BFT 99 reveal

[Stefan Wood]

Since it is the start of summer, and things have slowed down, I will slowly reveal the tracks on the blindfold test over the week, just to generate some interest.

Track 1 - Francois Rabbath - Impalas (from the Philips lp Bass Ball)

Mp3 version can be found here

Cd version, which is where I pulled the track from, can be found here

I had the original lp back in college, and sat down with a musician friend to listen. After hearing the whole album, he insisted on trading a bunch of lps for which, which I stupidly accepted. It took me 20 years to track down the album again, thankfully from amazon! A fantastic musician who did not limit himself to genre or style -- he does Bach quite well! A nice overview can be found here

Track 2 - ACT - ACT (from the Brooklyn Jazz Underground cd ACT)

Ben Wendel, saxaphone/Harish Raghavan, bass/Nate Wood - Drums

Mp3 version can be found here

An excellent, if certainly little known cd from the independent label Brooklyn Jazz Underground (BJU). The album sounds like an extension of the classic Elvin Jones/Jimmy Garrison/Joe Farrell Blue Note albums from the late 60's. The playing is tight and the music is above average. More info on them can be found here

Track 3 - Amir ElSaffar & Hafez Modirzadeh - Facet Two (from the Pi Records cd Radif Suite)

Cd can be found here

Amir ElSaffar has several outstanding discs on Pi, this being the second. The track I chose has a distinct Ornette flavor. From his website: As a composer, ElSaffar has used the microtones found in maqam music to create a unique approach to harmony and melody, establishing himself as an important voice in an age of cross-cultural music making.

Edited June 28, 2012 by Stefan Wood

[NIS]

I haven't even heard of these people, except Dresser and Cline on track 3. Just what I want from a BFT.

The clips for the Rabbath CD sound at least as good as the track you used. Interesting album.

[Hot Ptah]

I haven't even heard of these people, except Dresser and Cline on track 3. Just what I want from a BFT.

The clips for the Rabbath CD sound at least as good as the track you used. Interesting album.

I have not heard of any of the artists so far either. I come to the BFT to learn, and to enjoy. Both were fulfilled with this excellent BFT.

[tkeith]

Interesting. I actually had the ElSaffar disc but I didn't care for it and I parted with it.

[Stefan Wood]

Track 4 - Steve Swell - Planet Hopping on a Thursday Afternoon (from the RogueArt cd Swimming in a Galaxy of Goodwill & Sorrow)

Steve Swell, Jemeel Moondoc, William Parker & Hamid Drake. One word about this entire album -- SOLID!!!!! From the RogueArt website:

This is an album to be cherished, because it reaches back and incorporates styles from swing to post-modern free jazz; and because the playing of Steve Swell and the members of his quartet are as near-perfect as you are likely to find; and because the melodies capture the imagination with a complex beauty that hooks into the inner being of soulfulness. It encompasses a unity of elements that comes as close as possible to the transcendental poignancy to which great art often aspires. As a trombonist, Steve Swell is about as good as it gets, and few can match his original fusion of technique and emotion, with obvious influences as diverse as Jack Teagarden, Grachan Moncur, III, and Roswell Rudd…

I love most of Swell's work, from Double Diplods to this cd. Always exploring, always challenging, the music is all good.

Track 5 - Aldo Romano, Louis Sclavis, Henri Texier, Guy Le Querrec - Entrave (from the Label Bleu cd Carnet de Routes)

Cd can be found here

Mp3 can be found here

One of four cds with this line up, and all are worth hunting down. Sclavis is a very compelling musician, almost Dolphy like in his playing, but he has his own vocabulary, which is shown on the track I put here.

Track 6 - Nick Ayoub - Perception (from the Do Right Music cd Ready or Not volume 2)

Cd can be found here

Mp3 can be found here

I picked up the cd from da bastids. The disc is a compilation, the second in a series of hard to find Canadian Broadcasting Company jazz performances from the 60s and 70s.

Track 7 - Embryo - For Eva (from the 2 cd compilation Embryo 40)

Cds can be found here

Mp3s can be found here

Christian Burchard is the vibe player, on this excellent tune from the For Eva album, which even as a cd reissue is hard to find. Mal Waldron plays piano. Recorded around 1967. For those who are into Krautrock, this is startling, but this is the band in their (heh) embryonic stage, as they were more jazz influenced. Later they explored psychedelic rock, Indian music and other spacey sounds, playing with many world wide musicians, including Charlie Mariano and Fela!

Track 8 - Basso Valdambrini Quintet - Lotar (from the cd Basso Valdambrini Quintet)

Cd can be found here

Various mp3s can be found here

A nice 1959 hard bop tune from Italy!

