BFT 262 - Discussion Thread

[Dan Gould]

Let's get this party started, if anyone is so inclined New Year's Eve.

10 tunes / 66 minutes or so.

Same programming approach as a year ago, in this case five pairs of different performances of the same tune.  All but one are standards and I expect will at least be ID'd.  One track is an absolute gimme but that means its probably 50/50 ID'd/missed.  No Percy France, no Gene Harris.  Actually there isn't even a faux Gene Harris track to throw you off.

 

https://thomkeith.net/2026-organissimo-blindfold-tests/

 

[felser]

1 – Highly enjoyable, especially enjoying the bass player and piano.    ****

2 – Funkier than I’m used to from Dan!  Electric sax(es) wear, as does wah-wah guitar Composition and arrangement don’t anything for me.  Dave Sanborn? *

3 – Things ain’t what they used to be, indeed!   Back on the enjoyable good foot.  ***1/2

4 – All the things you are.  I like the bass player, but the whole thing is pretty ragged, though still enjoyable ***1/2

5 – Who Can I Turn To.  Nicely done all around, love the pianist’s work!  Enjoyed the guitar. ****

6 – Things… again.  Good blues playing, but I enjoyed the approach on the first version more. ***

7 – Killer!  This is the one cut I need if I don’t already own it!  I should be able to ID the song, but am going blank on the title.  I bet the whole album is good.  ****1/2

8 – Who Can I Turn To, in a comatose version.   Not doing well with this cut and especially this tenor player, though it’s probably someone you love.  Sorry.  **

9 – All The Things You Are, slowed down and on clarinet.  I like this tune fast, though I don’t hate on this the way I did the previous cut.  But I also don’t need to hear it again.  **1/2

10 – See comments to #2, although at least the sax isn’t electrified, and the conga solo is kind of cool.  *1/2

No artist ID’s, a range of responses, and I look forward to the reveals on my favorite cuts (1,5,7 especially, but also 3,4), and I expect I have one or two of them on the shelves already.

Have a safe and prosperous 2026, my friend!

[Dan Gould]

11 hours ago, felser said:

1 – Highly enjoyable, especially enjoying the bass player and piano.    ****

2 – Funkier than I’m used to from Dan!  Electric sax(es) wear, as does wah-wah guitar Composition and arrangement don’t anything for me.  Dave Sanborn? *

YES - Sanborn.  Chosen purely to allow me to include track 10.  I wonder if anyone can ID it and from there, knock off #10 too. BTW my info doesn't mention electrified sax.

3 – Things ain’t what they used to be, indeed!   Back on the enjoyable good foot.  ***1/2

4 – All the things you are.  I like the bass player, but the whole thing is pretty ragged, though still enjoyable ***1/2

5 – Who Can I Turn To.  Nicely done all around, love the pianist’s work!  Enjoyed the guitar. ****

Have never heard the song as anything but a ballad so this one really stood out.

6 – Things… again.  Good blues playing, but I enjoyed the approach on the first version more. ***

Again ... alternate approaches.  I nearly chose The Three Sounds version from the Moods LP which is even slower and a major favorite from the first time I heard it.

7 – Killer!  This is the one cut I need if I don’t already own it!  I should be able to ID the song, but am going blank on the title.  I bet the whole album is good.  ****1/2

You loved the track but had no guesses on the one chosen as a Gimme.  I wonder how long it will take before you smack yourself on the head when somebody does get it.

8 – Who Can I Turn To, in a comatose version.   Not doing well with this cut and especially this tenor player, though it’s probably someone you love.  Sorry.  **

Well I already had a gimme and I wasn't going to use Dex's version from Clubhouse!

9 – All The Things You Are, slowed down and on clarinet.  I like this tune fast, though I don’t hate on this the way I did the previous cut.  But I also don’t need to hear it again.  **1/2

To me this may be even more extreme in the opposite direction than the bouncy Who Can I Turn To. The clarinetist mentions in the liners wanting to bring this tune back to what it was written as, a lovely ballad.  I think he does that in spades, and it was a big revelation to me. Mileage.

