BFT #28 - Disc Two: DISCUSSION

[John B]

I think I did a little better guessing on disc #2. Fantastic tune selection! I enjoyed this one even more than disc #1.

Disc 2

1. Very nice tango / hard bop number. This sounds like something an Italian group like the Instabile guys would come up with. A fairly recent recording, I'm guessing. I’d love to hear the rest of this album!

2. The first thing that jumps out at me is the drummer. He is on fire! The pianist is very influenced by Herbie Hancock. I don’t recognize this track, but would love to hear the album it is taken from. Very nice.

3. Interesting, based on how the two tenors started out I wasn’t expecting the latin percussion. Not a bad tune. The electric bass doesn’t work for me here. I wish they had gone with an acoustic instead.

4. Nice tune. No clue who this is. Fairly straight-ahead track with nothing too crazy going on. I’d like to hear a little more fire from the soloists.

5. This tune sounds very familiar. The band is cooking, but the track sounds too clean and safe to my ears. Technically they are very proficient, but I’m not feeling any soul here.

6. The tenors aren’t bad, but the guitar really doesn’t work for me. The track as a whole seems disjointed, as if the guitar and horns are not hearing each other at all.

7. Very nice piano trio track. I’ll guess Mehldau, but I have no idea which tune this is.

8. Kind of latin, kind of African, I’m not sure where this track is coming from. I alternate between really enjoying it and finding it a bit over the top and cheesy. Right now I’m digging it. I’m looking forward to finding out who this is.

9. I’m not familiar with jazz violin apart from Billy Bang, and this doesn’t really sound like him. Ok, now some harmonica. Really odd instrumentation. I did a quick search based on the violin/harmonica combination and came up with track 8 on this.

I’ve never heard this album, but will be tracking down a copy now.

10. A raucous tune that verges on going out of control at times. The song goes by too quickly for me to really get a handle on it.

11. The percussion initially reminds me of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, but the track quickly veers away from that territory. No clue who this is. I would have liked to hear a little more fire and stretching out from the soloists. The percussion is great.

12. The tenor sounds like David Murray. I’m not aware of that many albums he did with an organist and this guy isn’t usually thought of as an organist, if I am guessing correctly. I don't know if he recorded any other all organ albums. Track #2 off of this one.

A fantastic band. It’s a shame this disc is oop.

13. Very nice track. A melancholy vibe permeates this one. I’m unable to identify anyone, but like this quite a bit.

[MartyJazz]

I think I did a little better guessing on disc #2.  Fantastic tune selection!  I enjoyed this one even more than disc #1.

(snip)

9. I’m not familiar with jazz violin apart from Billy Bang, and this doesn’t really sound like him. Ok, now some harmonica.  Really odd instrumentation. I did a quick search based on the violin/harmonica combination and came up with track 8 on this.

I’ve never heard this album, but will be tracking down a copy now.

(snip)

12. The tenor sounds like David Murray.  I’m not aware of that many albums he did with an organist and this guy isn’t usually thought of as an organist, if I am guessing correctly.  I don't know if he recorded any other all organ albums. Track #2 off of this one.

A fantastic band.  It’s a shame this disc is oop.

13. Very nice track.  A melancholy vibe permeates this one.  I’m unable to identify anyone, but like this quite a bit.

←

On track #9, don't track down the album on the link you posted 'cause that ain't it. And why did you pick out #8 from that album anyway?

On #12, you're totally on the money.

On #13, I've now seen the adjectives "haunting" and "melancholy" applied to it. Very appropriate considering the circumstances that surround this track. Explanation to come eventually either from me or perhaps from someone who ID's it.

Glad that overall you professed a preference of Disc 2 to the first one. It provides a nice balance of opinion here.

Edited August 10, 2005 by MartyJazz

[John B]

On track #9, don't track down the album on the link you posted 'cause that ain't it.  And why did you pick out #8 from that album anyway?

←

Just a wild stab in the dark based on both violin and harmonica appearing on the album and the length of the track matching.

[Guest]

From a brief listen, it seems that I am not familiar with most of the materials on Disc 1. So I focused on Disc 2. Maybe a thorough listening to Disc 1 gives me a guess or two, which I will do later.

Track 1 Started with Tango and then nice change of mood. I am pretty sure Bob Mintzer is playing tenor here. Peter Erskine on drums. John Patitucci on bass?? Could the trumpet be Freddie Hubbard? It would surprise me if Freddie did this recording with these musicians though.

