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BFT #77 (a/k/a #79) discussion


clifford_thornton

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Please begin your discussion of BFT #77 (previously mistitled BFT #79) here.

I'd planned to do an all-vinyl edition but, once I got back from traveling, discovered some issues with tonearm wiring. Which is too bad because I had some real doozies picked out. But then again, this allowed me the opportunity to pick some things that might be easier to source (should they be of interest) and also allow me to visit some items of recent interest in a different context than usual (i.e., more casual here). Also, I intentionally picked a few tracks that I thought it would be good to listen to and study again, because the benefit of others' ears is one that rarely gets used.

Anyway, I hope you all are enjoying the BFT.

Edited by clifford_thornton
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Wow! An absolute ball-buster! Usual disclaimers -- one and done, no peakies, not that there was anything uncovered.

Track 1 -- Quirky beginnings. I thought there were bizarre, totally abstract vocals, but it turned out to be one of the myriad popups that opened as I was downloading subsequent tracks. No idea who the players are. The quirkiness didn't quite grab me.

Track 2 -- Love it from the get go. Drums sound like maybe Muhammad Ali to me. Could be Noah Howard on alto, but I have no confidence in that guess. I don't recognize the trumpet (or is that a cornet?). Two basses? No idea for sure, but I want this.

Track 3 -- Instantly love it. Very Coltrane-influenced tenor, but in a good way. At times has the chops of a Billy Pierce disciple, at other times, he's raw like Booker T. Sounds like he's listened to his share of Booker Ervin, too. No idea on the trumpet. In fact, I don't recognize any of them definitively, but I want this one, too!

Track 4 -- Angularity abounds. This almost seems too learned to my ear. It's interesting, but it seems more about head than heart. Once it gets going, I'm in, but the de-duh phase left me feeling... I'm not sure. Love the tenor solo... DIRTY! In the end, I like it. No clue who, though... damnit, you're going to cost me money!

Track 5 -- This reminds me of Jameel Moondoc, but much more polished. Damnit, I like this one, too.

Track 6 -- There is nothing I don't love about this, except that I cannot identify it.

Track 7 -- Reminiscent of Concerto De Aranjuez in the intro, but not once it gets going. The piano is really prominent in this recording... not sure if that's a clue as to who the leader is. The tune sounds like something Yusef would write, but the flute tone doesn't seem strong enough to be Yusef.

Track 8 -- Beastly tenor sound! Maybe Odean Pope? Not sure of the drummer, but he's also a beast. Again, not positve on any of this.

Track 9 -- No clue. At times seems like royalties are due Shepp, at others, Getz. Very few guys can pull off solo saxophone. This one doesn't quite hit its mark for me.

Track 10 -- The riff is familiar, but can't say what it is. No clue.

Track 11 -- Coltrane tune... Village Blues? No. One of the Mr. tunes... Mr. Syms? Different instrumentation. Not typically a clarinet fan, but I like this. Could this be Darryl Harper?

Track 12 -- Another Coltrane guy. This guy is much more derivative. A lot of Rollins in him, too. I'm assuming a younger guy. I like this, but its derivative nature makes me less sold on it. In fact, by the end, he's practically channeling Rollins, but the tune is too 'composed'. I'm on the fence.

Track 13 -- Lots of low end, nice. Reminds me of some of the early John Surman stuff. Lots of vocalizing from the bassist, which should be more of a clue than it is to me.

Track 14 -- What's not to love about this? Reminds me a great deal of Pharoah's early 70s stuff during the intro. Horrendous sound on this recording... or is that potentially a Varitone? No idea what this is. Winston Mankunku Ngozi?

Track 15 -- Instant love. No idea. Maybe Sonny Blount.

Thanks for a killin' test. There is much in here I must acquire.

A funny aside: I was listening through iTunes and after track 14, I knew the song in two notes. I couldn't believe it because it was an album I'd *literally* just digitized. As I was typing in elation at finally having nailed one on this test, I realized that when I imported the songs, iTunes (as it does) imported the last song first. I was, in fact, listening to my digitized copy of Charles Lloyd's Montreux 82. Ugh.

