/BLINDFOLD TEST/
Images are sometimes not shown due to bandwidth/network limitations. Refreshing the page usually helps.
You are currently reading a thread in /mu/ - Music
You are currently reading a thread in /mu/ - Music
Welcome to the weekly /mu/ jazz Blindfold Test thread. This week I am pleased to announce we have a new guest who has compiled the tracklist for next week.
If you're new, the point of these threads is to 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: http://pastebin.com/2yCLLBrj
This week's theme is: MONK TUNES
Tracks were selected by: JAZZTHREADGUY
Next week's theme is: IMPULSE!
Tracks were selected by: BLINDFOLDTEST
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 at roughly 8:00 PM (EST)
http://www64.zippyshare.com/v/Mkjgtf7h/file.html
https://mega.nz/#!NtpEAYAZ!estSyvG6HKSc80ZmKjVl1TmkQEWhbY7mrrTbP2kLT2k
Posting with names and/or tripcodes is encouraged so that we can get to know each other. We also need more volunteers for people to compile our weekly tracklists. If you are interested, reply with your theme idea.
>>60562618
anticipating some Steve Lacy in that tracklist
Where do I go after Bitches Brew? I want to try On the Corner as I like Funk, but I can't find a good download.
>>60562695
look harder
> Track 1
One cool thing about Monk is how you can take his angular playing style away from the composition and be left with something beautiful. Very nice smooth take on Off Minor here by someone who knows what he's doing.
> Track 2
Tune is Brilliant Corners. Don't have much to say about this - it's kind of cool how they go all blues on it for a while. Sounds like a pretty recent recording.
> Track 3
This is from Chick Corea's Now He Sings, Now He Sobs. I think it's kind of interesting that the album has often a pretty advanced and a little experimental post-bop feel to it and then this pleasant, even cocktail loungey tune is the Monk composition.
>>60562719
The link in the archive doesn't work, and neither do the torrents. Slsk is being a bitch and won't download, either.
>Track 4
A larger ensemble West Coast style take on 'Round Midnight... Why not, it's a beautiful tune - the arrangement works well. Nice track.
> Track 5
A pretty modern post-bop take on this tune that I don't know the name of. The original composition sounds like it might have a simple feel like a children's song even with that bassline, but these guys seem very eager to go play the music they always play. Not a huge fan of contemporary post-bop like this.
Haha. After listening and writing my first impression I figured this might be that Alex Sipiagin fellow who I never really like but is mentioned here quite often and sure enough a little digging reveals that it is. Apparently this is Evidence which is a tune I think I'd recognize. Is that bassline from some other Monk tune? It sounds so prominent here and is not from any Evidence version I remember hearing.
> Track 6
Can't really get a feel for what this tune is... The sax playing is pretty cool, but a little too eager to out just for the hell of it. I was kind of reminded of later period Archie Shepp, particularly that Black Ballads came to mind, but I don't think this is Shepp, but maybe someone younger who is more technique focused than Shepp.
I kind of like it, but even 6 minutes seems like a pretty long time with these guys, so an album of stuff this sparse would probably bore me.
1. At first I was thinking that I probably wouldn’t recognize this as a Monk piece but as it goes on it does have kind of a Monk sound to it or maybe it’s just my imagination. The humming or yelling or whatever it is gets kind of annoying. It sounds like this piano has a lot of bebop influence, it kind of reminds me of somebody like Red Garland or Wyton Kelly who played with Miles Davis. I thought I could hear that typical Monk sound in the head but the solo doesn’t really seem to have that much Monk influence. It also seemed like it never really had a high point. The playing was pretty enjoyable other than that though and it had a nice swing. 3 stars.
2. This is kind of interesting because I don’t think I’ve heard many guitar interpretations of Monk before. This is pretty nice. I like how they switch pretty easily back and forth between the fast and slower swing feels. This sounds like Grant Green or Wes Montgomery but I’m probably thinking of them because they are the guitarists I have listened to the most. There was a section where nobody really seemed to be soloing and that part was kind of strange but the rest was pretty good. 3.5 stars.
3. I recognize this tune but I don’t know the name of it. I’m fairly sure this is McCoy Tyner because of those fast runs that sound pretty complicated. It might be Elvin Jones on drums too. I really like the energy and interaction of the trio on this and it sounds pretty different from how I remember the Monk original sounding. This one was really good. 4.5 stars.
>>60563367
4. I definitely recognize this one as Round Midnight, one of the few Monk tunes I always remember. This seems like kind of a cool arrangement for a big band but it feels a little bit cinematic. It sounds like something Gil Evans might do, but I don’t know who the alto soloist is. Maybe Lee Konitz or somebody like that. 3 stars.
