Immediate recognition/instumentalists

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Mike
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#16 Post by Mike » Thu Jun 19, 2003 9:20 am

For a slightly different take on this subject, apparently Downbeat and Metronome used to do Blindfold Tests with musicians, seeing if they could identify other musicians by ear alone. Here's a link to a great one with Harry Carney and Russell Procope of Duke's band.

Some great quotes from it for the lazy:

Re: The speed debate: "I think it would have swung more if it had been slowed down just a trifle." - Procope

"...you have an Ellington tune, the Basie band and Ella Fitzgerald singing. If that don’t come off–I’ll just pack up my horn and quit." - Procope

Re: buying records: "In my collection–when I buy a record it’s one that I think I’d like to listen to ten years hence." -Carney

There are also many other Blindfold Tests on that same site.

I'd love to make some sort of online version of a blindfold test... to see how well people can really identify musicians and songs, under time constraint... Anyone want to play? :)

julius
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#17 Post by julius » Thu Jun 19, 2003 1:33 pm

downbeat still does blindfold tests. it's one of the best columns ever. a lot of times the musicians will be 100% on the money, which goes to show how well real musicians know their music.

julius
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#18 Post by julius » Thu Jun 19, 2003 1:36 pm

btw "louis armstrong" was pronounced "lewis" by louis himself, but most people used 'lou-ee' and he just went with it because, well, EVERYBODY did it.

at least, from what i remember reading in a book.

Roy
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#19 Post by Roy » Sun Jul 27, 2003 12:48 am

I think there are some people who can not be duplicated.

No one can do Louis Armstong. There might be interputatations, but no one can copy the fullness of his notes. Same goes for Johnny Hodges, no one can duplicate his ballads. I just heard an interview with Benny Carter and he talked about how unique Johnny Hodges was.

Toon Town Dave
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#20 Post by Toon Town Dave » Mon Jul 28, 2003 12:58 am

I have to agree. I think it's true of many of the greats. They wouldn't be recognized as greats if anyone could copy their style.

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CafeSavoy
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#21 Post by CafeSavoy » Mon Jul 28, 2003 1:33 am

Toon Town Dave wrote:I have to agree. I think it's true of many of the greats. They wouldn't be recognized as greats if anyone could copy their style.
there's a "what is jazz" interview on the smithsonian website with duke ellington where he mentions that one of the artists that was hard to imitate was sidney bechet.

apparently another artist that was very hard to imitate was dizzy gillespie. supposedly it wasn't until jon faddis that anyone came even close.

julius
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#22 Post by julius » Mon Jul 28, 2003 11:01 am

I think some musicians can copy the greats so well that most people (including us) would not be able to tell the difference, but there are always aficionados who can tell the difference. It might be the bandmate who played with the great for 60 years, but there's always someone.

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Drew
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#23 Post by Drew » Mon Jul 28, 2003 3:46 pm

julius wrote:I find it hard to distinguish OP from Monty Alexander sometimes (yeah, I know, you're horrified).

Lester Young sounds distinctive, but I don't know if I'd be able to pick him out of his clones. If I get around to listening to my Verve box set of him, I would probably be able to pick him out.
Agreed. But sometimes for me it is hard to tell the difference between him and Herschel Evans. Later Lester Young is more distinct, I've found, but some recordings I used to confuse him with Ben Webster. Webster has similar tonal quality on a few later recordings, but Young is usually more lyrical.

Charlie Parker's alto is very distinct
Jay McShann's piano, espeically on later recordings
Freddie Green's guitar
Jo Jones' drums
Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen's bass
Ray Brown's bass

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SpuzBal
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#24 Post by SpuzBal » Mon Jul 28, 2003 10:41 pm

I think that Charlie Barnet is usually pretty easy to recognize.
"In my opinion, out of the ten great guitarists in the world, Django is five of them!" - Rex Stewart

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CafeSavoy
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#25 Post by CafeSavoy » Wed Aug 13, 2003 1:10 am


KevinSchaper
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#26 Post by KevinSchaper » Wed Aug 13, 2003 11:54 am

CafeSavoy wrote:Can anyone identify this trumpet player and this combo?

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/union/socs/zoot/doug_silton.mov
(from: http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/vincent/zoot_videos.html)
Rex Stewart?

I mean, the context sounds like satch, but the trumpet itself doesn't..

maybe Hot Lips Page? ... I'm just gonna keep editing, and once somebody gets it right, I'll go back and try to make it look like I guessed correctly in the first place. :)

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mark0tz
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#27 Post by mark0tz » Thu Aug 14, 2003 7:58 am

Tough one. I'm going to guess Jonah Jones, but I don't have much confidence in that answer.
Mike Marcotte

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djstarr
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#28 Post by djstarr » Thu Aug 14, 2003 12:00 pm

KevinSchaper wrote:
CafeSavoy wrote:Can anyone identify this trumpet player and this combo?

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/union/socs/zoot/doug_silton.mov
(from: http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/vincent/zoot_videos.html)
Rex Stewart?

I mean, the context sounds like satch, but the trumpet itself doesn't..
I agree - it sounds like Rex Stewart based on the one combo album of Rex Stewart's I own; but the specific track in the clip isn't on anything I have.......who Dj'ed the competition (ALHC right?) maybe they are on here and can answer more definitively :-)

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CafeSavoy
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#29 Post by CafeSavoy » Thu Aug 14, 2003 1:15 pm

KevinSchaper wrote:
CafeSavoy wrote:Can anyone identify this trumpet player and this combo?

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/union/socs/zoot/doug_silton.mov
(from: http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/vincent/zoot_videos.html)
Rex Stewart?

I mean, the context sounds like satch, but the trumpet itself doesn't..

maybe Hot Lips Page? ... I'm just gonna keep editing, and once somebody gets it right, I'll go back and try to make it look like I guessed correctly in the first place. :)
Rex Stewart was my first guess because of the trumpet effects. But after (geek) mentioned Louis Armstrong, I noticed that the music has that 50's Jonah Jones sound. So that made me wonder if it wasn't one of the modern players like Duke Heitger who plays in kind of an old style.

Oh, does anyone recognize the song?

Roy
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#30 Post by Roy » Wed Sep 10, 2003 6:39 pm

On the subject of regognition and not be able to be copied, i found this:

"The sound of Harry Edison's trumpet was, after that of Louis Armstrong, perhaps the most instantly identifiable signature in jazz. It could be recognised after just one note. "

from here:

http://jazzinstituteofchicago.org/index.asp?

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