BFT 47 discussion

[couw]

not enough cigars?

I'd hoped people would post some thoughts on the music even if they cannot identify any of the players and earn some cigars.

[mikeweil]

That's always been a weak point of most BFTers.

[couw]

That's always been a weak point of most BFTers.

I blame catesta

[sidewinder]

Hope to finally post my thoughts this weekend, as there is a bit of Bank Holiday time. Drawn a total blank on the identifications but enjoyed the music. You can keep the cigars locked up for me.

[couw]

Hope to finally post my thoughts this weekend, as there is a bit of Bank Holiday time. Drawn a total blank on the identifications but enjoyed the music. You can keep the cigars locked up for me.

instead of a cigar I will have a nice cover picture for you then.

Edited May 25, 2007 by couw

[sidewinder]

Rock on !

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Great set here herr. Thankee!

#1 "Nana ..." I still say this has Brazilian roots before it creeped over to Warsaw. Must be the best vibes solo ever (make that cheque out to...)

#2 hmmm ... Somefin' i can sink my 'Teef into. Love that walking electro eastern bedouin bottom.

#3 Yipes ... like the pennywhistling pan flute peruvians meet the bucket thumpers outside of Wrigley field right before the tuvan bassoon singers get off the bus. a must for anyone just once.

#4 OK this was on one them Sonars ... that subtle bass roll down deep is what takes this away from or heartily links it to the five of it's genetics.

#5 Hillish Dolphyesqueness ... i have this and don't know it !!! Sounds like it could come from POD or OTL ... aaargh! fo shame!

#6 Jerzy again. I prefer my edited version. Dang thems fine marimbas. Dinner music for a pack of aged beatniks!

2:46 hit stop folks.

#7 Damn! this one is a hopper. Great segue after all that duchampian mania previously.

#8 Nice moody centerpiece. A little Genrique-ski.

#9 Possibly that Yancy by chancey? One of those show off for four hands but only with two.

#10 Another great one off one of them Sonars. Have this and #4 on a recently cobbled playlist of that stuff. Know not much of this quartet aside from this tune. A bit more bouyant than that other "classic quartet" sound but with much of the same feel.

#11 Is this that crazy song for Ursa minors? Quite fun and a perfect prelude to ... (that fifth beer really paid off with the upcoming segue) ...

#12 I always dig anything with a bit of congabonga underneath - sets even the most hi brow lindy into the swanky regions. What a great cut!!!

#13 Ding a Ring... oh yes, please come in. Can i get you fellas a drink? and just who is that tall handsome electrolux bass salesman in the outro. Nice... makes the housewife swoon.

#14 Yipes that bass just keeps on ... maybe this is Yancy? Boy I need to relisten to all that if it is. Errol without the big sur, Tatum without the coffee and just a stellar good postured workout!

#15 Green Hornet meets Raymond Scott on Bourbon Street and they get too drunk and go nutria tipping and then march back over the bridge to some hinterland where this must have originated from.

#16 fwaah? A bit of electro Jazz Carriers maybe. (trying not to look at my collection of mini lp pizza box sleeves) hmmm maybe not?

#17 ooh .. what a cooker. An eight minute song that flies by for about four minutes then jostles you to pay attention. That hint of caravan in there, too, puncuates that eastern feel of this set.

#18 Might this be some manglesdorf? Like it much but they shut down the power whilst it was still good.

#19 What a nice kloser ... has a bit of that "theme" bit for a fine ending piece. more Morello and Brubeckian classicalismoes. Nicely done, couw.

good thing i don't smoke.

[couw]

If someone should know any of these tunes it's Bint with der Golden Arm, so I will deduct cigar credits for unrecognised tracks...

#1 "Nana ..." I still say this has Brazilian roots before it creeped over to Warsaw. Must be the best vibes solo ever (make that cheque out to...)

you may be right on this. The original EP credits the tune to "J Prates", would that be José? AFAIK it is credited as "trad." on its two CD incarnations from Polishland. If Brazillian, it messes up the theme if only in a minor way.

Three cigars for recognising the bestest vibes solo ever.

