BFT 264: Discussion Thread

[Joe]

12 tracks +1 bonus (meaning, if you don't care about discussing track 13, feel free to skip it). No theme discernable to me; just some selections from my recent-ish listening which I thought might also be of interest to this group. 

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

Enjoy!

[cayetano]

I became obsessed with track 1, to me it sounds like european jazz from the 60s, very addictive. I need to identify this one.

[Joe]

1 hour ago, cayetano said:

I became obsessed with track 1, to me it sounds like european jazz from the 60s, very addictive. I need to identify this one.

Best track on the LP from which it originates, IMO. All players are Americans (as far as I know).

Edited yesterday at 07:53 PM by Joe

[felser]

BFT 264

1 – Great start, sounds great on a Sunday morning as I get ready to go to teach 4th/5^th grade Sunday School.  Organ player reminds me of early Larry Young, with the universal Jimmy Smith influence.  Sax is excellent also.  The cut has a wonderful propulsiveness (ie groove).  This is a must have for me, right out of the gate!  Surely this cut will get ID’d by someone in short order?

2 – Another relaxing cut, though not of the great appeal #1 is to me.   Old-time master (Ben Webster?) on tenor.  Pro-bop rhythm section playing. American sax player with European Rhythm section?  Early-mid 50’s vintage?  Right at the early edge of my jazz listening range.

3 – In my wheelhouse!  Outstanding, and I don’t recognize it at all.  Composition and all solos work!  Not great sound quality, but that is easily overlooked.  Another must have, could end up being an expensive BFT!

4 – The Blues.  Could be one of those 50’s Prestige All-Star sessions arranged by Mal Waldron?  Quite enjoyable, and likely on my shelves somewhere.  Love the rock-solid bass playing.  Paul Chambers?

5 – Really nice clarinet playing!  Familiar composition. Eddie Daniels?

6 -  Sounds like they had a better time recording it than I did listening to it.  Maybe you had to be there…

7 – Very tasteful.  “Jambalaya”, the old Hank Williams composition.   Not really my thing, though both guitarists are clearly talented, and it’s quite listenable, but goes on way too long for me..  Herb Ellis?

8 – Back to more familiar ground for me!   Very fancy arrangement.  Buddy Rich?  First sax solo is really good, but I’m not enamored of the piano solo.  Very busy drummer.

9 – Back in my wheelhouse!   I would assume I have this on the shelves somewhere, and that someone will ID it.  Tenor player and pianist certainly took Trane and McCoy to heart, and are pretty convincing in spirit.  Third “must have” cut out of nine total!

10 – I don’t normally like saxophone quartet stuff, but this is quite lovely.

11 – It’s very “good” but doesn’t grab me at all, maybe too ECM-cerebral-ish for me.

12 – World Music Jazz!  Very repetitive, with just little layers added on each pass through.  I do like the bass player, who has a Charlie Haden-ish sound about him.   Tenor player has lots of licks, but no story to tell.  Trumpet player has more story, less technique, sounds at times in his solo as if he is playing in a different key than the rest of the group.  But he’s interesting. 

13 – I like it quite a bit as background, though it sounds like it could be a backing track rather than  a complete performance.  I should know the song, something from old skool R&B, Roberta Flack or something.

Thanks for the fine BFT, greatly look forward to the  ID/reveal of cuts 1,3,4,9 and others!

[cayetano]

14 minutes ago, felser said:

5 – Really nice clarinet playing!  Familiar composition. Eddie Daniels?

It's "Blue Bossa" and you got right, from Eddie Daniels with Bucky Pizzarelli.

[Dub Modal]

As a fellow lover of the fine arts, props to the Indy photo up there. My favorite movie trilogy of all time. 

To the music: 

1. I've heard it before and probably have it but can't name it on the spot. Crazy good in every way. Wild guess for Fred Jackson on sax with EVD on organ. There's a guitar back there and that organ playing does't exactly match my idea of how a strictly jazz musician would play. Saxophone is so damn good. Really swings with a strong R&B style. Love it. 

2. I can't even get a bead on what that is: clarinet or saxophone. So no guesses but totally digging it. 

3. Sun Ra inspired intro and song. Not sure who it is but another winner. 

4. Another tune with great swing. Love the bari and the sax chorus. Tenor is excellent. I would buy this album 100%

5. The guitar comes in at the right time, and this song gets better and better as it goes along. Melody is really familiar. Damn, helluva playlist so far. 

6. Love that accordion. Nice find on this one. They are jamming 

7. Mac the Knife? Good listen. No idea who these players are. 

8. Somebody's getting vocal back there. Who is it? This is another winner. 

9. Epic intro. Drums and piano all in the right channel. Left is bass and sax. The split works. Is it the sax player calling out in between notes there? Is this Dexter? I'd buy this album in a heartbeat. Bass player is on fire. Stereo split really works when it's just the piano/bass/drums trio. Incredible. No one is missing here. 

10. That's great. Reminds me of the WSQ but I don't remember them being this inside. I'm no expert however. 

11. Expensive sounding production. Song isn't holding my interest long though. There's something in how this was recorded that I'm not a huge fan of. Would probably dig this live. No guesses. 

12. Percussion is great on this one. Love those bass notes too. 

13.  Is this Oregon? Not a bad song at all.

Really loved this one. Wish I had more guesses to throw out there but just have to look forward to the other comments and reveal. Thanks for putting it together  

[Milestones]

Isn't #10 a Mingus tune?  

