BFT 37 bonus disc

[mikeweil]

Thanks for some interesting hours, Mike.

MG

Thanks for listening to this most unusual BFT compilation!

[Mr. Bassman]

Okay, I have to state, that it is a bit unfair to you all, but knowing Mike Weil since some days gives me a big advantage, i definitely know some of this takes. But.... not all, only a few

I start and in case of the time i will keep it short, maybe some adds later:

No 1.

I'm not sure, but the tune is influenced by Ravel, Debussy etc. and the piano .... hmmm... sounds not Steinway-ish. It has a warm sound. Can't say more

No 2.

Okay, another take, I don't know. A marimba-ensemble, but it sounds familiar. A nice floating tune, at least ther is a bit of Africa in this.

No 3.

Huuu, difficult, a classical tune indeed, but what ? Could it be Schumann ? but what ? I am blind-guessing in this case

No 4.

Okay, i know this one, even i must have the CD, but at this moment I'm too tired for verifying. I will add this later, when I am sure

No 5.

This sounds very familiar, i have this on the tounge, but I'm not sure, who the composer is. It has that special impressionistic sound that reminds me to Debussy, but ... I have a lot of his music and i don't remeber this tune (... still too tired for searching....), I am nearly sure, that it is not a Debussy-tune....

No 6.

This is a modern vibe, but I hadn't listened to this since now, Mike ! Who is this, oh-oh....

No 7.

Okay, this is an harpsichord and an old tune, at least 17th century, but I'm not that familiar... did we listen to this recording during our listening-events? I can't remember that tune.

No 8.

Hehe, big grin I had this in a second, really !!! It is this great record from a well known Jazz-Bassplayer together with a great female singer playing the cymbalon (you hear at the beginning) from his home with piano and drums. The song is called Na osicce (sorry for the missing accents) = > aspen leafs. The bass-player is George Mraz, the singer/cymbalon-player Zuzana Lapcikova, the piano-player is Emil Viklicky and Billy Hart on drums. The CD is called Morava.

No 9.

This is a thing i don't know. It has a great influence from folk-music, listen to the rhythm A bit of Oregon (it is not Oregon) the rhythm reminds me to something.... is there a connection to the east-Region of europe ?

No 10.

Hmmmm, this is something special. I think of ancient instruments or replicas. Not an Instrument from the violin-family... a Viola da gamba ? or something like that ? The sound is definitly with rich overtones. The other could be a kind of a lute (Can't be more specific). Is the tune an old one too ? It sounds a bit into the middle-ages, but i could only guess.

No 11.

Hehehe, thats a Zappa tune (I am too lazy to verify the title), it must be the ensemble Ambrosia, i had to check my collection for the exact dates (and instruments)

No 12.

This is nearly a home-game, just to use the soccer-slang. A very special thing... Opera to relax, CD Kyle of Lochalsh, tune No 2 to the lord of the flying carpets. I think Mikeweil will tell you some more.

No 13.

Okay, this is not a german.... He is (was, he died already) an austrian But i won't tell you, who he is, until i found the title. I give you a clue.... He is a composer and musician.

No 14.

I know this tune... it is from L.v.Beethoven and called "Für Elise" and I have the suspicion, that this must be a "Tangentenflügel" or even an early "Hammerklavier", and.... it could be an instrument, which belonged him or on which he played.

Uff.... I'm finished

greetings from

Mr. Bassman

[mikeweil]

Okay, I have to state, that it is a bit unfair to you all, but knowing Mike Weil since some days gives me a big advantage, i definitely know some of this takes. But.... not all, only a few

Of course, of course ..... next time, please post a link to a website where the CD is shown, instaed of posting it directly, this will keep up the suspense for the others.

No 1.

I'm not sure, but the tune is influenced by Ravel, Debussy etc. and the piano .... hmmm... sounds not Steinway-ish. It has a warm sound. Can't say more.

I know you have this one, too.

No 2.

Okay, another take, I don't know. A marimba-ensemble, but it sounds familiar. A nice floating tune, at least there is a bit of Africa in this.

Just one player overdubbing.

No 3.

Huuu, difficult, a classical tune indeed, but what ? Could it be Schumann ? but what ? I am blind-guessing in this case

Well, Schumann was not that modern .....

No 4.

Okay, i know this one, even i must have the CD, but at this moment I'm too tired for verifying. I will add this later, when I am sure.

You probably have that one, yes.

No 5.