Track 2 Definitely Tony Williams on drums. I am not sure who the pianist is. Maybe the Great Jazz Trio with Hank Jones?

Track 3 “Like Sonny” No idea who the tenors are, but I would like to find it out it.

Track 4 Reminds me of Eric Alexander–Michael Weiss band, but I don’t think Alexander plays alto.

Track 5 They don’t sweat with this speed! Wonder how fast they can go. One of the younger generation of vib / marimba players? A couple of names come to my mind, Stefon Harris, Steve Nelson.. I have heard Nelson playing marimba in Dave Holland Big Band but I don’t know if Harris plays it too.

Track 6 Bennie Wallace. He has got very distinctive tone and phrasing. I heard John Scofield and Eddie Gomez also and thought this was from his first Blue Note album, but this track wasn’t in it. I checked his discography and this album seems likely.

Track 7 I knew first the drummer is Roy Haynes. The bass is unmistakable Charlie Haden. It is a kind of unexpected combination. I could not name the piano, so I resorted to Googling. It turned up Kenny Barron. Yes, it sounds like him. The album would be this. And confirmed. The track 6.

Track 8 African sounding theme and the altoist sounds like Carlos Ward. Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya?

Track 9 Definitely Billy Higgins. Toots Thielemans playing harmonica. Frankly, I don’t know any other harmonica player beside Toots, but this one does sound like him. Again googled with Higgins and Thielemans! This? Other musicians I have never heard of.

Track 10 Ed Brackwell and David Murray? No idea on the bassist.

Track 11 The alto maybe Bobby Watson...

Track 12 “Song From the Old Country”. But it is not George Adams who is playing tenor. I thought this was one of Don Pullen’s album that came out after Adams passed away. A kind of pensive feeling here. This maybe an hommage to him. After a brief research in the net, now I am pretty sure this track is a cut from this tenor's (who appears elsewhere) 1991 album.

Track 13　The bassist has got a very dense tone and precise control. The phrasing accompanying the piano solo is very Marc Johnson. A female pianist here? Geri Allen? Is this a cut from this ECM album? I have some of his earlier ECM albums but have missed a few including this one. Yes, this could be Charles Lloyd. I thought I would recognize Lloyd right away, but the tenor here is somehow different from usual Lloyd to my ear…. Anyway, this is beautiful, I would like to find this out and hear the whole thing.

Thanks Marty. Enjoyed!

Edited August 11, 2005 by naos

[Guest]

Disc Two

1.  I picture a Colombo episode to this odd accordion feature.

Me too. Me too. Something like "Lethal Tango Step"??

[MartyJazz]

naos, Googling shouldn't be allowed here.

That said, you obviously have a very good ear for drummers as well as bassists for that matter, leading me to believe that you are a musician. While 2, 3, 5 & 12 have been id'd already, your thinking was definitely on the money re these tracks. And you did score completely on 6, 7 & 9 by putting yourself in a strong position to google successfully. Strong, partially correct guesses elsewhere.

Re track 12 wherein you state that Murray also appears elsewhere on the disc, not so.

Anyway, good work and unusual in this forum for the fact that this disc posed less of a challenge to you than Disc One. Would love to see your responses for that disc as well.

Edited August 11, 2005 by MartyJazz

[Guest]

naos, Googling shouldn't be allowed here.

Sorry for the cheat. I didn't know. I am still learing the rules here...

Besides, as my brain has conceded a large part of its functions to Google lately, I think like a first grader without it. But no more Googling, I promise!

[MartyJazz]

naos, Googling shouldn't be allowed here.

Sorry for the cheat. I didn't know. I am still learing the rules here...

Besides, as my brain has conceded a large part of its functions to Google lately, I think like a first grader without it. But no more Googling, I promise!

←

I didn't say you were cheating at all. Many here have used Google and in all fairness, you do have to start with some original thought to use it successfully. But it does make perfect identification a lot easier. A few of the more courageous BFT contributors here choose not to use it preferring to trust their listening powers only. Either way, all your input has been entirely welcome.

By the way, on #6 while I gave you "full credit", it should be noted that there are 4 sessions on that CD in which one of four other saxophonists is featured besides the leader. Can you ID who the other saxophonist is on this track?

