BFT 154 Reveal

[Hot Ptah]

BFT #154 Revealed:

#1. "Ponce" (Noro Morales), Elliot Lawrence Swings Al Cohn & Tiny Kahn -1/56

      Elliott Lawrence Big Band; Lawrence, piano solo (Al Cohn,ts, prominently featured on the original album).

#2. Ill Wind (Arlen/Koehler), Howard McGhee: Sharp Edge -12/61

      Maggie,tp/ George Coleman,ts/ Junior Mance,p/ George Tucker,b/ Jimmy Cobb,d

#3. "Nubian Stomp" (Carlos Ward), Bob Stewart: Then & Now -3/96

      Stewart,tu/ Graham Haynes,tp/ Carlos Ward,as/ Jerome Harris,g/ Buddy Williams,d

#4. "Warm Valley" (Duke Ellington), Jerome Richardson: Roamin' With Richardson -10/59

      Richardson,bs/ Richard Wyands,p/ George Tucker,b/ Charlie Persip,d

#5. "You Go to My Head" (Coots/Gillespie), Ed Cherry: Second Look -4/94

      Cherry,g/ Steve Nelson,vb/ Kenny Barron,p/ Andy McKee,b/ Yoron Israel,d

#6. "Up Above My Head" (trad), Sammy Price & Lucky Thompson: Paris Blues -7/57

      Lucky,ts/ Price,p,voc/ Jean-Pierre Sasson,g/ Pierre Michelot,b/ Dave Pochonet,d

#7. "The Isolated Pawn" (John Williams), Shelly Manne: Checkmate -10/61

      Conte Candoli,tp/ Richie Kamuca,ts/ Russ Freeman,p/ Chuck Berghofer,b/ Shelly Manne,d

#8. "Hucksterman" (Khan Jamal), Khan Jamal: Dark Warrior -9/84

      Jamal,vb/ Charles Tyler,as/ Johnny Dyani,b/ Leroy Lowe,d

#9. "Song For Clare" (Dave Holland), Dave Holland/Barre Phillips: Music From 2 Basses -2/71

      Holland/Phillips,b

#10. {Improvisation}, John Lee Hooker/Miles Davis: Music from "The Hot Spot" -'90

       Hooker,g,voc/ Miles,tp/ Roy Rogers,elg/ Tim Drummond,elb/ Earl Palmer,d

#11. "Madeline" (Hank Mobley), James Spaulding: Escapade -4/99

       Spaulding,bsf/ John Hicks,p/ Ray Drummond,b/ Kenny Washington,d

#12. "Nu Kingdom" (Zane Massey), Zane Massey: Brass Knuckles -11/92

       Massey,ts/ Hideiji Taninaka,b/ Sadiq M. Abdu Shahid,d

#13. "Elos" (Duke Ellington), Duke Ellington: Private Collection Studio Sessions Vol. 9 -12/68

       Willie Cook,tp/ Money Johnson,tp/ Chuck Connors,tb/ Buster Cooper,tb/ Lawrence Brown,tb/

       Johnny Hodges,as/ Russell Procope,as,cl/ Paul Gonsalves,ts/ Harold Ashby,ts/

       Harry Carney,bs/bc/ Duke,p/ Jeff Castleman,b/ Rufus Jones,d

[tkeith]

Thanks, Bill - I was just on my way in here to do this.

[Hot Ptah]

20 hours ago, Hot Ptah said:

My responses are below, after each track's Reveal:

 

BFT #154 Revealed:

#1. "Ponce" (Noro Morales), Elliot Lawrence Swings Al Cohn & Tiny Kahn -1/56

      Elliott Lawrence Big Band; Lawrence, piano solo (Al Cohn,ts, prominently featured on the original album).

I am not familiar with Elliott Lawrence's work, and this track makes me want to check him out--especially if Al Cohn is prominent on the album!

#2. Ill Wind (Arlen/Koehler), Howard McGhee: Sharp Edge -12/61

      Maggie,tp/ George Coleman,ts/ Junior Mance,p/ George Tucker,b/ Jimmy Cobb,d

Oh wow! Howard McGhee, from 1961! I was not familiar with McGhee's playing in this kind of lyrical style! Very interesting indeed.

#3. "Nubian Stomp" (Carlos Ward), Bob Stewart: Then & Now -3/96

      Stewart,tu/ Graham Haynes,tp/ Carlos Ward,as/ Jerome Harris,g/ Buddy Williams,d

  I guessed Bob Stewart as a possibility for the tuba. I do not have this album, and did not identify Carlos Ward, who I have always liked. Thanks for presenting this to me. I still can't figure out if this is a type of rhythm that I am not familiar with, or if it is an attempt at reggae or ska that deviates from the original style.

