/BLINDFOLD TEST/

Welcome to the weekly Sup Forums jazz Blindfold Test thread. Every Friday and Saturday.

If you're new, the point of these threads is to have fun and encourage critical listening, discussion, and general enjoyment of jazz. All critical music listeners are welcome. The more participation we have, the more fun and successful these threads will be. In the interest of keeping the thread alive and bumped, any general jazz discussion is welcomed here as well.

For more information about how the threads work and listening suggestions, please refer to the pastebin: pastebin.com/5cjEr3A6

THIS WEEK'S THEME: Connecting Links
COMPILED BY: JTG

NEXT WEEK: ???
COMPILED BY: ???

If you missed last week's thread, DON'T WORRY. It's not too late. Here are the links for the mystery tracklist. Download the tracks, record your thoughts/guesses/evaluations for each one, and then come back and post them in the thread. Remember, people will be posting guesses and thoughts in this thread so don't read the thread until you have listened to the music and collected your thoughts in order to avoid spoilers. Track info for this week's tracks will be posted on Saturday, so if you see the thread is close to dying before then, give it a bump.

www107.zippyshare.com/v/OFcOBhrm/file.html

Posting with names or tripcodes is encouraged as it makes discussion much easier.

Other urls found in this thread:

youtube.com/watch?v=v8K5HusCoGE
youtube.com/watch?v=AW6Y2rD6ILg
twitter.com/NSFWRedditVideo

First time doing one of these so forgive my newness.

1 and 2 I felt like they were probably 30s-40s era and 2 may have been Louis Armstrong. If not it certainly felt like his style anyway.

3 felt like a later 40s bebop tune to me, maybe Clifford Brown? Could be totally out with that.

4 and 5 I think were both Miles Davis tunes with 4 being a mid 50s hard bop and 5 being a mid-late 60s track just due to its free-er feeling.

After that I lost my way a bit, I could tell we were heading more into the jazz fusion of the 70s. I haven't started listening to that stuff properly yet so I'll be interested to read other's ideas on these.

As you can tell I'm a bit of a novice but it should be fun to learn from these threads.

Glad you joined in. I'm finishing up writing down my thoughts and then I'll post mine.

Also (same poster as top post, I'll use an id now) in relation to general blindfold tests, I remember reading a reply that Mingus had written to one of miles Davis' blindfold tests where he attacked Davis for saying Brubeck had no swing. Was pretty funny, especially given the fact that Davis only made an album with Mingus because he had to pay him back for rent I think. I enjoy reading about the relationships between the players at the time, it gives insight into what it was like.

1. I’m guessing this is one of the old tenor players, either Ben Webster, Lester Young, or Coleman Hawkins. I’ve never been very good at telling them apart. I like the nice simple feel to it and the way it’s very easy to follow the sax solo. I’m surprised none of the other instruments soloed but it was a nice ballad. 3.5 stars.

2. Another ballad here. I think I might be getting a Louis Armstrong vibe from this trumpet player. The feel of it reminds me a lot of the last track. I think the tenor player is probably the connecting link here. I’m still not sure which of the three he is. The trombone solo is pretty nice, I guess I’ve never really heard trombone playing like this. I think the alto player might be Charlie Parker, he sounds like he’s playing a lot more beboppy than all the other players. This one was pretty long but it was nice to hear the different style solos over this ballad. I’m guessing most of these players will be big names. 3 stars.

3. I think this has to be Charlie Parker so it was probably him too in that last track like I thought. It seems like a pretty basic bebop track. It might be more exciting if they did it faster. I don’t really have much else to say about this. 3 stars.
4. Hard bop. I think maybe the trumpet player is the one in common here and it could be Miles Davis. It might be his first quintet here. All the horn solos were pretty nice I think but the piano solo wasn’t that great. 3 stars.

5. Hey I actually know this one. It’s from Point of Departure by Andrew Hill. I don’t know which track though. I like it a lot because it seems so chaotic at times but then they always manage to get back on the same page. So the common link with the last track might be Joe Henderson on Kenny Dorham, or it could be the bass or drummer. This is my favorite so far this week. It’s adventurous and chaotic sounding but also controlled at the same time. 4.5 stars.

6. This is something pretty unexpected. At first I was thinking maybe Pharaoh Sanders but I guess it’s probably Joe Henderson again because of the connecting links theme. I didn’t know he did anything like this. I like the effect of the singing in the background and the way it sounds very free. It definitely feels influenced by Sanders. 4 stars.

