Jim Dye Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) Greetings everyone! It has been a crazy week. Everyone in our house except the new baby came down with a very bad case of the flu. I guess all the lack of sleep opened the door for some virii to have a party at our expense. Well, everyone is feeling better now. I have the energy to type up the answers you all have been waiting for! I am going to post the answers, track by track, along with my comments throughout the day. Hopefully I will get through by the end of the day. This has been a really great experience. It is a really great feeling knowing that this music has been shared and enjoyed all over the world. I was particularly moved by EKE BBB's comments that the music was a distraction from the horrible events in Madrid. The Blindfold Tests are a really special thing we have going here and I highly suggest that everyone take part. Now...onto the answers! Disc One - Track One liner notes (pdf format) Jerome Harris - Hidden In Plain View (New World Records 80472) - Iron Man (Dolphy) As soon as the blindfold test concept came about, I knew this track was going to be the first one on my compilation. I first heard this disc as a promotional copy when I was managing a record store. I hadn't heard very many Dolphy covers before this. The arrangements are a little bit straight laced at times, but filled with plenty of humor and fun. I especially like Ehrlich's bass clarinet on this disc. Disc One - Track Two Joe Farrell - Skate Board Park (Xanadu Records) - Skate Board Park (Farrell) Joe Farrell - Tenor Sax; Chick Corea - Piano; Bob Magnusson - Bass; Larance Marable - Drums An outstanding record. A friend of mine first turned me on to this and ripped his vinyl copy to CD for me. I don't know if this has ever been officially released on CD, but I know you can get it legit at eMusic.com! Couw said in his comments that some of the licks sound familiar. That is what drew me to this track in the first place. If you've ever heard Elvin Jones' trio record on Blue Note with Farrell and Jimmy Garrison, you'll recognize some licks for sure. Here an alternate cover for this album: Edited March 25, 2004 by Jim Dye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) Disc One - Track Three Bill Heid - Da Girl (Savant Records 2041) - Soldiering On (Heid) Bill Heid - Hammond B3 Organ; Joe Magnarelli - Trumpet; Scott Peterson - Tenor Saxophone; Randy Gelespie - Drums This record was destined to be on a blindfold test. A friend first spun it for me and set it up this way: "If an android can bake an exact duplicate of your grandmothers apple pie, is it alright to like it?" Not really a fair analogy, because Bill Heid is not an android, but you get the point. This record sounds just like outtakes from Unity sessions. Nearly everyone picked up on the sound! Just because Heid sounds a lot like Larry Young doesn't take away from my enjoyment of this record at all. It's a fun swingin' record. I also like Randy Gelespie's drumming on this date a lot. I first met Randy when I was in high school jazz band more than 20 years ago. He was friends with our band director would sit in with us every now and again. Disc One - Track Four Jordi Sabates - Ocells Del Mes Enlla (PDI Records Spain) - Ocells Del Mes Enlla (Sabates) I don't have any discographical information for this record, but that sure sounds like Flora Purim singing to me! Most of you picked up on the RTF vibe. EKE BBB really surprised me when he nailed this track! In hindsight, it was recorded in Spain, so I guess it's not too much of a surprise. I really like the groove here. Dusty Groove is currently out of stock on this record but they should be getting more in soon. Edited March 25, 2004 by Jim Dye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) Disc One - Track Five Carlo Actis Dato - Ankara Twist (Splasc(h) Records h302) 1989 - Yogurt (Actis Dato) Carlo Actis Dato - Baritone Sax; Piero Ponzo - Clarinet; Enrico Fazio - Bass; Fiorenzo Sordini - Drums I picked up this record after reading a favorable review in Cadence a number of years ago. At the time, it really opened the door to the jazz world outside of the U.S.A. for me. There is something about Actis Dato's playing that is just infectious. He always seems to be having so much fun playing his horn. I like the Eastern European feel of many of the compositions. Kudos to Nate and couw who nailed the artist. Disc One - Track Six Ralph Peterson Quintet - Volition (Blue Note Records) 1991 - Back To Stay (Peterson) Ralph Peterson Jr. - Drums; Steve Wilson - Soprano Sax; Terence Blanchard - Trumpet; Geri Allen - Piano; Phil Bowler - Bass