Tom Storer Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 Thanks to everyone for participating! 1. Slap Happy Lionel Hampton, vibraphone; Milt Hinton, bass; Jimmy Ford, drums. New York, Feb. 28, 1990. From "Old Man Time," Chiaroscuro. I like the sly and joyful way Hamp does this. Listening to this one night, I flashed on how funky it is--the way that sensuality through rhythmic science is what links all the music of the African diaspora, in one form or another. And Milt Hinton, of course, is pure joy--a strong light shining out each time he played. He and Hamp were both old when this was recorded, but pickled in swing as they were, you would never know it. (And props to the ego-less drummer, Jimmy Ford, who so beautifully provides the hardwood floor they need to dance on.) 2. The Black Apostles Horace Tapscott's Arkestra: Oscar Brashear, trumpet; Thurman Green, trombone; Arthur Blythe, alto sax; Teddy Edwards, tenor sax; Michael Session, baritone sax; Horace Tapscott, piano; Roberto Miguel Miranda, bass; Fritz Wise, drums. Recorded in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois, Sept. 12, 1993. Tapscott composed and arranged the music for a Sonny Criss record, "Sonny's Dream," in 1968, and this version of his Arkestra played a couple of pieces from it, including this one, at this 1993 concert, with Arthur Blythe in Criss's shoes. Tapscott, Miranda and Wise are playing with such strength of vision here that it's spooky. Blythe is an instantly recognizable sound for those who have heard him. I was wondering if anyone would pick up Teddy Edwards on tenor sax in this atypical situation, and Magnificent Goldberg did right away. 3. Keith Jarrett, De Drums Keith Jarrett, piano; Dewey Redman, tenor sax; Charlie Haden, bass; Paul Motian, drums; Danny Johnson, percussion. From "Fort Yawuh," Impulse, recorded at the Village Vanguard, NYC, 1973. I had no doubt this would be identified, but I wanted to include an homage to Redman, and "If the Misfits (Wear It)" (from the same album) has already been talked about on the web since his death as a great example of his work with Jarrett, so I thought I'd put on something else. This album and this tune were important to me in my teenage discovering-jazz days and I still find myself spontaneously humming the second tenor melody, lo these many years hence. I love Haden's sound here and the loose, insistent beat. 4. Sandy and Niles Harold Vick, tenor sax; Kenny Barron, piano; Ted Dunbar, guitar; Michael Fleming, bass; Michael Carvin, drums. Recorded at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, Oct. 20, 1978. Vick is not a saxophonist I know very well (yet), but the boot this comes from turned me on to him. Some of you felt the rhythm section wasn't smooth enough, but I like the kind of nervous, jostling way they play, reminding me of an eager dogsled team bumping against each other as they pull the sled forward smartly. Ted Dunbar was identified and sniffed at, but nobody noticed Kenny Barron. Congratulations to JSngry for being the only one to spot Harold Vick! 5. Light Blue Wolfgang Puschnig, flute; Steve Swallow, bass guitar; Don Alias, percussion; Victor Lewis, drums. Recorded August 19-21, 2001. From "Grey," Quinton. Some relatively lightweight fun. I was going to include a Monk tune from an album that Puschnig, on alto, did with Jamalaadeen Tacuma some time ago, a very witty collection of Monk à la funk. But I couldn't find the CD--I think I loaned it to someone and never got it back. I saw this group in concert, I believe the only time I saw the late, great Don Alias live, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus I'm an unconditional fan of Steve Swallow. 6. Charlie in the Parker Muhal Richard Abrams, piano; John Purcell, tenor sax; Rick Rozie, bas; Andrew Cyrille, drums. Recorded in Trossingen, Germany, Feb. 18, 1984. This was one of the less popular pieces. I like the energy and the enthusiasm of it despite a certain lack of focus (Sangrey guessed an extra-musical origin for this). Purcell is a bit of a cipher: an excellent saxophonist and team player who has never, IMHO, really developed a distinctive personality of his own, he's nevertheless someone I enjoy hearing. Here you can hear a lot of Arthur Blythe and David Murray in his sound, both of whom he played with in Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition. 7. Saving All My Love For You Iain Bellamy, tenor sax; Stian Carstensen, accordeon. From "The Little Radio," Sound Recordings 2004. I thought this might not be guessed at all, just because I had never heard of either of these musicians until my British brother-in-law gave me "Little Radio" as a gift. Who knew they were a household name among Organissimo members? Two of you recognized it right off the bat. I googled Iain Bellamy, and found that he's a UK musician who's played with Hermeto Pascoal, Gil Evans, Mike Gibbs, and the New York Composers Orchestra, and is a longtime collaborator of Django Bates. In addition he travels a lot, playing with Carnatic percussionists and an Indian dance troupe and so on. Sounds like an interesting guy. Stian Carstensen is a member of a Norwegian/Bulgarian quintet, Farmers Market, that (it says on their website) plays a kind of cross between free jazz and Bulgarian folk music. Hmmmmm. I put their duo in here as a nice contrast--smooth and somewhat academic playing but with the soulful tune bringing a relaxed vibe to it. 8. Up Too Late John Taylor, piano; Marc Johnson, bass; Joey Baron, drums. Recorded in Birmingham, England, 2002. No, not the other Taylor! I told you I was an unconditional fan of Steve Swallow--he wrote this tune. The whole first part of it is freer than I'm used to hearing John Taylor play, then just before the 5-minute mark the Swallowish theme (if you could call it that, just some chords, really) comes in. All three of these guys are high on my list of respected players. Baron is undersung, in my opinion: his versatility is matchless. 