7. I’m pretty sure this is the Dave Holland Quintet. Ever since I listened to some of their live recordings I always think their studio recordings sound too clean and they don’t have same energy that the band does live. It’s still pretty good overall but the vibraphone solo got a little bit boring. 3.5 stars.

8. This happens a lot to me but for most of the track I was expecting the rest of the band to come in. I didn’t realize it was just horns until it was more than halfway over. It’s hard for me to tell what parts of it were written and what was improvised. It’s not really my kind of thing but maybe I should listen to it again knowing that it’s all just horns. 2.5 stars.

9. This one sounds like it might be all just free improv at first but then they do some things that were obviously planned. It kind of reminds me of the Andrew Hill track because it sounds very chaotic but then there are some parts you can tell are composed. I like that style of free jazz so this sounds like it would be worth it to listen to a few more times and check out more by whoever this is. 4 stars.

10. This sounds like back to a more traditional style. I’ve lost track of who the connecting link is on the last few tracks. This piano player reminds me of Andrew Hill with the way he uses so much dissonance in his chords. I liked a lot of parts of this one, but it got kind of long. The end was nice though. 3 stars.

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Good analysis, I agree with you about the free jazz, I don't really understand it fully yet so it just sounds a bit random especially with just horns. I should probably listen to more of it to try and get to grips with what it's trying to do. At least we agreed on the tracks that seem to have Louis Armstrong and miles Davis. I found it hard to notice connecting players mainly because it's difficult to tell whether members of the rhythm sections are the same.

Some good guesses on the earlier tracks but none of them quite right.

>Ben Webster, Lester Young, or Coleman Hawkins.
It is one of them.

Actually you're on the right track with all five of these ones.

>It definitely feels influenced by Sanders.
There's definitely a spiritual theme to this track.

>Ever since I listened to some of their live recordings I always think their studio recordings sound too clean and they don’t have same energy that the band does live
I definitely agree about this.

>It’s hard for me to tell what parts of it were written and what was improvised.
That track is actually all improvised.

>That track is actually all improvised.

Oh. I will definitely have to listen to it again then. I guess it's good free improvisation then if some of it sounded composed to me.

bump

Hello friends.

>1
Nothing very interesting here. I know this was the style of early jazz but I don’t really see much reason to still listen to something like this.

>2
Mostly the same thoughts except times 3 since this was 3x as long. Slightly better piano playing on this one.

>3
Probably Bird. Some bebop can be cool but this one sounds like they’re playing it fairly safe. Still it was more enjoyable for me to listen to than the first two.

>4
I kind of like this one. None of the solos were really anything amazing but the song itself was kind of nice. Miles Davis maybe?

>5
This is more like it. I really like the unpredictable nature and the way it keeps shifting around. I’m guessing it’s probably my man Dolphy on bass clarinet. Very good all around.

>6
This one is good too. It probably wouldn’t be all that special but the creepy voices in the background give it an interesting new texture that is unique. The saxophone playing at times feels very emotional also.

>7
This went back to feeling too safe for me. I can tell that these are very good players but it sounds like they’re too comfortable with each other. The song was kind of catchy though, kind of like track 4.

>8
Didn’t find this one very interesting. I suppose this is an example of what people call a “musical conversation” but to me it wasn’t a very interesting conversation.

>9
I liked this one. Whenever I would start to lose interest in it it would shift and do something pretty different. I liked that it had different sections all mixed with minimalistic free jazz.

>10
Not really into this one. It sounds like modern players trying to do the exact same sound that was popular in the 60’s. Also too long.

What is the earliest jazz that you like?

I don't know. I don't usually pay that much attention to what year jazz stuff is from. Some Charlie Parker recordings are pretty good but in general I don't really see much point to listening to jazz before 1955 or somewhere around there.

bump

we're missing some of the regulars today

bump

is it appropriate to ask for reccs in this thread?

Do you listen to much jazz made after 2000? Do you have any favorite artists?

sure

bump

bump again

where is everybody today?

bump

well this week has turned out to be disappointing. I'll try to keep it bumped tonight though.

I'm done with my lessons now so I'll help bump too

>but it sounds like they’re too comfortable with each other.
This is kind of an odd criticism. I tend to think some of the best jazz happens with musicians who are really comfortable with each other.

