BFT #21, disc one - Discussion

[mikeweil]

Track 17: Track 6 from this album. One of the last real hard bop albums on the label. But I could kill this alto for his flat intonation!!! 

No kidding? The alto is the highlight for me, especially during the head!

I always find he is too flat, that's why I never could enjoy Jackie Mac's playing, sorry. His solo is nice, but his sound to my ears is like stepping on my tears and torturing me with lemon at the same time.

[mikeweil]

Track 3 That's a fine tune, I have three versions of it, the one here is on this album. Very nice choice!

Yeah, and it's a pity that we may never see it released in its original form. I guess we can thank Orrin Keepnews for that, but why would we?

I have it as a Japanese CD from 1989 (Nippon Columbia) which of course replicates the original cover and all, although it writes Coltrane's name below the title on the inlay card and the spine. That was one of the first Japanese CDs I ever bought, maybe the very first one - they still were very expensive back then, and this was a reduced stock.

The problem with re-releasing such an item in its original form is that almost nobody will associate anything meaningful with the original album title. They could have re-christened the band "Bethlehem All Stars" - but that sounds pretty corny. The music is excellent, nonetheless.

[mikeweil]

Very nice choices!!! Greazy and Groovy all the way!!! 

I'm glad you dug them, as I was inspired to a great extent by your BFT!

Thanks for the compliment - I was similarly inspired by RDK's (especially his 2nd disc).

[mikeweil]

5. Ellingtonianish... yes... I know this theme... just not by name    Ah... now the band kicks in... "rockin' in rhythm"?  5 stars!

NOBODY'S identified this yet? Heck, I thought this would've been the easiest track on the disc! Am I the only one who bought this last year (2004)?

You're absolutely right, should be easy to guess, as we probably all bought this and the other two reissues, and filed them away as we thought we knew them ....

track 3 from this CD! I find the combination of these two tunes is work of genius, like all of this man's work.

[Jim R]

5. Ellingtonianish... yes... I know this theme... just not by name    Ah... now the band kicks in... "rockin' in rhythm"?  5 stars!

NOBODY'S identified this yet? Heck, I thought this would've been the easiest track on the disc! Am I the only one who bought this last year (2004)?

You're absolutely right, should be easy to guess, as we probably all bought this and the other two reissues, and filed them away as we thought we knew them ....

track 3 from this CD! I find the combination of these two tunes is work of genius, like all of this man's work.

That was the "hunch" I referred to. B-) I would have bought both those Ellington discs, but thanks to Al I was also spending money on some James Moody, Horace Silver, Cal Tjader...

[mikeweil]

If I ever get back to Deutschland ("the Mother land") you can bet that I WILL look you up!!! I just better have a few months set aside to sit & listen!!!

Just drop me a mail! But our guest room will only be finished this late summer, i'm afraid ...

You got German ancestors?

[mikeweil]

Track 11 Familiar sounds again. Strozier on one of his Riverside/Jazzland dates? The writing almost sounds like with Max Roach's pianoless groups.

You have no idea how good I feel knowing you couldn't identify this one! I'll bring this one to Germany with me!

Now can you, errh, please, ehmm, give me some real tiny clue ...

[Big Al]

I'm a big Carl Barks nut, have his complete works in original language - indispensable resort of slang expressions, IMHO - but I'm not at all versed in other cartoon series. But I just wanted to guess this tune was included in one of the two Carl Stalling discs on Warner Brothers from a few years ago (link).

Yes, that first volume is a true gem. Volume two has its moments, but it doesn't have the slap-dash madcap "looniness" of the first volume. And technically, this track can be found on the first volume, but without the beginning of Daffy's speech.

[Big Al]

...your link did direct us to the right answer, but I wanna see if anyone actually identifies the particular 'toon it's from!

Tanks, Doc. I'll have to go back and look again (at the first link- the Google one that was cached, but didn't woik for you). I think there were only two possibilities...

Well, I opened up that page again (http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:LFZM5...&hl=en&ie=UTF-8), and I had forgotten how LONG that list was. Since this is still technically a guess, I'll go ahead and post the data:

#1.

"BOOK REVIEW" (Clampett/1946)

Looney Tunes-1/5/1946

stars: Daffy Duck

rating: B+

sources: video-Daffy!, video-Columbia House Collector's Edition/Welcome To Wackyland, laser-The Golden Age Of Looney Tunes Vol. 1

music: Carl Stalling, "Carolina In The Morning", "Moonlight Sonata", "It Had To Be You", "Lucia Di Lammermoor"

notes: Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies comics, cuckoo clock, alcohol, hell, trumpet, trombone, drums, Little Red Riding Hood, police, Jimmy Durante, Frank Sinatra

edits: blue ribbon print

#2.

