BFT 41, CD 1

[Tom Storer]

OK, folks, here's the thread to discuss BFT 41, CD 1. Tomorrow it will have been one week since I sent out the packages, and the European recipients began to report before the week's end that they had received them. I'm thinking the North American, Russian, and Singaporean residents will have them in hand within the next couple of days if they don't have them already. Better early than late, so here goes!

Roughly 75% of the items on the two discs are from bittorrent boots, so Dimeadozen addicts may have the upper hand. There's no special theme. There are two or three freebies, and a bunch of individual musicians whom I suspect will be quickly spotted; it may not be the most challenging BFT, but I hope you'll like the music and the way it flows.

My only request is that if you know for certain what an item is, you don't spill the beans--link to AMG or something instead.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Well, a very “lively” set Tom. And including some really interesting things. Thanks for this.

1 A really swinging vibes, bass drums combo! Lovely bass player! Now who could the vibes player be? My best guess is that it’s Milt Buckner, but could be Dany Doriz. I like this a lot, whoever it is.

2 Wow! At first I thought it was an alternative take of “Black apostles” from Sonny Criss’ “Sonny’s dream”. But that ain’t Criss playing. It’s someone good, though not quite as nasty and slurry as Sonny. And then along comes Teddy Edwards. Well, he WAS on Sonny’s recording. So this is a live version of the tune. And I really don’t know this pianist, who’s really got something to say. So I played it again, but got out my copy of Sonny’s dream in between and just checked that I wasn’t going crazy. Nope, definitely not Sonny Criss. And I noticed in the notes that the tune was written for “Black Arthur”. Aha! Could it be Arthur Blythe? And maybe Horace Tapscott? I haven’t got much Blythe but I think it could be. This is really nice!

3 I vaguely recognise this tune. I think it’s Abdullah Ibrahim on piano. Lovely rhythm to this. Then it breaks, not very smoothly, into straight fours and the tenor player comes in. And there’s a little bit more of a South African feel to it for a short time. But I think the tenor player is not South African. Don’t know who, though.

4 Oh wow again! Another cut from “Sonny’s dream”. Must be same concert. This one is “Sandy & Niles”. Super solo from Teddy! Don’t know who the guitarist is. He seems to get a bit lost at the end of his solo. Then back to the pianist. This solo isn’t quite as stretching as the one on “Black apostles”. I’m just guessing it’s Tapscott because he wrote these tunes, haven’t the faintest idea really.

5 This flute player isn’t terribly interesting to me. Nor the bass player and drummer. No, this ain’t for me.

6 I recognise this tune vaguely; can’t place it. It seems as if it’s quite well known. Everyone sounds as if they’re just playing. The tenor player’s overblown bit sounds completely arbitrary. Another one I don’t like at all.

7 Accordion and tenor playing “Saving all my love for you”. Lovely! I should recognise the tenor player, but I don’t. Some time during this, I wondered if it wasn’t a harmonium, but concluded that it was an accordion.

8 Cecil Taylor! Very, very exciting! How does the drummer make that funny scraping sound during his solo? I’ve always been excited by Taylor’s music, whenever I’ve heard it, but I don’t like it at all. So I haven’t heard much of it. This maintains the interest all the way through. And I still don’t like it.

9 Is this another Abdullah Ibrahim? A lot like him, but perhaps someone else. Doesn’t grab me like other Ibrahim stuff I’ve heard.

10 “Yesterdays”. A nice performance. The bass player keeps the mood going, but I think I could have done without his solo. Actually, I’m not sure whether the sax is alto or soprano; sometimes it sounds like one, sometimes the other. The tone is a bit straight.

Interesting approach to use mainly live performances. But now I've read your first post, and see you're using stuff that's hanging on the web, I understand it. Good approach. Hah! and not liable to be expensive when I find out who's doing what. Mind you, there’s a lot more here that I find very interesting than that I actually like. Thanks very much Tom. On to disc 2 tomorrow

MG

[king ubu]

Tom, here are my guesses - first spin at work, away from my CD collection, as I did it with the last few discs, too... I enjoyed your two CDs a lot, thank you!