#2 hmmm ... Somefin' i can sink my 'Teef into. Love that walking electro eastern bedouin bottom.

no 'teef and cigars=cigars-1...

#3 Yipes ... like the pennywhistling pan flute peruvians meet the bucket thumpers outside of Wrigley field right before the tuvan bassoon singers get off the bus. a must for anyone just once.

remember that kid that played drums on the bucket in the NY subway and Lurie got him out of there and took him on a world tour. This is not that kid, and although I should deduct 1 cigar credit, I'll let it be just for the bucket remark.

#4 OK this was on one them Sonars ... that subtle bass roll down deep is what takes this away from or heartily links it to the five of it's genetics.

yesyes, not Sonar, but the JCR with the cool pic on the front. cigars=cigars+1. Name the baritone for extra cigar.

#5 Hillish Dolphyesqueness ... i have this and don't know it !!! Sounds like it could come from POD or OTL ... aaargh! fo shame!

this is an echo of your initial response to this music over a year ago or so. cigars=cigars-1...

#6 Jerzy again. I prefer my edited version. Dang thems fine marimbas. Dinner music for a pack of aged beatniks!

2:46 hit stop folks.

heheh. cigars=cigars+1...

#7 Damn! this one is a hopper. Great segue after all that duchampian mania previously.

wherever you put this one, it will inevitably be a good segue I have learned. cigars=cigars-1...

#8 Nice moody centerpiece. A little Genrique-ski.

grab a cigar for recognising my intentions of slowing things down a bit here, folkses need some breathing before the four handed wonder.

#9 Possibly that Yancy by chancey? One of those show off for four hands but only with two.

cigars=cigars+1... name the track and win a humedor

#10 Another great one off one of them Sonars. Have this and #4 on a recently cobbled playlist of that stuff. Know not much of this quartet aside from this tune. A bit more bouyant than that other "classic quartet" sound but with much of the same feel.

again not Sonar but the JCR with the cool cover; I know little of this quartet besides this tune and the accompanying tracks on the original LP. Good stuff. cigars=cigars+1...

[couw]

#11 Is this that crazy song for Ursa minors? Quite fun and a perfect prelude to ... (that fifth beer really paid off with the upcoming segue) ...

are you and the family dancing yet? The tuba is Ursa major of course, the alpha bear. cigars=cigars+1...

#12 I always dig anything with a bit of congabonga underneath - sets even the most hi brow lindy into the swanky regions. What a great cut!!!

this one I hereby officially dedicate to you just because.

#13 Ding a Ring... oh yes, please come in. Can i get you fellas a drink? and just who is that tall handsome electrolux bass salesman in the outro. Nice... makes the housewife swoon.

#14 Yipes that bass just keeps on ... maybe this is Yancy? Boy I need to relisten to all that if it is. Errol without the big sur, Tatum without the coffee and just a stellar good postured workout!

not Iancsi! It's the guy who wrote and arranged and plays drums on track 12. Right on with respect to the guy's pacing.

#15 Green Hornet meets Raymond Scott on Bourbon Street and they get too drunk and go nutria tipping and then march back over the bridge to some hinterland where this must have originated from.

that description saves you from cigar deduct: cigars=cigars-1+1...

#16 fwaah? A bit of electro Jazz Carriers maybe. (trying not to look at my collection of mini lp pizza box sleeves) hmmm maybe not?

Go look at your pizza boxes and play it again man. cigars=cigars+1...

#17 ooh .. what a cooker. An eight minute song that flies by for about four minutes then jostles you to pay attention. That hint of caravan in there, too, puncuates that eastern feel of this set.

is that Caravan? I thought it was Batman.

#18 Might this be some manglesdorf? Like it much but they shut down the power whilst it was still good.

shutting down while still good is the best way to go! Anyhow, A/B the flute and sax solos and you'll know the real end.

#19 What a nice kloser ... has a bit of that "theme" bit for a fine ending piece. more Morello and Brubeckian classicalismoes. Nicely done, couw.

damn man, you should have yelled out the consonantially impaired name now! cigars=cigars-1...

good thing i don't smoke.

