BFT 71 - The Reveal

[jeffcrom]

Thanks to all for participating in my Blindfold Test and for posting such interesting comments. Here's the first half of what you were listening to:

1. St. Louis Tickle (composed by Theron C. Bennett) - Ossman-Dudley Trio; recorded Jan. 24, 1906 for Victor.

Vess Ossman - banjo; Audley Dudley - mandolin; Roy Butin or George Dudley - harp guitar

Ragtime was the thing in 1906, and this is just a great example of string-band ragtime. It flows - almost swings. One of the reasons I picked this one was for the second strain, which is the "Funky Butt"/"Buddy Bolden's Blues" tune. Several of you guessed Ossman, and Harold Z caught the "Buddy Bolden's Blues" bit. I'm glad that most of you enjoyed this selection. My source for this and the next tune is a very interesting Archeophone CD called Stomp and Swerve: American Music Gets Hot. If you check it out, be warned - several selections have the kind of racist lyrics that were too common in the early 20th century.

2. Castle House Rag (composed by James Reese Europe) - Europe's Society Orchestra; recorded Feb. 10, 1914 for Victor.

James Reese Europe - conductor; Buddy Gilmore - drums

This is Reese's nervous, exciting New York take on ragtime. It's easy to imagine how this manic music attracted the attention of New Yorkers. Reese's 1919 recordings are somewhat more jazz-oriented, but his groundbreaking 1913-1914 Victors are hard to find. I've tracked down all but two waltzes. This one is also on Stomp and Swerve.

3. I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle (composed by Perry Bradford) - Perry Bradford's Jazz Phools; recorded Nov. 2, 1925 for Vocalion.

Perry Bradford - vocal; Louis Armstrong - trumpet; Charlie Green - trombone; Buster Bailey - clarinet; Don Redman - alto sax; James P. Johnson - piano; Charlie Dixon - banjo; Kaiser Marshall - drums.

The genius who changed jazz forever arrived in the 1920s. This Louis Armstrong solo has remained fairly obscure in relation to how great it is. Gunther Schuller transcribed it in Early Jazz - I thought some of you might know it from that. This hot little band was mostly derived from Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. Buster Bailey is fabulous here, too. My source is an Affinity 6-CD set, Louis Armstrong and the Blues Singers 1924-1930. I've found this set to be invaluable - it brings together all of Pops' vocal accompaniments from the 1920s.

4. Merry-Go-Round (composed by Duke Ellington) - Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra; recorded Feb. 15, 1933 for British Columbia.

soloists: Cootie Williams - trumpet; Barney Bigard - clarinet; Lawrence Brown - trombone; Johnny Hodges - alto sax; Freddie Jenkins - trumpet; Harry Carney - baritone sax

This has long been one of my favorite Ellington recordings from this era. Someone pointed out the sectional nature of the piece, but what's remarkable to me is how well the sections flow together, and the soloists and ensemble flow together, to create a unified composition. My favorite brilliant little touch comes at the end of the seventh and eighth blues choruses. The seventh features the saxophones, but the trombones cut them off by entering two measures too early. But Ellington adds two measures to the end of the trombone chorus to balance things out. I just love that. My source was the double CD Ridin' in Rhythm on DRG/Disques Swing - it collects mostly tracks released first in Europe.

5. My Melancholy Baby - Joe Marsala Sextet; recorded Jan. 12, 1945 for Black & White.

Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet; Joe Marsala - clarinet; Cliff Jackson - piano; Chuck Wayne - guitar; Irv Lang - bass; Buddy Christian - drums

Bebop was the new thing in the forties, but I didn't want to include a straight bop track. Like Spontooneous, I love this period when swing guys, New Orleans guys, and modernists would all play together. Several folks commented on how great stride pianist Cliff Jackson sounds. Dizzy Gillespie is young and brash - I love it. My source CD was mentioned in the forums just a few days ago - Greenwich Village Sound from the Pickwick series of Black & White reissues.