5. I’ve heard this tune before but I don’t know the name of it. I like the muted trumpet sound here which I normally don’t like. It sounds like this version of the melody is a little bit different from the one I’ve heard before which is kind of cool. This trumpet solo is very nice. Knowing JTG, I’m guessing this is Alex Sipiagin. I haven’t heard him cover any songs before so this is pretty nice. I like the interaction that the drummer is doing, especially in the piano solo. Some parts of the piano solo remind me of McCoy Tyner. But then it also kind of reminds me of Herbie Hancock sometimes. I’d like to hear more from this piano player whoever it is. There’s a cool buildup during the sax solo that’s pretty nice and it’s cool when he starts doing the loud Archie Shepp kind of sound. This was kind of long but it was pretty enjoyable all the way through. 4.5 stars.
6. There’s a lot of trilling going on here which is kind of annoying to listen to. The bass player is doing some pretty nice things with the saxophone player but the drummer sounds kind of bored and he seems to be playing it really safe. The sax player is playing a lot of really cool stuff but I think the drummer is really weak on this track and is holding the other two back. I think the saxophone trio can be a cool sound for a little bit but when the tracks go on too long it can get boring to listen to. Especially when the drummer is playing it so safe. 2.5 stars.
>>60563388
7. I think I recognize this one too but again I don’t know the name. I guess I’m pretty bad at remembering names of jazz songs. This piano player really seems to be playing with a lot of influence from Monk by using a lot of dissonance and playing very percussively. But it’s more aggressive and out there than anything I’ve ever heard Monk do. On this one the drummer and bass player seem to be taking it easy and just letting the piano player do his thing. What the piano player is doing is really cool but it would be cooler if the drummer and bass player were more into it. Near the middle they start responding to him a little more though. I’ll give this one 3.5 stars. Piano player gets 5 stars, drummer gets 3, bass player gets 2.
8. This one sounds like an 80s recording. The sax player has a weird sound that kind of sounds messy or sloppy but it kind of works for playing Monk. The piano player is doing nice stuff behind the sax solo that sounds like it was inspired by Monk. It’s kind of interesting how the sax player is sometimes playing more traditional and sometimes going crazy with bebop runs. It kind of reminds me of Eric Dolphy a little bit. The piano solo was good and had a lot of that Monk sound. I like when he holds onto just one idea for a really long time. 3.5 stars.
>>60563410
9. This one is straight no chaser. I’m surprised I remembered the name to this one but it just came to me. It’s a pretty memorable melody I guess. The recording of this one is very weird. I think that’s a guitar but it has a very weird effect on it and sounds kind of far away. The saxophone is playing cool stuff but he has a very weird tone. I just realized why this sounds so weird, because there’s no bass. So it sounds like the drummer is playing a lot more busy because of that. This one was kind of weird. I like some of the playing but the weird sound of the band kind of turned me off. 3 stars.
10. I like the piano intro and then it sounds like an alto sax playing the melody. I don’t know what this tune is but it’s kind of a nice ballad. It’s relaxed but still kind of unpredictable. It’s pretty cool how after they play the melody pretty traditionally they just kind of let it dissolve into a very minimal free improvisation kind of thing. It goes on kind of long. It would have been really cool if they would have built it up a little bit more but it stays pretty minimal. I’ll still give it 4 stars because it was pretty good.
Next week I have to work on Monday so I don't know if I'll be able to make the thread. Is it possible for somebody else to start it out next week and help keep it bumped? JTG or Jazzpossu???
> Track 7
Pretty interesting free/avant inspired take on Bemsha Swing. Someone pretty deep into those styles on piano. Paul Bley? Cecil Taylor even?
I really like the contrast between the more restrained drums and bass and the wild piano. Cool track.
> Track 8
I might be getting Monk -fatigue here because I'm having a hard time finding anything to say about this one. I don't recognize the song and this version is not doing much for me. The pianist is digging pretty deep into his Monk-bag in the solo.
> Track 9
A pretty interesting modern take of Straight, No Chaser. At first I had no idea who these people are, but then as the track goes on the guitarist starts sounding so much like late 80's, early 90's Bill Frisell that I'm very, very surprised if this isn't him. He plays on that Monk on Motian tribute album, right? Guessing this is from that one. I like this one.
> Track 10
Same feelings as for track 8, but in a more ballad form at the start. Sounds like a fairly recent recording, from this century, I'd guess.
There are some pretty great quiet moments in this one, though. Could be Europeans involved here, the more abstract floating moment that starts roughly at about 1:30 reminds me of some European players.
The track grew on me as it went on, interested to hear who these are. I wish the sax player played the head more tenderly, this could be a great track if it was a straight-up tender traditional ballad head with that neat floating feel in the solos.
>>60563577
Nice thoughts as usual. You've got some pretty good guesses that make sense now that you say of that I didn't think of on my own.
Think you'd be able to start and/or bump the thread next week?
>>60563473
no can do, epic meme Kamasi Washington is in town next Monday and going to go check him out live
>>60563665
Oh ok. Maybe JTG can.
>>60563260
>Is that bassline from some other Monk tune?
It is. Nice catch. How do you think the combination of the two works? You've got a lot of good guesses this week.
