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BFT #62


Nate Dorward

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Did folks want separate threads for this & the bonus disc, or keep discussion to one? The bonus disc, are you'll see, is only 3 tracks, but one is very long.

*

OK, I've uploaded the BFT to RapidShare:

http://rapidshare.com/files/192528716/BFT_62_download.zip

http://rapidshare.com/files/192552159/BFT_...nload_bonus.zip

I figured I'd start this thread even if people are still downloading and digesting the music. There's no particular reason to jump in at once--sit back & think about the music first.....

I don't have a lot of introductory comments. There's no common theme; as you'll hear, it's all over the map stylistically, from the avantgarde to a straight-down-the-line organ+sax date. Unlike previous threads I have included some older tracks, rather than simply showcasing new releases. Mostly fairly obscure stuff, but (unlike my previous BFTs, which deliberately excluded virtually all "name" players!) there are some tracks with familiar players which I included because these particular recordings are fairly scarce & I thought people would like a taste.

Edited by Nate Dorward
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I downloaded all of the tracks, but wanted to start by listening to the last track on disc 2. You had mentioned debating a second disc, primarily to be able to include this moster, almost 40 minute long track, and I was really curious to hear what you were excited about.

I'll caveat this post by stating that my ipod refuses to play this track past 12 minutes, so I'll have to try burning it to cd tonight and giving it a full listen tomorrow. This is frustrating, as I really started to get into this track around 8 minutes in, as it started picking up steam.

For a track that starts off as sparsely as this one does it sounds like there are a lot of musicians involved. I'm hearing two bassists, or a bass and a cello, several horns, and at least one percussionist.

This feels very mechanical to me, almost like the sounds of a factory assembly line. There is an electronic element that keeps appearing, which makes me think of the Territory Band. I'm fairly certain I'm hearing Peter Brotzmann on this, which would rule that out. If I'm correct about Brotzmann, and the group is as large as I think, this must be the Tentet. A bit of quick searching reveals the first track on this album as being a likely candidate. If so, this is a lot more sedate than I would have expected. I haven't heard any recent Tentet albums but I would buy this one based on the first twelve minutes of this track alone.

I'll post more thoughts on the track once I have the issue with my ipod sorted out and can give it a complete listen.

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Ah, hadn't known that the length might present a problem for some players! Yeah, the music develops in several different directions after the opening. Definitely less sedate after a while...!

Nope, it's not Brötzmann & the Chicago guys. Just one horn, but yes, two percussionists. If you identify the very distinctive instrumentation it won't be too hard to figure out what band this is, I think.

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Ah, hadn't known that the length might present a problem for some players! Yeah, the music develops in several different directions after the opening. Definitely less sedate after a while...!

Nope, it's not Brötzmann & the Chicago guys. Just one horn, but yes, two percussionists. If you identify the very distinctive instrumentation it won't be too hard to figure out what band this is, I think.

It's probably an issue with my ipod specifically or with the download / extraction rather than the track length that is causing the problem.

There is something about the tone of the horn that immediately made me think of Brotzmann. I'll listen to the full track a few times and see if I can get a better read on who this is.

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For some reason, I started on the bonus disk also.

Track 14 really works for me. Big bass. Swings pretty good at times. At first blush I thought about some of the Dutch guys. Anyway, I will be interested to find out what this one is. Probably will eventually cost me money.

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For some reason, I started on the bonus disk also.

Track 14 really works for me. Big bass. Swings pretty good at times. At first blush I thought about some of the Dutch guys. Anyway, I will be interested to find out what this one is. Probably will eventually cost me money.

Nope, not Dutch! Though there's one track elsewhere on the compilation that comes from the Dutch ambience. -- The bassist on the incredibly long track on the bonus disc also turns up on one track elsewhere on the BFT, by the way.

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I listened to the entire disc twice in the office before trying to make any comments. I had a couple of quiet minutes in the office tonight before I run out to hear Henry Threadgill at Wesleyan, so I decided to knock out a few of the tracks.