Edited June 27, 2012 by Stefan Wood

[NIS]

A little embarassed to say that I have "Carnet de Routes" and actually listen to it quite often. It sure didn't register. I agree that it is an album worth checking out.

The Embryo thing is why I love these BFTs. No matter how much you listen to and how much you read, there is always something really good out there you have never heard of. At least that is how it works for me. This guy can really play the vibes, for my taste anyway.

I actually found out who this was from your Mal Waldron comment. Not because I knew anything but because I made the right google search. There are some Amazon sellers that list "For Eva" and I think most of the tracks from the album are on YouTube. Also, I think there are a couple of tunes from the album that were written by Walt Dickerson. So those of us who heard a little WD here might have been on to something.

Really good music.

Edited June 27, 2012 by NIS

[Stefan Wood]

Track 9 - Salim Washington & RBA - Blossom (from the Accurate cd Love in Exile)

Cd can be found here.

Mp3 can be found here

With Joe Bonner! I thought this would be a nice change of pace after a couple of high energy tracks, a beautiful, spiritual track.

Track 10 - Donald Bailey - Variations (from the Talking House cd Blueprints of Jazz, volume 3)

Cd can be found here

Killer lineup.

Track 11 - The Fourth Way - Clouds (from the Japan Capitol reissue cd The Fourth Way)

Cd can be found here

With Mike Nock, Michael White, Ron McClure, Eddie Marshall. I found this to be a beautiful tune, from a once extremely hard to find album. This cd and Werwolf were recently reissued; I hope they will re release Sun and Moon Have Come Together.

Track 12 - Trio Veriditas - A Wind Reads Ruts Saluting the Blue Silk Beyond Pain (from the Clean Feed cd Live at Vision Festival VI)

Alfred Harth, Wilbur Morris, and Kevin Norton. More info here from Clean Feed

Another outstanding trio recording.

Track 13 - Terumasa Hino - Eastern Egg (from the Japanese Sony double cd Into Eternity)

Cd can be found here

Hideo Mayata on sax, Mikio Masuda on piano, Motohiko Hino on drums, Tsutomu Okada on bass. A 10+ minute kick ass jazz funk fest from 1974 that definitely culls the spirit of Freddie Hubbard and the early CTI sound. The entire double album is just as good.

Track 14 - Teruo Nakamura & The Rising Sun - Rising Sun (from the Japanese Sony cd Rising Sun)

Cd was purchased at Dusty Groove; is now mucho expensivo here

A nice effervescent tune from 1976, again with that CTI feel.

Track 15 - Hamid Drake & Bindu - Blissful (from the RogueArt cd Reggaeology)

Cd can be found here, but very limited in the States, for some reason.

My favorite percussionist.

Edited July 3, 2012 by Stefan Wood

[mikeweil]

Track 7 - Embryo - For Eva (from the 2 cd compilation Embryo 40)

Cds can be found here

Mp3s can be found here

Christian Burchard is the vibe player, on this excellent tune from the For Eva album, which even as a cd reissue is hard to find. Mal Waldron plays piano. Recorded around 1967. For those who are into Krautrock, this is startling, but this is the band in their (heh) embryonic stage, as they were more jazz influenced. Later they explored psychedelic rock, Indian music and other spacey sounds, playing with many world wide musicians, including Charlie Mariano and Fela!

So this is Burchard ... never heard him play vibes, I must admit, though I am pretty familiar with that band. Playing with Waldon must have been their jazziest time.

Hampel I didn't consider for a second. I remember some other vibes player saying about Hampel that he was not a vibes player but someone tinkling around a set of vibes ... jazz players were almost as unforgiving about Burchards at that time. I never got to hear that recording back then - I'm sorry for that now.

Track 10 - Donald Bailey - Variations (from the Talking House cd Blueprints of Jazz, volume 3)

Cd can be found here

Killer lineup.

Bailey is one of the most underrated drummers of all time! I always wondered what that album sounded like - went straight to my wish list!

Track 11 - The Fourth Way - Clouds (from the Japan Capitol reissue cd The Fourth Way)

Cd can be found here

With Mike Nock, Michael White, Ron McClure, Eddie Marshall. I found this to be a beautiful tune, from a once extremely hard to find album. This cd and Werwolf were recently reissued; I hope they will re release Sun and Moon Have Come Together.

Michael White ... I must have this lying around in some form here ... a long time since I listened to it. Great pioneering band. It's not intonation problems but his attempt to play softly, which results in afragile tone like this when you are playing on steel strings without or with little vibrato, as he does here. That slow, wide vibrato is unusual, but sound very much in control to these ears.

Intonation on violin functions totally different from that on reeds or brass.