This sounds very familiar, i have this on the tounge, but I'm not sure, who the composer is. It has that special impressionistic sound that reminds me to Debussy, but ... I have a lot of his music and i don't remeber this tune (... still too tired for searching....), I am nearly sure, that it is not a Debussy-tune....

Hehee ......

No 6.

This is a modern vibe, but I hadn't listened to this since now, Mike ! Who is this, oh-oh....

You have heard other music by this guy.

No 7.

Okay, this is an harpsichord and an old tune, at least 17th century, but I'm not that familiar... did we listen to this recording during our listening-events? I can't remember that tune.

Frankly, I cannot tell, maybe, maybe not. But you know the composer.

No 8.

Hehe, big grin I had this in a second, really !!! It is this great record from a well known Jazz-Bassplayer together with a great female singer playing the cymbalon (you hear at the beginning) from his home with piano and drums. The song is called Na osicce (sorry for the missing accents) = > aspen leafs. The bass-player is George Mraz, the singer/cymbalon-player Zuzana Lapcikova, the piano-player is Emil Viklicky and Billy Hart on drums. The CD is called Morava.

This one must have made a lasting impression!

No 9.

This is a thing I don't know. It has a great influence from folk-music, listen to the rhythm A bit of Oregon (it is not Oregon) the rhythm reminds me to something.... is there a connection to the east-Region of europe ?

Not Eastern Europe, though hard to believe!

No 10.

Hmmmm, this is something special. I think of ancient instruments or replicas. Not an Instrument from the violin-family... a Viola da gamba ? or something like that ? The sound is definitly with rich overtones. The other could be a kind of a lute (Can't be more specific). Is the tune an old one too ? It sounds a bit into the middle-ages, but i could only guess.

Congratulations! Baroque lute and bass viol.

No 11.

Hehehe, thats a Zappa tune (I am too lazy to verify the title), it must be the ensemble Ambrosia, i had to check my collection for the exact dates (and instruments)

No 12.

This is nearly a home-game, just to use the soccer-slang. A very special thing... Opera to relax, CD Kyle of Lochalsh, tune No 2 to the lord of the flying carpets. I think Mikeweil will tell you some more.

I will!

No 13.

Okay, this is not a German.... He is (was, he died already) an austrian But i won't tell you, who he is, until i found the title. I give you a clue.... He is a composer and musician.

This one is for native speakers of German only, anyway ......

No 14.

I know this tune... it is from L.v.Beethoven and called "Für Elise" and I have the suspicion, that this must be a "Tangentenflügel" or even an early "Hammerklavier", and.... it could be an instrument, which belonged him or on which he played.

It's a clavichord ..... and not Beethoven's.

Thanks for your stamina!

p.s. I have no idea why the quoting doesn't work here - used the same method as before.

Edited June 17, 2006 by mikeweil

[RDK]

Notes still forthcoming, but i just wanted to say that I was playing Disc 2 last night and my wife really dug many of the tracks, noting that several of them reminded her of Dead Can Dance and Lisa Gerard. Me, I'm hearing Terry Riley and perhaps Can in at least one of the early ones (track 2 I think it was). Very interesting and often lovely disc, but perplexing when it comes to guesses.

[Nate Dorward]

Started this one while busy cleaning up the kitchen so comments on a couple early tracks are missing--will fill in later.

1:

2: Could be an all-percussion ensemble like Nexus, performing a “composerly” (western) take on tuned-percussion traditions from other cultures? Truthfully I was a little disappointed when the music got more chordally oriented after the opening.

3:

4: The question would be whether this was written for this instrumentation or not. Reminded me of Konitz’s album of French Impressionist music, actually, though the piano part is rearranged for string quartet there. A few (early) jazz touches later on but basically classical-music language & sounds like a classical saxophone player. Uh, basically there are only two names I know in this field (Edison Denisov & John Harle) & they're just names to me, so I won't guess!

5: Surely Debussy! Lovely piece in a travelogue vein.

6: First track here I’ve not really liked much – maybe it sounds too “nice” for me .... After a few minutes the sound goes a little distorted on the lead line – is this just an artifact of my CDR or CDR player, or is it part of the music? Maybe Mike can give more details on exactly what we’re hearing – i.e. how many players, & the instrument details (are the low notes vibes too or some kind of bass or percussion synth?). (Side note: I do always like recordings that pick up players’ vocalizing!) – Listening to the faster middle part I note that the slight rattly sound is now part of the middle line. I guess it’s just part of the music.