6. Springsville (composed by John Carisi) - John Carisi Jazz Workshop; recorded June 11, 1956 for RCA.

John Carisi - trumpet; Urbie Green - trombone; Ray Beckenstein - alto sax; Eddie Wasserman - tenor sax; Sol Schlinger - baritone sax; Barry Galbraith - guitar; Milt Hinton - bass; Osie Johnson - drums

There were several major trends going on in the 1950s - hard bop, West Coast cool. But to me the unsung story of the 50s is the rise of the jazz composer - Gil Evans, George Russell, Bill Russo, Jimmy Giuffre, etc. John Carisi recorded very little under his own name, and a 1988 RCA/Bluebird CD called The Arrangers, credited to the RCA Victor Jazz Workshop, contains the first issue of seven tracks he made in 1956. As several folks noted, "Springsville" was the first track from Miles Ahead, but this recording came first, although it wasn't released until 32 years later. I figure Carisi must have played the tapes for Miles and Gil, though. I think his writing here (and elsewhere) is brilliant.

That's enough for now. I'll reveal the rest this evening.

Edited January 31, 2010 by jeffcrom

[Spontooneous]

And everybody should know just how much ass Chuck Wayne is kicking on that Joe Marsala session. He's aggressively working on the new thing, and doing it with beautiful touch and taste.

[seeline]

I really haven't had a chance to get to listen to the music from this BFT in the way I'd like (in order to make semi-coherent comments on the discussion thread...), but I want to say that my hat's off to you for this one, jeffcrom!

I'm in love with the older material especially. Tk. one has some very close analogues in Brazilian choro from the same time period, I think... and I wondered about some of the guitars used, so am very glad to see the list of instruments. (am a fan of harp guitar; mandolin, too - though my fancy for that latter came by way of the Brazilian bandolim, which is larger and more cittern-like.)

Edited January 31, 2010 by seeline

[Guest Bill Barton]

And everybody should know just how much ass Chuck Wayne is kicking on that Joe Marsala session. He's aggressively working on the new thing, and doing it with beautiful touch and taste.

Whew! Ain't that the truth! I absolutely *love* his playing on this track. Gonna have to search out that CD...

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

"Springsville" was track 6, not 7 - you got a bit mixed up.

I'm glad that Johnny Hodges impressed me

I saw a documentary years ago about Irene and Vernon Castle and their creation of the ballroom dancing craze in the US before WW1. James Reese Europe was their musical director. Hearing this, you can understand why this music and dancing swept America.

MG

[jeffcrom]

"Springsville" was track 6, not 7 - you got a bit mixed up.

Fixed.

[jeffcrom]

Here are the rest of the "decade" tracks:

7. You Know How We Do (composed by Robin Kenyatta) – Robin Kenyatta, from Until; recorded Feb. 4, 1967 for Vortex.

Mike Lawrence – trumpet; Roswell Rudd – trombone; Robin Kenyatta – alto sax; Lewis Worrell – bass; Horace Arnold – drums; Archie Lee - percussion

I wanted something representing free jazz for my sixties selection, with some fairly major players, yet fairly obscure. This fit the bill, although Clifford Thornton recognized it right away, and several folks identified Rudd. This might be a little self-indulgent and sprawling, but hey, it was the sixties. There's a Wounded Bird reissue, but mine is on a minty LP.

8. La Raza (composed by Luis Gasca) – Luis Gasca from Luis Gasca; recorded August, 1971 for Blue Thumb.

Luis Gasca – trumpet; Joe Henderson – tenor sax; George Cables, Mark Levine – pianos; Stanley Clarke – bass; Lenny White –drums

I wanted something kind of fusion-y for the 70s selection, and I’ve always loved this obscure track, which contains one of my favorite Joe Henderson solos. I don’t think this album was ever released on CD, except for one track which made it to a Blue Thumb anthology. Nothing else on this album is nearly this good, in my opinion. The other three tracks are more like Latin rock jams, and feature members of Santana (Greg Rolie, Neil Schon, a bunch of percussionists, and Carlos himself). Hadley Caliman plays flute on some of the album, and Henderson has a few more short solos, but nothing else this good. The exact personnel for "La Raza" isn't given; this is my educated guess from the collective personnel.