1. This suggests a Tristano influence – in particular the rhythmic feel and the playing on the head. The solos by the piano, trombone and tenor all told solid concise stories. There is nothing familiar to me about any of the soloists. Overall nice track to get things started.

2. This is an interesting track. I am not sure how I feel about the sound of the bass. In the extended opening it reminds me of some recordings from the seventies of Charlie Haden’s bass. Once the tune settles into somewhat of a groove it has an overall Ornette vibe to it. At times the first alto soloist sounds a bit like Mr. Coleman, but I do not think it is Coleman. I like the sound of both saxophonists. Very strong track.

3. Another track where the subtle bit of counterpoint and the steady rhythm brings to mind Tristano. Brief statements from trumpet, alto, bass, tenor and then guitar all seem to fit. The new album by Fred Hess comes to mind. I listened to it a few times and enjoyed it, but I do not have the information regarding the album with me here at work to confirm. In any event, this is my kind of stuff.

4. This on the other hand probably is not my kind of stuff. I should clarify that by stating that I think the saxophonist is interesting – in fact he/she sounds familiar for some reason. Appealing sound and an imaginative solo. I also liked the groove set by the bassist. The drummer’s solo – well it came across to me like a drummer’s solo – I have a hard time seeing how it relates to the rest of the tune unless I look at it as a segue to the guitar solo. And that is where this loses interest to me. Just not a huge fan of the rock influenced distorted guitar in jazz/improvised music. The saxophone solo following the guitarist does not have the same impact to be as the first saxophone – assuming it is different. Bottom line is that I started to lose interest in this one after the first saxophone solo.

5. Feature for a trumpet backed up by subtle strings and an ensemble. Trumpeter has a nice sound and a sense of confidence in his/her playing. Solid track.

6. The required organ track. Stuff like this always sounds familiar to me, but never enough to make definite identifications. It also does not require much effort to enjoy. Nice groove and impressive solos by tenor, guitar, and organ. Well played if not particularly distinctive.

That is probably my max for one sitting trying to listen attentively. Time to go check out Zooid and maybe even the preconcert talk with Anthony braxton. I will be back with the second part when I get a chance.

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Thanks for the comments, relyles--a few notes below:

1. This suggests a Tristano influence -- in particular the rhythmic feel and the playing on the head. The solos by the piano, trombone and tenor all told solid concise stories. There is nothing familiar to me about any of the soloists. Overall nice track to get things started.

Yep, Tristano's very much in the background here, though it's not him on piano. Any guesses as to the players? One of the reasons I included this is that none of the frontline players is particularly well-documented on disc, which is a shame.

2. This is an interesting track. I am not sure how I feel about the sound of the bass. In the extended opening it reminds me of some recordings from the seventies of Charlie Haden's bass. Once the tune settles into somewhat of a groove it has an overall Ornette vibe to it. At times the first alto soloist sounds a bit like Mr. Coleman, but I do not think it is Coleman. I like the sound of both saxophonists. Very strong track.

Yes, early 70s, & a strong Ornette influence, though it's not anyone from his immediate circle. I used to have this on vinyl & it was marred by a serious print-through problem, which kind of wrecked the long pauses at the opening. So I was overjoyed to find it on CD, nicely remastered, though it seems to have fallen out of print again. Shouldn't be too hard to i.d. one or two of the players here.

3. Another track where the subtle bit of counterpoint and the steady rhythm brings to mind Tristano. Brief statements from trumpet, alto, bass, tenor and then guitar all seem to fit. The new album by Fred Hess comes to mind. I listened to it a few times and enjoyed it, but I do not have the information regarding the album with me here at work to confirm. In any event, this is my kind of stuff.

Yes, you have guessed right here. The track was actually intended as an homage to Shorty Rogers, according to the liners.

4. This on the other hand probably is not my kind of stuff. I should clarify that by stating that I think the saxophonist is interesting -- in fact he/she sounds familiar for some reason. Appealing sound and an imaginative solo. I also liked the groove set by the bassist. The drummer's solo -- well it came across to me like a drummer's solo -- I have a hard time seeing how it relates to the rest of the tune unless I look at it as a segue to the guitar solo. And that is where this loses interest to me. Just not a huge fan of the rock influenced distorted guitar in jazz/improvised music. The saxophone solo following the guitarist does not have the same impact to be as the first saxophone -- assuming it is different. Bottom line is that I started to lose interest in this one after the first saxophone solo.