7: Heheh, a little period tuning to bend the modern ear! No idea what/who it is but I like this stately piece.

8: Well, obviously if I could nail the autoharp-like instrument or the language I’d have a head-start here..... I initially feared this would be like one of those syrupy ballads that play over the credits in a Miyazaki film but it’s actually musically pretty interesting. The first thing on this disc to really be “jazz,” despite the evident crosscultural influences! The thing that I did find a little offputting near the end was the drummer’s thwacking accents.

9: This is a lovely track off an album I used to play a lot on the radio show I ran for a while in the 1990s at CKDU. British folk-jazz led by a veteran bassist. Pity about the offputting album-title. What’s he been doing lately? -- Link here, though I'm pretty sure that the reviewer is wrong to date the album to 1974?

10: This one is quite intriguing. The opening reminds me a bit of Kevin Volans’ string quartets. I was a little disappointed when it turned out that the guitar was only laying down a static accompaniment behind the cello.

11: Wow, what an unusual ensemble – winds, guitar, bass, & at various times I thought it was harmonica, organ or accordion! Certainly two of those in there, maybe 3 for all I know... I’m a little puzzled why the horns simply drop out after a while & don’t return. I liked the piece just for the mood, the sound & the intricate arrangement.

12: Effective pool-of-sound sort of track (the clicking percussion reminded me of Bryars’ The Sinking of the Titanic!). If the vocals are actual identifiable words they’re so abstracted & stretched out that it’s hard to tell.

13: Germany’s answer to John Zorn? ....

14: I don’t think that I’ve heard “Für Elise” on something other than a piano before! What is this exactly (I really don’t know the diff between clavichord, harpsichord, spinet &c &c)? Gives a great pounding growling sound to the middle section.

Edited June 18, 2006 by Nate Dorward

[JSngry]

It's Fathers Day, so I get to do whatever I want. Which, right now, is to get to this BFT Bonus Disc.

This is my first listen, so comments are first impresions only. Usual thaks and disclaimers firmly in place.

TRACK ONE - Verynice Neo-Impressionistic(?) composition. Not really sure if it reaches me, but that's a flaw of mine that I have with a lot of "classical" music. I've spent a lifetime in other musics where the line between source inspiration and performer is more direct, so this specific concept of "interpretation" is one I've yet to even semi-fully grow into. My loss, I know. But I do appreciate the merits of the composition and the precision of the execution.

TRACK TWO - Reminds me of the solo side of Bobby Hutcherson's Contemporary album, but I've not listented to that one in decades, so if this is or isn't from that, I can't begin to speculate. Probably not, as that was overdubbed, and this sounds more like an ensemble performing in real time. Whatever this is though, I like it. Love the tonal quality of the bass marimba (if that's what it is), and of all these instruments. Also love how the tempo changes are fully organic, not at all self-conscious or telegraphed. A very satisfying piece of music.

TRACK THREE - Can't tell if this is a through-composed "classical" piece or a theme & improvised variation, and liking the fact that I can't. Either way, it's a credit to the performer, imo, that he/she is able to blur that line so effectively. Goes to removing the distance between source inspiration and performer that I spoke about earlier. Couldn't spend a lifetime immersed in this type thing, but couldn't spend a lifetime devoid of it either. Much pleasure and satisfaction here.

TRACK FOUR - Geez, I think I might have played this piece back in college... French, right? The altoist isn't strictly "French" in interpretation. The French school of "legit" alto calls for a much less "bright" sound than this. Never got into that, myself, but it is what it is. This is a very good reading of the composition. "Classical" saxophone in general, and alto particularly is an interesting sub-genre. A lot of good literature that gets too often played by people who don't want to deal with the saxophone as a saxophone, if you know what I mean. Then again, what it has come to mean to be "a saxophone" is not at all what Adolphe Sax origianlly envisioned, so who's to say what's right there? Besides, studying legit sax gives you a very good grounding in what all is entailed in things like embochure and breath support, and those are things that you can take with you elsewhere to be modified as needed. Anyway, this is very enjoyable.

TRACK FIVE - Whole tone scales used to sound so "exotic" to me, now they're just another color/device. Familiarity might not breed contempt, but it does breed jadedness... I hear a line between source inspiration and performer that is halway between #s 1 & 3, and I'm not as taken with the composition here as I am with either of those, so, good as it is in "intrisic" terms, I gotta give this one a respectful yawn.