"BEWITCHED BUNNY" (Jones/1954)

Looney Tunes-7/10/1954

stars: Bugs Bunny, Witch Hazel, Hansel, Gretel

rating: B+

sources: video-Bugs Bunny: 1001 Rabbit Tales, video-Columbia House Collector's Edition: A Battle Of Wits, laser-Looney Tunes After Dark

music: Carl Stalling, "It Had To Be You"

notes: "what's up Doctress?", Hansel & Gretel fairy tale

I wonder if the recording of "It Had To Be You" used in these two examples could actually be one in the same...

Well, once you figure out who it is that's talking at the very end of the track, you'll have it nailed!

[Big Al]

Al,

Very nice BFT! I have no clue who any of the artists are on the first half of the test. Track #1 has to be off of an old Looney Tunes episode, but I'm not well-versed enough to know which one. I'm not normally a fan of big band music, but I really enjoyed your selections. Track #2, in particular, was a lot of fun.

I didn't do much better guessing any of the tracks on the second half of the disc, either.

Track #16 is from here. and is fantastic!

I really enjoyed tracks 13 - 17, although track #13 is driving me crazy. I feel like I've heard this version before, and I'll probably kick myself ehrn you announce who these musicians are. I'm guessing the snippet of the Godfather at the beginning is spliced in.

Great test! As clueless as I am I really enjoyed listening to your choices!

Glad you dug it!!! I imagine the answer to track #13 is gonna provoke some spirited debate!

[Big Al]

5. Ellingtonianish... yes... I know this theme... just not by name    Ah... now the band kicks in... "rockin' in rhythm"?  5 stars!

NOBODY'S identified this yet? Heck, I thought this would've been the easiest track on the disc! Am I the only one who bought this last year (2004)?

You're absolutely right, should be easy to guess, as we probably all bought this and the other two reissues, and filed them away as we thought we knew them ....

track 3 from this CD! I find the combination of these two tunes is work of genius, like all of this man's work.

That was the "hunch" I referred to. B-) I would have bought both those Ellington discs, but thanks to Al I was also spending money on some James Moody, Horace Silver, Cal Tjader...

YES!!!! You guys got it!!!

And Mike, the answer to the mystery of track 11 lies in Jim R's post above

[Big Al]

Track 3 That's a fine tune, I have three versions of it, the one here is on this album. Very nice choice!

Yeah, and it's a pity that we may never see it released in its original form. I guess we can thank Orrin Keepnews for that, but why would we?

I have it as a Japanese CD from 1989 (Nippon Columbia) which of course replicates the original cover and all, although it writes Coltrane's name below the title on the inlay card and the spine. That was one of the first Japanese CDs I ever bought, maybe the very first one - they still were very expensive back then, and this was a reduced stock.

The problem with re-releasing such an item in its original form is that almost nobody will associate anything meaningful with the original album title. They could have re-christened the band "Bethlehem All Stars" - but that sounds pretty corny. The music is excellent, nonetheless.

No kidding! And it's a pity, too. I just wonder why the folks at Bethelem didn't just fill out the rest of that collection with all of that album. It would've been nice to hear it all.

[mikeweil]

And Mike, the answer to the mystery of track 11 lies in Jim R's post above

If it's from the last Moody reissue on Universal - I haven't yet got that one ...

[Jim R]

And Mike, the answer to the mystery of track 11 lies in Jim R's post above

If it's from the last Moody reissue on Universal - I haven't yet got that one ...

Me neither. I think Al's taunting us now.

[Tom Storer]

First, my thanks to brownie for getting this BFT to me!

Without further ado, here are my comments:

Nice disk, Al!

1. A big band pastiche: witty, I guess. Moves very seamlessly into track 2--good programming!

2. Hmm. Terry Gibbs springs to mind as the only vibraphonist I can think of who led a big band (except for Hamp, of course). I also wonder if it mightn't be Milt Jackson with the Clayton/Hamilton band. Very nice!

3. Gorgeous! No idea who it is, although the players sound familiar. Sumptuous tones and voicing. Here we have all the virtues of classicism: harmony, equilibrium and moderation. Beautiful!

4. Older-fashioned big band. Sounds like a hip swing-era band.

5. Rockin' in Rhythm. The Duke!

6. Fast-paced big band number. That sure sounds like Lester!

7. The big band goes bebop. That's Dizzy on trumpet, but the pianist? Interesting.

8. South of the border, pleasant but no clue.

9. Nice, but the rhythm section is a bit stiff. The vibes sound Burton-influenced and the piano is Silverish.

10. Very pretty arrangement. The tenor is in a Dexter/Rollins lineage and I'm guessing it's Clifford Jordan - that sweet but virile tone.