I'm not sure that I'm all that taken with this track as a whole either, to be frank, but I included it because it's off a pretty obscure album that features a lot of excellent, underrecorded players. A pity you don't like the guitarist, that's really the main reason the track's here! (he only takes two solos on the album, of which this is by far the better of the two, so that's why I went with this rather long track).

5. Feature for a trumpet backed up by subtle strings and an ensemble. Trumpeter has a nice sound and a sense of confidence in his/her playing. Solid track.

Ah, but listen carefully to the strings..... there's something unusual about them. & dig the pianist!

Edited by Nate Dorward
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Apologies for not posting yet. I have listened to it, but need to listen again when I'm not in a sour mood. There were some really nice tracks, but a lot of tracks simply weren't my cuppa tea, and the big long 37-hour track at the end.... well, I listened to the first couple of seconds, then moved the time-bar to about the halfway point and I thought my speakers would explode. I know people enjoy that cacophony, but it makes my cranium hurt!

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Well, I knew that that track (& a few others) would get mixed reactions..... but if you want to give it a shot I do recommend simply listening to the long track continuously, as I can't imagine it'd make much sense if you simply jumped into the middle. It evolves through about four or five distinctive episodes. -- Probably it'll be tough sledding for anyone not a fan of, say, mid-1970s Miles Davis, though.

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I've been listening to your BFT tonight, disk 1. I really enjoy track 2 (sounds familiar but I can't figure it out). My only guess at this time is that track 12 really sounds like Joe McPhee to me. I have a album called "In The Spirit" that is one of my favorites. To me spiritial kind of describes his playing. Regardless of who this track is, I like the playing.

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I listened to the bonus disc first – no reason why – suppose I felt like being perverse.

The first track put me in a real good mood :) But then…

1 Oh I know this – but the recording sounds different to the one I’m familiar with. Perhaps that just because it’s on the walkman, rather than the hifi. I prefer the walkman for BFTs because I can concentrate without hearing external stuff going on. Oh, I’m in danger of thread hijack here…

OK, this is “Tender feelings”, from “Contrasts”. And yes, it does sound a bit different to the vinyl.

2 Long intro on alto to “There is no greater love”, interestingly altered. Sax, bass & drums – a nice airy combination. Sounds nice, but to me the bass player and the alto player aren’t playing off each other. The sax and drums are having a conversation, but the bass player’s just strolling around, keeping time fine, but leaving me wanting more. And the end is too long; just noodling.

Don’t know who these guys are. It’s OK, but not TPOK Jazz, if you know what I mean.

3 Sorry, but this is rubbish. Well, I didn’t turn it to the next track. Eventually, I caught something going on. Then there was a bit more going on. But I didn’t delete my first sentence – reality posting.

Didn’t like it at all, but there’s something going on. It’s not FUN, though. Nor is it passion.

Bleedin’ ‘ell, don’t it go on a looooooonnnnnnngggggg time? (@13:20).

Yes, it does (@21:00).

All seems rather too deliberate. And for little or no point.

Well, looks like this track is going to outlast the battery in my walkman (27:27)

I can get with the baritone player who came in nearly half an hour late. Glad there was room for him but, truly, who cares?

Milkman called for his money at about 35:00, it had finished when I got back. Insufficiently interested to find out how it ended.

Do I dare to try the main disc?

Oh, yeh will, yeh will, yeh will!

BFT62 Main disc

1 A wee bit o’ Bebop. Nice and swinging pianist. Sometimes I think I recognise the tune – or at least the one underneath. Is it “Alone together”? Trombonist didn’t do much for me, but the alto player is grooving me to the full!

Don’t know who these guys are – modern jazz isn’t really my thing. I know lots of people who the alto player ISN’T, if that’s any good.