Ubu is collecting cigars for his BFT round, maybe he can offer you a trade for the 5 you earned here.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

[sidewinder]

[John B]

Apologies for the delay in participating. May was a crazy month. I'll try to get some thoughts down for all of the tracks by the end of the weekend. I've really been enjoying listening to BFT #47. It went along on a long car ride yesterday and got a thumbs up from my non-jazz loving co-pilot.

I have no idea who any of the musicians are on the first six tracks.

1. A very nice tune. Sort of a jazzy-samba thing they have going on. The vibist is the star of the show for me, but the tenor works perfectly in the context of the tune, too. The guitar and drums are less noticable, as they do a great job supporting without being showy. I like this one a lot.

2. Another track that sets a very nice mood. Quite unusual instrumentation. The flautist seems to be the leader, but the bassist is almost as much a leader on this track. The drummer is extremely restrained, almost to the point of sounding subdued.

3. Keeping the unusual instrumentation going....is that a double flute with African drums? Ok, and now we have bells and trombone (?) added to the mix. What a wild tune! No clue who these guys are. I'm hearing that Dutch "techniclaly proficient yet full of wacky humor and wild abandon" vibe from these guys. No one that I know, but kind of in the ICP arena.

4. I like the color the baritone adds to the ensemble, but the alto really shines. The trumpet isn't horrible, but I'm hearing a lack of confidence, or alack of polish. The drum solo is fairly bland and unengaging but he does fine when in a supporting role. Not my favorite tune so far, but a nice (brief) addition to the mix.

5. With the exception of that really harsh cutoff at the end I really like this track a lot. It has a Dolphy-esque feel, although it doesn't sound like Dolphy at all. Something about this rtack sounds very familiar, but I'm fairly certain I've never heard it before. Probably that Dolphy-osity I mentioned. Everyone (flute, trumpet, tenor, piano, drums) gets a chance to shine. This battling with track #1 for my favorite so far.

6. Excellent groove. Nice vibe solo, too. Quite a dramatic shift at the halfway point of the track. Lose the groove, lose the vibes, add chimes and some sort of stringed instrument. Is this still the same song? If so, this is a really bizarre track.

Edited June 1, 2007 by John B

[couw]

thanks much for listening John

I've really been enjoying listening to BFT #47. It went along on a long car ride yesterday and got a thumbs up from my non-jazz loving co-pilot.

ah, success!

I have no idea who any of the musicians are on the first six tracks.

like I pointed out before, this is a BFT of good but obscure musicians.

1. The vibist is the star of the show for me

admit it, it's the best vibes solo ever.

2. The flautist seems to be the leader, but the bassist is almost as much a leader on this track.

a very good observation and close to the truth

3. I'm hearing that Dutch "techniclaly proficient yet full of wacky humor and wild abandon" vibe from these guys. No one that I know, but kind of in the ICP arena.

you are definitely right with your assessment, just that this skilled wackness was found outside of the Netherlands as well.

4. the alto really shines.

yup

5. It has a Dolphy-esque feel, although it doesn't sound like Dolphy at all. Something about this rtack sounds very familiar, but I'm fairly certain I've never heard it before. Probably that Dolphy-osity I mentioned. Everyone (flute, trumpet, tenor, piano, drums) gets a chance to shine. This battling with track #1 for my favorite so far.

another one who hears Dolphy here. Great tune from an even better album. Has anyone identified this yet?

6. ...this is a really bizarre track.

bizarre is the right word, all I can say is you should get the album for more.

[John B]

Just time for a few more:

7. The players are a little rough around the edges, but they have enthusiasm and swing like crazy. No really individual sounds, but that doesn’t matter when you are having this much fun. I like this track. It shows a lot of promise and is a blast to listen to.

8. A very mellow, almost somber tune. Again, like track #7, there is a lack of polish here. These players still have room to improve, but they do what they do well. Conveying emotion and telling a story is much more important that pure technical mastery for me. Nicely done.