I just love Ralph Peterson's bombastic drumming style. This is another record I picked up as a promo while working at the record store. It does sound a bit dated, but I still really dig it. I believe this session was first released in Japan on the Something Else label. All of his Blue Note records are very good. You used to be able to find them in the cut out bins quite easily. Not so much any more. A note on the sound: This disc was mastered so low, I had to do something. So I put it in my PC and used WAVELAB to compress the hell out of it. I know, I know, I shouldn't have messed with the sound, but I wanted a consistent sound level on the disc so I went ahead and did it. I promise you the original CD sounds much much better. Some of you guys have really good ears! Edited March 25, 2004 by Jim Dye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) Disc One - Track Seven Yusef Lateef - Live At Pep's (impulse Records 69) 1964 - Number Seven (Lateef) Yusef Lateef - Flute, Tenor Sax, Oboe, etc...; Mike Nock - Piano; Richard Williams - Trumpet; Ernie Farrow - Bass; James Black - Drums I am a big fan of live records and this is one of my favorites. This track shows the many sides of Lateef. I wish they would remaster both volumes and release it as a 2 disc set. At the end of the song, Lateef shouts out the name of the tune: :'NUMBER SEVEN!' I took that snippet, put it in the audio editor and reversed it so I wouldn't tip you guys off. So what you here is 'NEVES REBMUN!' Disc One - Track Eight John Hicks Quartet featuring Bobby Watson - Naima's Love Song (DIW Records 823) 1988 - On The One (Watson) Bobby Watson - Alto Sax; John Hicks - Piano; Curtis Lundy - Bass; Victor Lewis - Drums Tom Storer said it best in the discussion thread: "That Alto Player Is No Shrinking Violet!" This is one of Bobby Watsons strongest sessions IMHO. I had the pleasure of seeing him play live with the T.S. Monk band in New York a few years ago. He laid down one of the best solos I have ever witnessed. Such a creative and energetic player. So full of LIFE! Another editing note. I had to crop off the beginning of this track which is a mock-up of James Brown's 'Make It Funky'. It was too much of a clue to include. Curtis: Bobby, what you gonna play NOW? Bobby: Curtis, I don't know, but whats ever I play, it's going to be.....On The One! 1...2.... Bam, right into the song. Edited March 25, 2004 by Jim Dye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) Disc One - Track Nine Jack Wilson - Something Personal (Blue Note Records 84251) 1967 - Harbor Freeway 5 P.M. (Wilson) Jack Wilson - Piano; Roy Ayers - Doorbells; Ray Brown - Bass; Varney Barlow - Drums There is something about this track that just gets to me. It takes me to another place. I agree with Nate that it can be a bit plodding at times, but that's part of what makes it so interesting to me. Those changes are just sublime. A bit cheesy? Perhaps. A lovely tune from a lovely record. I'd like to hear the uptempo version of this sometime. Disc One - Track Ten Howard Johnson's Nubia - Arrival - A Pharoah Sanders Tribute (Motor Music) 1995 - Lower Egypt (Sanders) Howard Johnson - Baritone Sax, Voice; Sarah Seidel - Flute, Voice; Johannes Georg Bahlmann - piano; Sabine Worthmann - Bass; Wolff Reichert - Drums; Kojo Samuels - Congas, Percussion; Dumisani Mabaso - Percussion A curveball! You guys got close, but not quite. I worked with Howard for a short time when I was in New York. He laid this record on me. It's a real nice tribute. Howard was living in Germany at the time he recorded this. I don't think this was a working band, although I seem to remember him mentioning that it was the result of some workshops he was involved with. I believe the CD was only released in Europe. If it did come out in the US, it was a very limited distribution. A real nice record that highlights Howard's Baritone Sax playing. Also, the track is truncated. After Lower Egypt it segues into the song Venus. I'll finish up the rest of the answers tomorrow! Edited March 25, 2004 by Jim Dye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) Disc One - Track Eleven Teri Thornton - I'll Be Easy To Find (Verve Records 547755) 1999 - Nature Boy (Ahbez) Teri Thornton - Vocals, Piano; Lonnie Plaxico - Bass; J.T. Lewis - Drums; Jerome Richardson - Flute; Howard Johnson - Cornet, Horn Arrangement; Dave Bargeron - Trombone This is a special one for me. I was at the recording sessions for this record back in 1997. It was about 1 in the morning when Teri started this take. Lonnie Plaxico had been running all night on only an hour of sleep. He just started laying down this deep bass