TRACK SIX - Initial impression is of Gary Burton, which is far from an automatic "Yippee!" for me, so let's see what happens... Not much, I'm afraid... Sorry. Has a little bit of Jarrett-ism in the changes of the middle part. No matter who it is or isn't, it's good musicians playing well, but what they do is just not something that grabs me. Would like to know the "prepared" technique he used on the vibes about halfway through. That's a neat sound.

TRACK SEVEN - Natural temperment, I'm assuming? Makes a huge difference, that's for sure. The overtones come more into play as to the color of the instrument, and you end up with an overall fuller sound, even if some of the individual notes sound kind of "off" by the standards of what we're used to hearing. Whole 'nother world, that of non-well-tempered pitch, a world that's full of possibilities and surprises. Now, as far as the composition itself, hey, it's one of many, right?

TRACK EIGHT - Well...jazzfolkrock. This kind of thing is outside of my experientiality, so all I can say is that it certainly seems sincere and expressive of its intent. Doesn't move me, but it doesn't not move me either, so I guess the best thing to say is that it exposes a shortcoming in what I've been exposed to so far. But geez, the piano sounds like it was recorded at Van Gelder's, as do the drums and bass, so that opens up a very intriguing line of speculation that I'm wholly unqualified to make!

TRACK NINE - Wow, that's a helluva bass sound, very full-bodied in every register. Oh, more "folk" elements, vaguely suggesting Oregon or some such unit. Again, outside of my personal experience. But even at that, I gotta say that this one is less interesting to me than was the previous cut. Would be interested in knowing who the tenorist is, as he/she sounds like somebody coming to this music with more than a little jazz influence under their belt. I could guess Jim Pepper, but that would be a generic guess not at all grounded in any real knowledge.

TRACK TEN - Very proficient arco work from the bassist. Shows how lacking many jazz bassists are in this skill, although, granted, the ends are different, and therefore so are the means. Once again, I "appreciate" this more than I "like" it.

TRACK ELEVEN - Interesting textures. Whoever charted this was definitely thinking outside the box. good for them! Oh, there's an accordion, no wonder! Hey, Zawinul says that it was his roots on accordion that got him so intrigued by sythesizers, and that makes sense to me. Can't say that anything on this one grabs me too much outside of the textures, but interesting textures are nothing to take for granted.

TRACK TWELVE - Now, this is working for me! Keep the beat, but leave the space around it open, no need to delineate it manually, let it speak and breathe for itself, and let everything else do the speaking and breathing, each element in its own way. Let harmony be a function of melody, not the other way around, and let melody be a function of the need to fill a space with a meaningful statement, free to expand and contract as that meaning dictates. I hear the ancient seeking sanctuary in the future, and blessing the present with a glimpse of the mission. Yeah, this is definitely working for me!

TRACK THIRTEEN - Sounds like the Bonzos immigrating to Germany for the post-digital millenium, and I mean that in a good way. Besides, I've always felt that coughing as a musical device is one of the few under-utilized expressive tools left. Seriously.

TRACK FOURTEEN - Roll over, Beethoven, and tell Landowska the news!

Wow, that was an interesting set of music, Mike. Certainly exposed a lot of holes in my knowledge/tastes, but I dig it when that happens. Kudos again!

[mikeweil]

2: Could be an all-percussion ensemble like Nexus, performing a “composerly” (western) take on tuned-percussion traditions from other cultures? Truthfully I was a little disappointed when the music got more chordally oriented after the opening.

This is one player overdubbing.

4: The question would be whether this was written for this instrumentation or not. Reminded me of Konitz’s album of French Impressionist music, actually, though the piano part is rearranged for string quartet there. A few (early) jazz touches later on but basically classical-music language & sounds like a classical saxophone player. Uh, basically there are only two names I know in this field (Edison Denisov & John Harle) & they're just names to me, so I won't guess!

Not bad ....

5: Surely Debussy! Lovely piece in a travelogue vein.

Sure! Any idea who plays this?

6: First track here I’ve not really liked much – maybe it sounds too “nice” for me .... After a few minutes the sound goes a little distorted on the lead line – is this just an artifact of my CDR or CDR player, or is it part of the music? Maybe Mike can give more details on exactly what we’re hearing – i.e. how many players, & the instrument details (are the low notes vibes too or some kind of bass or percussion synth?). (Side note: I do always like recordings that pick up players’ vocalizing!) – Listening to the faster middle part I note that the slight rattly sound is now part of the middle line. I guess it’s just part of the music.