9. Wadmalaw Island (composed by Melvin Gibbs) - Power Tools, from Stange Meeting; recorded January, 1987 for Antilles.

Bill Frisell – guitar, loops; Melvin Gibbs – electric bass; Ronald Shannon Jackson - drums

Wasn’t quite sure which way to go for my 80s selection. When I think of this decade in jazz, I think of the neo-conservative Wynton M. bunch, the rise of David Murray, and fusions of funk and free jazz. But Frisell was one of the voices of the time that really excited me (although I’m not sure he ever really fulfilled his potential), and I found Jackson’s take on funk fusion pretty interesting at the time. Most of you didn’t care for this one, and it probably does sound more dated than many of the selections.

10. Breath (composed by Julian Priester) - Reggie Workman, from Summit Conference; recorded December, 1993 for Postcards.

Julian Priester – trombone; Sam Rivers – tenor sax; Andrew Hill – piano; Reggie Workman – bass; Pheeroan ak Laff - drums

Is anyone kicking themselves? I figured some of you have this album, which I thought was one of the highlights of the 1990s. When it came out, some of these guys had been kind of under the radar for awhile, at least as far as recordings went. To those of us who were buying CDs in 1994, this lineup was the stuff of dreams. Priester wrote the tune and seems to take the improvisational lead, as several of you noted. I didn’t want to use one of Rivers’ compositions from this album, as I thought he might be too easily identified.

11. Guarana (composed by John Hollenbeck) – John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, from Eternal Interlude; recorded March, 2009 for Sunnyside.

Includes Theo Bleckmann – voice; John Hollenbeck – drums; I don’t know who the trombone soloist is – the trombones are Rob Hudson, Mike Christianson, and Alan Ferber.

John Hollenbeck’s work is some of the most interesting of this decade, in my opinion. I wanted to included something from his Claudia Quintet, but thought that stuff may be too readily identifiable. Some of you didn’t like the use of the voice in the ensemble, but I think it fits well. Hollenbeck builds his pieces from simple elements, and I’m impressed at how they build.

[jeffcrom]

The bonus tracks:

12. How High the Moon – Metronome All Stars; recorded July 9, 1953 for MGM.

Billy Eckstine – vocal; Roy Eldridge – trumpet; Kai Winding – trombone; John LaPorta –clarinet; Warne Marsh, Lester Young – tenor sax; Teddy Wilson – piano; Terry Gibbs – vibes; Billy Bauer – guitar; Eddie Safranski – bass; Max Roach - drums

I thought this was a pretty obscure recording, but Paul knew it right away. As he said, the pairing of Young and Marsh is pretty interesting, and Marsh’s short solo is an absolute masterpiece. Some of you couldn’t get past Mr. B’s singing, but that’s Prez behind him! Of course, the All Star recording participants never included all of Metronome’s poll winners due to schedule conflicts, etc. I wonder how far down the list Warne Marsh was in the poll. My source was a Moon CD called Lester Young Rarities; I couldn't find a picture online.

13. My Ship - George Freeman, from Birth Sign; recorded March 1969 for Delmark

Von Freeman – tenor sax; Sonny Burke – organ; George Freeman – guitar; Billy Mitchell - drums

I had to include some organ on an Organissimo forum BFT. And there’s been so much talk of Von here lately that I thought I would include something by him. And his 16-bar solo is the highlight of this track. A couple of you recognized him, and that soul jazz/R & B/gospel/African music authority, The Magnificent Goldberg, knew all the details.

14. The Song is You – Charlie Persip and the Jazz Statesmen; recorded April 2, 1960 for Bethlehem

Freddie Hubbard – trumpet; Roland Alexander – tenor sax; Ronnie Mathews – piano; Ron Carter – bass; Charlie Persip – drums

A fabulous hard bop session which doesn’t seem to be well known. Hubbard had already quit the band by the time this was recorded; one track on the album features his replacement, Marcus Belgrave. Several of you did pretty well to know this.

Thanks again for your participation and comments. I enjoyed it, and hope you did, too.

Edited February 8, 2010 by jeffcrom

[Spontooneous]

Track 12 can also be had on this Eckstine collection from Verve.

[paul secor]

Track 12 can also be had on this Eckstine collection from Verve.

Yeah - that's where I heard it.

edit - I'm not a big Eckstine fan, normally a little goes a long way. But this is a good collection - even outside of the Metronome All Stars track.