Edited August 11, 2005 by MartyJazz

[king ubu]

Alright, just a short dropping in here, too... have made it halfway through #6 by now, and that's definitely Bennie Wallace (prob. leader, first tenor solo) - the second tenor is much more in the mainstream than Wallace (who takes his clues mainly from Hawk, mixed with some pretty advanced harmonic stuff... Dolphy? Awesome to pull those tricks and huge intervallic leaps AND display such a fat full sound at the same time!).

I'm not sure, but I have a feeling this could be from the Denon disc where he has several tenors guesting? Some kind soul who definitely posted here already (or at least I assume so - I haven't read anything, since I still hope to find time for more thorough notes later) has burned me a copy of that Denon disc, but I haven't been able to listen to it yet...

Good stuff! Me likes Wallace an awful lot!

Oh, and I found that "Syeeda's Song Flute" take pretty cool! No idea who it could be though...

[king ubu]

A second short post: it's not Syeeda's Song Flute... but another Trane tune committed to disc in the very early days of him forming his own quintet... maybe one of those on the Roulette CD? "Sonny's Tune"? Too lazy to check right now...

[Stereojack]

A second short post: it's not Syeeda's Song Flute... but another Trane tune committed to disc in the very early days of him forming his own quintet... maybe one of those on the Roulette CD? "Sonny's Tune"? Too lazy to check right now...

←

You may have already figured it out - the tune is "Like Sonny", also recorded for Roulette as "Simple Like".

[Guest]

I didn't say you were cheating at all.  Many here have used Google and in all fairness, you do have to start with some original thought to use it successfully.

I am relieved to hear that!

By the way, on #6 while I gave you "full credit", it should be noted that there are 4 sessions on that CD in which one of four other saxophonists is featured besides the leader.  Can you ID who the other saxophonist is on this track?

Among the four saxophonists listed there, I can safely exclude Oliver Lake first since AFAIK he does not play tenor. The second sax's approach is very interesting. Started with classic riffs and then goes wilder, gushing out signatures of the disciples of Coltrane School - like Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman. I would go for Jerry Bergonzi.

Edited August 12, 2005 by naos

[Durium]

Track 1 - I thought about Mat Mathews, when I heard the accordion. It seems as it he is part of the band.

[couw]

1. accordion and tango to boot. I'm a sucker for accordion in jazzy settings and so this gets a thumbs up. The cross-fade into straight ahead Buhainian muscle swing on the Hubbardesque trumpet solo seems a bit odd, but noticing a similar pull over towards moody emptiness for the tenor makes it all fit. Sort of a suite then in an Instabile kinda way, but besides some of the flurriness behind the accordion, there is nothing much to pin it on them, so I'll leave a blank space. Interesting though not overwhelmingly so.

2. must be Tony banging away on the pots and kettles. Nice and agile pianist, no clue whatsoever though. This is sort of sterile and doesn't really stick anywhere in my ears but rather trickles off like water on oily ditties. Good, but not anywhere near riveting.

3. and similarly this one doesn't do much for me. The tune sounds familiar. The interplay of the horns somehow simply fails to grab me. I do hear some very good stuff going on, but nothing glues me to my headphones. Maybe it's my mood, more likely the clinical production sound is part of it.

4. similar modern sound here. Pretty bland until the horn solos hit. Also no surprises, but some great little lines. Nice to have a solo section consisting of a series of trades. Really like this part. All in all this is pretty subdued, wonder what it would sound like if they'd let loose the juice.

5. Little Niles isn't it? Marimba is a cool kind of doorbell and this is a nice edgy, cubic kind of rendition that makes for good contrast with the wooly wooden sound. Stefon Harris maybe? Pianist is nice and edgy too, with some Hill and Hancock influences.

6. the guitarplayer seems to be playing How High the Moon, the others may use the same changes but seem on another page most of the time. Pretty fantastic fireworks by them horns. Nice release and re-leash, push pull play with time. Grand stuff. Geetarr sounds like Sco and I could have done without on this track.

7. very sweet. Most likely a bunch of old guys having a go in a modern day studio forcing their sound onto the tapes. Very good if not great interplay and a pianist that knows how to span an arc and keep you interested. He leaves some pauses without development, makes them short enough so one does not lose interest, yet long enough to make a little flurry sound like a grand idea. Very good, liked this one a lot.

8. drip drip, nothing sticks. nice for dances but very flat sound and the playing lacks real depth as well IMHO. Although there are definitely some moments, it lacks for the cigar somehow. Dunno really.