Yeah, perhaps and for that I would find a new way to host it.

Should have the TT back in order by the end of the month (!)

rapidshare is free and works pretty well. I would assume you could zip the files prior to upload even with Mediafire, though. What operating system are you running?

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15 divides so nicely into thirds, so here are my comments on the first five tracks.

I like every track, and almost every moment of every track. I'll mention the one exception below. I don't recognize anyone except for one musician.

1. A wonderful version of Monk's "Skippy." Two excellent musicians, and I have a weakness for good stride piano. I love the contrary motion at the beginning of the piano solo, where the improvised melody ascends while the bass line is descending. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the trumpet player's double- or triple-tonguing - that's a sound I've never much cared for in jazz. But a great performance, nonetheless.

2. This sounds like the heyday of free jazz - the 1960s. I like the fact that the soloists keep the theme in mind while they're improvising. No one who listens to this one carefully could say that the playing is just random. Are there two drummers? I didn't like the bass duet. The first bass solo was good, but once the second bassist entered it got ugly. And good jazz is never ugly - free jazz or not. Albert Ayler was alway beautiful, no matter how intense the music got.

3. Wow - is this Buell Neidlinger's tune "O.P?" I've always thought that was a great bass player's tune. Good performance, good solos, even if they aren't particularly distinguished.

4. Interesting performance - I love the pointillism. Again, the horn players aren't just blowing randomly; everything they play has a melodic point to make, even if the melodic language is pretty abstract. I'm looking forward to finding out more about this well-organized piece of music.

5. Sunny Murray on drums, I'm pretty sure, but I don't know what album this is from. Hard-core free music from the 60s again. It must have been a shock for a lot of folks back then, but it makes sense to me. I like this one a lot.

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Here are my impressions, and guesses (which are probably laughably incorrect, but oh well).

This is a great Blindfold Test, one of the best I have heard. I must buy some of the CDs here, assuming that I don't already have them without knowing it.

1. No idea who is playing in this trumpet/piano duet. It sounds like the players may be playing in a style which is not their usual style, or else that they are very versatile.

2. I don't know who this is, but it sounds like a group of avant garde heavyweights. The second arco bass soloist, in my left channel, does not have a very good sound, which is a pet peeve of mine--bassists who play with the bow and do not get a good sound.

3. Is this the Art Ensemble of Chicago? If so, I don't know the recording from hearing it, but probably have it in my collection.

4. I like this one a lot. A whole lot. I must own it, assuming that I don't already. At times, I thought I was listening to Muhal Richard Abrams and Anthony Braxton. I am not aware of a recording they did with a trumpet player. This is a truly great cut.

5. I have no idea who is playing in this avant garde cut, just none. They sound like superior players.

6. This is a different kind of piece, with rather minimalist drums and then some trombone later on. I can't place the players.

7. I thought I knew most of the jazz flute players by sound, but I am reasonbly sure that I have not heard this musician play flute for an extended solo before. I have no idea who it is.

8. It sounds like someone influenced by John Coltrane in his Atlantic period to me. Really good. I want this.

9. It sounds like someone influenced by John Coltrane in his "Live At Birdland"/"Crescent" period to me. Really good. I want this.

10. Is this Lester Bowie from "All The Magic"? I bought that album when it came out but have not listened to the second LP, of unaccompanied trumpet solos, for years. This trumpet player does a nice job of remaining compelling for the entire cut with no backing musicians.

11. I like this one a lot. I will have to get this one. I don't know who it is. The combination of clarinet, acoustic guitar and bass works really well here. A strong bass solo!

12. Who would play a "Sonny Rollins in the 1970s and 1980s" style calypso number on tenor sax? It does not sound like Rollins to me but I have no idea who it is. The bass solo is fairly long, but did not really hold my interest.

13. This is a really interesting recording. I really like it. I must have it. The bass clarinet solo, and bass solo, are really good. The bassist has a full, strong tone, and keeps my interest. Which bass clarinet player included a distorted electric guitarist in the group? Hmmmm. I just don't know.