I have no idea on the artists.  

[Joe]

12 minutes ago, Milestones said:

Isn't #10 a Mingus tune?  

I have no idea on the artists.  

It is!

Ya'll have ID'ed #5.

That's an alto on #2. 

There's not explicit Sun Ra connection to #3 that I know of, but the circumstances of the personnel are such that Ra could be in the mix somehow.

#4 is not a Prestige production. 

Not Herb Ellis on #7.

Not Buddy Rich on #8. Not a household name, either. In fact, the ensemble is an iteresting mix (to me, anyway), of known and lesser names.

Edited 23 hours ago by Joe

[cayetano]

4 hours ago, felser said:

7 – Very tasteful.  “Jambalaya”, the old Hank Williams composition.   Not really my thing, though both guitarists are clearly talented, and it’s quite listenable, but goes on way too long for me..  Herb Ellis?

Right, it's "Jambalaya" from Roy Clark & Joe Pass play Hank Williams. The sound of Joe Pass is unmistakable.

9. Another killer track, I hope it's in my collection. Coltrane sound, it reminds me of Billy Harper bands, but I don't think it's him.

[felser]

2 hours ago, cayetano said:

Another killer track, I hope it's in my collection. Coltrane sound, it reminds me of Billy Harper bands, but I don't think it's him.

Not Harper for sure, but same inspiration source.

4 hours ago, Joe said:

That's an alto on #2. 

 

I do that too frequently with the pre-bop guys, never with the modern guys, not sure what it is that causes that.

[Dub Modal]

So alto on #2. Thank you! It's not Procope's sound but it's spirited like him. There is a clarinet style coming through to me that reminds me of how Ed Hall played. This is interesting...

15 minutes ago, felser said:

Not Harper for sure, but same inspiration source.

I do that too frequently with the pre-bop guys, never with the modern guys, not sure what it is that causes that.

For me it's both how it's recorded and played. I'm not used to listening to alto from that era outside of Bird and I'm pretty darn sure this is not him. 

[Joe]

3 hours ago, cayetano said:

Right, it's "Jambalaya" from Roy Clark & Joe Pass play Hank Williams. The sound of Joe Pass is unmistakable.

9. Another killer track, I hope it's in my collection. Coltrane sound, it reminds me of Billy Harper bands, but I don't think it's him.

Correct on #7! 

[Dub Modal]

Is 2 recorded on Vogue? I'm thinking someone like Willie Smith...

[JSngry]

Pete Brown  Has to be.

[cayetano]

13 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Pete Brown  Has to be.

Right, "Jim's idea" w/ Jim "Daddy" Walker, John Levy, Eddie Nicholson.

[cayetano]

My 4 favorite themes:

1. It reminded me something like Jack Sels with Lou Bennett, but not european jazz. Intriguing.

3. I also heard the Sun Ra connection in the rhythm, no idea who is but I like a lot. Also it reminded me the ethio-jazz influence on bands like Either Orchestra.

4. Fantastic blues, I need this album, I thought of an All Stars with maybe Waldron, Quinichette... but not Prestige. Unexpected. Baritone sax is great, it sounds like Pepper Adams for me.

9. The Coltrane connection.

Edited 9 hours ago by cayetano

[Joe]

5 hours ago, JSngry said:

Pete Brown  Has to be.

Indeed!

[Dub Modal]

Pete Brown was off my radar. Not anymore. 

[randyhersom]

Enjoyed the set, but feeling clueless as usual:

1. Alto with organ.  Sonny Stitt?
2. Sprightly guitar and gruff tenor.  Feels like a vintage 50's recording.  Al Casey? Willis Jackson?
3. Jazz Messengers?  Relatively few editions of the JM had a bone, but the drummer sure feels like Blakey.
4. I'm dissuaded from a Horace Silver guess by the unusual front line - Alto Tenor and Bari with no brass.
5. Clarinet and guitar featured.  Maybe Ken Peplowski with Howard Alden?
6. I have no idea who does the Buena Vista Swing.  Or do I?  There was a Cuban group called Buena Vista Social Club, I think.  But would they sing in English?
7. Guitar duo with some country elements.  Chester and Lester? (Chet Atkins and Les Paul)  Tune is familiar ... Jambalaya?
8. Jumpin' tune. Charles Mingus?
9. Booker Ervin?
10. Sax duo.  Kinda ECM feel, and Dave Liebman was the first name that jumped to mind, but it's not one of his ECMs that I know of.
11. Continuing the mood, but just one sax and piano trio.  Jan Garbarek?
12. Township feel.  I'll go with Abdullah Ibrahim.
13. The willingness to maintain, as opposed to develop or migrate, a groove indicates a pop sensibility.  The groove builds tension nicely.  The instrumentation doesn't fit some of the explorers in this realm that I thought of like Bad Plus, EST or Medeski Martin and Wood, or even Sea Level.  WIth low confidence, I'll guess Bill Frisell  (having just backspaced out John Scofield).
 

[cayetano]

By the way, the bonus sounds as 70s soft rock to me, the kind of music I could hear in those distant times.

[Niko]

#1 reminded me of Sonny Cox on Argo but at first sight there's no 6 minute track on those albums... Still, I hear Chicago/Argo, not Europe