Yes it is - he "prepared" the vibes for some passages, and he sang along. Your player is working perfectly. The instrument is a custom-made set of bass-vibes. No overdubbing!

8: Well, obviously if I could nail the autoharp-like instrument or the language I’d have a head-start here..... I initially feared this would be like one of those syrupy ballads that play over the credits in a Miyazaki film but it’s actually musically pretty interesting. The first thing on this disc to really be “jazz,” despite the evident crosscultural influences! The thing that I did find a little offputting near the end was the drummer’s thwacking accents.

As Mr. Bassman stated correctly, it's a cymbalom.

9: This is a lovely track off an album I used to play a lot on the radio show I ran for a while in the 1990s at CKDU. British folk-jazz led by a veteran bassist. Pity about the offputting album-title. What’s he been doing lately? -- Link here, though I'm pretty sure that the reviewer is wrong to date the album to 1974?

My first edition CD says 1987!

10: This one is quite intriguing. The opening reminds me a bit of Kevin Volans’ string quartets. I was a little disappointed when it turned out that the guitar was only laying down a static accompaniment behind the cello.

Again Mr. Bassman got the instruments right - our frequent listening sessions with baroque music are good training! It's baroque lute and viola da gamba.

11: Wow, what an unusual ensemble – winds, guitar, bass, & at various times I thought it was harmonica, organ or accordion! Certainly two of those in there, maybe 3 for all I know... I’m a little puzzled why the horns simply drop out after a while & don’t return. I liked the piece just for the mood, the sound & the intricate arrangement.

Well .....

12: Effective pool-of-sound sort of track (the clicking percussion reminded me of Bryars’ The Sinking of the Titanic!). If the vocals are actual identifiable words they’re so abstracted & stretched out that it’s hard to tell.

This reminds me I have to send a link to the singer ....

13: Germany’s answer to John Zorn? ....

14: I don’t think that I’ve heard “Für Elise” on something other than a piano before! What is this exactly (I really don’t know the diff between clavichord, harpsichord, spinet &c &c)? Gives a great pounding growling sound to the middle section.

A clavichord ..... it was still a very common instrument for amateur keyboard playing in Germany during Beethoven's days, and it fits this piece perfectly - probably an improvisation for someone's peronal album, as the title implies.

[mikeweil]

TRACK ONE - Verynice Neo-Impressionistic(?) composition. Not really sure if it reaches me, but that's a flaw of mine that I have with a lot of "classical" music. I've spent a lifetime in other musics where the line between source inspiration and performer is more direct, so this specific concept of "interpretation" is one I've yet to even semi-fully grow into. My loss, I know. But I do appreciate the merits of the composition and the precision of the execution.

Most of today's classical reviewers criticize this pianist for his very sloppy execution! Your remark about "the line between source inspiration and performer" is very interesting, as it's the composer playing here!

TRACK TWO - Reminds me of the solo side of Bobby Hutcherson's Contemporary album, but I've not listented to that one in decades, so if this is or isn't from that, I can't begin to speculate. Probably not, as that was overdubbed, and this sounds more like an ensemble performing in real time. Whatever this is though, I like it. Love the tonal quality of the bass marimba (if that's what it is), and of all these instruments. Also love how the tempo changes are fully organic, not at all self-conscious or telegraphed. A very satisfying piece of music.

It's one player overdubbing!

TRACK THREE - Can't tell if this is a through-composed "classical" piece or a theme & improvised variation, and liking the fact that I can't. Either way, it's a credit to the performer, imo, that he/she is able to blur that line so effectively. Goes to removing the distance between source inspiration and performer that I spoke about earlier. Couldn't spend a lifetime immersed in this type thing, but couldn't spend a lifetime devoid of it either. Much pleasure and satisfaction here.

Exactly my thoughts about the pianist here!

TRACK FOUR - Geez, I think I might have played this piece back in college... French, right? The altoist isn't strictly "French" in interpretation. The French school of "legit" alto calls for a much less "bright" sound than this. Never got into that, myself, but it is what it is. This is a very good reading of the composition. "Classical" saxophone in general, and alto particularly is an interesting sub-genre. A lot of good literature that gets too often played by people who don't want to deal with the saxophone as a saxophone, if you know what I mean. Then again, what it has come to mean to be "a saxophone" is not at all what Adolphe Sax originally envisioned, so who's to say what's right there? Besides, studying legit sax gives you a very good grounding in what all is entailed in things like embochure and breath support, and those are things that you can take with you elsewhere to be modified as needed. Anyway, this is very enjoyable.

