BLINDFOLD TEST #8

[RDK]

First off, my apologies for my tardiness – I meant to post my comments last week but never had the chance. I’d blame it on my kids keeping me busy, but heck, that didn’t stop Jim from putting this together in the first place – and I’m sure he had a busier week than me. Congrats again, Jim!

Anyway, here goes without my having read anything on this thread…

Track 1. That opening bass clarinet (?) vamp reminds me so much of John Surman, but the rest of the tune (and instrumentation) sounds like no Surman recording I’ve ever heard (though I’ve only heard a handful). And now the vibes come in? Or is that an electric piano? No clue, but I like this one. Actually, I might like this better without some of the other horns – at least without the ensemble passages.

Track 2. The opening sax sounds familiar – I’ll probably kick myself for not recognizing the player – but nevertheless I haven’t a clue. I like the bass line. Otherwise it’s solid and I’m enjoying it, but it isn’t a home run for me.

Track 3. This has got that 60’s Blue Note kind of sound, but I suck at identifying individual players and the tune doesn’t ring a bell (though I’d bet I probably have it somewhere). Again, I like the tenor sax solo more than the ensemble horn passages.

Track 4. Early 70’s for sure. It’s got that early Corea/RTF vibe to it, but it’s not ringing any specific bells (but I only have the first few RTF albums). Listening closer, now I’m not sure that’s Chick at all – the electric piano doesn’t sound quite right. I first thought that was Flora singing, but now I’m not so sure either. So it’s either RTF or a period clone. But I like it – fun, Brazilian, and it makes me want to dance.

Track 5. I love the sound of a bari sax. But there’s also something sort of klezmer about this track – like a jazz band at a Jewish wedding. Can’t wait to learn who this is.

Track 6. This has got that late-50’s-early-60’s Jazz Messengers vibe to it, but though it sounds familiar no bells are rung. I dunno – it’s solid but also a bit generic. I think the drums stand out to me, but it could be Blakey or anybody.

Track 7. Not bad, but it doesn’t knock me out. It’s a live recording and a bit weak-sounding. Sounds kinda Blue Note-ish, but too loose. I like the raucousness of the sax around 4:30, but that bass first solo does nothing for me. Nice bluesy piano and then – what the hell – a wood flute? Let me guess the Cannonball Adderley Sextet with Yusef Lateef. But then that would mean I just dissed Sam Jones…

Track 8. Ah, now we’re cookin’! Nice energy from the count-in on. I know this tune – what the heck is it called? I could listen to this track every single day.

Track 9. Nice transition to a slower, quieter piece. Very atmospheric, very nice. I love the mix of piano and vibes. This tune also sounds very familiar – I’m sure I have some version of it. It’s gotta be Hutcherson-Hancock, from Happenings or Oblique.

Track 10. This may be my favorite track on this comp. Overall, tracks 8-10 are killer! Great groove, great sax sound. This tune also sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. I love how it gets wilder as it progresses, and when the conga drums and flute enter. Gotta get this one! Ends too abruptly, like everyone just ran out of gas…

Track 11. “Nature Boy.” That’s not Sting, is it? A bit too slow and loungy, but cool nonetheless. Nice, atmospheric production.

Track 12. Another very fine (and familiar?) track – I should know this one, but maybe I’m just used to it from playing it so often this past week. The pianist sounds very familiar. Another one that I’d buy. Overall, I’d say the second half of this disc is stronger than the first.

Bonus Disc (and how!)

Track 1. Nice droning intro – the kind of thing that would drive my wife crazy. Then things get interesting. Again, the tune sounds vaguely familiar. Post-Bitches Brew to be sure – the rock influence is there. Could this even be Miles? I’m so unfamiliar with much of his 70’s work. I like this.