2 This seems to be based on “The last post”. A somewhat “out” version, of course. The front line – well, all of them – are working together nicely. After a bit, it settles down into some pretty ordinary hard bop stuff. Very chopsy alto player. Is this from that Branford Marsalis album about Katrina? Can’t say I liked it.

3 More bebop. Well, more modern than that, I guess. This seems relatively recent. The unison passages suggest a bunch of college types. Not saying anything to me.

4 A nice groove to start with always gets my attention! There’s something Ellington-ish about the tune and the way it’s played. And also Joe Dukes-ish about the groove. The alto player was solid with me. Can’t be bothered with rock guitarists, though. This should have stopped before he got to the studio. And that rock-style beat that comes along then has nothing to offer me.

5 Pleasant trumpet player backed with a string synthesiser? Or is it a string quartet? Maybe real strings. Yes, the pizzicato bits sound real. This is pleasant enough; the way the strings are arranged could be film music.

6 Sounds a bit like Benny Golson. But I can’t imagine him writing a tune like that! Don’t like the guitarist much. Or the organist, for that matter.

7 Some funny kind of stringed instrument of the Indian persuasion, I guess. Oh, a guitar.

I know! It’s 7/4!

Sorry, can’t be asked to take this seriously. Listened to it all, though.

8 “Crazy rhythm”. Wow! A song I know! And a sax player I know, too. You devil, Nate! Lull me into a false sense of security, thinking there won’t be anything in my range and here’s this guy - and although I know him, I can't recognise him, not even on the second or third attempts. With a trombonist I don’t think I know at all. Valve trombone, by the fleetness of it. Funny sounding piano. Or is it the recording? No, it’s the piano player, giving the game away, because this isn’t a fifties recording but something rather retro.

(Well I think so.)

9 More drivel. Rock guitarist again. Could be the same one as on #4; they’re all interchangeable. Could be the same drummer as well.

I’ll give it foive – minutes, that is.

10 Well, at least this is quieter. Film theme time. Very pleasant after the last cut, but I wouldn’t normally want to listen to it even in a lift.

As it progresses, it becomes less like Muzak and more like the previous track. And I’d use the stairs.

11 A modern big band. I think I recognise the drummer. But I don’t know really. The trumpet, alto and trombonist, and the tenor player are all people I feel are pretty recognisable modern musicians. Ditto the pianist. I just don’t recognise them. There’s nothing in here in the way of a STATEMENT that makes me want to get to know any of them better. But it’s OK.

12 Ah, obviously a prime time TV quiz theme!

It’s not that there’s nothing going on. It’s that there’s nothing going on that has any meaning to me. These musicians have ideas but they aren’t putting them together into a coherent shape that conveys emotion.

Not a lot in this for me, Nate, I'm afraid. But I'm glad I heard it - so thanks. At the very least, it reminds me how careful I need to be in exploring modern music.

MG

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1 Oh I know this – but the recording sounds different to the one I’m familiar with. Perhaps that just because it’s on the walkman, rather than the hifi. I prefer the walkman for BFTs because I can concentrate without hearing external stuff going on. Oh, I’m in danger of thread hijack here…

OK, this is “Tender feelings”, from “Contrasts”. And yes, it does sound a bit different to the vinyl.

Yes, I took it from the Mosaic, as far as I know the only CD reissue of it thus far. It's a very mixed album (ditto the following one, Heaven on Earth), but there are about half a dozen excellent tracks on it (the main duds are the awful duets with Althea), & I thought that some BFTers might like a taste of one of the best tracks. It's a Tyrone Washington composition.

2 Long intro on alto to “There is no greater love”, interestingly altered. Sax, bass & drums – a nice airy combination. Sounds nice, but to me the bass player and the alto player aren’t playing off each other. The sax and drums are having a conversation, but the bass player’s just strolling around, keeping time fine, but leaving me wanting more. And the end is too long; just noodling.

Don’t know who these guys are. It’s OK, but not TPOK Jazz, if you know what I mean.