The composer was born in Prague into a German-Jewish family ..... and the sax player is one of the very few in Germany who turns in equally convincing performances in both jazz and classical music; he teaches both. You enjoyed this very same sax player on track 10 of the first disc!

TRACK SIX - Initial impression is of Gary Burton, which is far from an automatic "Yippee!" for me, so let's see what happens... Not much, I'm afraid... Sorry. Has a little bit of Jarrett-ism in the changes of the middle part. No matter who it is or isn't, it's good musicians playing well, but what they do is just not something that grabs me. Would like to know the "prepared" technique he used on the vibes about halfway through. That's a neat sound.

Only one player recorded live (!), and using preperation - I'd love to know what exactly he did.

TRACK SEVEN - Natural temperment, I'm assuming? Makes a huge difference, that's for sure. The overtones come more into play as to the color of the instrument, and you end up with an overall fuller sound, even if some of the individual notes sound kind of "off" by the standards of what we're used to hearing. Whole 'nother world, that of non-well-tempered pitch, a world that's full of possibilities and surprises. Now, as far as the composition itself, hey, it's one of many, right?

Yes, it's the final part of four.

TRACK EIGHT - Well...jazzfolkrock. This kind of thing is outside of my experientiality, so all I can say is that it certainly seems sincere and expressive of its intent. Doesn't move me, but it doesn't not move me either, so I guess the best thing to say is that it exposes a shortcoming in what I've been exposed to so far. But geez, the piano sounds like it was recorded at Van Gelder's, as do the drums and bass, so that opens up a very intriguing line of speculation that I'm wholly unqualified to make!

I don't hear any rock in here ...... it was recorded by one Katherine Miller at The Studio, New York City!

TRACK NINE - Wow, that's a helluva bass sound, very full-bodied in every register. Oh, more "folk" elements, vaguely suggesting Oregon or some such unit. Again, outside of my personal experience. But even at that, I gotta say that this one is less interesting to me than was the previous cut. Would be interested in knowing who the tenorist is, as he/she sounds like somebody coming to this music with more than a little jazz influence under their belt. I could guess Jim Pepper, but that would be a generic guess not at all grounded in any real knowledge.

Nate Dorward nailed this - I think he has the biggest and most beautiful sound of all European bassists!

TRACK TEN - Very proficient arco work from the bassist. Shows how lacking many jazz bassists are in this skill, although, granted, the ends are different, and therefore so are the means. Once again, I "appreciate" this more than I "like" it.

See above for the instruments.

TRACK ELEVEN - Interesting textures. Whoever charted this was definitely thinking outside the box.

Yes - both the composer and the arrangers!

TRACK TWELVE - Now, this is working for me! Keep the beat, but leave the space around it open, no need to delineate it manually, let it speak and breathe for itself, and let everything else do the speaking and breathing, each element in its own way. Let harmony be a function of melody, not the other way around, and let melody be a function of the need to fill a space with a meaningful statement, free to expand and contract as that meaning dictates. I hear the ancient seeking sanctuary in the future, and blessing the present with a glimpse of the mission. Yeah, this is definitely working for me!

They will love this commentary!

TRACK THIRTEEN - Sounds like the Bonzos immigrating to Germany for the post-digital millenium, and I mean that in a good way. Besides, I've always felt that coughing as a musical device is one of the few under-utilized expressive tools left. Seriously.

TRACK FOURTEEN - Roll over, Beethoven, and tell Landowska the news!

Wow, that was an interesting set of music, Mike. Certainly exposed a lot of holes in my knowledge/tastes, but I dig it when that happens. Kudos again!

Thanks for the compliment! I appreciate it so much that the critical jazz ears on this board dig the unusual musical excursions on this disc! The compliment goes back to your ears and openness!

[JSngry]

I appreciate it so much that the critical jazz ears on this board dig the unusual musical excursions on this disc!

Dude - truth be told, I'm sick of "jazz for the sake of jazz", if you know what I mean. I'd rather hear good somethingelse than mediocre jazz, and I'd rather hear great something else than good jazz. I mean, I've got a personal relationship with jazz that I don't have with any other music, but like any other personal relationship, if you don't keep it meaningful, it degrades the original nature of the relationship.