10 – See comments to #2, although at least the sax isn’t electrified, and the conga solo is kind of cool.  *1/2

Hoping @mikeweil listens and has thoughts on the congas.

No artist ID’s, a range of responses, and I look forward to the reveals on my favorite cuts (1,5,7 especially, but also 3,4), and I expect I have one or two of them on the shelves already.

Have a safe and prosperous 2026, my friend!

You also and thanks as always for your unvarnished thoughts!

 

Edited January 1 by Dan Gould

[randyhersom]

No misses!
1. Sounds like two different tracks were merged into track 1.  The first had me thinking Lockjaw.
2. and 2 repeats the second part of 1.  Parts of it almost exactly duplicate Pickin Up the Pieces by Average White Band.  Wonder which came first.  No worries either way, an enjoyable piece of R&B played by capable jazz players.
3. a Duke cover.  Is it Things Ain't What They Used to Be?  Illinois Jacquet?  Live, so maybe JATP?
4. All the Things You Are.  Something about the opening made me think of Ira Sullivan.
5. Guitar and tenor featured prominently.
6. Nice greasy bassline.  Is it Things Ain't What They Used to Be?
7. Fast bebop.  Jaws and Griff?
8. Is this Who Can I Turn to?  Nice gruff tenor, but maybe not as gruff as Ben Webster, so maybe a good time to guess Percy France.
9.  All the Things You are slowed down to ballad pace on a clarinet.  Buddy DeFranco?
10. Average White Band?  Nah, too long for a radio band.  An enjoyable piece of R&B played by capable jazz players.

[Dan Gould]

26 minutes ago, randyhersom said:

No misses!

Music to my ears!!

1. Sounds like two different tracks were merged into track 1.  The first had me thinking Lockjaw.

@tkeith!  I made a mistake on the upload of Track 1 to Thom's server, which I caught yesterday and Thom had fixed.  When I double checked his correction, the fix hadn't seemed to take but when I tried on a different PC all was fine. So I have no clue how you heard my original error.

2. and 2 repeats the second part of 1.  Parts of it almost exactly duplicate Pickin Up the Pieces by Average White Band.  Wonder which came first.  No worries either way, an enjoyable piece of R&B played by capable jazz players.

Never heard this tune or, to my knowledge Average White Band unless they had a hit that I would unwittingly know.  Felser got the leader above.

3. a Duke cover.  Is it Things Ain't What They Used to Be?  Illinois Jacquet?  Live, so maybe JATP?

Yes to Things Ain't. Not Jacquet, not JATP.

4. All the Things You Are.  Something about the opening made me think of Ira Sullivan.

Not Ira. The trumpeter is an artist I did not expect to hear with the leader.

5. Guitar and tenor featured prominently.
6. Nice greasy bassline.  Is it Things Ain't What They Used to Be?

Correct.

7. Fast bebop.  Jaws and Griff?

YES! Though the tune is ID'd more as swing.

8. Is this Who Can I Turn to?  Nice gruff tenor, but maybe not as gruff as Ben Webster, so maybe a good time to guess Percy France.

I did mention above Percy does not make an appearance this year.

9.  All the Things You are slowed down to ballad pace on a clarinet.  Buddy DeFranco?

Not Buddy DeFranco.  Not as well known.

10. Average White Band?  Nah, too long for a radio band.  An enjoyable piece of R&B played by capable jazz players.

 

Glad you enjoyed the selections Randy and Happy New Year!

[randyhersom]

I do the download.  Pickin' Up the Pieces by Average White Band was indeed a seventies radio hit that you and the late David Sanborn might unwittingly know.

I think I can deduce then, that 1 and 7 are the same tune,

[Dan Gould]

12 minutes ago, randyhersom said:

I do the download.  Pickin' Up the Pieces by Average White Band was indeed a seventies radio hit that you and the late David Sanborn might unwittingly know.

Ahh, that's the name of that song.  Something that couldn't be avoided if you heard top 40 radio. Both tunes are from the same approximate time period but I don't really hear them as that similar.

