Blindfold Test #89 REVEALED

[tkeith]

BFT #89 Reveal

Track 01 - Peter's Waltz - Sahib Shihab Quintet - Seeds (1968)

Sahib Shihab - bari; Fats Sadi - vibes, perc; Francy Boland - piano; Jean Warland - bass; Kenny Clarke - drums

Shihab is the classic underrated guy. Seems nobody outside of the insiders really knows about him, but he swings like hell and has one of the most original voices ever to come through the instrument. I had him on some things when I was younger, most notably an Art Farmer album on Soul Note, but recently discovered the European sessions he did. That's an area that I'm really building my familiarity of; my Dad introduced me to the music and he had a bias against most of the Europeans, so it took me till middle age to have the resources to discover some of this stuff on my own.

Track 02 - Shew-In - Bobby Shew - Breakfast Wine (1985)

Bobby Shew - trumpet; Makoto Ozone - piano; John Pattitucci - bass; Sherman Ferguson - drums

When I was a kid I used to tape Eric in the Evening on WGBH out of Boston and Carl Watanabe on WEVO out of Concord, NH. Carl played a live set from Makoto Ozone one night with a bitchin' version of What Is This Thing Called Love, followed by this tune. I knew nothing of Bobby Shew at the time except that he was Ozone's favorite trumpet player (it's in the introduction to the tune) and one day I just happened across this recording. I actually like Ozone's version better, but it's really a great tune. I recently contacted Bobby about this tune (transcribing the changes was giving me fits) and he informed me it's actually Ozone's tune (which would explain the complexity of the changes). Mr. Shew was very helpful and said he would send me a copy of the lead sheet when he comes across it.

Track 03 - Six Bits Blues - Max Roach Quartet - Chattahoochie Red (1981)

Cecil Bridgewater - trumpet; Odean Pope - tenor; Calvin Hill - bass; Max Roach - drums

From the Max Quartet record they have not bothered to re-issue on CD, and to my ear, it's the best one. A lot of great playing by all involved on this album and some very unique interpretation of some standards (Round Midnight, Giant Steps), though what else would you expect from Max? I got my copy from the Cadence record sale for, I think, $2.

Track 04 - El Hombre - Pat Martino - El Hombre (1967)

Pat Martino - guitar; Danny Turner - flute; Trudy Pitts - organ; Vance Anderson - bongos; Abdu Johnson - congas; Mitch Fine - drums;

Martino is another guy I'm not incredibly familiar with. I have some of his stuff, but don't listen to it that often. Mostly I knew him from his work with Stan Clarke and Chick Corea, but I happened upon this one by accident. I heard this cut at a friends house and immediately went out and got this. It's a very solid album, but this tune just fires on all cylinders.

Track 05 - Mrufa - Nate Morgan - Journey Into Nigritia (1983)

Dadisi Komolafe - alto; Nate Morgan - piano; Jeff Littleton - bass; Fritz Wise - drums

Ken Eisen, my predecessor hosting Prime Cuts, is a huge fan of all things Tapscott and used to play a lot of the Nimbus stuff on the show. I'd heard a ton about this and happened upon a copy one day while least expecting it. Why more people don't know Nate Morgan is beyond me. Dadisi, too. I've yet to find a Nimbus recording that disappointed me (though there are moments on Billie Harris' album that come close).

Track 06 - Calypso in Roma - Don Pullen - Jazz A Confronto 21 (1975)

George Adams - woodwinds; Don Pullen - piano; David Williams - bass; Dannie Richmond - drums

Awhile back I found a website from the original owner/producer of this series. He still had a bunch of these albums that he was selling (for QUITE a sum), and I contacted him to ask if he planned to release them on CD. He replied saying he had no intention of doing so. I've heard otherwise from the rumor mill, but a used book store stop turned up a bunch of these, so now it's less urgent. This is some of the best work of the Adams-Pullen unit before they got more commercial. While I love Cameron Brown, I do prefer David Williams.

Track 07 - Powerful Paul Robeson - Clifford Jordan - Remembering Meme (1976)

Clifford Jordan - tenor; Roy Burrowes - trumpet; Chris Anderson - piano; Wilbur Ware - bass; George Avaloz - drums; Hank Diamond Smith, Boo Boo Monk - vocals

I assumed this would be a gimme. I bought this as a kid at Looney Tunes in Boston. Clifford was always a favorite and I was blown away by the vocalese interpretation of his solos (this and Prayer to the People) on this record. The drummer always drove me nuts, but Clifford is outstanding on this session. The harmonies of Hank Diamond Smith and Boo Boo Monk on this are right up my alley, too.

I will post the rest when the site lets me post without combining the two posts (that's not frustrating).