Track 2. If this is what I think it is – and I’m pretty certain it is, without checking – then it represents one of my greatest regrets in my jazz listening experience. I had never heard of this pianist until just a couple of years ago – shortly after his untimely death – and it’s my great loss since he lived and played right here in L.A., right under my very nose. I won’t name the players and album as I’m sure others have already identified this essential music. It’s a bit out there, but not too out there, and it’s amazingly beautiful, passionate music. I’m indebted to my pal Chris for turning me onto this via CDRs.

Track 3. Hey Jim, your disc is skipping! I had jotted down some longer notes to this bonus disc while listening to it on a drive across town the other day, but now I lost that sheet of paper and I’m too lazy and tired to go into it now in more detail. While it doesn’t make my ears bleed, this is a bit too out there for my tastes. The playing’s fiery, but it’s not doing much for me. But I would never say “don’t know, don’t care.”

Track 4. A bit better, but I fear my wife would have me turn it off before long (a litmus test, of sorts). I really dig that trombone – but overall I like the solos more than the ensemble sections. Hmmm… the more I listen the more I like how the music goes in and out…

Overall a very nice test, Jim. Thanks much. Now get some sleep while the gettin’s good.

[RDK]

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I meant to add a smilie next to my Sting guess for track 11 - I didn't really think it was him. Just that she sounds like him.

[mikeweil]

11. Sting?s mom?

[mikeweil]

How many have been guessed right so far?

1

3

4

7

9

11

12

I'm still thinking about # 6, that Branford Marsalis / Tain guess is not so bad, drummer could be Tain.

Edited March 17, 2004 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

I've had some rather serious distractions that have kept me from posting my guesses/critiques/whatever. In case I don't get to it, let me say that I enjoyed every cut on both discs, recognize a few cuts, can concretely identify a few less, and had a blast listening. Thanks, Jim!

C'mon Jim, we all wanna know how good y'are at this one!

for dealing with the tings you have to deal with!

[mikeweil]

Forgot to post my thoughts on the bonus disc.

# 1 - sounds somewhat familiar in style, but I can't put my finger on it. I scribbled some witty comment on a piece while listening but can't decipher it any more

# 2 - the title track from this album. I bought both volumes when they were released, and initially preferred the take on Vol. 1, as the drummer plays some great thematic variations on that Cuban conga de comparsa rhythm pattern that is also the foundation of the bass line, but listening to it out of context reveals this take also has its merits.

#3 That incessant beat at the beginning drives me mad - why do they do this? Is this the AEOC? I have to admit I grew tired of listening to that kind of music, at least on record, but I still enjoy it live, when it's well done. More fun to play and watch live than on a record.

# 4 No idea. Nice balance of free playing and written passages, which could have been played more tightly for full impact.

These are the kind of tracks that a bonus disc is the ideal place for - many thanks!

[randyhersom]

2 has also been guessed correctly, and a couple others have had the same name come up multiple times. Bonus 2 is a sure thing. On 8 and Bonus 4 I consider it very likely that the correct artist has been guessed, but haven't been able to verfiy it by listening. Bonus 3 is not on Spring Heel Jack's Live or Amassed.

[Jim Dye]

Bonus 2 has been 90% identified.

[randyhersom]

90%?? You want us to tell you which take it is, Jim?

[Jim Dye]

Well, the take included in this test is not on this!

Edited March 17, 2004 by Jim Dye

[RDK]

Sneaky, Jim, sneaky. I had noticed that the running time was off a bit, but I wasn't expecting an (alternate?) take from here

[Jim Dye]

DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, !!!!!

We have a winner!

[mikeweil]

Those sampler discs were great as they featured tracks and takes not released elsewhere, but they were very limited, and usually sold out before they really hit the shops - real collector's items! I never managed to get one of them.

[Nate Dorward]

I've got Kimus #5: most interesting for the extra stuff from Ran Blake's That Certain Feeling.

[Jim Dye]

I've got Kimus #5: most interesting for the extra stuff from Ran Blake's That Certain Feeling.

Agreed, Nate. I also have #5 and love the Ford-Blake collaboration.