I think I can deduce then, that 1 and 7 are the same tune,

Correct, every tune has its matching/different/better performance.  

 

[Dub Modal]

Happy new year!

1 - Old school style on the tenor sax. Great tone and playing. Is it the Stitt/Gonsalves duo on Impulse? Was thinking someone like Hank Jones on keys so this kind of makes sense but it's a wild guess. 

2 - Average White Band? It's not Pick Up the Pieces but damn, sounds a whole lot like it. If it's not them, then I'm guessing Eddie Harris. 

3 - Jam session? The sax honks in the intro are entertaining. Off time and totally random sounding, like someone's fucking around and having fun. Bluesy as hell. Is Earl Bostic involved?

4 - No idea. The recording has the rhythm section a bit buried - there's drums back there somewhere but I can barely make them out. 

5 - Coming up with no ideas here. The sax has some Webster-ish style, but I think this was recorded way later than Ben's day. tough one for me. 

6 - Dipping way into the blues well again, and I'm loving the slow tempo. Roland Hanna? No idea on sax or elsewhere. At this point I'm realizing that whatever the obvious song is I'm going to miss the hell out of it. 

7 - Oh, this must be it. Of course I can't name it but it's really familiar. At the risk of embarrassment, is it Johnny Griffin and Jaws? Whoever it is, it's my favorite track so far of this BFT. 

8 - Here we go with some B3. Nice. Love the guitar as well. Well done by whoever's playing. Reverb is present. I can't tell who this is. Wild Bill on organ? 

9 - All right, some clarinet. Art Pepper? Having a hard time making a judgement of when this was recorded. 

10 - Going out with a bang here. Ronnie Laws maybe? 

Thanks for putting this together. Enjoyable listen. 

[Dan Gould]

19 minutes ago, Dub Modal said:

Happy new year!

1 - Old school style on the tenor sax. Great tone and playing. Is it the Stitt/Gonsalves duo on Impulse? Was thinking someone like Hank Jones on keys so this kind of makes sense but it's a wild guess. 

Nope, not Stitt, Gonzalves or Hank Jones.

2 - Average White Band? It's not Pick Up the Pieces but damn, sounds a whole lot like it. If it's not them, then I'm guessing Eddie Harris. 

Not Eddie Harris but this Average White Band/Picking up the Pieces thing must be real.

3 - Jam session? The sax honks in the intro are entertaining. Off time and totally random sounding, like someone's fucking around and having fun. Bluesy as hell. Is Earl Bostic involved?

Not Bostic, and I do believe the sax honks are part of the arrangement. They don't strike me as off time.  They are rather close-mic'd which I thought some would mention.  Not Bostic.

4 - No idea. The recording has the rhythm section a bit buried - there's drums back there somewhere but I can barely make them out. 

5 - Coming up with no ideas here. The sax has some Webster-ish style, but I think this was recorded way later than Ben's day. tough one for me. 

6 - Dipping way into the blues well again, and I'm loving the slow tempo. Roland Hanna? No idea on sax or elsewhere. At this point I'm realizing that whatever the obvious song is I'm going to miss the hell out of it. 

Not Hanna. Quite a bit younger.

7 - Oh, this must be it. Of course I can't name it but it's really familiar. At the risk of embarrassment, is it Johnny Griffin and Jaws? Whoever it is, it's my favorite track so far of this BFT. 

Yes, Griff and Jaws. Everybody likes the Gimme track but nobody is ID-ing the tune or recording.

8 - Here we go with some B3. Nice. Love the guitar as well. Well done by whoever's playing. Reverb is present. I can't tell who this is. Wild Bill on organ? 

9 - All right, some clarinet. Art Pepper? Having a hard time making a judgement of when this was recorded. 

After Pepper died that is for sure.

10 - Going out with a bang here. Ronnie Laws maybe? 

Nope.

Thanks for putting this together. Enjoyable listen. 

Glad to hear it and thanks for your comments.

 

[JSngry]

Tickle Toe 

[Dan Gould]

Someone got it.