9. whatsthisthen? harmonica *and* violin? this is like complementary colours shimmering alongside eachother. Somehow painful but definitely a grand effect and it can be neat. The latter seems the case here. My guess is for good ole Toots from Sesame Street. ja ja.

10. Sounds like Newk, can't be him, some of the tone is way off. My mind won't settle. ((still bouncing up there)). baffling.

11. Woa! this disk has taken a new turn with that baffling track 10 just now. Is this Kenny Wheeler? It has some of the restrained intensity them yurpeens tend to display. Well organised and very well executed. Good stuff!

12. this sounds very familiar. Pretty groovy organ player! Whodat? Tenor with heavy Rollins influence, Murray maybe? I somehow keep imaging what it would sound like if Barney Wilen would be playing (blame it on my mood). Would be similar in some spots, but carrying much more depth and message where it counts, and none of the honking. So it looks I'd be discounting this one by comparison, which would not be fair, especially with respect to the wacko organ player. I'll just leave it at this being a good one!

13. very nice and filmic. Melancholic in the tenor and haunting in the piano. And then at 1:54 they play that shitty line to re-evaluate and mock it all, pop goes the bubble and they can start building anew. Gladly they recover and set a good pace. The change at 4:16 is splendid in that good ole mystery movie soundtrack kind of way and yes! you need a lot of free walking bass and space there and some singular notes and spare lines to bring the message home. So, good and one more good indeed, of only for that shitty line again at then end.

Re-reading my comments, I see I have been pretty negative here, especially considering the first two thirds or so of the disk. Blame it on the sound and blame it on my ears and my mood.

In spite of all that bad rap, I really enjoyed this set and disk one even more so thanks a big much to Marty for sharing.

[MartyJazz]

couw, your stream of consciousness definitely works for me. Very entertaining read. As far as mood goes, it can vary I agree. Hell, I can even re-listen to this disc and question myself at times, "what made me include that?"

Good stuff.

Edited August 13, 2005 by MartyJazz

[couw]

Hell, I can even re-listen to this disc and question myself at times, "what made me I include that?"

←

thanks for the understanding! Like I wrote: good, but not riveting. Plenty similar stuff on my shelves.

Just read through the other comments and saw I got some guesses right where I didn't expect them. Much of this is new ground to me. Let's hope some of it turns for the better, even if I am not waiting for more expenses.

[JSngry]

Have only had one listen to this disc, and it was highly unfocused. So, here comes an almost blind response. Thanks and disclaimers yet again blahblahblah...

TRACK ONE - Well played, but I don't get the point.

TRACK TWO - A Tony trio, obviously (I hope!), and a stylistic continuation of sorts of some of the material from Disc One. That material, though, was looking into something maybe unknown, and this is kinda looking back at what's already become well known. Makes for a less riveting experience, at least for me. Still, it's fine playing, and Tony, well, hey - TONY!

TRACK THREE - Well now! I like the bottom more than the top. Not much into this type of tenor playing. I thnk I hear Lovano as the second tenorist. The first tenorist does it better for me, if only slightly. Nice arrangement, and you can dance to it. Seems like it's THIS ONE. This guy's been making some pretty interesting records the last few years, and if I'm not thrilled by this cut, that's not to say that I find it an exercise in futility (like TrackOne). Not at all.

TRACK FOUR - Nice tune, nice arrangement, kinda reminiscent of Cedar Walton. Pianist (Cedar?) does it for me significantly more than any of the horns. Is that Billy on drums? Would've liked to hear this tune with less timid horn players. It's a good'un!

TRACK FIVE - Marimba! Only jazz marimba I can readily think of is Hutch, and this might be him, but I hope not - the rhythm section is not at all organic. Sounds like they're playing forgone conclusions and forcing the soloist to go along with them. I don't get a sense of "discovery" out of this, more like a sense of reitereration. Superbly played, though, can't ever knock that.

TRACK SIX - Nicely wack "Moon" variant. Bennie Wallace? Almost sounds like David Murray, but this cat's got a better grip of the bop lexicon that he's fucking with. Either that, or else Murray's finally gotten it all the way together that way. Second tenor player, eh...more of that "New York Tenor" stuff. Not my bag, I'm afraid. Interesting guitarist. Earlier Scofield? No real clue on this one, but it's fun.