This one went on the bonus disc after some hesitation. It's not by ANY means a successful track--aside from the untogetherness, there's the bass player's intonation problems--but I included it for personal reasons: it was one of the earliest jazz concerts I attended, & it happened to be recorded & released on CD. I primarily value it as evidence of the saxophonist's work, as he's recorded very little. The only player you'll know here is the drummer.

3 Sorry, but this is rubbish. Well, I didn’t turn it to the next track. Eventually, I caught something going on. Then there was a bit more going on. But I didn’t delete my first sentence – reality posting.

Didn’t like it at all, but there’s something going on. It’s not FUN, though. Nor is it passion.

Bleedin’ ‘ell, don’t it go on a looooooonnnnnnngggggg time? (@13:20).

Yes, it does (@21:00).

All seems rather too deliberate. And for little or no point.

Well, looks like this track is going to outlast the battery in my walkman (27:27)

I can get with the baritone player who came in nearly half an hour late. Glad there was room for him but, truly, who cares?

Milkman called for his money at about 35:00, it had finished when I got back. Insufficiently interested to find out how it ended.

Hm, I'll be interested to see who actually likes this track! Just the one saxophonist, playing multiple instruments. You may have come across these players--one is Welsh, in fact.

BFT62 Main disc

1 A wee bit o’ Bebop. Nice and swinging pianist. Sometimes I think I recognise the tune – or at least the one underneath. Is it “Alone together”? Trombonist didn’t do much for me, but the alto player is grooving me to the full!

Don’t know who these guys are – modern jazz isn’t really my thing. I know lots of people who the alto player ISN’T, if that’s any good.

Tenor, not alto, though this school of playing tended towards a "light", Prez-influenced sound. The tune is based on "Pennies from Heaven", in minor. -- Not a lot of recordings by this trombonist, & I'll have to beg to differ here--he's a pretty extraordinary player, I think, & I wish there were more of his work around.

2 This seems to be based on “The last post”. A somewhat “out” version, of course. The front line – well, all of them – are working together nicely. After a bit, it settles down into some pretty ordinary hard bop stuff. Very chopsy alto player. Is this from that Branford Marsalis album about Katrina? Can’t say I liked it.

No, not Branford; this is from when he was still knee-high. Two alto players, you'll definitely know at least one of them though maybe in a very different context. The trumpeter is a big name, usually more mainstream but in this period he was doing a lot of more avant-garde work too.

3 More bebop. Well, more modern than that, I guess. This seems relatively recent. The unison passages suggest a bunch of college types. Not saying anything to me.

Well, they do teach a little..... but the oldest guy here is in his 80s, not fresh out of college!

4 A nice groove to start with always gets my attention! There’s something Ellington-ish about the tune and the way it’s played. And also Joe Dukes-ish about the groove. The alto player was solid with me. Can’t be bothered with rock guitarists, though. This should have stopped before he got to the studio. And that rock-style beat that comes along then has nothing to offer me.

This isn't necessarily a great track, but like the Young track is one that is hard to find, & there are collectors of the tenor player & the guitarist (both of them died a little too young & recorded rather little) who I thought might like to have this.

5 Pleasant trumpet player backed with a string synthesiser? Or is it a string quartet? Maybe real strings. Yes, the pizzicato bits sound real. This is pleasant enough; the way the strings are arranged could be film music.

Real strings, but you're right to think there's something funny about them....

(continued in next post)

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6 Sounds a bit like Benny Golson. But I can’t imagine him writing a tune like that! Don’t like the guitarist much. Or the organist, for that matter.

I can assure you that if it were Golson there'd be about a zillion more notes!

7 Some funny kind of stringed instrument of the Indian persuasion, I guess. Oh, a guitar.

I know! It’s 7/4!

Sorry, can’t be asked to take this seriously. Listened to it all, though.

This guitarist isn't usually known for playing anything that resembles jazz, so the bits of 1930s swing here (not in 7/4, surely) are unusual, & I think effective. It's one of his more hard-to-find solo albums because the label is no longer around.