9. Walk on Water Gerry Mulligan, soprano sax; Michael Santiago, guitar; Tommy Fay, piano; George Duvivier, bass; Bobby Rosengarten, drums. Recorded at De Speeldoos, Zaandam, Netherlands, December 16, 1976. When I saw Mulligan in New York earlier in 1976 (with a young John Scofield on guitar), he was playing a curved soprano along with his baritone--likely the same one he's playing here. What a graceful melodist he was. 10. Yesterdays Lucky Thompson, soprano sax; Martial Solal, piano; Oscar Pettiford, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums. recorded at the Essener Jazztage, Essen, Germany, April 18, 1959. A completely different soprano sound from another doubling musician. I was interested to see what the reactions were to such contrasting players on the same instrument. Mulligan was graceful and jaunty, but Thompson had so much heart. The all-star rhythm section is easy on the ears, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 Wow that was John Taylor and Joey Baron!? Great! I have a soft spot for the accordion, and I have heard some live broadcasts of the Ballamy (not Bellamy!) & Carstensen duo... Farmer's Market is ok (I heard portions of their Berlin Jazzdays concert on the radio), but not really that great. Too patch-y and ecclectic, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 Again, looking at these lineups and answers, I'm really surprised I didn't warm up to this at first. Time to dig it out again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 Never would have guessed Teddy Edwards. Doesn't at all sound like him to me in terms of instrumental fluidity. Oh well! Purcell in 1984? I rest my case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 Looking at the answer I'm starting to regret that I missed this one (no worries; I haven't the time for them all). But there are some interesting tracks here. Great taste, Tom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 (edited) Wow! Some real good tracks here! Edited October 17, 2006 by mikeweil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 5. Light Blue Wolfgang Puschnig, flute; Steve Swallow, bass guitar; Don Alias, percussion; Victor Lewis, drums. Recorded August 19-21, 2001. From "Grey," Quinton. Some relatively lightweight fun. I was going to include a Monk tune from an album that Puschnig, on alto, did with Jamalaadeen Tacuma some time ago, a very witty collection of Monk à la funk. But I couldn't find the CD--I think I loaned it to someone and never got it back. I saw this group in concert, I believe the only time I saw the late, great Don Alias live, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus I'm an unconditional fan of Steve Swallow. I may get you wrong here, but Monk's tune "Light Blue" is totally different from this one here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fent99 Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Much to my embarrassment the only disc I have is the John Taylor which I never warmed to but maybe I've never given much time to either. Great set of music and made me think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Storer Posted October 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 5. Light Blue Wolfgang Puschnig, flute; Steve Swallow, bass guitar; Don Alias, percussion; Victor Lewis, drums. Recorded August 19-21, 2001. From "Grey," Quinton. I may get you wrong here, but Monk's tune "Light Blue" is totally different from this one here. That it is, but I can't help that! He called the tune "Light Blue." I'm just the messenger here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 4. Sandy and Niles Harold Vick, tenor sax; Kenny Barron, piano; Ted Dunbar, guitar; Michael Fleming, bass; Michael Carvin, drums. Recorded at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, Oct. 20, 1978. Vick is not a saxophonist I know very well (yet), but the boot this comes from turned me on to him. Some of you felt the rhythm section wasn't smooth enough, but I like the kind of nervous, jostling way they play, reminding me of an eager dogsled team bumping against each other as they pull the sled forward smartly. Ted Dunbar was identified and sniffed at, but nobody noticed Kenny Barron. Congratulations to JSngry for being the only one to spot Harold Vick! Too hung up on recognising Teddy in the first Tapscott selection, I assumed you'd put another in from the same gig, since both tunes are from the same Criss LP. Clever misdirection! MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 1. Slap Happy Lionel Hampton, vibraphone; Milt Hinton, bass; Jimmy Ford, drums. New York, Feb. 28, 1990. From "Old Man Time," Chiaroscuro. I like the sly and joyful way Hamp does this. Listening to this one night, I flashed on how funky it is--the way that sensuality through rhythmic science is what links all the music of the African diaspora, in one form or another. And Milt Hinton, of course, is pure joy--a strong light shining out each time he played. He and Hamp were both old when this was recorded, but pickled in swing as they were, you would never know it. (And props to the ego-less drummer, Jimmy Ford, who so beautifully provides the hardwood floor they need to dance on.) Well, this is one I've got to get. Is it under Hamp's name? MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eloe Omoe Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 (edited) Well, this is one I've got to get. Is it under Hamp's name? No, under Milt's. Edited October 23, 2006 by Eloe Omoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Storer Posted October 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Too hung up on recognising Teddy in the first Tapscott selection, I assumed you'd put another in from the same gig, since both tunes are from the same Criss LP. Clever misdirection! It may seem clever, but it was wholly coincidental. I only got "Sonny's Dream" after I'd put up the BFT, so I didn't even know the Harold Vick tune was on it! Is it under Hamp's name? No, the leader was Milt Hinton. Sorry, should have made that clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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