TRACK SEVEN - Sure sounds like Billy's snare and bass drum (at least on these headphones...), even if they do have him mixed waaaaaaaay low. Pretty interesting changes, goes along and tells a story. Pianist doesn't leave much, if any, space in his playing (actually, I've not heard any so far!), but maybe that's his story, ya'know? Still, with no space, it doesn't give you any room to think, and since it's not one of those ball-grabbing pieces of gottagetthisoutnoworelse energy things like Bud or Cecil, the end result is less than it could/should have been. Piano players need to breathe too!

TRACK EIGHT - A friend in England recently sent me this, I think. Haven't listened to it enough to really absorb it, so I could be wrong. Some fairly recent South African stuff, right? If that's not it, I'll have a go at Gary Bartz playing something very similar. Nice tune, nice rhythms. I like it.

TRACK NINE - Toots and violin? A tonal accent that I don't reflexively respond to, but these cats is playin', fersure. Pretty nice, but I have to say that these modern recordings lack the visceral punch of the older material found on Disc One. Not the music always, just the recordings themselves. Drummers in particular get pulled back in the mix too damn much! Now, if this is Toots, I have to saythat I often find his playing to have a bit too much "smiling gnome" quality to it for my taste. But this is fine! No idea as to who the violinist might be, but he/she is fine as well. And dmaned if THIS drummer doesn't sound a bit like Billy as well. I must need new headphones...

TRACK TEN - Ned Goold? Somebody not unfamiliar with 60's Sonny, that much is certain. Nope, that's not Goold, although some of the concepts are similar. I'd liek to hear an entire album by this player to get a better grip on who they are and what their story is. This snippet is in the least bit not off-putting.

TRACK ELEVEN - Nice, but again, I feel like I'm not hearing anything particularly in the moment out of the horns (less so the alto, though). But I also think that these players might have a different agenda than that, because the Latin/Jszz fusion heard here seems pretty natural to me. So, different backgrounds, differnt agendas, differnt type music. And this is a pretty appealing cut from that perspective.

TRACK TWELVE - Now THIS sounds like David Murray! And Don Pullen! Finally - something on this disc I recognize! And own! A DARN FINE RECORD!!!!

TRACK THIRTEEN - Yeah. What a heartbreaker this is (and with good reason). This is a player I continue to explore slowly but consistently (not unlike how his playing unfolds), and time makes the ones I first got into, like this one, rich beyond belief. One of this tenor player's finest moments as well. One of the better records of the 1980s, imo, and quite possibly a truly great one. So far, it seems like it more and more.

Ok, that's it. Not as much here that struck my fancy as one Disc One, but the LAtin/South African(?) cuts will get relistens, if only because in those musics, the concpets of "top" and "bottom" are differnt than in "regular" jazz, and I hear a lot in them that I like in places other than the top. Otherwise, an interesting trip, to be sure, and many of the piecces that I didn't care for overall still had elements which were attention-getting and pleasurable. Thanks for the music!

[MartyJazz]

Have only had one listen to this disc, and it was highly unfocused. So, here comes an almost blind response. Thanks and disclaimers yet again blahblahblah...

(snip)

TRACK TWO - A Tony trio, obviously (I hope!), and a stylistic continuation of sorts of some of the material from Disc One. That material, though, was looking into something maybe unknown, and this is kinda looking back at what's already become well known. Makes for a less riveting experience, at least for me. Still, it's fine playing, and Tony, well, hey - TONY!

>>ME: Wonderful observation with the "looking forward" vs. the "looking back" reference.  More to come along that line.

JSngry:

TRACK THREE - Well now! I like the bottom more than the top. Not much into this type of tenor playing. I thnk I hear Lovano as the second tenorist. The first tenorist does it better for me, if only slightly. Nice arrangement, and you can dance to it. Seems like it's THIS ONE. This guy's been making some pretty interesting records the last few years, and if I'm not thrilled by this cut, that's not to say that I find it an exercise in futility (like TrackOne). Not at all.

>>ME:  On the money.  Interesting that tenor 1 does it "better" for you.

JSngry:

TRACK FOUR - Nice tune, nice arrangement, kinda reminiscent of Cedar Walton. Pianist (Cedar?) does it for me significantly more than any of the horns. Is that Billy on drums? Would've liked to hear this tune with less timid horn players. It's a good'un!

>>ME: The second stab at Cedar in this discussion!  Interesting.