8 “Crazy rhythm”. Wow! A song I know! And a sax player I know, too. You devil, Nate! Lull me into a false sense of security, thinking there won’t be anything in my range and here’s this guy - and although I know him, I can't recognise him, not even on the second or third attempts. With a trombonist I don’t think I know at all. Valve trombone, by the fleetness of it. Funny sounding piano. Or is it the recording? No, it’s the piano player, giving the game away, because this isn’t a fifties recording but something rather retro.

(Well I think so.)

It's 1960s, a tape of a broadcast recording. You might know the saxophonist (who later went on to develop a rather different style from the Getzian player you hear here), definitely none of the others. Yes, valve trombone. The pianist never recorded any commercial recordings & died young; he's the main reason I put this in.

9 More drivel. Rock guitarist again. Could be the same one as on #4; they’re all interchangeable. Could be the same drummer as well.

No, but it is the same bassist as on one of the other tracks.

11 A modern big band. I think I recognise the drummer. But I don’t know really. The trumpet, alto and trombonist, and the tenor player are all people I feel are pretty recognisable modern musicians. Ditto the pianist. I just don’t recognise them. There’s nothing in here in the way of a STATEMENT that makes me want to get to know any of them better. But it’s OK.

Not sure how "modern"--the pianist is young, but the alto and trumpet are grizzled veterans. I was surprised to hear the altoist on a past BFT playing tenor in a sharply modern manner, very different from the Birdish alto here.

Not a lot in this for me, Nate, I'm afraid. But I'm glad I heard it - so thanks. At the very least, it reminds me how careful I need to be in exploring modern music.

MG

Well, sorry to put you through such agonies! You should have heard the stuff I left off.......... :)

Edited by Nate Dorward
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7. My guess is that this is a totally improvised solo guitar performance – at least there is no definite song form. The closest my listening experience has come to this is a couple of Derek Bailey live recordings. Well I can’t complaint about the rock influenced distorted guitar effects this time, but it is still not something I can imagine myself seeking out too often. At a minimum it requires a much more focused listen than I am able to give right now in order to fully appreciate. I have no idea who the guitarist is.

8. “Crazy Rhythm”. Solos by tenor, trombone, piano. Tenor had a slight pre-bop/rhythm and blues feel in the solo that was interesting to listen to. The other two soloists did not make a significant impression on me. Nothing familiar about any of the instrumentalists.

9. The “rock guitar” seems to fit on this track because the entire performance feels more like an extended rock improvisation other than a narrowly defined jazz/improve performance. The drummer certainly is not trying to deliver a 4/4 swing feel. I have very little reference to compare this against to form a qualitative judgment. Then after about six minutes the feel changes a bit. Something tells me this is the kind of thing most enjoyed in a live setting really loud as opposed to being an intellectually stimulating listening experience – at least for me.

10. An assortment of sounds – guitar, bass, violin and other stuff. I think I will have to come back to this one in order to have anything credible to say.

11. Something for everyone on a ND compilation. Now we have the swinging large ensemble Solos by trumpet, alto, trombone, tenor, piano all maintain the energy level. Nice energy and arrangement with solid solo statements.

12. The alto sounds familiar right away. What I thought was just going to be the introduction before the tune settles in lasted over four minutes. This was not a memorable conclusion to this disc for me.

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7. My guess is that this is a totally improvised solo guitar performance – at least there is no definite song form. The closest my listening experience has come to this is a couple of Derek Bailey live recordings. Well I can’t complaint about the rock influenced distorted guitar effects this time, but it is still not something I can imagine myself seeking out too often. At a minimum it requires a much more focused listen than I am able to give right now in order to fully appreciate. I have no idea who the guitarist is.

Yes, it's DB himself, but untypically in a Hot Club mood.....

9. The “rock guitar” seems to fit on this track because the entire performance feels more like an extended rock improvisation other than a narrowly defined jazz/improve performance. The drummer certainly is not trying to deliver a 4/4 swing feel. I have very little reference to compare this against to form a qualitative judgment. Then after about six minutes the feel changes a bit. Something tells me this is the kind of thing most enjoyed in a live setting really loud as opposed to being an intellectually stimulating listening experience – at least for me.