14. This has an early 1970s feeling to it, like a Pharoah Sanders Impulse album when he was trying to get in a groove. I have no idea who it is, but it is very interesting, and again, I must have it. The conga solo is really good--it jumped out at me. Is that an electric saxophone?

15. The rhythm screams out "this is Sun Ra." I thought that I knew about much of Ra's output, but am not aware of a song dominated by violin in this style. I have never even read about such a Ra recording. The organ part comes in, in such an odd way, that it could easily be Sun Ra. I am really interested to learn about this recording.

This is the kind of Blindfold Test that I should do when I grow up. Sensational. Thanks for putting it together!

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Here are my impressions, and guesses (which are probably laughably incorrect, but oh well).

This is a great Blindfold Test, one of the best I have heard. I must buy some of the CDs here, assuming that I don't already have them without knowing it.

2. I don't know who this is, but it sounds like a group of avant garde heavyweights. The second arco bass soloist, in my left channel, does not have a very good sound, which is a pet peeve of mine--bassists who play with the bow and do not get a good sound.

4. I like this one a lot. A whole lot. I must own it, assuming that I don't already. At times, I thought I was listening to Muhal Richard Abrams and Anthony Braxton. I am not aware of a recording they did with a trumpet player. This is a truly great cut.

10. Is this Lester Bowie from "All The Magic"? I bought that album when it came out but have not listened to the second LP, of unaccompanied trumpet solos, for years. This trumpet player does a nice job of remaining compelling for the entire cut with no backing musicians.

14. This has an early 1970s feeling to it, like a Pharoah Sanders Impulse album when he was trying to get in a groove. I have no idea who it is, but it is very interesting, and again, I must have it. The conga solo is really good--it jumped out at me. Is that an electric saxophone?

15. The rhythm screams out "this is Sun Ra." I thought that I knew about much of Ra's output, but am not aware of a song dominated by violin in this style. I have never even read about such a Ra recording. The organ part comes in, in such an odd way, that it could easily be Sun Ra. I am really interested to learn about this recording.

This is the kind of Blindfold Test that I should do when I grow up. Sensational. Thanks for putting it together!

Thanks for the props; I'm glad you and others are digging it. Sorry about those bass solos - I agree that a couple of them just aren't getting it.

4: AACM is on the right track, though this is quite obscure. It is a fantastic little album, though.

10: Not Lester.

14: Yes, right time period and as far as I know, an electric tenor.

15: Not Ra. I put this on here because I wanted people to hear it, not necessarily because anyone would guess (though you might be surprised when you find out the answer). It's a very special item to me and I digitized it some years ago for that reason.

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Here are my impressions, and guesses (which are probably laughably incorrect, but oh well).

This is a great Blindfold Test, one of the best I have heard. I must buy some of the CDs here, assuming that I don't already have them without knowing it.

2. I don't know who this is, but it sounds like a group of avant garde heavyweights. The second arco bass soloist, in my left channel, does not have a very good sound, which is a pet peeve of mine--bassists who play with the bow and do not get a good sound.

4. I like this one a lot. A whole lot. I must own it, assuming that I don't already. At times, I thought I was listening to Muhal Richard Abrams and Anthony Braxton. I am not aware of a recording they did with a trumpet player. This is a truly great cut.

10. Is this Lester Bowie from "All The Magic"? I bought that album when it came out but have not listened to the second LP, of unaccompanied trumpet solos, for years. This trumpet player does a nice job of remaining compelling for the entire cut with no backing musicians.

14. This has an early 1970s feeling to it, like a Pharoah Sanders Impulse album when he was trying to get in a groove. I have no idea who it is, but it is very interesting, and again, I must have it. The conga solo is really good--it jumped out at me. Is that an electric saxophone?

15. The rhythm screams out "this is Sun Ra." I thought that I knew about much of Ra's output, but am not aware of a song dominated by violin in this style. I have never even read about such a Ra recording. The organ part comes in, in such an odd way, that it could easily be Sun Ra. I am really interested to learn about this recording.