1. what year was this recorded? I had to turn the volume all the way up to hear it. relaxing piece - nothing to get too excited about, though. sax player's tone is nice, not much else to notice: drummer's being a metronome, and the pianist is staying in the background
2. sounds fine - I wish they took things a bit faster. I'd honestly take Fred Wesley's solo on Doing It To Death over this trombone player's solo
3. pretty good straight bebop - this has to be Bird on sax. wondering who the trumpet is.
if I had to recommend an album like this, it'd be Charlie Parker - Best of the Dial and Savoy Master Takes
4. sax player is...George Land? last time I thought a sax player sounded like Rollins it turned out to be him. is it Max on drums? solid track
if I had to recommend something I liked that feels like this, it'd be the Max Roach and Clifford Brown Basin Street album
5. am I hearing something like bassoon in here? some uncommon woodwind. they kept on encroaching on each others parts on purpose, giving this a much less organized feel - made me a bit woozy. pianist is who?
6. late 60's, or early 70's more likely - spacey! getting some In a Silent Way or Bitches Brew impressions from how this track is put together. electric piano player feels like Chick Corea, but truly no definite idea. sax player is good. what's with those vocals? people were trying everything that period, I guess.
7. vibes are not my thing, so I'm not enthusiastic about it.
8. not sure what these guys were trying to do with this track (those jumpy saxes...) but I love that trumpet.
9. the strangeness of what that pianist is doing at the start just hits me immediately, and that metal percussion sounding more like industrial texture instead of providing rhythm is interesting. sparse. I don't know what these guys are trying to do either, but it's much more interesting to me. is this Braxton on sax?
10. lots of saxes - who has a band that big playing this kind of music? didn't really connect with it though

>4. sax player is...George Land? last time I thought a sax player sounded like Rollins it turned out to be him
Thinking of Harold Land maybe? You should go with your first instincts.

>is this Braxton on sax?
Nope. Interesting guess though.

>who has a band that big playing this kind of music?
Not a big band. Just two sax players in the group.

Did you have a favorite from this week?

>Harold Land
that's who I meant. so it was Rollins...
>Just two sax players
really? it felt huge to me - there was a trumpeter in there also, right?

I guess my favourites were 3 and 4 (mostly because I can pigeonhole them as related to what I like about bebop); 6 and 9 (because they experiment in ways that are easier for me to put into words - they're trying something different, and I'm kind of interested in seeing where they're going with it)

>really? it felt huge to me - there was a trumpeter in there also, right?
Nope just two tenor saxes. There's kind of an odd reverb effect on the horns though.

>this has to be Bird on sax. wondering who the trumpet is.
I think that makes three of us that are pretty sure it's Bird.

>it'd be the Max Roach and Clifford Brown Basin Street album
That's a good guess for that one but then I don't know how that fits in with the next track.

I don't really but I don't avoid it either. To be honest most of what I know about modern jazz players has come from these threads.

Any recs for albums like the Ornette Coleman quartet with saxophone, trumpet, bass, and drums?

the Max Roach / Clifford Brown album is just me flat-out recommending an album that seems to share the same feel as track 4. I mean, on it you get:
>Max Roach on drums
>Clifford Brown on trumpet
>Sonny Rollins on sax
>Richie Powell on piano
>George Morrow on bass
...and if jtg is right about leading me towards Sonny Rollins being the sax player, it's pretty likely Max is also on drums - probably why I sensed that similarity in the first place

I wasn't totally sure what the "connecting links" theme entailed in the first place, so I just did the best I could at identification, general impression, and affinities

Alan Shorter- Orgasm
Dave Ballou- Amongst Ourselves
John Zorn- Any Masada project
Alex Sipiagin- Overlooking Moments

Listening to it now. It does remind me of that track from this week.

thanks. somebody recced me Masada in the other thread so I will check that out first.

bump

right? really curious to see if I was right, or how close I was
interesting to see how closely I agree with your descriptions. now I really want to see if it is Dolphy for track 5, 'cause that bass clarinet sound has been a rare sound for me in jazz so far

>now I really want to see if it is Dolphy for track 5,
I'm pretty sure it's Dolphy on an Andrew Hill album.

bump

Bumping with the list of previous themes.