A pianist friend of mine back then raved about The Sun And The Moon Come Togther!

[tkeith]

Wow! I have Love in Exile, but evidently don't play it enough. I have trouble with Salim's stuff, but not all because of performance issues and I'll leave it at that. Evidently, I need to check out more Terumasa Hino because I keep loving the stuff I'm hearing in the BFTs. He's so close to Woody, though, that I sort of feel like I should stick with Woody. I knew of this other Bindu recording but hadn't heard it. Hamid is such a BAAAAAAAAAAAD man!!!! Feeling good about the ears given some of the partial IDs. Heading out to search for The Fourth Way's stuff, now. Thanks!

[Big Al]

Track 4 - Steve Swell - Planet Hopping on a Thursday Afternoon (from the RogueArt cd Swimming in a Galaxy of Goodwill & Sorrow)

Steve Swell, Jemeel Moondoc, William Parker & Hamid Drake. One word about this entire album -- SOLID!!!!!

Wait, does this mean I compared Greg Waits & Jim Sangrey to Steve Swell & Jemeel Moondoc? Wow, I hope they feel complimented!

Track 5 - Aldo Romano, Louis Sclavis, Henri Texier, Guy Le Querrec - Entrave (from the Label Bleu cd Carnet de Routes)

One of four cds with this line up, and all are worth hunting down. Sclavis is a very compelling musician, almost Dolphy like in his playing, but he has his own vocabulary, which is shown on the track I put here.

Which likely explains my opinion of this track.

Track 8 - Basso Valdambrini Quintet - Lotar (from the cd Basso Valdambrini Quintet)

Cd can be found here

Various mp3s can be found here

A nice 1959 hard bop tune from Italy!

Nice indeed!

Track 9 - Salim Washington & RBA - Blossom (from the Accurate cd Love in Exile)

Cd can be found here.

Mp3 can be found here

With Joe Bonner! I thought this would be a nice change of pace after a couple of high energy tracks, a beautiful, spiritual track.

Well, the cat on the cover LOOKS like a "Prophet Jennings;" do I get any points for that? Must investigate this one further!

Track 11 - The Fourth Way - Clouds (from the Japan Capitol reissue cd The Fourth Way)

Cd can be found here

With Mike Nock, Michael White, Ron McClure, Eddie Marshall. I found this to be a beautiful tune, from a once extremely hard to find album. This cd and Werwolf were recently reissued; I hope they will re release Sun and Moon Have Come Together.

I think I have an idea why it may be so hard to find....

Track 12 - Trio Veriditas - A Wind Reads Ruts Saluting the Blue Silk Beyond Pain (from the Clean Feed cd Live at Vision Festival VI)

Alfred Harth, Wilbur Morris, and Kevin Norton. More info here from Clean Feed

Another outstanding trio recording.

Well..... I s'pose I should give it another chance, sharing a first name with the guy & all....

Track 13 - Terumasa Hino - Eastern Egg (from the Japanese Sony double cd Into Eternity)

Cd can be found here

Hideo Mayata on sax, Mikio Masuda on piano, Motohiko Hino on drums, Tsutomu Okada on bass. A 10+ minute kick ass jazz funk fest from 1974 that definitely culls the spirit of Freddie Hubbard and the early CTI sound. The entire double album is just as good.

A double-album CTI-style???? I *must* find this album!!!! The link just takes me to a jpg file!

Track 14 - Teruo Nakamura & The Rising Sun - Rising Sun (from the Japanese Sony cd Rising Sun)

Cd was purchased at Dusty Groove; is now mucho expensivo here

A nice effervescent tune from 1976, again with that CTI feel.

Another nice one I hope to find but at a much cheaper price!

Edited July 3, 2012 by Big Al

[Stefan Wood]

Al, for the Terumasa Hino, try this link

[DrJ]

Sorry I missed this BFT (and about 90 or so prior ones!). Looks like an interesting list.

Track 11 - The Fourth Way - Clouds (from the Japan Capitol reissue cd The Fourth Way)

Cd can be found here

With Mike Nock, Michael White, Ron McClure, Eddie Marshall. I found this to be a beautiful tune, from a once extremely hard to find album. This cd and Werwolf were recently reissued; I hope they will re release Sun and Moon Have Come Together

I put in a track from SUN AND MOON HAVE COME TOGETHER (needle dropped) on my last BFT (#72 I recall). Great, under-heralded group.

[jeffcrom]

I wanted to give an embarrassed apology, Stefan. I try to participate in just about every BFT, and I had intended to be a part of this one. But June (and the first part of July) was kind of hectic, at least by the standards of my relatively non-hectic life. Anyway, it looks like it was a very interesting BFT, and I'm sorry I missed it.