>>60563473
I don't think I'll be able to. I'm going to be on planes most of the day next week. I think I have a layover in the afternoon so maybe I could start the thread then if nobody else can do it but I don't think I'd be able to keep it bumped.
>>60563980
Shit. Well maybe I'll be able to start it and bump it from work some. I don't know yet.
>>60563980
It certainly fooled me into thinking that this is some other Monk tune that just has that one bit that's similar to Evidence, so worked pretty well - certainly didn't even think of it being a combination of two different tunes.
>>60564053
Also I have a rehearsal tonight so I will email you the track answers within the next few hours so you can post them whenever.
>>60564067
You said you don't really like Sipiagin or that style post-bop- what did you think of this track?
bumping with Monk's Blindfold Test
seems fitting for this week
>>60564231
I wasn't particularly fond of it - a lot of the soloing just sounded like very generic contemporary post-bop noodling and pretty typical of this style of playing which as said doesn't really resonate with me all that much.
>>60564933
Did Monk legitimately have autism?
>>60562618
mhm
waiting for the new group since I dont really care for monk
>>60564933
absolute madman
>>60565074
I raise my eyebrows at you. You liked 10 better though?
>>60564933
damn this was a fun read. Thelonious knew his shit, regardless of whether or not he wanted to engage in the exercise the way Downbeat wanted him to.
Summoning Ambassador Satch to come liven the thread up.
>>60567609
have this pic of a bunch of no-names as a bump
>>60567686
Literally who
>>60567887
dunno lol, but damn me if I would have paid a single cent to see this back then
THE ABSOLUTE M A D M A N
A
D
M
A
N
>>60565304
no, just a hack.
>>60568154
Filtered.
>>60568128
lmaoing @ this silly beard
>>60565856
Posting the links now I guess. Remember don't post about these tracks until next week.
http://www18.zippyshare.com/v/OrQK9h85/file.html
https://mega.nz/#!9twlWJBC!RVGlJ0F4M3kxSz80G2AWYzKCGFFs4pESE7HI1TdKUsQ
Theme is impulse!
>>60568030
anybody else been here?
>>60568539
is it the Village Vanguard ? never, sadly, but I'll use the fact that I live 5800km away as an excuse
>>60568886
Yep. Seems like a pretty good excuse not to have gone.
All the anons who posted in the thread why aren't you participating?
Ok posting the answers now.
Track 1- "Off Minor"
from "Portrait of Thelonious" by Bud Powell (recorded 1961)
Bud Powell- Piano
Pierre Michelot- Bass
Kenny Clarke- Drums
Track 2- "Brilliant Corners"
from "Monk" by Peter Bernstein (recorded 2008)
Peter Bernstein- Guitar
Doug Weiss- Bass
Bill Stewart- Drums
Track 3- "Pannonica"
from "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs" by Chick Corea (recorded 1968)
Chick Corea- Piano
Miroslav Vitous- Bass
Roy Haynes- Drums
Track 4- "Round Midnight"
from "Art Peppter + 11" by Art Pepper
Art Peppter- Alto Sax (soloist)
Pete Candoli, Al Porcino, Jack Sheldon- Trumpet
Herb Geller, Bud Shank, Charlie Kennedy- Alto Sax
Dick Nash, Bob Enevoldsen- Trombones
Bill Perkins, Richie Kamuca- Tenor Sax
Med Flory- Bari Sax
Vince DeRosa- French Horn
Russ Freeman- Piano
Joe Mondragon- Bass
Mel Lewis- Drums
Party Paich- Arranger, Conductor
Track 5- "Evidence"
from "Equilibrium" by Alex Sipiagin (recorded 2004)
Alex Sipiagin- Trumpet
David Binney- Alto Sax
Chris Potter- Tenor Sax
David Kikoski- Piano
Scott Colley- Bass
Gene Jackson- Drums
Track 6- "Ask Me Now"
from "State of the Tenor" by Joe Henderson (recorded 1985)
Joe Henderson- Tenor Sax
Ron Carter- Bass
Al Foster- Drums
Track 7- "Bemsha Swing"
from "Jazz Advance" by Cecil Taylor (Recorded 1956)
Cecil Taylor- Piano
Buell Neidlinger- Bass
Denis Charles- Drums
Track 8- "Played Twice"
from "Six Monk's Compositions" by Anthony Braxton (recorded 1987)
Anthony Braxton- Alto Sax
Mal Waldron- Piano
Buell Neidlinger- Bass
Billy Osborne- Drums
Track 9- "Straight, No Chaser"
from "Monk in Motian" by Paul Motian
Dewey Redman- Tenor Sax
Joe Lovano- Tenor Sax
Bill Frisell- Guitar
Paul Motian- Drums
Track 10- "Ugly Beauty"
from "In Monk's Mood" by John Tchicai (recorded 2009)
John Tchicai- Alto Sax
George Colligan- Piano
Steve LaSpina- Bass
Billy Drummond- Drums
absolutely love the bud powell track. thought it was him from the moaning.