Sep. 28- BLUE NOTE (JTG)
Oct. 5- ALTO SAX (BLINDFOLDTEST)
Oct. 12- LIVE (JTG)
Oct. 19- SOLO JAZZ (AMBASSADOR SATCH)
Oct. 26- TRUMPET (BLINDFOLDTEST)
Nov. 2- MEDIUM ENSEMBLES (JTG)
Nov. 9- WILDCARD (BLINDFOLDTEST)
Nov. 16- POPULAR SONGS (JAZZPOSSU)
Nov. 23- MONK TUNES (JTG)
Nov. 30- IMPULSE! (BLINDFOLDTEST)
Dec. 7- 2015 JAZZ (JTG)
Dec. 14- JAZZ DEDICATIONS (AMBASSADOR SATCH)
Dec. 21- CHRISTMAS JAZZ (JTG)
Dec. 28- PIANO TRIOS (TUESDAY user)
Jan. 4- WILDCARD (AMBASSADOR SATCH)
Jan. 11- CHORDLESS RECORDINGS (JTG)
Jan. 18- SOUNDTRACK JAZZ (JAZZPOSSU)
Jan. 25- PIANO TRIOS PT. 2 (TUESDAY user)
Feb. 1- LATIN JAZZ (JTG)
Feb. 8- BLUE NOTE (BLINDFOLDTEST)
Feb. 15- FLUTE JAZZ (JAZZPOSSU)
Feb. 22- VOCAL JAZZ (AMBASSADOR SATCH)
Mar. 4- WILDCARD (JTG)
Mar. 11- ORGAN JAZZ (JAZZPOSSU)
Mar. 18- SEXTETS (BLINDFOLDTEST)
Mar. 25- PIANO TRIOS (JTG)
Apr. 1- BOSSA NOVA (MEDITATION)
Apr. 8- WILDCARD (CLUELESS)
Apr. 15- DRUMLESS (JAZZPOSSU)
Apr. 22- CRISS CROSS (JTG)
Apr. 29- VIBRAPHONE (BLINDFOLDTEST)
May 6- SONG PAIRS (AMBASSADOR SATCH)
May 13- 2016 EUROJAZZ (JAZZPOSSU)
May 20- STANDARDS (BEBOB)
May 27- DUOS (JAZZPOSSU)
June 3- CONNECTING LINKS (JTG)

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Bump

>Track 1
This is Funny That Way, as performed by Lester Young. I really don't know what I can say about this - it's one of my favourite recordings of any standard ever. Pres's tone is perfect, his phrasing is perfect, and the melodies he picks out are perfect. My favourite bit is when he jumps up and comes down from that high C# at 2:03 and again at 2:34 (at least, it's a C# if my guitar is in tune), then ends the piece with a similar little flourish. This one three minutes of music could have taught Miles Davis everything he needed to know for the first ten years of his career.

You should look into getting the Blue Note remaster of this by the way - it sounds so much crisper, it could have been recorded yesterday.

>Track 2
So unless you're really trying to catch us out, this is going to be Lester again? Trumpet player sounds like it could be Miles though, and I don't know of any times they played together? Then again, I'm bad at trumpet players. So I'm guessing the second solo is Pres? If I am wrong about the link and it's not then they're obviously super influenced by him. I kinda do think it was Miles first still, and having them side by side really shows the influence Miles took from Pres. Not just in the mellowness of his tone, but the phrasing and melodic choices. I once read something about them both being really diatonic players, so maybe that's what I'm hearing? Trombone solo was nice and in a similar mood, and I thought the alto was going to be at first but actually this must be Bird. With this sort of lineup it can only be one of Norman Granz's JatP dates?

Oh and there's another tenor player at the end? Unless it's Pres again I guess it might be someone like Ben Webster?

This was pretty great anyway, ten minutes of being schooled by the masters.

>Track 3
Well this is definitely Bird again. Think it's one of his originals. This has to be Miles this time, so maybe it wasn't on the last track? Unless there were two links between them? My best guess is John Lewis on piano, since it was quite melodic rather than boppish, and Max Roach on drums after those little fills, which I think means it'll be Curly Russell on bass.

>Track 4
So if I've been right so far this is either gonna feature Max Roach or John Lewis? Lets see...

Not something I've heard before anyway. This is one of those early-bop tenormen who were really influenced by Bird - so maybe one of the Sonnys? Based on that, I'm thinking maybe this is an early Prestige session (I've been doing a lot of research into them for my upcoming tracklist) and since the trumpet sounds quite boppish but also has some Miles influence, I think it could be Art Farmer, who definitely did some stuff with Rollins in that time.

Though checking the lineup of that session (which I've not heard yet anyway), that would have to mean that this was Horace Silver on piano, which is a possibility I suppose, but then the link to the last track would be Kenny Clark or Percy Heath.

>Track 5
Oh I definitely know this one. It's an early-(I think) sixties Blue Note session with Andrew Hill and Eric Dolphy. Trumpet sounds a bit like Freddie. Probably from one of Hill's albums, probably Point of Departure. I have no idea who plays drums and bass on this one, but I'm fairly sure it's not gonna be either Clark or Heath. So maybe I'm wrong about the trumpet and it's Kenny Dorham (I'm pretty sure he did some stuff with Hill) and it was him on the last track too?