groove. Everything else just fell into place. I wish I still had a copy of the undubbed take. It was just the piano, bass and drums laid to tape. Then, Howard Johnson wrote a quick arrangement in about 30 minutes. Jerome Richardson had already left the studio a couple hours earlier for his home in Seacacus, NJ, but the producer called and begged him to come back and lay down some snakey flute lines. Jerome, the nice guy that he was, got back in his car and drove back into the city at about 3 in the morning to complete the take. What you hear here is not the final mix released Verve CD. This is from the first rough mixes. That's probably why it may sound a bit unbalanced. Disc One - Track Eleven McCoy Tyner Big Band- The Turning Point (Verve Records 513573) 1991 - Fly With The Wind (Tyner) This track is way over the top. Outrageous! It kicks my ass every time I hear it. When I wan't to clear out some cobwebs in my head, I just put this on and turn it up to 11. I always regret that I didn't take the chance to see this group live at the Chicago Jazz Festival. Disc one is complete! I didn't really have a theme for this disc other than 'music I dig'. I hope you enjoyed the music! I had a great time putting it together for you. Edited March 26, 2004 by Jim Dye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) Now on to the bonus disc. 4 tracks! 4 20-minute-long tunes! I knew this would probably be pushing the limits for some of you. Others feel right at home. Hope you found something to enjoy here. Bonus Disc - Track One *image to be posted later* Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble - After The Dawn Has Risen (Open Minds Records) 1992 - After The Dawn Has Risen (Dawkins) Ernest Dawkins - Alto Sax, Flute, Percussion; (more later) I can't find any information for this disc online so I'll have to wait until I get home to get more details. This is the first record by the New Horizons Ensemble. Recorded live at Leverkusener Jazzstage in Germany. A nice, long, groove. I find this kind of stuff a lot of fun. Makes me want to move to Chicago so I can see more of this music live. I think you can still get this CD from Cadence. Bonus Disc - Track Two Horace Tapscott - Kimus #4 (Hat Hut Records) 1989 - The Dark Tree (3) (Tapscott) Horace Tapscott - Piano; John Carter - Clarinet; Cecil McBee - Bass; Andrew Cyrille - Drums As has been mentioned in the comments thread, the original 2 disc set has been reissued and is now mid-priced. This is essential stuff. The hard-to-find third take was made available for a short time on this sampler. Hat would release these Kimus discs from time to time to promote their label. Pick them up if you find them! They are very interesting. Edited March 26, 2004 by Jim Dye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) Bonus Disc - Track Three The Art Ensemble Of Chicago - The Alternate Express (DIW Records 832) 1990 - Kush (Moye / Favors) Lester Bowie (tp, per), Joseph Jarman (reeds, fl, per), Roscoe Mitchell (reeds, fl), Malachi Favors Maghostut (b, per), Famodudou Don Moye (ds, per). There was a thread earlier this year asking about the DIW AECO's. I think they are all very very good. The repetition on this track (CRASH, CRASH, CRASH, CRASH) drives most people nuts. It makes me smile. Once the horns and traffic sounds kick in, I almost always laugh deep from my belly. Bonus Disc - Track Four David Murray Octet - Picasso (DIW Records 879) 1991 - Picasso Suite Parts VI (When Hawk Meets Pablo) and VII (Reprise; Catalonian Vonz) (Murray) The last two parts of a 37-minute suite that David wrote in 1992 for a commission from the Cleveland Museum of Art. I saw this group in Detroit prior to this recording. They were working out the arrangements. My friend and I scored the front table and were absolutely blown away by the performance. Murray had a DAT recorder sitting at the edge of the stage. Once the octet finished playing the suite, the audience gave a rousing ovation. We were on our feet cheering. My friend leaned into Murrays DAT recorder and shouted "David Murray! You're a baaaad motherfucker!" Edited March 27, 2004 by Jim Dye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Jim, its been such a crazy week, you headlined this thread Blindfold Test #4 instead of #8. May I suggest that before you continue, you copy your first answers into a new thread with the correct name, then come back and delete this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Fixed it, Dan. Thanks! Must be all the extra Vitamin C i'm ingesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catesta Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Looks like I