After a while, as I know that you know, it's really all just music, and it all gets judged/appreciated accordingly. Anything less is just cheap.

[mikeweil]

Dude - truth be told, I'm sick of "jazz for the sake of jazz", if you know what I mean. I'd rather hear good somethingelse than mediocre jazz, and I'd rather hear great something else than good jazz. I mean, I've got a personal relationship with jazz that I don't have with any other music, but like any other personal relationship, if you don't keep it meaningful, it degrades the original nature of the relationship.

After a while, as I know that you know, it's really all just music, and it all gets judged/appreciated accordingly. Anything less is just cheap.

I hear ya, Jim! Same here, basically .......

[king ubu]

Mike, this disc is quite a trip, to many places, from classical to ethnical... mainly lots of beautiful (in a good sense) music. I'm not sure if there really is anything that does connect all the tracks (#1-#12, that is), but it might be some kind of musical honesty? It's all warm and direct music that does not try to dazzle with technical things - that's what I meant with "beautiful", I guess. It's obviously useless to make any guesses, and I just took a couple of notes while listening (again only background listening while at work...)

#1 Hmmm... sounds like something classical channelled through some other kind of mind? Or like some silent film accompaniment...

#2 Marimba, balafon? Very nice easy one, I like the warm mood a lot!

#3 Very nice sequencing, Mike, from #1 to #3! Similar to #1 again, but with more attack. Still very moody.

#4 Wow! Sounds very familiar... some 20s or 30 piece for saxophone and piano? Good one!

#5 Fits in nicely again... I don't have a lot to say about these moody piano pieces... not things I'd listen to all that often, but quite nice.

#8 Hmmm... can't say I don't like this voice. What language's she singing in? Nice bass and drums below! Someone who knows how to handle them brushes, very nice! My favourite track of this disc so far.

#9 Very nice... reminds me of Haden/Bley's "Ballad of the Fallen"... acoustic guitar and fat bass sound fit very well, tenor is good, too, with full-bodied sound that (imo) just manages to escape the tenor macho-clichés. Another favourite track!

#10 / #11 Nice sequencing again here. Not much I can say... I like the second tune quite a bit, me likes some accordion in a nice setting like this.

*******

#12 Not sure what to make of this. Sounds pretty interesting on first listen...

*******

#13 Wow! Pathetic voice and chipmunks... great one! Reminds me of that sped-up vocal duo the Elliott fellow (trumpet, mellophone, vibes) had in the sixties... great! Goes to quite a few places afterwards. Tons of fun in here!

#14 "Für Elise"... like this one a lot!

[mikeweil]

#8 Hmmm... can't say I don't like this voice. What language's she singing in? Nice bass and drums below! Someone who knows how to handle them brushes, very nice! My favourite track of this disc so far.

So you found the discs ......

The language is Czech - she is very well known in Czech folk circles!

I appreciate your compliments on the sequencing - I spent many an hour on it!

[mikeweil]

#1 Hmmm... sounds like something classical channelled through some other kind of mind?

This remark is much better fitting than you might think!

[king ubu]

#8 Hmmm... can't say I don't like this voice. What language's she singing in? Nice bass and drums below! Someone who knows how to handle them brushes, very nice! My favourite track of this disc so far.

So you found the discs ......

The language is Czech - she is very well known in Czech folk circles!

I appreciate your compliments on the sequencing - I spent many an hour on it!

I see above that this track is from George Mraz' disc "Morava"... that one has been on my wishlist for a long time... will move it up further!

[mikeweil]

#8 Hmmm... can't say I don't like this voice. What language's she singing in? Nice bass and drums below! Someone who knows how to handle them brushes, very nice! My favourite track of this disc so far.

So you found the discs ......

The language is Czech - she is very well known in Czech folk circles!

I appreciate your compliments on the sequencing - I spent many an hour on it!

I see above that this track is from George Mraz' disc "Morava"... that one has been on my wishlist for a long time... will move it up further!

It's one of the most beautiful folk-jazz albums ever made, believe me! Too bad it wasn't included in one of the recent Zweitausendeins Fantasy sales.

[RDK]

Sorry for the delay. Disc 1 is still in the car changer, so i'll try to get to that tomorrow. I've listened to both discs many times and enjoyed them greatly. In many ways I may actually prefer this Bonus Disc since it's a bit more unconventional and i can listen to it without having to try to guess who might be playing what. That makes it easier, i think, to simply sit back and absorb the music. This disc, rather minimalist and classical, is perhaps easier to put on in the background and "relax" to, but it's actually very interesting and full of challenges. Great comp, Mike, that I know I'll be listening to many times in the future. Even my wife commented that she likes it. Don't have any solid guesses as to who's doing what...