I should note that the guitarist here is actually better known for playing a completely different instrument. But I think he sounds just fine on this ax!

Thanks for listening--yes, probably this will be a curate's egg for most people! What can I say... I'm generally more interested in the kind of music that will always have a "specific" audience rather than a "general" audience.

I'm still waiting to see who can i.d. the much-maligned guitarist on track 4.... You almost certainly have his work as sideman in your collection, on some pretty notable albums. This is one of his harder-to-find appearances.

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I'm still waiting to see who can i.d. the much-maligned guitarist on track 4.... You almost certainly have his work as sideman in your collection, on some pretty notable albums. This is one of his harder-to-find appearances.

I will have to revisit tracks 2 & 4 to see if any clues come to mind.

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7 Some funny kind of stringed instrument of the Indian persuasion, I guess. Oh, a guitar.

I know! It’s 7/4!

This guitarist isn't usually known for playing anything that resembles jazz, so the bits of 1930s swing here (not in 7/4, surely) are unusual, & I think effective. It's one of his more hard-to-find solo albums because the label is no longer around.

Actually, it was a joke, Nate - not a time sig, but a ref to Organissimo's very own microtonal guitarist :D

MG

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I'm generally more interested in the kind of music that will always have a "specific" audience rather than a "general" audience.

An interesting remark, Nate. Do you mean "only A specific audience", or a number of different audiences, each of which is an audience specific to the particular musician/music? If the latter, that surely applies to most of the music most of us listen to most of the time - certainly me, but they're certainly very different "specific audiences".

In fact, I don't know if there's such a thing as music intended for a "general" audience.

MG

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Think of it like this: there are some films that seem to be common currency--you may enjoy them very much, but it's not like it's an intensely personal experience enjoying them (sometimes you can feel like you've "seen" them even if it's only the people around you who have!). There are others that seem to speak directly to you, & precisely because of that you know they will annoy or pass over the head of a lot of other people.

Same story here, making allowances for the fact that jazz itself has a smaller community of listeners to begin with.

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Had some trouble getting the tracks in the right order - where some numbered incorrectly? (This may have been answered, but I'm avoiding reading anything here.) Anyway, here are some quick comments I wanted to post before leaving the office. Will try to elaborate more later, but I really suck at identifying players. I really dug this BFT because much of this stuff is a bit out of my “comfort zone” but I nevertheless found most of it very listenable and interesting. I'm very curious to know some of the players. Many thanks Nate!

1. This is a pleasant track, of course, but I find the rest of the disc so “exciting and new” that it makes this seem almost dull in comparison.

2. Love the bass opening on this one – very spacey and atmospheric, though maybe not so “musical.” Contrasts nicely with the horns playing over it. And I love how it builds. Great example (to me) of inside-outside playing (though perhaps a bit more outside in this case).

3. Nice, cooler jazz. The guitar (and lack of piano) helps keep this interesting,

4. Not really caring for this one. Like the drumming more than anything else. Okay, I’m liking the second half of this one more, once the groove kicks in around the 7-8 minutes mark.

5. Lovely! Strings/cello (?) are just atonal enough to not make this sound at all sappy. Is this Kenny Wheeler on trumpet? I really like this one and would love to hear more.

6. Very familiar-sounding guitar-organ tune. Groovy. I’d guess the guitarist is the leader of the session.

7. Solo guitar. Elliot Sharp? Andrew Cheshire? Goes on a bit too long with not enough variety for me.

8. Now here’s some variety! Limehouse Blues? Bari sax? Mulligan? Classic “West Coast” sound.

9. Drums & elec. Guitar. “Noisy,” but with enough rhythm that I can relate and dig it. Damn, this one builds to greatness!

10. Not sure how “jazzy” this is, but as contemporary classical I kind of like it. Very interesting and not as discordant as one might expect from this instrumentation.

11. Nice bop tune; lots of energy; great solos.

12. Not my favorite track here, but not bad either. Parts of this I like more than others.

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