was over that kind of stuff at my age, but this seems a tempting idea ....

[mikeweil]

The many tentative guesses on track # 1 are a clear indication that we need a Mosaic Select of the leader's output for that label - I was lucky to get an LP at an auction at a reasonable price many years ago, otherwise my reaction would be just the same.

The long time we had to listen to the disc before the discussion thread was started shows in the guesses: So far 9 out of the 15 tracks have been nailed down:

1,2,3,4,5,6,8,10,11.

A great disc to remind us of and point out some great music: Some lesser known great tracks by known artists, some by underrated artists. Maybe that's part of the theme here?

Edited June 8, 2004 by mikeweil