Edited September 1, 2011 by Thom Keith

[BillF]

Track 1

I really should have done better on this one. I knew the tune, but didn't place it as "Peter's Waltz" from the Clarke Boland Big Band's Sax No End, which I have in my collection. In retrospect, I think the impeccable brushes work of Kenny Clarke was a giveaway, too.

[BillF]

Track 2

I had good reason to do better on this one, too, as was at a Bobby Shew gig two years ago at the Wigan Jazz Festival in Greater Manchester. Bobby looked like he was in poor health and I put his restrained style down to that, but he's restrained here too - but in a good way, you know? Very tasteful and beautiful placing of the trumpet lines over the rhythm.

[BillF]

Track 3

If hearing the musicians live helps identify them in a BFT, then I should have got somewhere with this one, too, as I saw a Roach quintet with Odean Pope and saw Cecil Bridgewater in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis band, both in Manchester in the late 60s. Otherwise, there was little to help me here. My record collection has very little from around 1980 and, while I think I'd recognize Roach's drumming from the 50s, it didn't sound characteristic here. The use of swing era Rex Stewart-style trumpet inflections by a modern trumpeter was interesting and I seem to recall there was a fashion for this at the time. Did Hubbard do anything like that?

[BillF]

Track 4

Don't feel bad about not getting this one. There are so many people this could be. Dare I say the track is a wee bit anonymous. The only Pat Martino I have in my collection is much later - on Eric Alexander's The First Milestone, but Martino does sound like a lot of other guitarists.

[tkeith]

Track 08 - Love and Hate - Grachan Moncur III - Exploration (2004)

Grachan Moncur III - trombone; John Clark - French horn; Gary Bartz - alto; Billy Harper - tenor; Gary Smulyan - bari; Tim Hagans - trumpet; Ray Drummond - bass; Andrew Cyrille - drums

I was destined to buy this record the first time I saw it: Harper, Bartz AND Cyrille? I buy anything with Andrew Cyrille -- that's a rule. And I'm a Harper sycophant and collector (I became quite upset when someone claimed in a past BFT that the tenor player, Bob Berg I think, sounded like Harper. AU CONTRAIRE! Don't you blaspheme in this thread!), so I had to include a tune with him. Moncur is a great writer and somehow has managed to remain vastly under recorded and/or recognized. This is a very solid album throughout and I highly recommend it.

Track 09 - The Camel - Michael Carvin - The Camel (1975)

Cecil Bridgewater - trumpet; Sonny Fortune - alto; Ron Burton - piano; Calvin Hill - bass; Michael Carvin - drums

Our first blatant repeat of personnel. Bridgewater was on some great stuff in the 70s, but nobody seems to remember. Likewise Michael Carvin. I've been amassing Hannibal recordings whenever possible, and Michael Carvin seems to drive most of those. Ron Burton is on my short list of necessary pianists, and his work here further justifies that. I'm not a fan of Sonny Fortune, but he works in this setting.

Track 10 - Calvary - Dadisi Komolafe - Hassan's Walk (1983)

Dadesi Komolafe - alto; Rickey Kelley - vibes; Eric Tillman - piano; Roberto Miguel Miranda - bass; Sonship Theus - drums

And blatant repeat number two. I'd actually forgotten Dadisi was on the Nate Morgan cut when I picked it, but I felt both tunes were worthy of the BFT. Plus I thought it'd be neat to see if people would hear him consistently. My first exposure to this tune was a live performance by James Williams with Bill Pierce, Richard Hollyday, John Lockwood and Billy Higgins at The Willow. My father recognized it as being a Billy Harper tune (not really, but he did receive credit on a couple of albums), and that was what furthered my interest in Harper; it had started with Woody Shaw's Love Dance. I like this version because it's completely different. Another winner from Nimbus West.

Track 11 - Two Songs - Sam Sherry & Ursa Major - Echoes of the Prophet: Songs Inspired by Kahlil Gibran (2005)

Bill Pierce - tenor; Scott Reeves - alto flugelhorn; Mark Kleinhaut - guitar; Sam Sherry - bass; Billy Arnold - drums

This was the stumper. I figured some might get Pierce, but was curious what the overall reaction would be. Sam is a friend and has been a very supportive influence for me as a musician. He's a super nice guy and a solid bass player. Ironically, there is another version of this featuring David Wells on tenor that I think is even stronger, but it has not been released. Regarding composing, Sam told me, "The first 200 are the hardest, so get started."