1. I think I mentioned earlier that this track reminds me of Terry Riley or perhaps even Philip Glass. Don’t think it’s either, but the influence is there. Very cool, hypnotic track – I like it!

2. Again, has that Terry Riley-minimalist thing going on, this time with percussion/marimba rather than piano. I love how the lines intersect and build on one another, like wave crests in a still pond. This sort of minimalist stuff can be lovely or dreadful, but so far Mike has selected two really interesting tracks.

3. Lovely piano solo that starts out more classical than jazz but then builds to something that Jarrett might do in one of his concerts (sans humming of course ). If it’s a classical player than I’ve no idea who it might be; if jazz, then maybe Paul Bley? (And yes, I’m aware of the irony in suggesting that it’s either a jazz or classical cat.)

4. Haven’t listened to it in a while, but this reminds me of something off Simon Rattle’s Jazz album - http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&t...93&sql=43:92658. It’s a lovely piece of (apparently) early 20th century impressionism.

5. Again, no clue. I’m not up on much classical music, though I tend to enjoy it when I hear it, so I’m likely to compare everything to jazz pianists that I’m more familiar with. The opening low chords on this piece remind me of Jarrett’s Dark Intervals, but the rest of the piece not so much. It’s a lovely piece, but perhaps a bit too sedate for my tastes. My least favorite so far.

6. Another lovely, impressionistic vibe/marimba piece, again probably from someone more classically trained. But then again, I hate to fall into that trap as many jazz musicians start out with classical training and have a passion for that music as well and I really hate to ghettoize. For familiar players, this sounds like it could be Gary Burton, who would also be open enough to use the “prepared” instrument (or electronics effects, I can’t tell). And wait – isn’t that a familiar Burton melody creeping in in the middle? Surely this is some European musician whom I’ve never heard of before doing some Gary Burton tribute. Very nice when it double-times at the end!

7. Don’t care so much for the sound of – what is that? – harpsichord, guitar effects, or whatever. Interesting and pleasant enough for 5 minutes, but wouldn’t want an entire album of the stuff.

8. Lovely voice singing in some foreign language – yes, I am an ugly American. But one doesn’t need to know what she’s singing; I’ve always said that the human voice is perhaps the most beautiful and emotive instrument, and here’s a case in point. The rest of the musicians ain’t bad either. Especially love the bass and cello (?) that comes in late for flavor.

9. Bass solo that opens this sounds like it came from some Dave Holland ECM solo album, but then some other musicians enter, changing the feel altogether. Feels almost Spanish or Latin, but still strikes me as having a 1970’s-era ECM quality to it.

10. Interesting. Really curious about this one! But no idea…

11. Not quite as interesting. Not really digging the composition, but the instrumental combinations are inventive, giving this track a unique sound. Along with 7, one of the weakest tracks so far.

12. Bet this would sound cool with headphones! Not sure if I actually like this one even after listening to it so many times, but at the same time it’s so interesting and oddly compelling that I can’t not listen yet again. Hypnotic and dream-like. Sounds more like an electronica/rock band doing some arty sound collage.

13. Yeah, this wakes me up! Like some Germanic Spike Jones. I think I’ll add this to my kids’ music comp… so that I can listen to it again.

14. I get these classical, uh, classics mixed up. “Fur Elise?” It’s a beautiful “tune” all right, but I’m not that big a fan of the harpsichord.

[RDK]

I appreciate it so much that the critical jazz ears on this board dig the unusual musical excursions on this disc!

Dude - truth be told, I'm sick of "jazz for the sake of jazz", if you know what I mean. I'd rather hear good somethingelse than mediocre jazz, and I'd rather hear great something else than good jazz. I mean, I've got a personal relationship with jazz that I don't have with any other music, but like any other personal relationship, if you don't keep it meaningful, it degrades the original nature of the relationship.

After a while, as I know that you know, it's really all just music, and it all gets judged/appreciated accordingly. Anything less is just cheap.

[couw]

so I *did* recognise a track!

#8 is "Na Osicce" featuring Zuzana Lapciková on cymbalom and vocals.

Somehow Emil Viklický's piano is very recognisable to me as well.

Edited June 28, 2006 by couw