Leonard Feather Blindfold Tests

[Plays "Soaring" by Bob Florence, from Soaring, Bosco Records (1983). Personnel: Chauncey Welsh: trombone; Warren Luening: flugelhorn; Nick Ceroli: drums; Bob Florence: composer, arranger.]

Leonard Feather: Go ahead.

Rob McConnell: Really liked the piece. I don't know who it is exactly. It reminds me of a lot of people. I suspect this may be Ashley Alexander playing the double trombone, the valve slide trombone. It sounds like him and it sounds like that instrument. If not, I don't know who it is. He's either a very slippery slide trombone player or he's playing the double trombone. Sounds like a valve at times and slide at others. I like the composition. I thought it was great. The whole first part. Unison was lovely as opposed to... Well, it was just lovely hearing unison. I very seldom write unisons and it's just a reminded me how nice they are sometimes. I always have the desire to voice everything out 38 ways.

Leonard Feather: [inaudible].

Rob McConnell: Oh, okay, sure. Yeah. And a nice rhythm section. I thought the drummer was excellent. The Brazilian time was kind of modified samba time. I thought it was good. The recording quality as it seemed to be, be a little, not bright enough for my taste, but that may just be a personal thing. Thought the chart was good. The flugel or trumpet solo, I think. Well that's that again. I think it was flugel it may have been Ashley Alexander and an arranger from Texas. His name's Mantooth or something. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought that the chart reminded me of Bill Holman. It's Bill Holman inspired or the arranger is at one time rather... The unisons especially. Lovely last chord in tune and very plain. I liked the whole thing. Just delightful.

Leonard Feather: [inaudible].

Rob McConnell: Oh four at least.

[Plays "March of the Tadpoles" by Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin, from March of the Tadpoles, RCA Records (1977). Personnel: Gary Foster: alto saxophone; Bill Reichenbach: trombone; Bobby Shew: flugelhorn; Phil Teele: bass trombone; Peter Donald: drums; Don Baldwin: bass.]

Leonard Feather: Go ahead.

Rob McConnell: Go ahead? Well I think it was Toshiko... I'm a little apprehensive now after completely killing myself on the first one, but I think it's Toshiko and Lew's band. And then probably Bill Reichenbach and Phil Teele on bass trombone and Gary Foster and Bobby Shew and all the LA animals. And I love that chart... It's a very effective, nice chart. The trombone soli is the greatest. I'll mention that. I would never write that hard for trombones myself cause if I tried any of the parts I probably couldn't play them. It had a real nice, It had a real nice feel, the whole thing. It was a very good chart. And well played.

Leonard Feather: All the things were?

Rob McConnell: Interesting. Yeah. All the things... I forget the name of the tune. Is it Toshiko's.

Leonard Feather: Originally.

Rob McConnell: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It almost sounds like a Lennie Tristano head on all the things. Yeah, but it's Toshiko's. And I saw nothing the matter with it, the recording, I don't know whether it's... I have a Feeling... I don't know whether it's Fender upright bass. Now, maybe that's just the recording. I should be able to tell a difference, but that's my fault, not the recording, likely. I enjoyed the whole thing. Like the drummer. I have heard that before and have no reason to change my mind. Four and a half out of five. Easy. Easy. Sure.

[Plays "How Sweet It Is" by Count Basie, from Warm Breeze, Pablo Records (1981). Personnel: Count Basie: piano; Sammy Nestico: composer; Harry "Sweets" Edison: trumpet; Danny Turner: alto saxophone; Cleveland Eaton: bass; Gregg Field: drums.]

Rob McConnell: Well, I love that great blues chart. Lovely band, excellent drummer, bass player. Piano player. Sounds so much like Basie that it's... It might be. But I think not. I haven't heard it before. I don't remember hearing it before. If the trumpet player isn't Sweets, he listened to Sweets an awful lot. Lead alto players and Marshall Royal, he's listened to him an awful lot. And the piano player, same vis-a-vis Basie. I would say, I could guess, I guess it's Bill Barry's band with Marshall and Sweets, and I loved the whole thing. I loved all the solos, especially if it was Sweets. If it was Bill, I loved it, anyway. Five stars. The recording's nice. Everything about it was great.

[Plays "Little Wing" by Gil Evans, from There Comes A Time, RCA Records (1976). Personnel: David Sanborn: alto saxophone.]