Track 12 - Not So Softly - Lauren Sevian - Blueprint (2007)

Lauren Sevian - bari; George Colligan - piano; Boris Kozlov - bass; Jonathan Blake - drums

How many of you asked, "Who IS this *guy*?" Women in Jazz fight enough bias, but there's a new flock playing the shit out of this music. Sevian is a perfect example. She's an incredible musician, has a great sound, and oh by the way is really hot. I hesitate to include that because I'm sure she (and others) have to deal with that shit all the time instead of being assessed for their musicianship, but it sort of underscores the marketing of the music. On the downside, as if there wasn't enough competition to sell your music, now you have to deal with the "sex sells" mentality of national production. That said, if it produces music like this, give me a whole lot more of it. This whole disc is killin'. Lauren also works with the Mingus Big Band, though she's been getting more recognition as one of the horn players in Denis Leary's road show, which is sad.

Track 13 - A Lark In The Dark - Tomasz Stanko - From The Green Hill (1998)

Tomasz Stanko - trumpet; John Surman - bari; Michelle Makarski - violin; Dino Saluzzi - bandoneon; Anders Jormin - bass; Jon Christensen - drums

 

This one caught me by surprise. A friend had this album on a shuffled iPod set as we were hanging out. Each time a tune from this album came up, it got my attention and I had to ask, "What is this?" It got to be really funny after the third time, so I just assumed (correctly except for one tune) when I had that reaction that it was this. I only knew Stanko by name, and this impressed me. Different without being obnoxious about it.

Track 14 - Jammin' Uptown - Alvin Queen - Jammin' Uptown (2008)

Manny Boyd - woodwinds; Terence Blanchard - trumpet; Robin Eubanks - trombone; John Hicks - piano; Ray Drummond - bass; Alvin Queen - drums

I thought sure this had been in a blindfold test, but I couldn't find it. I was visiting my Dad and he had this one. I had to borrow it immediately -- such a bitchin' tune! Most of these guys are guys that typically play too far in the boundaries (the horn players) for my taste as a rule, but when you throw in my guy (John Hicks), this one just WORKS!

[Hot Ptah]

Thanks for a very intriguing and enjoyable BFT, made up entirely of albums unknown to me. I used to see the Max Roach album for sale at music stores, but never got it. Otherwise I have never even seen or heard of most of the albums. There is a lot of new information here for me, and new albums to check out. I love BFTs like this!

[Niko]

great to see someone else loves those nimbus west records (especially the Nate Morgan), if you order them directly from the label, tom albach brings them to the post office in person (at least that's my experience)

http://www.nimbuswest.com/

here's a recent video of Dadisi Komolafe (sound gets better around 1:50)

must be one of the most boring interviews ever but there he is... also

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/02/national/main20068285.shtml

Edited September 2, 2011 by Niko

[NIS]

Alway fun to find out who I've been listening to.

I used to have the Michael Carvin album long ago. Must have been with the stuff I lost in a hail storm. I'm not sure why I wasn't more interested in the Moncur track. I need to go back and hear that again. I guess I will keep and eye out for the Max Roach album but doubt if there are any more $2 deals out there.

Thanks very much for your efforts.

[Spontooneous]

A year or so ago, another board member was trying to sell me on the virtues of Nate Morgan. I said something surly like, "You ought to get some real McCoy Tyner records." Maybe I was too harsh.

I really should have figured out the Michael Carvin album, and it's inexcusable that I didn't figure out the Moncur.

I'll be looking for Dadisi.

This is a good time, Thom!

[tkeith]

Thanks for the positive feedback -- it was fun to put together. Niko, I really wish you'd left out that news link... sort of put a damper on my Friday evening. It's bad enough to watch talentless rock bands in my area make more money than any of my projects (or my day job), but that one really hurts for some reason. I wish I knew the answer, but we really ought to treat our creative folks better.

[Niko]

Thanks for the positive feedback -- it was fun to put together. Niko, I really wish you'd left out that news link... sort of put a damper on my Friday evening. It's bad enough to watch talentless rock bands in my area make more money than any of my projects (or my day job), but that one really hurts for some reason. I wish I knew the answer, but we really ought to treat our creative folks better.

sorry! always had this quote of dadisi in mind (in one of isoardi's books, the dark tree iirc, you badly need it if you haven't got it, if only for the cd...) "crack cocain was my nemisis for a long time" so i was happy to see him still around and looking reasonably healthy...

[mikeweil]

So I actually fared better than I thought, getting the Shihab, and, well almost, the Martino ... I must get me that Grachan Moncur record. I had seen him live with Ken McIntyre in the 1990's, somehow he sounded a bit shaky, but this is great!

I also saw that Roach band, which was hot as hell ... that studio record was new at the time, and doesn't do them justice.

BooBoo Monk - what a talent the music world lost!

Never heard of Sam Sherry or lauren Sevian, but will check them out after this, for sure!

Some very nice surprises - thanks again!