I really like this track, and it's one of those which fits really well in the album it's on (the kind that if you listened to the track from before then this would play in your head as soon as it finished). The way Dolphy's clarinet gets used for texture is great - actually reminds me a bit of that organ/clarinet track from last week. The way it alternates between straight(ish) piano solo and free playing really quickly is I guess an example of why people often cite Hill as a great composer.

>Track 6
The immediate vibe I'm getting from this is Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi/Silent Way era electric piano. Tony Williams did some stuff with Andrew Hill and this sounds like his gentle textural drumming. Not sure about the horn - it sounds too wild for what I know of Shorter, with all those runs up and down arpeggios, but it does sound like his tone. The vocals are a pretty cool addition to this track, and they're basically the only reason (aside from lack of trumpet) that I don't think this is an unused recording from the Silent Way sessions. I like this, and I'm presuming it's a Hancock session, one which I'm gonna have to check out pretty soon.

>Track 7
Guessing the tenorman is the link, and this is from a bit earlier in his career? Still could be Shorter, but it's not one I know. I don't know if he ever recorded with Bobby Hutcherson but this sounds like the sort of thing he'd do. I quite liked the intro with the horns playing their part punctated by bass chords, but then after that the theme is a bit irritating. The counterpoint from the trombone is nice though. This is exactly the sort of post-bop I usually like but I'm not feeling it this morning - I think if I listened some other time I'd be in a better mood for it. Vibist plays around the melodies in the second half of the sax solo really well.

>Track 8
I like all the interweaving horn parts here. Reminds me of some stuff I've heard Booker Little do, but I doubt it's him. Definitely once it descends into chaos. Really interesting free improvisation, I like it. Reminds me a little of some Art Ensemble of Chicago stuff I've heard so maybe one of them?

>Track 9
And there were only eight steps between this and Lester Young, crazy. Actually it probably could have been done in fewer. I usually prefer a bit more structure to my free-jazz, but these guys are on some telepathic shit here. The last minute or so sounds like a different piece. Both parts are good though.

>Track 10
This sounds a bit like that last minute again, or like the dull bits of the head in track 7. Doesn't go on for as long though so I'll let them off. Bass solo! Wasn't sure where it was going, but the piano coming in on top of it makes sense of it. Is that him singing? It's ridiculous. Sax solo sounds alright, but I'm presuming this is a more modern recording, and I don't see much difference between him and someone from the sixties. Compositionally it's an interesting piece, the horns that come in part way through the sax solo are really well done, but the soloing is all a bit throwbacky. It was a reinvigorated a bit after that part, but I'm noyt sure about the piece as a whole.

bump

bumping

Even though I don't post, I want to say thank you for consistently making these threads.

Bump

what is some jazz that is "mind blowing"? What makes it mind blowing? I like jazz but I've never heard anything mind blowing. Is it all just technical stuff that you have to know theory to understand?

>what is some jazz that is "mind blowing"? What makes it mind blowing?
I think it'd be different depending on who you ask. To me the 60's Blue Note albums by Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Andrew Hill are pretty mind blowing. I don't think it's about theory, just about hearing amazing music that you didn't know was possible until you heard it.

>I really don't know what I can say about this - it's one of my favourite recordings of any standard ever.
I didn't realize anybody liked this recording as much as me.

>I guess it might be someone like Ben Webster?
It's not Webster but it's not somebody very well known either. Also not Miles on trumpet. You're right on with all the other guesses on this one.

>Unless there were two links between them?
I tried to avoid having two links. Exactly right on the rhythm section here.

>Track 4
You're on the right track on this one...

Actually you're pretty spot on with all of the first 5 tracks.

>and I'm presuming it's a Hancock session
It's actually not, but that's a good guess.

>And there were only eight steps between this and Lester Young, crazy. Actually it probably could have been done in fewer.
I'm going to see how few steps I can get between Lester Young and this.

I'm glad the second half of the playlist was stuff you didn't recognize.

>not somebody very well known either
Lucky Thompson?

>Exactly right on the rhythm section here.
I've actually been listening to the session this track is from a few times this week. Didn't recognise it, so I guess it's not one of the more memorable ones.

Actually just had a look at it - the playlist I've been listening to is of this plus the session from six days before, and all the best tunes are from the first one.

Not quite.

Alright I'd say you can go ahead and post the reveal whenever.

Weeeell I give up then.

Ok well here I go with the reveal anyway.