Edited February 1, 2010 by paul secor

[Hot Ptah]

I am kicking myself over Track 10, because I have that album and bought it when it first came out. I have not listened to it in a while. I need to revisit it! Interesting that I sensed an early Sun Ra influence on it, as Julian Preister played with Ra in the 1950s.

So it was Roy Eldridge playing trumpet on that Billy Eckstine track! I really like that track.

That was a wonderful Blindfold Test.

[tkeith]

Absolutely shocked I missed Sam Rivers. GOT to be my speakers. I've never had THAT reaction to THAT guy. Have to give that another listen for sure. Some real surprises. I guess I like Freddie more than I realize. I should have gotten Persip, and I'm ashamed of myself.

[jeffcrom]

Absolutely shocked I missed Sam Rivers. GOT to be my speakers. I've never had THAT reaction to THAT guy. Have to give that another listen for sure. Some real surprises. I guess I like Freddie more than I realize. I should have gotten Persip, and I'm ashamed of myself.

Hey, from Dizzy Gillespie on, you nailed a lot of the musicians. Thanks for your comments.

That was a wonderful Blindfold Test.

Thanks so much.

[Guest Bill Barton]

10. Breath (composed by Julian Priester) - Reggie Workman, from Summit Conference; recorded December, 1993 for Postcards.

Julian Priester – trombone; Sam Rivers – tenor sax; Andrew Hill – piano; Reggie Workman – bass; Pheeroan ak Laff - drums

Is anyone kicking themselves? I figured some of you have this album, which I thought was one of the highlights of the 1990s. When it came out, some of these guys had been kind of under the radar for awhile, at least as far as recordings went. To those of us who were buying CDs in 1994, this lineup was the stuff of dreams. Priester wrote the tune and seems to take the improvisational lead, as several of you noted. I didn’t want to use one of Rivers’ compositions from this album, as I thought he might be too easily identified.

Yes, indeed I am kicking myself, jeffcrom. And, yes, I have this CD! Arggggh... As if missing Frisell wasn't bad enough, now my Pacific Northwest cred is really shot by missing Julian Priester too. Hey, at least I liked it. A lot. Helluva band!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

13. Angel Eyes - George Freeman, from Birth Sign; recorded March 1969 for Delmark

Von Freeman – tenor sax; Sonny Burke – organ; George Freeman – guitar; Billy Mitchell - drums

I had to include some organ on an Organissimo forum BFT. And there’s been so much talk of Von here lately that I thought I would include something by him. And his 16-bar solo is the highlight of this track. A couple of you recognized him, and that soul jazz/R & B/gospel/African music authority, The Magnificent Goldberg, knew all the details.

OI! MY SHIP!!!!!!!!!!!

MG

[clifford_thornton]

10. Breath (composed by Julian Priester) - Reggie Workman, from Summit Conference; recorded December, 1993 for Postcards.

Julian Priester – trombone; Sam Rivers – tenor sax; Andrew Hill – piano; Reggie Workman – bass; Pheeroan ak Laff - drums

Is anyone kicking themselves? I figured some of you have this album, which I thought was one of the highlights of the 1990s. When it came out, some of these guys had been kind of under the radar for awhile, at least as far as recordings went. To those of us who were buying CDs in 1994, this lineup was the stuff of dreams. Priester wrote the tune and seems to take the improvisational lead, as several of you noted. I didn’t want to use one of Rivers’ compositions from this album, as I thought he might be too easily identified.

Yes, indeed I am kicking myself, jeffcrom. And, yes, I have this CD! Arggggh... As if missing Frisell wasn't bad enough, now my Pacific Northwest cred is really shot by missing Julian Priester too. Hey, at least I liked it. A lot. Helluva band!

Me too. I don't have the disc, but still, I should have recognized Hill & Rivers.

[clifford_thornton]

Thanks again to Jeff for all his hard work in putting this BFT together. I'm not a regular participant, but of the few BFTs I have participated in, this was one of the best!

[jeffcrom]

OI! MY SHIP!!!!!!!!!!!

MG

Track title finally fixed - that was just a slip of the brain.

Thanks again to Jeff for all his hard work in putting this BFT together. I'm not a regular participant, but of the few BFTs I have participated in, this was one of the best!

Wow - thanks, CT. I appreciate the kind words.

[Bright Moments]

still catching up on my bft's and enjoyed this one - thanks jeff!