This is the kind of Blindfold Test that I should do when I grow up. Sensational. Thanks for putting it together!

Thanks for the props; I'm glad you and others are digging it. Sorry about those bass solos - I agree that a couple of them just aren't getting it.

4: AACM is on the right track, though this is quite obscure. It is a fantastic little album, though.

10: Not Lester.

14: Yes, right time period and as far as I know, an electric tenor.

15: Not Ra. I put this on here because I wanted people to hear it, not necessarily because anyone would guess (though you might be surprised when you find out the answer). It's a very special item to me and I digitized it some years ago for that reason.

I will be surprised by #15, because the way that the drums play, is known by me to occur only on Sun Ra sessions. If someone else was using rhythm in this way, it will be a surprise.

The others--I am not good at picking out players by ear, so my .000 batting average is what I expected. I had thought that #10 might not be Lester, partly because it does not have the ECM sound which did permeate "All The Magic" to some extent. Also, it does not obviously sound like Lester.

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#1 At first I thought Dave Douglas but he doesn't have that facility on the horn. Sounds like new Dutch swing. Like maybe Thomas Heberrer with Misha Mengelberg? I think they are definitely European.

#2 I feel like this sounds like Bunky Green but is way too manic and free to be him. Not Dolphy either AFAICT. I like the manic drumming. Sounds like Dannie Richmond. I guess this could be John Handy with Mingus and Dannie and Jack Walrath...

#3 No clue but I love it.

#9 This is beautiful. I would love to have seen this live. It reminds me of David S. Ware. I saw Ware solo this past winter in a private house concert and it could be him. This could be from that "Saturnian" solo sax LP on AUM Fidelity. There's so much language in what he's playing. Note the bebop grounding at 2:30-2:35. Heavy. Love it.

#10 This guy can play the fucking trumpet. At 1:25 it gets really interesting. This could be Bill Dixon actually, though it's not quite avant enough to be him. Or so one would think. I can't think of many guys who have this kind of CRAZY facility on the trumpet or cornet.

#11 This is "Mr. Syms" from "Coltrane Plays The Blues" (one of my favorite Coltrane tunes from the Atlantic period). I was thinking it could be Ben Goldberg or Doug Wieselman and it was driving me crazy so I looked at tune lengths on the internets (there are not that many covers of "Mr Syms"). But I'll let you all guess forever. You'll never guess. You're a sneaky man, Clifford. But now I'm going to buy this track on iTunes. And maybe the album if you think it's all around a great album. Certainly a unique instrumentation.

#12 This sounds like someone very modern. Definitely post-Sonny and also post-Brecker. But I have the feeling this is some European or South African guy we've never heard of. Great sax solo and great bass solo.

more soon

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Part two; # 6-10:

6. Sounds like a European percussionist – or someone influenced by that skittery approach to free jazz drumming. It’s a real dialogue – the bassist’s entrance was a perfect response to what the drummer was doing at that time. But each of the three players is maintaining a certain amount of independence in his/her line – it’s like they’re all going in the same direction, but not always on the same path. I like this approach to free improvisation; it keeps things from getting either too predictable or too chaotic. The trombonist is very melodic, although someone not used to this kind of music might not hear it that way. Thumbs up on this one.

7. Hmmm…. Well, once we’re past the Rodrigo/Sketches of Spain introduction, I like this well enough. Nothing about it really gets to me strongly, except the flute player’s distinctive sound – on an instrument that it’s hard to have an individual sound on. Don’t know who it is.

8. This one drove me nuts for a little while – I knew the tenor player was someone with whom I was familiar, but I couldn’t place him at first. It’s Odean Pope, playing a tune he called “Prince Lasha” on another album. Since that other album also featured Lasha, there’s a chance that this trio recording (which I’ve never heard before) has a different title. Good, strong playing, with an awareness of all the jazz tradition, not just the Lincoln Center-approved parts.