>Track 1
Lester Young- She’s Funny That Way
From: Lester Young and His Band (Aladdin “Jazz Series” 78 RPM)
Recorded in 1946

Tenor Sax- Lester Young
Piano- Joe Albany
Guitar- Irving Ashby
Bass- Red Callender
Drums- Chico Hamilton

“She’s Funny That Way” is an early example of a jazz standard, gaining popularity in 1929 after vocal recordings by Gene Austin and Ted Lewis. The music was composed Charles N. Daniels with lyrics by Richard Whiting, who was a prolific composer of popular music himself (this is the only tune he ever wrote lyrics for).

Throughout the thirties and forties the tune was a favorite of both singers and jazz instrumentalists. Lester Young’s version is notable for it’s extremely simple approach, which serves to highlight the beauty of the tune itself but also Young’s trademark flowing, elegant lyricism. The solo is so lyrical that, in 1998, jazz vocalist Kurt Elling wrote new lyrics to Lester Young’s improvised solo which he recorded on his Blue Note album “This Time It’s Love.”
youtube.com/watch?v=v8K5HusCoGE

>Track 2
Charlie Parker- Embraceable You
From: Jazz at the Philharmonic (Clef)
Recorded in 1949

Trumpet- Roy Eldridge
Alto Sax- Charlie Parker
Tenor Sax- Lester Young
Tenor Sax- Flip Philips
Trombone- Tommy Turk
Piano- Hank Jones
Bass- Ray Brown
Drums- Buddy Rich

The annual “Jazz at the Philharmonic” series of concerts and recordings, organized by Norman Granz, began in 1944 and serve as a yearly “who’s who” jam-session for much of the 40’s and 50’s. Charlie Parker first appeared in the 1946 concert/recording with Dizzy Gillespie, but on this 1949 recording he finds himself in much more traditional company where his stellar playing really stands out. The older players are of course intimately familiar with “Embraceable You,” one of the era’s most-played standards, but the tune was something of a specialty of Charlie Parker’s as well and, more than any of the other standards recorded at this concert, highlights the contrast in styles between swing and bebop.

>Track 3
Charlie Parker- Marmaduke
From: The Immortal Charlie Parker (Savoy)
Recorded in 1948

Trumpet- Miles Davis
Alto Sax- Charlie Parker
Piano- John Lewis
Bass- Curly Russell
Drums- Max Roach

This track comes from the last session of Charlie Parker’s Savoy recording sessions. “Marmaduke” is one of Charlie Parker’s many contrafacts (a new melody over an existing set of chord changes) and one of several he recorded over the changes to the classic standard “Honeysuckle Rose.”

>Track 4
Max Roach- Mr. X
From: Max Roach + 4 (EmArcy)
Recorded in 1956

Trumpet- Kenny Dorham
Tenor Sax- Sonny Rollins
Piano- Ray Bryant
Bass- George Morrow
Drums- Max Roach

Max Roach became known for his work with early bebop artists, especially Charlie Parker and then for his string of excellent collaborations with Clifford Brown. This track comes from his second album as a leader and his first after the deaths of Clifford Brown and Richie Powell. After a brief search to fill the open seats in his band Roach settled on Dorham and Bryant, with whom he would record two albums. From the liner notes: “We will not call them replacements, for nothing can ever replace a gap created by the tragedy that took these two promising talents from the scene." This track is one of two Max Roach originals included on the record.

>Track 5
Andrew Hill- Flight 19
From: Point of Departure (Blue Note)
Recorded in 1964

Trumpet- Kenny Dorham
Tenor Sax- Joe Henderson
Bass Clarinet- Eric Dolphy
Piano- Andrew Hill
Bass- Richard Davis
Drums- Tony Williams

Point of Departure is Andrew Hill’s most celebrated recording and has become something of a milestone for its mixture of post-bop and avant-garde sensibilities. “Flight 19” is the second to last track from the album and is notable for the way the entire group interacts throughout the piece rather than having the traditional assigned solo sections. Hill states that the title came from the feeling that “if the melody is played right, you can almost imagine birds flying in a line. The tune feels very animated to me.”