[RDK]

I didn't realize these had extra stuff - I thought they were just sampler comps of existing tunes. I may have to "get" CDRs of these things after all.

[couw]

Track 5. listening to another disk Jim has put me onto, I am thinking this may very well be by one of those Italian groups related to the Instabile conglomerate (or how to call it). The bari would then be Carlo Actis Dato. The mediterranean/arabic tinge is something Carlo Actis Dato likes to put on his music as well I have learned.

This is just a wild guess, as my knowledge of this group and its music is VERY sketchy at best.

[Nate Dorward]

Nah I really doubt it'd be Dato--the track is spirited, but hardly as over-the-top boisterous as Dato always is. Haven't really decided what I make of Dato really--I do find him a bit wearingly jolly at times.

[marcoliv]

i got the disc yesterday and will post my impressions during the weekend

thanks Jim

MCO

[Tom Storer]

Four days without a post? Surely there are still a few out there who haven't posted their guesses yet! [taps foot impatiently]

[Jim Dye]

I'll post the answers as soon as I have a chance, but everyone at my house (except the baby) has the flu right now. I don't have a whole lot of energy, but i'll try and get it done by the end of the week.

[neveronfriday]

Hi Jim and everyone,

although I have been on the board on and off the past days and weeks, I've had major health problems concerning my eyes, including major surgery on both eyes. Being all stressed out pretty much all the time, I ignored some warnings and before I could put on disc two, the shite hit the fan in a major way.

I'm OK now, but there are still some things that have to be taken care of (for the next two weeks I have to wait and see if other invasive surgery is necessary). I still have to be very careful and am not supposed to do pretty much anything. I've had plenty of time to listen to music these past weeks, and the two BFT discs were listened to many, many times (so were the older ones).

I'm sorry I can't really participate in this one, but staring at a computer screen for longer than a few minutes is a major problem right now, so I have to stick to shorter posts.

Jim, I REALLY enjoyed the discs and they have pointed me in several new directions (I have printed out some answers, using larger fonts, reading up on what was going on here and enjoying the discussion).

So, Jim, thanx! Maybe it is nice to know that on the way to recovery, your discs were, for me, a very pleasant and interesting way to spend some otherwise pretty horrible hours.

These next weeks and months I have to be a whole lot more careful, so although I am participating and signing up for future tests, I won't be able to contribute all that much. I hope Jim and future BFT hosts won't be too disappointed or irritated, but the BFTs are so much fun for me that I don't want to forfeit my place on the list.

Maybe I can make it up with my own BFT disc ... which is approximately ten years away.

Hope you guys will understand.

Being a drummer myself, I have been known to say that I didn't give a hoot about any body parts besides my arms, legs and ears, but I have now learned that eyes are damn important. Sounds stupid, but ...

Cheers!

deus62

Edited March 23, 2004 by deus62

[Dan Gould]

Take care of yourself!

You want to be able to exchange dirty looks about the long-winded soloist with the rest of your rhythm-mates, right?

[neveronfriday]

Take care of yourself!

You want to be able to exchange dirty looks about the long-winded soloist with the rest of your rhythm-mates, right?

Thanks, Dan.

The real problem is that once you can't size-up the girls in the front row(s) anymore, you know that things are not the way they are supposed to be.

For all of those reading this, you all know that we are NOT talking about jazz concerts anymore ... (OK ... fire away ...)

Cheers!

[king ubu]

First of all, let me apologize for taking that long to answer. I already thought I would not at all be able to jump into the discussion of this BFT. Things went almost too fast for me, the time between #7 and this one was rather short. Then, the ante-qua-non date somehow made me put the discs aside, and once the race was open, I had no time to listen. So finally?

(as usual, this is exactly what I wrote while listening)

CD1

1 - Great opener! Love the sound of the bass clarinet! What a great instrument. Sounds slightly monkish. Clarinet, vibes and electric bass sound good together! Good clarinet solo. No idea who this could be. Ray Anderson on trombone? The whole thing sounds a bit too cold, but it?s fun and I do like it.