9. Good stuff – a beautifully conceived and played tenor solo. Is it Joe McPhee? Whoever it is, it’s good.

10. A nice swinging, well-organized trumpet solo – an improvised rondo, in a way. There were 15 seconds I didn’t like – the bugle call passage. But I can forgive that – this is a nice piece of music. No idea who it is.

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Yes, it is Odean and the tune is "Prince Lasha." You and Thom are on it.

#11 This is "Mr. Syms" from "Coltrane Plays The Blues" (one of my favorite Coltrane tunes from the Atlantic period). I was thinking it could be Ben Goldberg or Doug Wieselman and it was driving me crazy so I looked at tune lengths on the internets (there are not that many covers of "Mr Syms"). But I'll let you all guess forever. You'll never guess. You're a sneaky man, Clifford. But now I'm going to buy this track on iTunes. And maybe the album if you think it's all around a great album. Certainly a unique instrumentation.

Yes, it's from quite a great little record and I would highly recommend it to you.

Edited by clifford_thornton
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#1 At first I thought Dave Douglas but he doesn't have that facility on the horn. Sounds like new Dutch swing. Like maybe Thomas Heberrer with Misha Mengelberg? I think they are definitely European.

#9 This is beautiful. I would love to have seen this live. It reminds me of David S. Ware. I saw Ware solo this past winter in a private house concert and it could be him. This could be from that "Saturnian" solo sax LP on AUM Fidelity. There's so much language in what he's playing. Note the bebop grounding at 2:30-2:35. Heavy. Love it.

#10 This guy can play the fucking trumpet. At 1:25 it gets really interesting. This could be Bill Dixon actually, though it's not quite avant enough to be him. Or so one would think. I can't think of many guys who have this kind of CRAZY facility on the trumpet or cornet.

#12 This sounds like someone very modern. Definitely post-Sonny and also post-Brecker. But I have the feeling this is some European or South African guy we've never heard of. Great sax solo and great bass solo.

more soon

#1 - not Europeans.

#9 - not Ware or McPhee, it's someone a bit less well-known but of a similar generation. Glad you dig.

#10 - not Dixon though I think he would have approved.

#12 - European, most definitely.

Edited by clifford_thornton
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Beating the heat and recovering from last night's bowling, the first since 7-8 years and about 50-60 lbs ago, with the usual thanks & disclaimers in place.

TRACK ONE - "Skippy", but it ain't skippin'...sounds like a Gay 90's SundayAt The Bandshell version of Monk, if such a thing is imaginable...and you know Monk wouldn't have been allowed on that bandstand in that time, so this is what you'd get instead. Just doesn't feel right to/for me. That trumpet player...great chops, zero feel, imo. Same for the pianist...too crowded, all of it. I mean, it's a crowded tune to begin with, but the object is to get comfortable inside the crowdingness, not...get sucked in by it. FAIL!

I'm guesing this would be it: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:avfyxz9aldfe

TRACK TWO - The tune reminds me of mid-60s McLean, not so much the playing...somebody take a breath, ok? I mean, it's cool where they're going, but I'm kinda (or more) "been there, done that" with this whole bag. Frankly, the altoist seems to have limited facility,at least in his/her thinking - really facile with what they play, but I don't know that I hear any hint that there's anything else they could play...not so much the trumpeter, who I'm liking pretty well - space, rhythmic variation, a relaxation inside him/herself that allows for both thought and reflex, which, really, is the object of the game, no? Bassist is highly facile (and there's two of them it seems!), but really, at this point in time...it's preaching to the choir rather than taking it to the streets, and...I can't get too terribly enthusiastic these days about people repeating answers to questions that have already been both asked and answered.

TRACK THREE - An ersatz Elvin band?!?!?!?! Tenor sure sounds like Dewey, but....not quite, which to me is usually an indicator that it might be Lovano, but this ain't Lovano. Who it is, I don't know, and....they're kinda pissing me off the longer they play. GET YOUR OWN SHIT GODDAMN IT!!! I can't finish this one, sorry...the trumpet player and how the drummer is "interacting" has me wishing them ill, and that's never a good place to be. This shit is just too damn "cute" for me, the jazz equivalent of a bad power-pop band, the "gesture" entirely replacing the "meaning", never mind the goddamed CONTENT. BOO!

