BFT232

[randyhersom]

I cheated on 10, nice choice.

[tkeith]

Yeah, Dad took this privately (he's not comfortable posting here).  He did note quite as well as Jim, and to my surprise, missed #10 (he's the one who introduced it to me and we've spoken about it at length).  His comment was, "Ellington tune not Ellington."  #AnyGivenSunday

[JSngry]

Benjamin Redbank

[webbcity]

Late to the party, but... I brought snacks?

Haven't cheated and looked at previous comments but will do so as soon as I post this, to see what I missed. No surprise, some amazing stuff here!

Track 1 - You had me at strings! Powerful opening chord. Oh wow! This went in a direction I wasn't expecting, but I dig it. I wonder if this is all new material, or someone riffing over an old recording/sample? No, no... this was recorded together. I love the vocalist and the groove/backdrop is killer. Off to a great start!

Track 2 - And now for something completely different... yet also fantastic. This sounds vaguely familiar. Any chance that's Clark Terry? Sure sounds like it could be. No wait, Dizzy! But there's something very Ellingtonian about this whole affair. It grooves and I like it. A most excellent trombone solo too. Yes, some very Ellingtonian chords there.

Track 3 - Well, I'm going to ruin this tune for you now, but that sure started off sounding like it was gonna be "Christmastime is Here"... 😄  Hmmm...now I'm hearing something I recognize. You could say this composition is kind of long, but I think it's SHORTER... am I right?? Yeah, this has gotta be Blakey, Lee Morgan, Wayne... less certain about who the pianist & bassist are but this is absolutely a Messengers record. Maybe Workman on bass? This is a real interesting tune.

Track 4 - Aha! Gerald Wilson, right? I definitely know this one. That standard mid-60s jazz boogaloo. I really like how the head is slightly off-kilter. No... this is not Gerald Wilson. But I do know this. Dammit. And who is that tenor player? Somebody I know, no doubt. The reveal is gonna kill me on this. Fun track.

Track 5 - Interesting. Sounds slightly like Mel Torme. Great feel and tone from the bassist. Laying it down! Ah! Halfway through, goin' downtown!! Yes! OK, you got me. I can get into this. Damn that's a solid groove! This one really surprised me, great track!

Track 6 - Beautiful tenor playing, like buttah, and how can you not dig those congas? This one grooves like hell too. Now that's a rhythm section. The piano solo is, to me, somehow both "by the book" and very thoughtful. Everyone is in the pocket here. That tenor solo is flawless, and again... that SOUND. Wild guess, Gene Ammons?

Track 7 - I'll be honest, the trio intro was SO damn good I kinda didn't need the horns to come in. Ah, but here we have a nice little bass solo. Hmmm, maybe Percy Heath? Great sound. I enjoyed the trombone solo, but then the tenor player upped the ante. Wow! Now that was epic.

Track 8 - First thing this reminded me of is Horace Silver's "Nutville." (That's not a guess, I know it's not Nutville, but it's not dissimilar...) Boy I should know this tenor player too. This is fabulous. Tremendous band all around, but I'm paying particular attention to the drummer who is just nailing it. Most excellent.

Track 9 - Oh man! Hang on, I know this one too... damn, I know I've heard this just recently. Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most. This is good! Love the feel... this takes me to an exotic location. That bass line is absolutely brilliant. I like that the pianist drops out at the top of the trumpet solo... and everything just opens right up. And damn, when they come back in! Hooo! This is hot stuff. Incendiary playing from all involved. Did you play me this one? It sounds so familiar. Whoever this is, they're just killing it. Definitely need to know what this is.

Track 10 - Nice arrangement, and now I'm wondering if this one is Gerald Wilson. Obviously I have Gerald Wilson on the brain. Not only is the tenor soloist on fire, I love the brass hits echoed by the drummer underneath. The percussion section is really cooking on this. That trumpet sound is searing! Another winner.

Track 11 - Wait, is this Gerald Wilson? Seriously though, I like this but it's not especially grabbing me out of the gate like most of the others. Great players, obviously, but it feels a touch too polite. Actually now that I say that, the pianist is taking it up a notch though. Aha! Buster Williams! I was actually wondering about that. Well this is quickly getting better than my initial first impression. So hang on, is this Sphere? A group I should have checked out more of by now.

Track 12 - Well, that's Jean Carn and she just gave this one away. This is another record I really should know better, have heard it once or twice but don't know it well. Hell of a tenor solo from Azar. Yeah, so, obviously I need to dig into this one a lot more! Killin!

Track 13 - Damn, the production on this one is BIG! Heavy bass! I like the spaciness of it, sort of like ambient music meets Pharoah Sanders. I'm torn between thinking it's nice that not much is going on and sort of hoping something happens. It kind of simmers a long in the same spot for a while. Overall great feel and an interesting track but I think I wanted a little more spark somewhere in there.

Track 14 - I love the instrumentation, and there's something so familiar sounding about this group. This has got to be Khan Jamal, right? Maybe William Parker? It's reminding me a lot of a Jemeel Moondoc session I really like... I know it's not Jemeel but it's gotta be people in that neighborhood. Not sure I could ID the guitarist but I bet I know everyone else. Really looking forward to the reveal on this one! Great cut!

You've outdone yourself once again, my friend, as you tend to do. This was a blast!

[webbcity]

Wow! Some of these IDs have my head spinning. 😵 Of course #14 is Frank Lowe!! (slaps forehead)... And Wilber Morris! And I have to laugh that after my comment about not thinking I would know the guitarist on that track... he's the one guy in that band who I've met and actually played with once.   D'oh!