>Track 6
Joe Henderson- Song for Sinners
From: Multiple (Milestone)
Recorded in 1973

Joe Henderson- Tenor Sax, Percussion, Flutes, Vocals
Larry Willis- Electric Piano, Ring Modulator, Echoplex
John Thomas- Guitar
Dave Holland- Electric Bass
Jack DeJohnette- Drums
Arthur Jenkins- Percussion

Joe Henderson had been experimenting with rock and funk rhythms and electric instruments since the late 60’s but 1973’s Multiple stands as a unique statement in his catalogue. The album is unique for Henderson’s overdubbed vocals that appear on several tracks, but it also combines the three main directions that Henderson and his contemporaries were headed in the early 70’s: fusion, free jazz, and spiritual jazz. “Song for Sinners” is probably the best example of this combination. The rhythm section keeps a tight funk feel while Henderson explores rather freely overtop. The eerie, droning background vocals add another element of texture and a link to the burgeoning “spiritual jazz” scene of the early 70’s.

>Track 7
Dave Holland- High Wire
From: Prime Directive (ECM)
Recorded in 1999

Tenor Sax- Chris Potter
Trombone- Robin Eubanks
Vibraphone- Steve Nelson
Bass- Dave Holland
Drums- Billy Kilson

The original lineup of the Dave Holland Quartet featured Steve Wilson on reeds but but the group hit their peak in 1999 when he was replaced by Chris Potter on their second ECM album Prime Directive. “High Wire” is a Chris Potter composition and fits the group’s aesthetic blend of contrapuntal melodies over tight, odd time signature grooves. As BlindfoldTest pointed out, the studio recordings don’t live up to the energy of their live recordings, so anybody who found this track interesting should check out the Dave Holland Quintet’s “Live at Birdland” release.

>Track 8
Alex Sipiagin- Free 1
From: Equilibrium (Criss Cross)
Recorded in 2004

Trumpet- Alex Sipiagin
Alto Sax- David Binney
Tenor Sax- Chris Potter

If possible I always try to find a way to sneak Alex Sipiagin onto my blindfold playlists, and usually I like to highlight his complex, multi-layerd compositions. For his 2004 release Equilibrium, Sipiagin included two takes of a short free improvisation he did with Chris Potter and David Binney. The two takes go in very different directions but both display the incredible chemistry and interaction that these three share.

>Track 9
David Binney- Curious About Texas
From: Lifted Land (Criss Cross)
Recorded in 2013

Alto Sax- David Binney
Piano- Craig Taborn
Bass- Eivind Opsvik
Drums- Tyshawn Sorey

David Binney’s 2013 release “Lifted Land” is centered around an 18 minute open-ended composition called “As Snow Before a Summer Sun” which is inspired by the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. For the other tracks on the album Binney stuck to the theme of original compositions that also had a lot of room for free improvisation. About the track “Curious About Texas” Binney says: “The idea was that I would write these almost semi-classical things and we would improvise freely between them… That’s what I wanted to hear because they’re all so creative.”

>Track 10
Chris Lightcap Bigmouth- Epicenter
From: Epicenter (Clean Feed)
Recorded in 2015

Tenor Sax- Chris Cheek
Tenor Sax- Tony Malaby
Piano- Craig Taborn
Bass- Chris Lightcap
Drums- Gerald Cleaver

Bassist Chris Lightcap has released four albums as a leader since 2000 and all of them have featured two tenor saxophonists. The great Tony Malaby is featured on all of them, but only 2010’s “Deluxe” and last year’s “Epicenter” have paired him up with Chris Cheek in the other tenor role. Lightcap’s writing often references the 60’s avant-garde and usually adds a modern twist. This track is actually one of the more traditional in terms of composition and relies on the soloists to create their own interesting twists. In this track the juxtaposition of Malaby’s harsher tone with Cheek’s more mellow approach is especially apparent.

Thanks for putting the playlist together this week.

I'm not sure what the theme will be next week but I'll figure something out.

Ok so for connecting that Lester Young track with the David Binney one the shortest possible route I can think of would be:

Prez recorded a number of albums with Ray Brown.
Ray Brown recorded an album with Christian McBride called Superbass.
Christian McBride just recorded an album of John Zorn compositions with Craig Taborn and Tyshawn Sorey, both of whom play on that David Binney album.

So really you could connect the two with only four steps.

That's pretty cool

Reckon it'll be posted today?

I'm on track for next week by the way, just narrowing down the last few choices.

I don't think I'll be able to put something together by today. If you want to you can send me yours sometime in the next few days and we can do that one. Or I can just put one together for this week tomorrow or Monday and we can wait another week on yours.