had 3 and 12 correct. Jim I feel your pain with the flu. I just got over being sick for what seemed like almost a month. Glad you are feeling better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Disc One - Track Three Bill Heid - Da Girl (Savant Records 2041) -Soldiering On (Heid) Bill Heid - Hammond B3 Organ; Joe Magnarelli - Trumpet; Scott Peterson - Tenor Saxophone; Randy Gelespie - Drums This record was destined to be on a blindfold test. A friend first spun it for me and set it up this way: "If an android can bake an exact duplicate of your grandmothers apple pie, is it alright to like it?" Not really a fair analogy, because Bill Heid is not an android, but you get the point. This record sounds just like outtakes from Unity sessions. Nearly everyone picked up on the sound! Just because Heid sounds a lot like Larry Young doesn't take away from my enjoyment of this record at all. It's a fun swingin' record. I also like Randy Gelespie's drumming on this date a lot. I first met Randy when I was in high school jazz band more than 20 years ago. He was friends with our band director would sit in with us every now and again. Happy recovery to you and your family, and thanks again for some very smart choices. That quote really hits the nail on the head, as I've said, I wish they'd be a little more adventurous. You can't beat the memory of grandma's cake .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Disc One - Track Four Jordi Sabates - Ocells Del Mes Enlla (PDI Records Spain) - Ocells Del Mes Enlla (Sabates) I don't have any discographical information for this record, but that sure sounds like Flora Purim singing to me! Most of you picked up on the RTF vibe. EKE BBB really surprised me when he nailed this track! In hindsight, it was recorded in Spain, so I guess it's not too much of a surprise. I really like the groove here. Dusty Groove is currently out of stock on this record but they should be getting more in soon. It's perhaps the overall sound and feel of this track that made so many think of Return To Forever and/or Flora Purim, but I find her colour and phrasing to be quite different, and the groove not like that band. Do they have longer tracks with solos on this disc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Disc One - Track One liner notes (pdf format) Jerome Harris - Hidden In Plain View (New World Records 80472) -Iron Man (Dolphy) As soon as the blindfold test concept came about, I knew this track was going to be the first one on my compilation. I first heard this disc as a promotional copy when I was managing a record store. I hadn't heard very many Dolphy covers before this. The arrangements are a little bit straight laced at times, but filled with plenty of humor and fun. I especially like Ehrlich's bass clarinet on this disc. That Jerome Harris disc has just been added to my wish list ... I love bass clarinet and have always liked Ehrlich, a very underrated player that works fine in any context. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Disc One - Track Four Jordi Sabates - Ocells Del Mes Enlla (PDI Records Spain) - Ocells Del Mes Enlla (Sabates) I don't have any discographical information for this record, but that sure sounds like Flora Purim singing to me! Most of you picked up on the RTF vibe. EKE BBB really surprised me when he nailed this track! In hindsight, it was recorded in Spain, so I guess it's not too much of a surprise. I really like the groove here. Dusty Groove is currently out of stock on this record but they should be getting more in soon. I would definitely like to hear more about this album from those that have heard it. Because of the similarities pointed out by our fellow boardmembers, I bought a RTF album, Light as a Feather. I had no idea the album title was to be taken so literally. Just a bit lite for my taste... This track sounded great though, and I'd like to hear more of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Because of the similarities pointed out by our fellow boardmembers, I bought a RTF album, Light as a Feather. I had no idea the album title was to be taken so literally. Just a bit lite for my taste... This track sounded great though, and I'd like to hear more of it! Pick up the first RTF on ECM under Chick Corea's name. I think you'll like it a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Dorward Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 I should note that though I did guess maybe Dato for #5 I later backed off that ID, wrongly as it turns out. Dato can be too much sometimes (I've just finished an unenthusiastic review of his recent grabbag album American Tour), but this