#1 A fun opener! Lovely sound on them doorbells, dry, no reverb and vibrato. Bass and drums do a good job, retro stuff? Sure sounds like a fairly recent recording.

#2 March drumming, similar to what Blakey did on his "Blues March" (Golson's, actually...)

Horns sound like from some film soundtrack, with much brass (french horn, too). Alto is nice, pretty heavy meaty sound. Bass-sound gives it away as a 70s recording... not my favourite way of catching a double bass, in fact it doesn't sound like a double bass at all...

Anyway, alto is nice! The recording all together sounds pretty nice to me, pretty moody. Tenor sax now... Trane-ish in conception, pretty nice! Good one, will have to play this again, would like to have more of this, too! Probably a live recording or a vinyl dub?

#3 Uh-huh! Sounds quite like Dollar Brand... lovely! He was great... still is, but he mellowed somewhat and I find lots of his more recent recordings less interesting than what he did in the 70s and 80s... my guess for this would be late 70s or 80s. I wouldn't be surprised to find out I have this one...

Oh, on his later albums, "Yarona", a trio live recording from Sweet Basil is a total stunner, a fascinating and deeply involving disc!

Hm, that transition after five minutes goes into territory that I wouldn't necessarily associate with Ibrahim, but the piano is still there, of course... lovely lovely cut!

Is the tenor player one of the ZA cohorts? Basil Coetzee? Or rather a US guy? I'd opt for the later...

#4 Nice one! Floating tenor... Clifford Jordan in the late 60s? Guitar sounds a bit like Grant Green... nice sound, but not a very coherent solo. Tenor is very nice here, rest I don't like that much...

#5 Yuck, flute and corny conga?

Nice, sounds familiar, but I'm not sure I know who this is. Swallow on electric bass. Nice one, maybe Puschnig on flute? These finishing cadenzas sound purty european...

#6 One of those Monk tunes I can never pin down... tenor has a nice gruffy sound, piano is - as always with monkish stuff not done by Monk himself - a bit too easy and tickling... he was just so totally unique in any way!

So there's the tenor solo... Could this be Joe Henderson? There are a few spots where it sounds like him quite some, but all together the sound's a bit too rough and loud for him, methinks (but what do I know...).

#7 Great! Sax sounds familiar but I can't place it. Accordion, hmm... Stian Carstensen? He did duos with a sax/clarinet chap, but I can't remember right now who that was... ah, Iain Ballamy... could be them. Great one!

And a hearty recommendation for anyone enjoying some accordion to watch the film "Accordion Tribe" (Carstensen is not in it, but Guy Klucevsek, Otto Lechner and three others)!

#8 First association of course CT! Maybe with Oxley & William Parker? No... would Oxley go into these rockish beats? And would they do such a short tune...

#9 Lovely soprano! Fullbodied tone, nice hints of vibrato here and there, someone pretty much in command of the bitchy horn... beautiful! Not Barney, is it? A tiny bit too much bite in the sound, I think...

#10 Oh, more soprano, and more beautiful soprano, too! "Yesterdays". I like this out of or very slow tempo.

Very, very nice one! Older recording, from the sound and style. I won't drop any names, not eager to embarass myself...

[Nate Dorward]

1: I initially feared this would just be a cute 30s retro vibes/slap bass showcase (maybe it’s the lingering aftereffects of having had to review a Roland Guerin album) but this one really does get intense enough to get out of the novelty bag.

2: More or less a Messengers tribute, starting with a hint of “Blues March” but moving into the style of Free for All (in fact I think the rhythm is a direct lift from “The Core” or “Free for All”....). I like the tenor player a lot more than the alto -- so much sharper. Arthur Blythe on alto? Aha!!!! Unmistakably Tapscott on piano! His solo’s brilliant, the joyous push to the edge of chaos (but completely controlled). The rest is just OK.

3: No idea whether this is South African jazz or just players inspired by it – but anyway it’s an enjoyable track that sustains its length, though never really makes me jump out of my seat either.

4: I find the texture with both piano & guitar too busy so I find this more enjoyable once the guitarist & pianist get to their solos. Or perhaps I just like their solos better?