9. Now this is very, very good. Showy, but not too flashy. Not as "out" as Cecil, not as quirky as Nichols. This pianist sounds very familiar to me. I’m guessing some of his music has been shared with me in the past, although I haven’t listened to it in quite a while. Korossy?

10. The “coolest” track on the BFT so far. I like this one a lot. This one sounds very west coast to me. Laid back with very relaxed pacing. Everyone contributes nicely, although this is really the altoists chance to shine. The drum solo is top-notch, too.

11. I love the tuba / baritone opening. This tune has a very playful feel to it. Sort of reminiscent of a group like Bik Ben Braam doing their homage to late 1950’s bop. Not “wacky” but definitely more of that whimsical vibe I attributed to the Dutch earlier. My wife says it “has a good beat and she can dance to it.” (That’s a thumbs up, by the way.) I’d love to hear more by this group.

12. This sounds like the earliest track on the test so far. Is this a live concert recording from the late 1940s / early 1950s? The congas suggest this was inspired by Dizzy’s afro-cuban recordings. More nice baritone work. I’m not normally a fan of big bands from this era, but this track is a lot of fun. Is this a big band that did work for radio or television? Very nice.

13. A very relaxed, cool vibe on this one. This would work well on a film noir soundtrack. The recording quality leaves something to be desired. It sounds like the drummer is hitting a phone book with a wooden spatula. The vibes and trumpet really shine. It’s hard to accurately judge the rhythm section, as the sound quality really does them no favors. Another dual thumbs up from the second co-pilot and I.

14. Not as busy as the playing on track #9. Nice pacing. A very catchy, fun tune. Nicely done. This one reminds us a bit of Randy Weston’s style. Positive, upbeat and technically proficient without being too flashy.

15. Definitely the wildest track so far. This sounds like the soundtrack to a 1920’s cartoon of the residents of a henhouse being let loose in a clock factory. The ominous sections could be the Star Wars “Imperial March” being played as Darth Vader attempts to corral the hens while avoiding the ever-faster swinging pendulums and minute hands. Not soothing at all, I was a little edgy at first, but grew to love the extreme quirkiness of this track. More fun from some players who are not taking themselves too seriously at all.

16. Pleasant enough, but this one isn’t really grabbing me. Very of it’s era and a bit dated. The “quacking” sounds used as extra percussion is interesting, but I’m not sure it adds much to the tune. I do like the soprano. The rest of the band sounds a bit flat to my ears. An homage to electric Miles, but lacking that spark.

Edited June 3, 2007 by John B

[John B]

a few last thoughts to wrap up my comments:

17. I really like what the clarinet is doing here. He has a nice sound. This is a very quirky tune. Interesting how the piano lays out for quite some time. I’m not sure the piano is really necessary during the ensemble passages. The piano solo is much “prettier” than I expected for such an abstract tune. Nice work by the bass player, too. The drummer didn’t make much of an impression on me at first but, as the tune goes along, he starts to take over a bit more to good effect. Nice tune, the clarinet really shines but I’m still not sure this piece works as an integrated whole.

18. Another interesting tune. This one lives fairly firmly in 60’s post-bop, but the repeated transfer to that shuffling rock beat keeps things feeling fairly unsettled. There’s also a hint of calypso in there. The drummer does an excellent job of switching between genres at will without losing the beat or the rest of the band. Nice, supportive work from the bassist. The pianist isn’t grabbing me. Nothing wrong with what he’s playing, it just isn’t really exciting me. The tenor and trumpet are nice, but veer dangerously close to smooth, “Love Boat” theme jazz every once in a while. The flute at the end is another example of “interesting, but I don’t love it.”

19. I like the interplay of the piano and drums. The pianist has kind of an odd tone that can be a bit distracting at first. A nice, playful closer to the BFT.

Thanks again for sharing this music! I had a great time listening and am looking forward to checking out the answers.

[couw]

thanks much for your comments, good to see that most of it agreed with your ears. I'll try and write up some more answers soon.

[fent99]

Hi Couw

Just a note to say that I've enjoyed the BFT. Haven't done a track by track response unfortunately since I've started a new job and been really busy but still might. Other than Korrossy no cigars for me...