track shows him in a good light, & in general his quartet is pretty consistent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 DOH! I own Skateboard Park. Haven't listened to it in months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyJazz Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 DOH! I own Skateboard Park. Haven't listened to it in months. This is doubly embarrassing for me because I bought the LP when it first came out (around '79) and the CD at a bargain price a couple of years ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Disc One - Track Nine Jack Wilson - Something Personal (Blue Note Records 84251) 1967 - Harbor Freeway 5 P.M. (Wilson) Well I loved this track! Can anyone point me in the direction of a copy of this album? Sure wish the folks at Mosaic would give this guy the Select treatment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Because of the similarities pointed out by our fellow boardmembers, I bought a RTF album, Light as a Feather. I had no idea the album title was to be taken so literally. Just a bit lite for my taste... This track sounded great though, and I'd like to hear more of it! Pick up the first RTF on ECM under Chick Corea's name. I think you'll like it a bit more. I had it in my hand last week. I will go back and pick it up if you really think I will like it. Light as a Feather... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 All answers are now complete! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyboy Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Great job, Jim! Really, really enjoyed this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Disc One - Track Six Ralph Peterson Quintet - Volition (Blue Note Records) 1991 - Back To Stay (Peterson) Ralph Peterson Jr. - Drums; Steve Wilson - Soprano Sax; Terence Blanchard - Trumpet; Geri Allen - Piano; Phil Bowler - Bass I just love Ralph Peterson's bombastic drumming style. This is another record I picked up as a promo while working at the record store. It does sound a bit dated, but I still really dig it. I believe this session was first released in Japan on the Something Else label. All of his Blue Note records are very good. You used to be able to find them in the cut out bins quite easily. Not so much any more. A note on the sound: This disc was mastered so low, I had to do something. So I put it in my PC and used WAVELAB to compress the hell out of it. I know, I know, I shouldn't have messed with the sound, but I wanted a consistent sound level on the disc so I went ahead and did it. I promise you the original CD sounds much much better. Some of you guys have really good ears! So this is the track I had but did not recognize, and not the Teri Thornton, which I identified after looking through my collection. (My personal BT rule # 2) Just compared the audio on the Blue Note CD with that on your BT - nice to have this as an example to demonstrate the effects of compression. The bad thing about that dreaded device that it changes the sound so much. BTW there is a way with better audio editing software to just raise the volume level without compressing. Compression is used more often than we would like to know - I just discussed this my bassist friend after rehearsal last night. A bassist, he argued, never plays all notes at the same volume level - even with the best technique some note or another will come out softer. But you never, never will encounter a newer recording where you will hear it that way, because the bass tracks are usually evened out and/or compressed. The argument is that volume fluctuations of a bass line would irritate the listener ... That track, BTW demonstrates how close these guys were listening to Tain, Woody Shaw etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Disc One - Track Nine Jack Wilson - Something Personal (Blue Note Records 84251) 1967 - Harbor Freeway 5 P.M. (Wilson) Jack Wilson - Piano; Roy Ayers - Doorbells; Ray Brown - Bass; Varney Barlow - Drums There is something about this track that just gets to me. It takes me to another place. I agree with Nate that it can be a bit plodding at times, but that's part of what makes it so interesting to me. Those changes are just sublime. A bit cheesy? Perhaps. A lovely tune from a lovely record. I'd like to hear the uptempo version of this sometime. If I had the mechanics to transfer LP to CD, I'd send to a copy to compare - in fact both versions would make a great two-part suite. A Jack Wilson - Roy Ayers Mosaic? My comment on this can be found at the end of this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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