JSngry:

TRACK FIVE - Marimba! Only jazz marimba I can readily think of is Hutch, and this might be him, but I hope not - the rhythm section is not at all organic. Sounds like they're playing forgone conclusions and forcing the soloist to go along with them. I don't get a sense of "discovery" out of this, more like a sense of reitereration. Superbly played, though, can't ever knock that.

>>ME:  "Discovery" vs. "Reiteration".  Is that like looking forward vs. looking back?

JSngry:

TRACK SIX - Nicely wack "Moon" variant. Bennie Wallace? Almost sounds like David Murray, but this cat's got a better grip of the bop lexicon that he's fucking with. Either that, or else Murray's finally gotten it all the way together that way. Second tenor player, eh...more of that "New York Tenor" stuff. Not my bag, I'm afraid. Interesting guitarist. Earlier Scofield? No real clue on this one, but it's fun.

>>ME: Glad you dig Bennie (or is it just you like him more than the 2nd tenor?)  "Wack Moon variant" - funny.

JSngry:

TRACK SEVEN - Sure sounds like Billy's snare and bass drum (at least on these headphones...), even if they do have him mixed waaaaaaaay low. Pretty interesting changes, goes along and tells a story. Pianist doesn't leave much, if any, space in his playing (actually, I've not heard any so far!), but maybe that's his story, ya'know? Still, with no space, it doesn't give you any room to think, and since it's not one of those ball-grabbing pieces of gottagetthisoutnoworelse energy things like Bud or Cecil, the end result is less than it could/should have been. Piano players need to breathe too!

>>ME:  I love the density that's achieved here by the piano player.  Do piano players need to breathe or is it the listener that does? 

JSngry:

TRACK EIGHT - A friend in England recently sent me this, I think. Haven't listened to it enough to really absorb it, so I could be wrong. Some fairly recent South African stuff, right? If that's not it, I'll have a go at Gary Bartz playing something very similar. Nice tune, nice rhythms. I like it.

TRACK NINE - Toots and violin? A tonal accent that I don't reflexively respond to, but these cats is playin', fersure. Pretty nice, but I have to say that these modern recordings lack the visceral punch of the older material found on Disc One. Not the music always, just the recordings themselves. Drummers in particular get pulled back in the mix too damn much! Now, if this is Toots, I have to saythat I often find his playing to have a bit too much "smiling gnome" quality to it for my taste. But this is fine! No idea as to who the violinist might be, but he/she is fine as well. And dmaned if THIS drummer doesn't sound a bit like Billy as well. I must need new headphones...

>>ME:  You don't need new headphones.  All the names mentioned are present.

JSngry:

TRACK TEN - Ned Goold? Somebody not unfamiliar with 60's Sonny, that much is certain. Nope, that's not Goold, although some of the concepts are similar. I'd liek to hear an entire album by this player to get a better grip on who they are and what their story is. This snippet is in the least bit not off-putting.

>>ME: "Somebody not unfamiliar with 60's Sonny" - Great, it's not just me that honed in on this immediately!!!  More on this with the answers.

JSngry:

TRACK TWELVE - Now THIS sounds like David Murray! And Don Pullen! Finally - something on this disc I recognize! And own! A DARN FINE RECORD!!!!

>>ME:  I totally agree!!!

JSngry:

TRACK THIRTEEN - Yeah. What a heartbreaker this is (and with good reason). This is a player I continue to explore slowly but consistently (not unlike how his playing unfolds), and time makes the ones I first got into, like this one, rich beyond belief. One of this tenor player's finest moments as well. One of the better records of the 1980s, imo, and quite possibly a truly great one. So far, it seems like it more and more.

>>ME: Glad you dig this as well and yes, a heartbreaker indeed.

JSngry:

Ok, that's it. Not as much here that struck my fancy as one Disc One, but the LAtin/South African(?) cuts will get relistens, if only because in those musics, the concpets of "top" and "bottom" are differnt than in "regular" jazz, and I hear a lot in them that I like in places other than the top. Otherwise, an interesting trip, to be sure, and many of the piecces that I didn't care for overall still had elements which were attention-getting and pleasurable. Thanks for the music!

>>ME: And thanks a lot for the insight.  The areas of agreement are more numerous than where we differ.  Ah, the beauty of this music and the diverse opinions it generates!

←

Edited August 14, 2005 by MartyJazz

[JSngry]

TRACK FIVE - >>ME:  "Discovery" vs. "Reiteration".  Is that like looking forward vs. looking back?

TRACK SIX - >>ME: Glad you dig Bennie (or is it just you like him more than the 2nd tenor?) 