5: Got to be Steve Swallow on bass, though this is not the usual context for Swallow....! I could have lost the extra percussion, but the flute player is good, nice tone & plenty of ideas phrased in interesting across-the-form/bar ways. One of the best tracks on the BFT.

6: The pianist starts like it’s going to be “52nd St Theme” but then with the repetitions it becomes clear we’re going somewhere else. Messy opening, & in general I just can’t get with this one, the loopy drumming in particular. Most interested in what the tenor’s doing.

7: A little pop balladry with tenor & accordion! “Saving All My Love For You”? Uh, well, it’s nicely done, I’m not going to complain.

8: Evidently an edit from a longer performance (pity about the background hiss!). Hm, it’s a surprise when the drummer pulls a contemporary dancefloor rhythm out of there! No idea who it is, but nice to have this somewhat freeish track here. Weird scrapy sound on the drums – is he using those “hybrid” sticks that are bundles of thin sticks?

9: An old-fashioned soprano sound with a contemporary tune & rhythm section. I love that blue 3rd he juggles with 2 & 1/2 minutes in! & a good piano solo too. I liked this track a lot.

10: “Yesterdays”. Weirdly balanced/recorded, the soprano sounding virtually like an overdub on a very quiet rhythm section. Uneventful. I take it this is included because of the bass solo but it’s not really doing a lot for me either.

[Eloe Omoe]

#1 - Far too easy! Both the vibraphone and the bass player are impossible to miss. It's track 17 from this CD:

link

#2 - Tapscott, I guess, with Arthur Blythe and Teddy Edwards. Nice performance of a well-known tune from Sonny's Dream.

#3 - If it's Abdullah Ibrahim playing, the tenor could be - who knows - Ricky Ford, or Charles Davis. Don't know why, but the transition during the tenor solo made me think of a Don Grolnick/Steps thing

#4 - Maybe Tapscott again, with the same band. Not bad, not at all.

#5 - A very good track. I keep thinking of Sam Rivers on flute, with Doug Matthews and Anthony Cole, but who knows?

#6 - Tenor sax sounds suspiciously like Joe Henderson (or Mike Brecker in a Joe Hen incarnation); the bass player sounds like Eddie Gomez. So the piano player could be Chick Corea. Not a particularly great performance, I've heard better things. Wild guess: Bheki Mseleku on piano.

#7 - It's Saving All My Love for You, of course, and I think it comes from the Iain Ballamy/Stian Carstensen duo CD.

#8 - Hmmm... Don't think it's Cecil Taylor. Drummer could be Tony Oxley, of course (even if in places he sounds like Daniel Humair, a fact that made me think of the Kuhn- Jenny Clark-Humair trio); if it's Oxley, the piano player could be Paul Bley.

Anyway, I liked it very much.

#9 - I have the original version of this tune, but I cannot remember what it is In any case, it's a lovely performance.

#10 - Really no idea. I'm gonna think about it some more. Good performance, anyway.

Many thanks, Tom, for this music

[Durium]

Thanks forb the great collection you'd send, Tom, but I find it difficult to label track with names and tunes.

1. I like this slap bass playing. It sounds like Milt Hinton or someone of the old masters. I don't recognize the vibe. a great opener.

2. First I thought of course this was Blues March - if so it is a pretty modern form/

7. I like the accordeon player. They are scarce in modern jazz. I heard one lately in a TV program, but I forgot his name.

Thanks so far. I'll study the CD this weekend again.

Keepswinging

Durium

[JSngry]

Got the discs early this week, bur it's been a hectic one, so I'm a bit late in responding. Sorry.

The usual thanks and disclaimers firmly in place, it's off to the races!

TRACK ONE - The easy guess would be Milt Hinton & Hamp. I could still go w/The Judge, but not Hamp. Red Norvo, perhaps? Sounds like they were having fun. Drummer's got a tough gig on this one, deciding how to lock in w/all that slap bass rhythmic activity. This guy plays it straight, and although the results might have been more "interesting" if he hadn't, I don't know that they'd be more successful. Pleasant enough, this one is.