[Dub Modal]

Sanborn was nowhere on my radar for track 2. Nice work @felser

Once the track is ID'd, the recording date vs AWB's Pick up the Pieces will be interesting

[felser]

1 hour ago, Dub Modal said:

Sanborn was nowhere on my radar for track 2. Nice work @felser

Once the track is ID'd, the recording date vs AWB's Pick up the Pieces will be interesting

The AWB album with 'Pick Up The Pieces' was released Aug 1974, and the first Sanborn solo album came out in 1975, so  'Pick Up The Pieces' likely came first.  'Pick Up The Pieces' was the #1 pop single in the USA for the week of Feb 22 1975.  

 

[JSngry]

And "Cut The Cake" went to #10.

Their Soul Searchin'" album went platinum as well, and they made a not-bad album with Ben E. King 

They actually crossed over a bit to Black audiences as well, for a while.

So...in the air there for a while.

[felser]

My favorite by them, a superior cover of an already-great Isley Brothers song:

 

[JSngry]

Those background vocals are credible!

[Dub Modal]

5 hours ago, JSngry said:

Tickle Toe 

Now I get it. This is the Griff & Lock track, only it's not on the expanded Griff & Lock CD I have. It's from Tough Tenors, a different album all together. So Junior Mance on piano and the Monk quartet members Gales and Riley.  

And the Sanborn was easy enough to sleuth. First track from this. It's got to be how his saxophone was processed in the recording because it gives off an electric tone at times. 

So that makes track 10 sleuth-able as well. First track from this. Sammy Figueroa on congas was all that I could find regarding other personnel. Discogs is pretty scant on details about this album. 

[Dub Modal]

Interestingly enough the Breckers are on both the AWB Pick up the Pieces and the Sanborn track. 

[Dan Gould]

9 hours ago, Dub Modal said:

Now I get it. This is the Griff & Lock track, only it's not on the expanded Griff & Lock CD I have. It's from Tough Tenors, a different album all together. So Junior Mance on piano and the Monk quartet members Gales and Riley.  

And the Sanborn was easy enough to sleuth. First track from this. It's got to be how his saxophone was processed in the recording because it gives off an electric tone at times. 

So that makes track 10 sleuth-able as well. First track from this. Sammy Figueroa on congas was all that I could find regarding other personnel. Discogs is pretty scant on details about this album. 

Well done. 

Track 10 is quite obscure IMO, and a lot like the Gene Harris recordings on JAM records, as they both are about 50/50 between the worst of the artists 70s-era dreck alongside tracks that recall their best (or close to) straightahead recordings.  I nearly chose "Jive Samba" instead of "Butterfat" but then we wouldn't have taken this detour into the Very Average White Band so its Saul Goode.

[Dub Modal]

Milt Buckner on track 8? 

[Dan Gould]

38 minutes ago, Dub Modal said:

Milt Buckner on track 8? 

Negative.  I don't think its likely to come to this track thru the organist.

[JSngry]

Happy New Year?

TRACK ONE - "Tickle Toe". Sounds like an older Zoot & Al. Not distinctive enough to be readily identifiable (by me anyway), but they're speaking the language, for sure, Speaking it well.

TRACK TWO - I would have guessed Michael Brecker using his wah-wah pedal (it's true!) But I see this has already been ID'ed as Sanborn, from his first album. I was not a fan then, but enjoyed him well enough with Gil Evans, and think that he deepened with age, becoming a player of substance. Love it when that happens!

TRACK THREE - Things Ain't etc. That ensemble might be sloppy, but it sure feels right! Was this recorded around Christmas time? I noticed the quote....Not Hodges on alto, but it's being copied in a fairly realistic way. Norris Turney? It's got a good beat and you can dance to it!

TRACK FOUR - Warne. Unmistakable. One of the deepest players ever. 'Nuff Said.

TRACK FIVE - Frank Wess? Don't know this record, but he's another one of those readily identifiable voices, the real deal. Always a pleasure!

TRACK SIX  - hmmmm....it's a good idea, but....kinda sounds like walking in somebody else's shoes. It's a fine line sometimes, but it is a line. Not for me, I'm afraid.

TRACK SEVEN - The Undisputed Kings Of Big Dick Tenor!!!!! 