#4. "Warm Valley" (Duke Ellington), Jerome Richardson: Roamin' With Richardson -10/59

      Richardson,bs/ Richard Wyands,p/ George Tucker,b/ Charlie Persip,d

Oh, I have never heard Jerome Richardson play like this! Not on albums and not live. This is a revelation, that he could play a ballad with such soul and beauty. This is a real standout track in the history of all 154 Blindfold Tests, for me.

#5. "You Go to My Head" (Coots/Gillespie), Ed Cherry: Second Look -4/94

      Cherry,g/ Steve Nelson,vb/ Kenny Barron,p/ Andy McKee,b/ Yoron Israel,d

Again, oh wow! Ed Cherry! I did not know that he recorded in the 1990s in this sort of 1970s CTI style. I would not have guessed the other musicians for this style either. Very interesting!

#6. "Up Above My Head" (trad), Sammy Price & Lucky Thompson: Paris Blues -7/57

      Lucky,ts/ Price,p,voc/ Jean-Pierre Sasson,g/ Pierre Michelot,b/ Dave Pochonet,d

  I identified Sammy Price, but not Lucky Thompson. I am ordering this based on this track. I like Sammy Price and do not have enough of him in my collection. This will be a welcome addition.

#7. "The Isolated Pawn" (John Williams), Shelly Manne: Checkmate -10/61

      Conte Candoli,tp/ Richie Kamuca,ts/ Russ Freeman,p/ Chuck Berghofer,b/ Shelly Manne,d

  This is one of those true gems that comes up every few Blindfold Tests or so, where I think, this is now one of my favorite recordings of all time, and I never would have heard it if it had not been for the Blindfold Test. I have to get this too!

#8. "Hucksterman" (Khan Jamal), Khan Jamal: Dark Warrior -9/84

      Jamal,vb/ Charles Tyler,as/ Johnny Dyani,b/ Leroy Lowe,d

  I was not the only one who thought that this was a cover of the hit pop single, "I Dig Rock and Roll Music." I mistakenly attributed the single to the Mamas and the Papas. It was actually performed by Peter Paul & Mary. Oh my, it is Charles Tyler and Johnny Dyani with Jamal. What a heavyweight lineup! I was not aware of this compelling cut until now.

#9. "Song For Clare" (Dave Holland), Dave Holland/Barre Phillips: Music From 2 Basses -2/71

      Holland/Phillips,b

  As I stated in the discussion section, this is one of the few very early ECM albums which I never bought or heard. I like this track a lot.

#10. {Improvisation}, John Lee Hooker/Miles Davis: Music from "The Hot Spot" -'90

       Hooker,g,voc/ Miles,tp/ Roy Rogers,elg/ Tim Drummond,elb/ Earl Palmer,d

   As I stated in the discussion section, I bought this album when it came out in 1990 and have always liked it. No matter why Miles chose to record on something like this late in his career, or whether it was all overdubbed, it works for me. I think it is because it is one of the relatively few Miles albums after his 1981 comeback which is not overproduced in the studio. It sounds like a blowing session over electric blues guitars. It also raises the question for me--if jazz has blues as one of its roots, how come so few jazz artists ever recorded or performed with the mainstream electric blues artists from the 1950s and later? There were no great jazz soloists collaborating with Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Albert King, Albert Collins, Howlin' Wolf, or almost any others. Why not? It could have worked in many cases.

#11. "Madeline" (Hank Mobley), James Spaulding: Escapade -4/99

       Spaulding,bsf/ John Hicks,p/ Ray Drummond,b/ Kenny Washington,d

  I have this album and identified it in the discussion. I have always really liked John Hicks' playing on this album, maybe more than Spaulding's playing. John Hicks' early death due to illness was a major blow to my jazz world. I have liked literally everything I have heard by John Hicks, going back to when I saw him live with Betty Carter in 1978.

#12. "Nu Kingdom" (Zane Massey), Zane Massey: Brass Knuckles -11/92

       Massey,ts/ Hideiji Taninaka,b/ Sadiq M. Abdu Shahid,d

  I have this album and identified it in the discussion. I have always liked it, and thought that Massey had promise. He seems to have become inactive, as far as I know.

#13. "Elos" (Duke Ellington), Duke Ellington: Private Collection Studio Sessions Vol. 9 -12/68

       Willie Cook,tp/ Money Johnson,tp/ Chuck Connors,tb/ Buster Cooper,tb/ Lawrence Brown,tb/

       Johnny Hodges,as/ Russell Procope,as,cl/ Paul Gonsalves,ts/ Harold Ashby,ts/

       Harry Carney,bs/bc/ Duke,p/ Jeff Castleman,b/ Rufus Jones,d

  Now this is a masterpiece. I have this album. I have the entire Private Collection series. I have played all of the volumes, but obviously not as often as I should. Duke was so great later in his life, in the recordings from 1968 until his death. This is a great example.

This is a truly great Blindfold Test and pushed back my limits of jazz knowledge, in a wonderful way. I have learned about some recordings which are already among my all time favorites, which is saying something. Thanks so much for presenting it.