TRACK TWO - Sounds like a late-60s/early-70s European recording. Altoist reminds me of the recently discussed Robin Kenyatta, who I'd not realized until hearing this might have had a strong tonal influence on cats like Oliver Lake & Arthur Blythe. I like this one. Sounds a little dated, but what the hell. Specific manifestations of sincerity may date, but the thing itself never does. Tenor sounds like a real talent still (but barely still) in the final formative stage. Little things here and there happen that probably would disappear with a little more seasoning. But again, I feel the sincerity. The rhythm section sounds fully seasoned, however. Sincerity of spirit, that's the main thing I take away from this one, that and some really good writing and scoring. Great tune that I know I've heard elsewhere. I'd have been applauding too, if I had been there.

TRACK THREE - Keith's Vanguard thing on Impulse!, I believe. This is why I love Dewey - unlimited soul and no need for a rigid form to put it in. Just let that shit sing on out and all around! Keith's tunes are always groovy, and sometimes he is too. But Dewey's all I need here. Hell, Dewey's really all anybody needs...

TRACK FOUR - Harold Vick, it sounds like. Was this tune on his Stata-East side? I don't remember. That was another guy with unlimited soul, although he tended to be a bit chamelionic about it. Cat would show up in all sorts of different contexts and play shit that seemed maybe just a tad "generic" until you really paid attention. Then the breadth of his motherfuckerness would become fully apparent. Dude knew the tenor and used it as a vehicle for expressions of a certain type of soul in a way that makes him very much an unsung hero of both the instrument & the music in my book. Yeah, Harold Vick was a bad man! Cool jazz name, too, Harold Vick. Ted Dunbar on guitar? His quirky phrasing seems to be heard here...Hey, everybody's good on this one, but this is the Harold Vick show afaic.

TRACK FIVE - WTF kind of bass is that? The whole thing sounds pretty superficial on the surface, but a closer listening reveals some pretty involved, non-cliched ideas & some really well-integrated conga playing. That flute style sounds famiiar, reminds me of Rahsaan w/the heavy tounging, but I don't know... No matter, this is very much a "stealth" cut, easy to gloss over, but at one's own peril.

TRACK SIX - Stubblefield? Hell, I don't know. It's good, nothing more, and nothing less. Might be some coke in that mix somewhere... Cat's got great control of the horn, that's for sure, but the intensity (and not just his) sounds just a little "assisted", if you know what I mean. I'm too old for that shit. Finally...

TRACK SEVEN - I've always liked this tune, from Whitney on. Nothing here to convince me to stop, except that if the tenorist's not George Adams, he should be.

TRACK EIGHT - No idea, but would love to have one. Mytee Fine!

TRACK NINE - Sounds like a Mulligan (or Mulligan-esque) tune, and maybe Zoot on soprano. It's got that "corny in a cool way" thing going in both the tune & the soprano playing. Nice.

TRACK TEN - "Yesterdays". Great tune. Surely that's not Lucky? Wow...

Enjoyed it! Now on to Disc Two.

[Big Al]

I dunno. I tried listening to this and CD 2, and nothing grabbed me or interested me, at least not enough to venture any guesses. Sorry!

[Eloe Omoe]

Ah, yes. #9 is Gerry Mulligan's Walk on the Water, from the DRG big band album. But who's on soprano? Maybe Gerry himself?

Edited October 6, 2006 by Eloe Omoe

[Tom Storer]

Well, the pieces on this BFT have been dropping like flies before the onslaught of your collective wisdom. No one's come close to no. 6 or no. 8! Keep trying!

[Stereojack]

BFT #41, Disc 1

1. The bassist is Milt Hinton. I confess it didn’t click in until I recognized his voice at the end. On second listen, it was pretty obvious, although I have no idea who’s playing vibes. A nice opener for this set.

2. A nice alto player, I’m a little less enamored of the tenor, and things go awry somewhat during the piano solo.

3. At first I thought Dollar Brand/Abdullah Ibrahim, but gave that up when the tenor came in. The funky groove threw me off a little, but eventually I got it - Keith Jarrett, w/ Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, & Paul Motian. Charlie’s sound is unmistakeble!

4. The tenor is familiar – might it be Jimmy Heath, with Tony Purrone on guitar? Frankly, the guitarist does nothing for me, no cohesion in his solo. Overall a lackluster performance.