11. No idea. The drums sound like Max.

12. No idea. Not sure what to make of this. I'm pretty dumb with the South American stuff.

13. I know James Brown played/plays a little organ in his stage act--could it actually be him playing? I don't think the organist is all that great, frankly, so maybe that's why! I like the guitar player, though.

14. Greazy. Good, but not really my thing.

15. On the border between greazy and cheesy. Sounds like sound-track material to me.

16. By now I could use something to cut this grease!

17. Aaaaah, you saved the best for last. Don't know what it is, but it sounds like Jackie McLean on alto. Lee Morgan on trumpet? Beautiful soloing, classy drummer. My favorite of the whole disk!

[Tom Storer]

I always find he is too flat, that's why I never could enjoy Jackie Mac's playing

Now that's odd--he always sounds sharp to me! But then, I'm about as close to tone deaf as you can get and still enjoy music. ;-)

[Big Al]

And Mike, the answer to the mystery of track 11 lies in Jim R's post above

If it's from the last Moody reissue on Universal - I haven't yet got that one ...

Me neither. I think Al's taunting us now.

Moi?!?!?!?!?

You guys got it, though, and you NEED to get it!!!

[Man with the Golden Arm]

edited (and I see now that Jim R had it all along):

I'm fast forwarding and just hitting the reply without peeking. I have not had much of a chance to put up guesses yet but one track which was alluded to in the "sign-up" thread has been "bugging" me since I first cued it, doc:

Intro Track: after much thought has my guess as being from "Book Revue" (1948). I think that was the one where jazz folks and other celebs get parodied?

edit: I watched it last nite and yes that is the one. Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa etc ... and cut right before Daffy dons that crazy Prince zoot-suit and segues Danny Boy into La Cucuracha. CLASSIC!

(made my girls sit down and watch my favorite toon of all time "Gorilla My Dreams" from the new set(!) a few evenings ago. once again I got those eyes! )

Outro Track: Big Al on his Wilson breeze from not long ago!

I will post thoughts on the rest of this fine disc but just had to get the important stuff out of the way first.

[Jim R]

I see now that Jim R had it all along

... ... you mean, that helpless, hopeless feeling of being generally helpless and clueless? ... and hopeless?

[couw]

Track 1: It had to be Bugs & Daffy. No clue on who is performing here, but of course this track illustrates one of the most important charcteristics of music: fun! Theatrical fun in this case and though it may sound silly, I love silly stoopid tunes, so this is a good opener.

Track 2: doorbells galore and more theatrical big band. does the guy on alto have a name? I'd put the vibist down as leader, but cannot pin a name on the man, many variations with the vibrato, nice!

Track 3: I have the distinct feeling I have heard this one before. Nicely laid back on the trombone there, no guesses on that front I'm afraid, but I would put down Donald Byrd for trumpet and that (those?) tenor(s?) sound mighty familiar as well. I like this a lot.

Track 4: nice old time big band to dance the booty off. No familiar sounds, but then again that doesn't mean much. Probably this is just Gustav Brom or some such underground name.

Track 5: Kinda Dukish followed by some other famous Ellingtonian piece. Going entirely by my stoopid logic that the band is in the background, my guess is this is from one of those recent foreground/background Ellington reissues. (edit: a little allmusic sleuthing shows it's likely to be the latter, which doesn't make sense, but ah well).

Track 6: I gez diz iz da vice-prez with a Basie bunch. This swings like mad and lifts the spirits. The steady beat can have the same effect as caffeine, but it is more healthy.

Track 7: quite a sweet trumpet, but I wonder who the tenor is. That's one nice drive that player got goin' there. The pianist plays Basiecally sparse, but I doubt it is the Count. Very nice track one more!

Track 8: nice little latin ditty. no guesses.

Track 9: ah it's that little hidden gem! it is by the guy that has 26 going before. hidden amidst a load of brotherly horns. It caught my attention the first time I heard the album so no steenk for me, heheheh!

Track 10: it may be because I have been listening to too much Max Roach Quintet off late, but this sure sounds like Clifford Jordan to me. Then the trumpet sure has that wavey soothing quality mr. KD puts in there. This is a VERY pretty track, I'm curious.

Track 11: It's that character from Harry Potter, the one with the magical eye. The self titled album in that replica series. I still wonder why nobody told the baritone that it's off and needs to readjust some. ah well, this is big fun once more and the arrangements are fantastic.