Rob McConnell: I have no idea who it is or what it is. It's an awful distance from Count Basie to this music and I haven't traveled the distance too well, I'm afraid. There's a bunch of good players. I like the alto solo. I don't understand this music. And if not understanding it is... Also, I do not understand it and do not enjoy it that much. And yet I'm probably sticking my neck right in the noose because I don't... It's probably people I know and respect that do this music. Sometimes I like it in a live situation, but I wouldn't listen to it for pleasure. And it wasn't emotionally... It didn't emotionally involve me. It was kind of a smile and didn't mind it. But I don't know what all that noise was from the rhythm section and assorted electronic gear. So I must be honest, I just didn't enjoy it that much. Don't know who, I haven't the faintest idea who it is. Gifted the players. The Alto solo particularly. And it was well played and all, but I just don't understand that music. I would give one to five stars.

Leonard Feather: One is poor two is fair.

Rob McConnell: Two, two-and-a-half.

Leonard Feather: Would you mind if leave the machine on, cause I'd like to get your reaction to who it was, it was Gil Evans.

Rob McConnell: Yeah.

Leonard Feather: Was that surprising?

Rob McConnell: No, not really. Gil Evans. I prefer the original version of Gil Evans. Porgy and Bess and Miles and Hutton, etc. I don't... Gil has left me and I'm sorry about it because he's was to me the Oh you know, the top three, four, maybe one, two arrangers of all time.

Leonard Feather: Okay.

[Plays unknown song]

Rob McConnell: You're a sneaky person. I don't... I've never heard that before. The live recording of some kind.

Leonard Feather: [inaudible].

Rob McConnell: Wouldn't you? Yeah, yeah. I love that tune. Prefer the original rendition of it, I'm afraid to say. I found the chart a little un-calm. Is it a little hectic at times. The section had got a nice group behind both the trumpet solos, I think it was two different trumpet players. And the first one sounded like Freddie Hubbard and the second one sounded like Dizzy. Was an excellent trombone solo. Some kind of JJ Johnson clone or something of that kind. I don't know who it is. I thought the rhythm section was great behind the trumpet solos. I would give more to the performance than the chart. The performance I think was overall very good. The rhythm section was grooving along. And I think everybody played well. But I just found the chart a little unnerving. So I would give maybe a three and a half, four for the performance and, and, and a little less maybe for the chart. I haven't really any idea who it is.

Leonard Feather: No, that would not be somebody you would know.

[Plays "You Know" by Gerald Wilson, from Lomelin, Discovery Records (1981). Personnel: Gerald Wilson: composer; Ernie Watts: flute, tenor saxophone; Garnett Brown: trombone.]

Rob McConnell: Yeah, I have. I have no idea who this is either. I didn't care for the composition very much. Was kind of one of those two chord, three chord, four chord jobs. It wasn't any "Autumn in New York." So that's apologies to the composer. That is not really up my alley. I found the chart a little... The composition a little disquieting when it goes from just straight swing time to straight eighths. I found it never really established itself in some sort of, well is this straight eights or swing time. So I found it disconcerting rather than fresh and exciting. The trombone solo, all the solos were fine. Trombone, tenor, flute. I hate a fade ending and I've done it and I've hated it when I've done it. I just think I like traditional music better than that. I'm a traditional person and that would be somewhere in the middle three stars. I have no idea really who, who it is.

[Plays "Aristocracy a la Jean Lafitte" by Duke Ellington, from New Orleans Suite, Atlantic Records (1971). Personnel: Duke Ellington: composer; Harry Carney: baritone saxophone; Fred Stone: flugelhorn; Johnny Hodges: alto saxophone.]

Rob McConnell: Well I think that was Duke's Band with a flugelhorn player from Toronto, Freddie Stone, who's an old compatriot and a fellow musician. And I don't... Harry Carney and Hodges and the band from I guess I would say early seventies, maybe would be a guess. I don't know whether that's Duke's song. I don't know whose song it is. It was a kind of pleasant jazz waltz, 10 stars for Duke Ellington, anything he did in his life. He's the father of us all, all the writers, all the band leaders. Well, that's enough. I enjoyed it. I've enjoyed other Duke Ellington music more, but that's neither here nor there.

Leonard Feather: Yeah. What was that additional comment?

Rob McConnell: I hadn't heard that piece before. Would recognize Freddie Stone anywhere probably cause we played for years together. He was in the original bands that I had, including the Boss Brass and is a distinctive player.