5. Flutist’s sound is a little thin, drummer’s more choppy than I like, good bassist. No clues here.

6. Tinny piano sound. Tenor player flailing about. Performance is meandering. No thanks!

7. I like the tenor player, reminiscent of George Coleman. The accordionist (or is it a bandoneon?) is a fine player, although the sound of the instrument might grow tiresome if I heard more than one track. One at a time, I like it. Good playing all around!

8. This didn’t speak to me at all.

9. I was taken with the soprano player right away. A nice rich sound, not the piercing sound that is all too common among most (not all) players of this instrument.

10. Here’s the same group, playing Jerome Kern’s “Yesterdays”. I’m really intrigued by this.

Some fine music here, Tom. Comments on disc #2 in a couple of days.

[fent99]

First Listen on way to work today. I'll post more as I work my way through.

1. Nice bass and vibes, I'd guess Hamp but though I love the vibes I've little of him. Kinda skiffley?

2. No idea but I like this, nice marching start

3. Abdullah Ibrahim! I think I can guess right. Live in the late 70's early 80s?

4. Nice theme and arrangement sax is fine but the band isn't outstanding and it goes on a bit...

5. Don't have much flute and this doesn't inspire though the playing is fine

6. Not sure about this either another lengthy and loose number

7. Great tune and version and the presence of accordion narrows it down to Carstensen ? so its his duo with Ballamy Nice and playful

8. Not for me. Reminds me of thos Tippet or Riley albums I keep buying in the hope that I'll get it

9. Nicer lovely soprano palying and I should know the tune

10. Even lovelier, no idea on who it is but really lovely stuff

Edited October 10, 2006 by fent99

[king ubu]

#3 Keith Jarrett? I confess I haven't played all those live shows I got yet... but hey, this is definitely from Ibrahim's camp... almost like stealin', at least for the first part, if it's not the man himself!

#4: glad I'm not alone in finding the guitar incoherent, Mr. Jack!

[brownie]

Plenty of unknown music but I enjoyed what I heard. Some ot it very much!

Track 1 - That's not Hamp ringing dem bells. The vibist is a bit stiffer than the master.

Pretty enjoyable opening to this compilation!

Track 2 - Very interesting composition. First listening had me thinking of Frank Morgan on alto but then it dawned on me it was Arthur Blythe with his awkward pitch alto.

The pianist showed up with imaginative wanderings. Is that a regular group? Want to hear more of them!

Track 3 - Sounded at first like Dollar Brand on the path back to Africa. Thought he was going around in circles until the tenor player added his voice and he sounded like Dewey Redman with Charlie Haden and I realised it had to be the Keith Jarrett Quartet with Haden and Motian in its 'Survivor Suite' days, my preferred Jarrett (and about the only of his groups I still enjoy).

Track 4 - Quite a strange gathering we have here. The group has its shortcomings. No idea who's aboard. Guitarist had rough moments. The live recording make it sound like the group had some trouble staying together with the bass being recorded a bit too close to the mike. The drummer has a hard time making sense of the proceedings.

Track 5 - A Roland Kirk-inspired flutist going at it? Not my favorite track.

Track 6 - Monkish tune. Quite a number of names of tenor players crossed my mind but each time the reaction was 'no, that can't be'. Could not recognise these people.

Track 7 - Galliano? The accordion player was not heard sufficiently to make sure. Besides I don't know who that could be on tenor. Certainly not Michel Portal who has played concerts with him. The tune is the lovely 'Saving All My Love For you'. The performance is quite enjoyable.

Track 8 - OK that's not CT! A very intriguing track, but it's really provocative. Thought I recognised Andrew Cyrille on traps but I might be off... A very interesting interpretation. I will need to get this one (if it's available in any form!)

Track 9 - Jeru's 'Walk on Water'. Love that composition. Is that the composer on soprano? One of the few soprano contributions I will accept anytime.

The accompanying musicians sounded like the group that were on the DRG album that bore this title.

Track 10 - Yesterdays. Another nice soprano sound. That couldn't be Barney Wilen! Nice way to finish this disc!