TRACK FOUR - Ok, this one I can feel...ain't nuthin' "new", but it doesn't feel forced in any way...no matter how overt the surface energy/urgency/whatever, mature music is supposed to (in my opinion) have some kind of implicit control behind it. Sounding like you're desperate is ok, but sounding like being desperate is the only option you have on your instrument isn't...definitely has the AEC/AACM thing going on and everybody's a player for real, so hey. This shit FLOWS. The tracks before haven't. A river flows. Vomit doesn't, and therein lies the difference! Oh, yeah, this is good!

TRACK FIVE - Somebody has heard Ornette...but they can play too! Yeah, they can play. Glad to get here, because at first I thought I was just in one of my fuck everything zones and was going to not like anything offered, but now I see that it's not me. Good! Is this Sonny Simmons & Barbara Donald? Barbara Donald was a freakin' incredible trumpeter, chops of iron and fingers of mercury..much love for this one too, it's some for-real music.

TRACK SIX - Kinda old-fashioned but still good...very fluent, thoughtful trombone playing...the obvious guess would be Ray Anderson, but this is a tad more reflective than I'm used to from him. It's fumnny, I keep hearing the odd/occasional intervallic movements that put me in mind of "Skippy". On the whole, like I said, it seems kinda old-fashioned to me, not sure I'd want to hear it again, or even the entire album, but that's just me. Certainly nothing wrong here, and plenty is right.

TRACK SEVEN - Not bad. On my computer speakers, it sounds like a Van Gelder piano. That flute vibrato is pretty distinctive, almost Fathead-y. Could this in fact be him? Whoever it is, there's enough passing moments that betray that it's most likely a double for them.

TRACK EIGHT - That's Odean! Odean's a baaaaad man! Don't know if I've heard this one, Odean's been doing a lot of recording lately, some of it a bit under the general radar, but I got a buddy who tries to get it all to me sooner or later. Personally, some of it would benefit from more/better planning/production/etc, and this sounds like one of them, but still, Odean Pope is a serious man making serious music. Planning and such only makes it easier to discern that (in my mind) unmistakable fact.

TRACK NINE - ooooohhhhh...homemade....and some trouble on the low end...and some (very) occasional finger-glitching...but some nice ideas and some sure-footed execution as well...that's how homemade goes, usually...I'll love it for the charm, even though it's...charming.

TRACK TEN - What's that tune on Rollins Plays For Bird..."Kids Know"? That keeps coming back, and in between is...kind of a pastiche of licks, effects, and actual ideas. Can't fault the technique, or the intent, just not sure if there's either some programmatic intent that I'm missing or that might have been better communicated/conceptualized...oh well, no harm, no foul. No sale, either, which is too bad, because this sounds like a fine player.

TRACK ELEVEN - Not sure I see the point, but they seem to, so hey. Saul Goode.

TRACK TWELVE - Oh, bouncy! Good! Not really my bag, but a lot of things aren't, so...has a kinda "poppy" feel to it though, should get some airplay on the straight-ahead stations that look for anything remotely resembling "popular appeal". Are there any?

TRACK THIRTEEN - See track 11. I will say that the tune itself gets into that Odean-ish intervallicishness as its own reward bag, and that the energy seems to be pure, true, and mature. It just feels like...you know how you got some neighbors sometimes, and they seem like really nice people and all that, and they always have people over and they seem like really nice people too, but for some reason you just don't have any desire to meet them and get to know them? This music is those neighbors for me. But I'm all for peaceful coexistence!

TRACK FOURTEEN - SPIRITUAL!!! :g That sure sounds like Gene Ammons! And that is indeed quite spiritual. Truthfully, the more I listen to this, the more intrigued I become...the rhythmic groove is a lot like Sonny's band w/David Lee & Mtume, a groove that I think was quite nice. The trombone seems(?) to be the leader, and I don't know of Jug doing a sideman date for a trombone player during this time, so...I'm lost. Lost, but intrigued. This is not bad at all!