2 - A perfect segue! Again slightly (but much less) monkish. Solid tenor, good sound, some Trane, some blues. Sounds a bit like Joe Henderson (on my very modest listening device, at least)? But I don?t really think it?s him. And if it is, it would be from one of all the records on my to buy list? Good piano, but again no idea. Very good one!

3 - Larry Young? From ?Unity?? Being far from my collection, and as it is several years since I last listened to that one, I cannot tell. Great tune! Very good tenor, good organ accompaniment, too! The trumpet solo is very lyrical. Nice sound, nice pass-over to the organ, too. Another very good one.

4 - I like the atmosphere on this one. The voice fits in very well. Like it.

5 - Great one! Love the deep saxes! And then the klezmer-like melody. Don?t think it?s Zorn himself, but this could be some NY downtown stuff. Zorn on alto? Maybe. Good solo, builds.

Love the barisax/bass vamp underneath! Also the marching-band drumming. Uh, going form the ending, this is a bass sax, rather than a bari, no?

6 - Good opening, nice bass vamp, and when the drummer enters, things start to take off. Wow! The theme takes part in the rhythm section, mostly. Soprano has very nice sound, rather soft, full, not the nasal Coltrane type. The piano comping reminds me of McCoy, the drummer?s very good. Nice piano, and very good trumpet. Again the rhythm section (the drummer, mostly) almost steals the show.

No idea who this could be, though I have a feeling I might know most of the musicians, though not this recording.

Love the drum solo over the bass vamp.

7 - This seems very very familiar. In medias res! What?s this? I know this, I have it, I think! Great tenor, great it continues! The bass, wow! What the hell is this one?

LOOOOVE the tenor!! Cat like, sly, slow, bluesy, those almost honking, almost but never cliché phrases. The great blues feeling. Uh, I found out!!! It?s Lateef! From the Pep?s albums, I guess (remember I?m far from my collection). WOW, one of my favourite tenors, one of my favourite albums! His sound is so big, so full, and he takes as much time as he wants, he has patience, ideas, deeply felt emotions? a great rhythm section on that date, too.

Then, Richard Williams is, in my opinion, maybe THE underrated trumpet player of that era.

At last the flute. One of the best of jazz? flute (and oboe) players ? not in a schooled manner, but felt.

The piano that follows the flute/trumpet exchanges is great, too, the bass is very solid, good sound. Love the bass played in the deeper regions of its reach.

8 - Another good opening. Nice alto. Don?t know it. It?s not bad, but it?s hard to follow the last cut! Somehow, the recording, the sound, is not too much of my liking. I often have some slight problem with the sound of recordings from these years (I guess it?s between early to mid seventies and mid to late eighties), and I often find I do not return to CDs from that period as often as I should (this even applies to my Woody Shaw discs!).

The alto solo, though is really good! And the piano has a nice touch, too.

9 - Very nice tune! No idea, though.

10 - Another one unknown to me. A good one, though not the kind of music I listen to all that often.

11 - ?Nature Boy?. A nice tune. Cool version, with the bass and flute in the foreground. No idea once again. Very cool arrangement! I like this one a lot.

12 - Another one I know but can?t identify. Not sure I know this version or only the tune. Good groove. Nice sax solo. No I don?t know this version. Yet I seem to know the tune. Cool flute once more. Seems to be a flute-lover here!

Hell, I guess I really should be able to identify this tune! Too much red wine with dinner, I guess?

A good ending for a great disc! Thanks a lot!

Now BIG expectations for disc 2!

CD2

1 - Wow! Hell, this is more the kind of stuff I love!

Love how this one builds, love the bass vamp, love the open beginning, and how things start to grow together before the thematic material is stated.

Great bass player here!

Will post more once I have heard tracks 2-4. Hope it goes on that cool!

ubu