Track 12: ST-W-INGS! and cheap-o brazilian rhythms! and darn stoopid horn ensembles! YES! I bet brownie hates this one.

Track 13: that's James Brown on the intro. Then there is a well hidden edit and what follows is something completely different, well not where funkiness is concerned really. It's Reuben Wilson playing Blue Mode to be precise. Big FUNKAY Fun this is

I wonder whatever became of John Manning

Track 14: oy, this one sounds familiar too. One more of those slippery albums. Reminds me of that ole lard bucket Don Wilkerson set. Or that Braith.

Track 15: Eeeeelectric Soifboad! Ga-Reat! Played this at a party recently and had fun with the title. Great Motown theatry combined with the best of the slippery stuff.

Track 16: Along came John & Grant & even more grease. Having two tenors on this sessions never really made sense to me, but the results are fine fine fine, so who am I to complain.

Track 17: ah! as I couldn't place this right away, I have concluded it must be from that recently re-released BN date with mackie sharpening his knife on the alto and the pirate looking at us from underneath the eyepatch. checked some online sample and: yup. need to get me that one pronto.

that's it, it has been a great trip. Now I'm off to read the other guesses, hoping someone has identified that track 14 as it is bothering me.

[couw]

drats, no guesses on track 14...

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I think I've bookended my guesses from a prior post better than the meat below. Tough test and no clues as to the first half. Was wondering if Al had gone on some "low fat" diet until finally revealing himself at the end of this one .

Googling aside:

Track 2: Crazy vibes nicely segued from the Pompadoured Duck. Wildly swinging, and like the next five I have no clue what so ever.

Track 3: More swing in maybe a Moody mood?

Track 4: A bit of eastern sinew to this one ... has that Count Walk.

Track 5: Some "rockin'" Ellington? all I can say... not enough Ellington on my shelves. Truly puzzled after having listened to the Nutcracker Suites recently. Might this be from the new re-issue of him NOT in the "Foreground"?

Track 6: Another mad swinger.

Track 7: Shoot now I'm really doing poorly here...

Track 8: Tip o the tongue... honest.

Track 9: Later-day Hutcherson.

Track 10: Pretty song here ... as pretty as my guesses are ugly.

Track 11: Duke Pearson with a bit of a march... I like this cut as I don't usually like a march - but since the flute is garoovy.

Track 12: Got to be a reason for this score sounding stringy cheese. This one peaked my curiosity most as the odd duck. A little quote of "you've got your troubles..."? a bit of bossa background. Then it seems serious in it's long drawn out mid-section. At the very least this isn't even in the "stoopid" category. Too smart to be and not sloppuy enough to be cool.

Track 13: Godfather pullin' the stops. I've only heard him on organ a couple times throughout the comps. This one is a goody!!!! Usually he's huntin' and peckin' but not here!

Track 14: Thinking this is Braith from the 'Laughing Soul' since Green is not usually as "pecky", right? But nodding more to maybe Wilkerson's 'Shoutin'' disc. Don't have either and just a cut from the former on a comp. I don't think it's Green at all here so who knows.

Track 15: Very curious about this one??? (not that i like it) Organ is a bit too "rinkish". Has a post-grease feel with the bass plucking along side. Some early eighties Crusaders feeling ... maybe?

Track 16: I was beginning to wonder ... Al cleans it all up nice and "spiffy"!

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Track 13: that's James Brown on the intro. Then there is a well hidden edit and what follows is something completely different, well not where funkiness is concerned really. It's Reuben Wilson playing Blue Mode to be precise. Big FUNKAY Fun this is

oh no wonder james sounds so good.

Big Al's gonna get a talking to from you know who!

clik

[mikeweil]

Track 5: Kinda Dukish followed by some other famous Ellingtonian piece. Going entirely by my stoopid logic that the band is in the background, my guess is this is from one of those recent foreground/background Ellington reissues. (edit: a little allmusic sleuthing shows it's likely to be the latter, which doesn't make sense, but ah well).

What never made any sense wuz da title of dat album .....

[Big Al]

edit: I watched it last nite and yes that is the one. Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa etc ... and cut right before Daffy dons that crazy Prince zoot-suit and segues Danny Boy into La Cucuracha. CLASSIC!

You know it!!! Should be in a cartoon Hall of Fame, if ever one is built!

(made my girls sit down and watch my favorite toon of all time "Gorilla My Dreams" from the new set(!) a few evenings ago. once again I got those eyes! )

Break it up, break it up; you can't hang around here!!! My favorite part from that cartoon. That, and when Bugs throws himself on the Papa Gorilla's "tender moicies."