TRACK SEVEN - >>ME: Do piano players need to breathe or is it the listener that does? 

TRACK EIGHT - TRACK NINE - >>ME:  You don't need new headphones.  All the names mentioned are present.

←

5 - yeah, only one's from a player's perspective & the other from a listening one. But same thing in the end.

6 = Both

7 - well, this listener does, unless there's extenuating circumsatnces. And I didn't get that from this piece. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood. It happens.

8 - Ok, that is Bartx then. I've heard it before, somewhere. Nice.

[Jim R]

Late to the dance due to a vacation, and not a whole lot of inspiration behind this post I’m afraid, but fwimbw...

1. This is pretty interesting, for the instrumentation as well as the rhythmic variety in the arrangement. I wouldn’t run out to buy this, but it held my interest. No idea who...

2. Fine musicianship, but the tune and the frantic piano style don’t appeal to me.

3. I recognize the tune from Trane’s Atlantic version. This is well played, but doesn’t really hit me.

4. I like this tune a little better than some of the others here, but it still isn’t something I think is very memorable or something I’d want to learn. Good solos, but nothing I’m strongly attracted to.

5. Little Niles... is that a marimba? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think this is very well played, but not that appealing to my taste.

6. Interesting take on HHTM. Rhythmically ingenious, and a fun, challenging theme, but... the solos leave me a little cold- especially the guitar. Oh well.

7. This is kind of pretty, although again it’s something I would have a hard time remembering in terms of the main theme. It moves along very nicely, everybody contributing to an enjoyable meandering trip, but to me this would almost work better as background music... something to relax to without having to pay close attention.

8. This strikes me as almost smooth, like something from a Disney special. Ouch. The main theme does little for me, and the solos less.

9. I don’t care for the tune... not something I would want to learn. Don’t care for the violin solo at all... no use of space. Pianist continues to blow over the changes. Yawns from me. Harmonica is a bit better... could be Toots I suppose, but overall, my thumb remains down.

10. For a moment I thought I might recognize the tune, but it went by so fast I didn’t get it. Impressive chops, not much else here for me.

11. The intro is nearly a minute long, and the theme was not worth the wait, IMO. I have trouble even hanging around for the solos, becaue the structure of the tune never grabs me to begin with.

12. This is better, the way the organ and the tenor play off each other from the start... this breathes. It’s musical. This intro is even longer than that of track 11, but they build some drama, and there’s more meat waiting at the end. Now... what tune is this? I don’t know. Not that great, actually, to my ears. Sounds like an old public domain folk tune of some kind. I prefer the organ solo to that of the tenor.

13. Kind of an interesting tune, but it narrowly misses for me upon first listen... not sure why. Maybe that will become more clear with further listens, or maybe I’ll decide I like it better. Not too crazy about the pianist’s support on the head... the little dissonances aren’t as tasteful as they might have been, to my ears. As with a few of the previous tunes I’ve heard on these discs, it’s difficult to muster a lot of enthusiasm for the solos after failing to be taken by the tune itself. There’s a nice mood generated here, but either I’m not in the mood right now, or it ain’t my style.

Many thanks Marty. I didn’t feel as “connected” with the music on this disc, but I’ll still be interested to see what others have posted.

[randyhersom]

1. Nice. Richard Galliano just because I know very few names.

2. The drums are much more active than usual for piano trios, leading me to guess Great Jazz Trio with Hank and Elvin Jones.

3. Nice mellow hard bop era tune with emphasis on the composition. Duke Pearson, maybe?

4. Maybe early McCoy Tyner from Tender Moments?

5. I think Bobby Hutcherson recorded on marimba.

6. Kurt Rosenwinkel and Mark Turner? Also reminded me of mp3s I've heard of live Brian Patneaude.

7. Bill Evans is first to mind. I also thought of Brad Mehldau and Frank Kimbrough.

8. It doesn't seem edgy enough for Gil Evans, but a little left of mainstream for say Gerald Wilson. Maria Schneider?

9. Toots Thielmanns with Stephane Grappelli?

10. This sounds like early Sonny Rollins.

11. A little touch of latin percussion, lots of McCoy Tyner influence. Maybe it is McCoy? I had also thought of Fort Apache Band.

12. Curtis Amy came to mind, although there's valve trombone on disk 1 of the Mosaic Select with the similar organ style.