Don't know how much time I'll have in the next couple of days - probably best to leave it a week.

so I was pretty on-point, especially after some prompting from jtg about the identity of the sax player as Rollins.
>the entire group interacts throughout the piece rather than having the traditional assigned solo sections
I'm not sure I liked this aspect to it, but I haven't given this much time so I'll see if it grows on me. it had some effect on me, that's for sure.
the colour from Dolphy's bass clarinet really added something. who are some other players who sometimes played what are normally seen as classical instruments within a jazz context?
>early 70s
>Jack DeJohnette on drums
>Dave Holland on bass
- no wonder I came away thinking it was influenced by Bitches Brew when two players were on the damn thing!
I seriously need to get onto hearing Joe Henderson's 70's albums - whenever I hear one of these tracks I always ask myself why I haven't yet
Alex Sipiagin - noted
>semi-classical things
welp, that's why I got those Braxton vibes from this one. I never heard of David Binney before, but also noted.

interesting selections - and it's only natural to imagine jazz playing as a series of interconnecting links: this person played in Earl Hines band, and became a bebop great, and Max played with him - and Max played with everyone! stuff like that.

>who are some other players who sometimes played what are normally seen as classical instruments within a jazz context?
Well Chris Potter also plays bass clarinet quite a bit and takes things in a pretty different direction from Dolphy.

There's Paul Hanson who plays jazz bassoon. He's got a really good album called Voodoo Suite. There have been some jazz cellists, Fred Katz is the main one who comes to mind. For jazz harp there's Dorothy Ashby and Riza Printup (wife of trumpeter Marcus Printup). Other than that I can't think of too many "classical" instruments that haven't been used extensively in jazz.

>and it's only natural to imagine jazz playing as a series of interconnecting links
The theme was actually Jazzpossu's idea, I just decided to use it. I think he also has a different Connecting Links playlist ready to go so we'll probably get to revisit this theme before too long.

I actually found it pretty difficult to put it together. There were a lot of things I wanted to include but it was kind of hard to piece them all together. Especially while trying not to repeat players except when connecting the tracks and trying to keep it in mostly chronological order.

thanks for the recs - I already see an album where Chris Potter played with Alex Sipiagin:
youtube.com/watch?v=AW6Y2rD6ILg

one thought I recently had was how the pop standards of the day served as launching pads for improvisations of really daring ways (look at My Favorite Things). these strong melodies were just ubiquitous - in the air.

that older pop tradition kind of evaporated after the 60s, so what source of strong melodies are out there, really? except for the usual places like themes from movies and TV shows, the only other source of strong melodies I could think of that "everyone" knows are video game themes. Koji Kondo, Nobuo Uematsu and the like seem to be capable of serving the same function as Rodgers or Gershwin - and why not?

Chris Potter actually plays on like six of Sipiagin's albums, unfortunately he doesn't play bass clarinet on any of them. I'm hoping he will in the future though... I think Sipiagin's writing style would lend itself really well to that sound.

Is your thinking that pop music today isn't worth being covered in the same way? I think a lot of jazz artists are still doing covers of pop/rock music. Brad Mehldau especially does that a lot- just recently he covered Sufjan Stevens, Vijay Iyer has covered Flying Lotus... there's a lot of that still going on. I think a good arranger can make a good jazz piece from just about any source.

On the subject of David Binney, I know that he follows a lot of modern pop music. I'm pretty sure that sometime soon he's going to cover a Tegan and Sara song.

If somebody hasn't made a jazz album of video game covers, I expect someone will soon.

Glad to see the thread still up. One last bump from me.

I'm not saying there aren't good melodies being created in pop music anymore; just that they don't really stand in the same league as the Great American Songbook. (Sufjan aside, most people today closely associate pop music with Max Martin's hit factory - which hasn't produced anything I've found interesting yet I'm kind of tuned out of that pop music world generally)

some of the Japanese composers for video games have written some immortal themes, which everybody from my age group recognizes, so I see potential for this to be a new source to be mined for this purpose. this is all hypothetical, but I get the feeling that a lot of jazzbos think that there's a risk in it feeling a bit more trivial - even if theme recognition is one of the ways audiences get into improvisations (at least in my case) - so what might seem like a somewhat cheap crowdpleasing move probably would just be sensitivity to a new generations musical background full stop.

Well I think another thing to take into account is that in general I think current jazz artists are much more interested in recording their original material. I follow new jazz releases pretty closely and I have to think hard to think of many jazz releases in the past few years that have more than a couple cover songs that aren't jazz standards.

But yeah, I think it's probably something you'll start seeing more of in the next 10 years or so as jazz artists "our age" start becoming more prominent.

A friend of mine used to do a cool samba version of one of the Zelda themes. Now he does mostly avant-garde music in Chicago. Maybe someday we'll see some avant-garde versions of video game themes.