----------

Disc 2 will be handled in a few days. Hoping to make better on that one. I know I like it already.

Thanks to Tom for making this music available. Makes me wish I had joined that torrent of yours!

[gnhrtg]

Thanks, Tom.

Here are my guesses and comments. I'll give this another spin tomorrow in hope of filling in the blanks and perhaps saying more about the rest as well.

DISC 1

--------

1) I'll guess Milt Hinton and Lionel Hampton, from his phrasing and the licks. He's not playing any double-timed passages, though, so (more obviously from the sound) this a relatively recent recording. I enjoyed this for what it is - could've been more development in the solo rather than stock licks and marking certain changes so explicitly.

2) I think I have this. It should be Arhtur Blythe on alto. The tenor soloist is well-steeped in the tradition (the phrasing and also, heh, the intonation). I'd have guessed Andrew Cyrille and Fred Hopkins but then the drummer does not sound like Cyrille. Because of the tone, I'm still tempted to go for Hopkins if only because I cannot think of anyone else (could be McBee, could be any of 3-4 others). Almost definitely Horace Tapscott on piano. Tapscott's solo is ok but the rest did not interest me much [nothing happening, for instance, during the last chorus of the tenor player's solo], even though I've heard things by Blythe I like and the tenor player sounds like he might be more interested in a more organized (buttoned-up?) context.

3) Begins with a half-remembered/thrown-in Monk quote. Perhaps Abdullah Ibrahim, but I'm not at all certain. I can't say anything about the rest of the band. They do their jobs adequately. I can't identify the tenor soloist either. He plays an all-right solo, nothing inspired. It's a fun groove but the this goes on a little too long for me.

4)

5) I have this. Or used to. This disc is varied but uneven. This falls somewhere in the middle. There's a great alto track, one of the first three, and I think another one toward the end but the rest is unremarkable. The band is S.Swallow/W.Puschnig/D.Alias/V.Lewis - Grey (Quinton). Puschnig's best, I still feel, was his early work with the Vienna Art Orchestra.

6)

7)

8) Good one, Tom, especially the pianist and after the drum solo. I can't have a go with any degree of certainty. (though I'm pretty sure I'll be familiar with the guys).

9) I have this - well certainly the tune but probably not this performance. Not a memorable performance, I'd say, though I like the tone of the soprano, but I'm still annoyed I can't confidently guess at any of these guys' names.

10) Yesterdays, of course. Damn, don't know these guys either.

(edited for formatting)

Edited October 10, 2006 by gnhrtg

[gnhrtg]

The pianist on track 8 does not sound like Cecil Taylor at all. Looks like I got track 3 wrong, but then I listened to those Jarrett albums only once, though fairly recently.

[king ubu]

The pianist on track 8 does not sound like Cecil Taylor at all. Looks like I got track 3 wrong, but then I listened to those Jarrett albums only once, though fairly recently.

Well, that first half of it indeed sounds just like Dollar Brand! It's been some time since I played the American Quartet Impulse discs, and I haven't played even half of the live shows I have, so... but I wasn't aware Jarrett was once so close to what I expect coming from Ibrahim!

[mikeweil]

Here are my guesses for disc one - sorry that I'm late to the party, but my crazy working schedule that thrusts unprecedented changes on me at least twice a week makes for a common scheme with each BFT: I get the disc, play it once and enjoy it, and then don't get around to listening for another two weeks ..... the usual disclaimers apply.

Track 1: Great!!! Would buy it any second. Some very proficient slap bass technique that suggests the late Milt Hinton. I'm not sure about the doorbellist - not Hamp, I'm pretty sure. Nice dry sound, sans the motor-driven vibrato. Excellent, and a great opener. *****

Track 2: The sound of the alto playing the theme suggests Arthur Blythe. Bassist does not hit the notes right in the upper register. Is this some Horace Tapscott big band? Like the baritone in the section, has a very big sound. Hamiet Bluiett? Very energetic, but I don't feel the urge to listen to that once more.

Track 3: I have that one, my favourite band of that pianist. Wore out the LP and am glad that the CD box has the unedited and unissued performances. One of the rare instances where I like the sound of a bass with pickup, and what he does with that little riff although he reportedly hated to play them, is magnificent. *****

Too bad the saxist left us a few weeks ago - I love his playing in that band.