TRACK EIGHT - Gator? Don't know this record and I don't think it's his Prestige band with Bill Jennings and Pat Martino, but that sure sounds like him. Gator was a badass tenor player, and here is no exception.

TRACK NINE - No idea, but that's beautiful in every way.

TRACK TEN - Well, there's a curiosity! I would have gotten Houston Person, he's pretty identifiable, but who else is on this record? And why was it made for this label? Gotta be a story there....Maybe Jon Faddis on trumpet? Or Lew Soloff? Gived hte "Spinning Wheel" bit, maybe that latter? Gets kinda silly there towards the end tho. Like he's mocking Brecker (which is ok with me).

I liked (or better) most everything here. Thanks for putting it out there!

 

On 1/1/2026 at 5:59 AM, Dan Gould said:

The clarinetist mentions in the liners wanting to bring this tune back to what it was written as, a lovely ballad. 

Nicely done, but I'm still waiting for somebody to play the verse, which to me was a revelation in itself:

 

[Dan Gould]

6 hours ago, JSngry said:

Happy New Year?

TRACK ONE - "Tickle Toe". Sounds like an older Zoot & Al. Not distinctive enough to be readily identifiable (by me anyway), but they're speaking the language, for sure, Speaking it well.

Not Zoot/Al and this surprises me a little bit, one of the tenors you nearly always identify.  His front line partner ... not gonna be known unless the recording gets ID'd and without your help, that is unlikely. But there's always Thom!

TRACK TWO - I would have guessed Michael Brecker using his wah-wah pedal (it's true!) But I see this has already been ID'ed as Sanborn, from his first album. I was not a fan then, but enjoyed him well enough with Gil Evans, and think that he deepened with age, becoming a player of substance. Love it when that happens!

TRACK THREE - Things Ain't etc. That ensemble might be sloppy, but it sure feels right! Was this recorded around Christmas time? I noticed the quote....Not Hodges on alto, but it's being copied in a fairly realistic way. Norris Turney? It's got a good beat and you can dance to it!

It was a December concert. That altoist is the least well known of the front line.

TRACK FOUR - Warne. Unmistakable. One of the deepest players ever. 'Nuff Said.

I knew you'd have this one whether I had sent it to you or not.

TRACK FIVE - Frank Wess? Don't know this record, but he's another one of those readily identifiable voices, the real deal. Always a pleasure!

Yes Frank Wess. Maybe someone will find a performance with a guitarist to get an ID made.

TRACK SIX  - hmmmm....it's a good idea, but....kinda sounds like walking in somebody else's shoes. It's a fine line sometimes, but it is a line. Not for me, I'm afraid.

That is a much gentler way to say it than you have in the past.

TRACK SEVEN - The Undisputed Kings Of Big Dick Tenor!!!!! 

TRACK EIGHT - Gator? Don't know this record and I don't think it's his Prestige band with Bill Jennings and Pat Martino, but that sure sounds like him. Gator was a badass tenor player, and here is no exception.

Yes, Willis Jackson. Not a Prestige recording.

TRACK NINE - No idea, but that's beautiful in every way.

TRACK TEN - Well, there's a curiosity! I would have gotten Houston Person, he's pretty identifiable, but who else is on this record? And why was it made for this label? Gotta be a story there....Maybe Jon Faddis on trumpet? Or Lew Soloff? Gived hte "Spinning Wheel" bit, maybe that latter? Gets kinda silly there towards the end tho. Like he's mocking Brecker (which is ok with me).

Not Soloff. I don't hear silly at the end just riding out the groove.

I liked (or better) most everything here. Thanks for putting it out there!

Thanks for your insights on some (but not all) of the musicians I figured you'd know.

 

[JSngry]

Now I feel like I shouldn't stop until I get #1...

[Dub Modal]

Is track 4 an outtake from the Phil Schaap collection? By sheer coincidence I started listening to a Marsh Quartet recording there yesterday (having no idea it was Marsh on this BFT) and while there's no trumpet on the one I'm listening to, the recording itself sounds similar.