13. Sounds like Wayne Shorter's more experimental side.

[RDK]

Lots of good stuff on here, Marty - thanks for the discs! This BFT stumped me far more than most of them I've participated in.

Disc 2

1. A rather weird version of “Ain’t Necessarily So.” I sorta like it, sorta don’t. I like the middle section the best, beginning with the trumpet solo, but that jittery opening and closing annoys me.

2. Again, a rather percussive piano playing style. No clue, though, as to this trio.

3. I know this tune, but its title escapes me (which I guess means I don’t “know” it after all). Really like this one.

4. Good playing but the tune’s not doing much for me. Okay.

5. Marimba and piano makes for such a unique sound, especially when played a bit free like this. I like this more and more…

6. Good, but no idea who. Really like the sound of that sax.

7. Great trio track. Sounds a bit like some recent Andrew Hill that I’ve heard, where he’s playing fairly inside (but not entirely). There’s an off-beat thing going on with the rhythm that I’m really digging. Most interesting!

8. Another familiar tune, though not in this version. Like this one a lot too.

9. Same gang as Track 1? I’ve come to really like jazz violin after being burned out back in the day by 70’s era Ponty. This one sounds a bit too electric though – but maybe it’s just how it was recorded. I dunno – Regina Carter? Also harmonica in there – sounds like Toots. Like the second half of this track with the back-and-forth much more than the first half.

10. The sax player sounds familiar – playing so fast – but no good guesses from me. I know I’m gonna kick myself when I find out who this is…

11. This reminds me of some of those J.J. Johnson Verves, but there’s not enough bone for a leader session. Good, not great, track.

12. Damn, my brain’s friend today. A very familiar tune, but I can’t place it. This version with organ is new to me, though. Very good.

13. Very atmospheric and interesting, but also a bit all-over-the-place for me. The instrumentation – love the bari (or bass clarinet?) – sound a bit Randy Weston-ish, but I don’t recognize the piece. This one runs out of gas for me, but much of it I like.

[RDK]

12. The tenor sounds like David Murray.  I’m not aware of that many albums he did with an organist and this guy isn’t usually thought of as an organist, if I am guessing correctly.  I don't know if he recorded any other all organ albums. Track #2 off of this one.

←

Ah, yes - I knew I recognizd this. Great album!

[MartyJazz]

(snip)

9.  Toots Thielmanns with Stephane Grappelli?

10. This sounds like early Sonny Rollins.

11.  A little touch of latin percussion, lots of McCoy Tyner influence.  Maybe it is McCoy?  I had also thought of Fort Apache Band.

(snip)

←

On #9, yes it's Toots but I'm afraid the violinist is much less known than SG.

10. JSngry also remarked on that if you mean by "early", his '60s period. In any event, not Newk, but I picked this track because of the obvious influence which I like.

11. So which is it, McCoy or Fort Apache?, 'cause one of them is correct.

Many thanks for coming in on this BFT, Randy.

[MartyJazz]

Lots of good stuff on here, Marty - thanks for the discs!  This BFT stumped me far more than most of them I've participated in. 

>>ME:  Glad you dig this disc.  Jim R had me depressed with his negative take on the whole disc yesterday

Disc 2

1. A rather weird version of “Ain’t Necessarily So.”  I sorta like it, sorta don’t.  I like the middle section the best, beginning with the trumpet solo, but that jittery opening and closing annoys me. 

>>ME: You're the first to see a Gershwin connection which I had never thought of but I can see how the line can be made to fit, sort of. 

5.  Marimba and piano makes for such a unique sound, especially when played a bit free like this.  I like this more and more… 

6.  Good, but no idea who.  Really like the sound of that sax.

7.  Great trio track.  Sounds a bit like some recent Andrew Hill that I’ve heard, where he’s playing fairly inside (but not entirely).  There’s an off-beat thing going on with the rhythm that I’m really digging.  Most interesting! 

>>ME:  The three tracks above have been id'd.  Glad you like all three.

9.  (snip)    Also harmonica in there – sounds like Toots.  Like the second half of this track with the back-and-forth much more than the first half. 

>>ME:  Sure it's Toots, ain't nobody else like him (I think).  I also dig the exchanges between the harmonica and violin.

10.  The sax player sounds familiar – playing so fast – but no good guesses from me.  I know I’m gonna kick myself when I find out who this is…

>>ME:  Not to worry.  I don't believe you'll kick yourself.

(snip)

←