Track 4: No idea who this is. That's the type of modal hard bop so popular in the 1970's. Doesn't thrill me that much any more - I have stated here that I probably listened to too much of that kind of jazz. Soemtimes I have the feeling that the pianist's comping and the saxist are not really together. That guitar comping alongside the piano is a little too much. Solos could be shorter, for my taste. Don't like the sound of the bassist. Would have liked it better with either guitar or piano.

Track 5: I know that from somewhere - rather forceful flutist. Neither Rahsaan nor Steig. That's a good track, and a very good flutist with a sound and concept of his own, but I like 'em a little less forced and more fluent. Hm, electric bass .... it's on my tongue ..... arrghh!

Track 6: That opening figure is from some bebop vehicle - first had me thinking "Now when does he finally get around to continue?" But then the saxists drops in and plays another bop fragment against it. Well .... I often have the problem with live recordings like this and track 4 that I find the solos too long for home listening. Just me, of course .... They all play some nice things, especially that drummer, only would have preferred a shorter version.

Track 7: Accordion ..... and tenor. This has a nice vibe. And the right dash of humor. The recorded sound of the accordion is very nice. A real surprise track. Isn't that some pop tune. Nicely done - like it very much.

Track 8: Back to freewheelin' stuff. After listening to the whole track I find that fade-in somwhat odd, as the drums solo makes for a big change of pace. That drummer uses a very tightly tuned piccolo snare, sounds like the special type of heads the Remo company designed for marching bands to use (Falam heads?) - and he does some very fascinating things with it, like those scraping sounds - wonder how he does that. That highly original drummer saves the track for me - he knows his funky patterns, too. Who is this?

Track 9: That soprano saxist has some almost old-style swing era phrases mixed in, but the exuberance of a much later era. He sure is the leader. Curious about who he is.

Track 10: Yesterdays, very original way to start that tune. They obviously know it inside out and love it. He has something like Lucky Thompson's coyness on the soprano. Now could that be Lucky? I received so many live recordings of his last year that I kind of lost track of it all. Yes that should be Lucky. What a great player he was - nobody else sounded like this on soprano.

That roaring applause is appropriate.

Thanks, Tom, for a very nice trip. (Edited for a typo)

Edited October 12, 2006 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

Interesting how many heard South African piano in Jarrett - get this box set, you won't regret it! That live set is great.

The hint towards Steve Swallow on track 5 triggered my memory to that "grey" session, too .... anybody call Don Alias corny? If he only wouldn't use such a high pitched conga - the old Cubans used these quintos only for soloing. That's one of the changes over the last thirty years in conga drumming that I don't like.

Nice surprise that it is Hamp on track one - that Hinton CD is on my wish list for a long time.

Edited October 12, 2006 by mikeweil

[Eloe Omoe]

Nice surprise that it is Hamp on track one - that Hinton CD is on my wish list for a long time.

In your own words, "get this box set, you won't regret it!"

[king ubu]

Mike, I think the lick/ostinato figure in #3 is lifted from some Ibrahim tune... no way you can't hear the closeness of the first part!

I was obviously not serious when using "corny"... just a reference to the other discussion about Elvin...

[brownie]

Nice surprise that it is Hamp on track one - that Hinton CD is on my wish list for a long time.

In your own words, "get this box set, you won't regret it!"

Then it was Hamp on that opening track? Boy, I goofed on that one

Found the vibes player on that track a bit stiff. Well, I wish I will be that stiff when I reach 87

[JSngry]

Stiff or not, I didn't hear the noises, which I was listening for to confirm that it might be Hamp.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Stiff or not, I didn't hear the noises, which I was listening for to confirm that it might be Hamp.

Perhaps he was wearing a gag (where's the smiley for someone playing vibes wearing a gag?)

MG

[mikeweil]

Stiff or not, I didn't hear the noises, which I was listening for to confirm that it might be Hamp.

Perhaps he was wearing a gag (where's the smiley for someone playing vibes wearing a gag?)

MG

Maybe he was just in the mood to try and fool us all