TRACK FIFTEEN - That is wholly beautiful. Really. If it's not Ra (and I don't think it is), then I have no idea. I'd halfway expect to see Lynn Hope materializing out of the ether...Those drums sure are tuned mighty nicely, and the drummer knows how to extract the sound out of them. Listen to the last hit that ends the piece, how full-bodied the attack, and more importantly, the decay, is. That's some rare skills on display, fersure. Is it Jo Jones?

All told, and interesting ride. Appreciate the non-obvious selections, for sure. Thanks!

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Part the third:

11. Coltrane’s “Mr. Syms” played by a genial trio. Nothing wrong with it, except that it’s so genial. It’s pretty, but I can’t tell that the tune means much to these guys (or girls). Kind of a yawn for me.

12. I like it. Good, Ornette- and Rollins-influenced music. The tenor plays with enough edge to make it interesting. The bass player has kind of a Haden-esque sound, although it’s obviously not Charlie Haden. Gut strings? I’m not crazy about piano and string players singing/mumbling along with their solos (unless it’s Slam Stewart), but everything else was so good that I’ll forgive that. No idea who anyone is.

13. Nice quartet, with their own sound. Everybody’s good; the piece is good; the concept is good. The bass clarinetist has a beautiful sound, particularly in the high register. I’m looking forward to finding out more about this group.

14. Okay, I’m probably slamming some musicians I like on this one. “Spiritual Jazz” over a one- or two-chord vamp can be such an easy way out. Not to say that there’s not some incredible music in this style, but there’s much more lousy music that comes out of this approach. Nothing here got to me. The piano solo was kind of a mess – all over the place. And I’m probably going to cringe about saying that when I find out who it is. I like the drummer and conga player. But this isn’t anything I’m going to want to hear again.

15. This was too willfully odd for me to get much out of. I kept focusing on how the toms were almost, but not quite, tuned to fit the key of the song. The best thing about it was the very brief organ solo – whoever it was showed some talent. I think we were “supposed” to think this is early Sun Ra, but I’m pretty sure it’s not.

Thanks for the BFT. I like most of it, and some of it I like very much. Looking forward to reading the rest of this thread now.

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Beating the heat and recovering from last night's bowling, the first since 7-8 years and about 50-60 lbs ago, with the usual thanks & disclaimers in place.

TRACK ONE - "Skippy", but it ain't skippin'...sounds like a Gay 90's SundayAt The Bandshell version of Monk, if such a thing is imaginable...and you know Monk wouldn't have been allowed on that bandstand in that time, so this is what you'd get instead. Just doesn't feel right to/for me. That trumpet player...great chops, zero feel, imo. Same for the pianist...too crowded, all of it. I mean, it's a crowded tune to begin with, but the object is to get comfortable inside the crowdingness, not...get sucked in by it. FAIL!

I'm guesing this would be it: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:avfyxz9aldfe

That's it, yeah. Maybe I could have picked a better tune from the disc, which I like a lot as a whole, but it seemed like a good ease-in introduction to the BFT. Knuffke's a strong player; maybe he isn't "there" yet, but he's someone I'm keeping an eye on.

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So the only two that have been gotten so far are tracks number one and eight.

#1 is Jesse Stacken (pno) and Kirk Knuffke (tpt) from the album Mockingbird, released on Steeplechase Records last year.

#8 is Odean Pope's tune "Prince Lasha" and it appears on Ebioto (Knitting Factory, 1999), with Tyrone Brown and Craig McIver on drums.

Thirteen tracks left; should I be giving away more hints?

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Nope, not Gene Ammons... but you are not far off! The rest of the band is European.

Is the Varitone player on #14 Sonny Stitt then? That is not based on my being able to identify his Varitone sound, but only from your comment that "you are not far off", and the fact that Stitt did record on Varitone sometimes. I do not know of any spiritual sounding recordings which Stitt did in the early 1970s with an all-European group, though.

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