The Leonard Feather Scrapbooks - The Blind Fold Test

Clearly, the best way to listen to music is without any advance information regarding the artists, the tune, composer or arranger. To allay all prejudices, to cut though all the vast variety of points of view in jazz, we propose to play a series of records each month to a noted figure in the jazz world. With these records, we will test his or her reactions to all kinds of music, from Dixieland to Bebop. And we will test all kinds of musicians. This month its Mary Lou Williams, next month, Mezz Mezzrow.

Mary Lou Williams, first musician to be Blindfold Tested, is a great pianist, arranger and composer. She is also a great person, one who is genuinely alarmed by the ignorance that prevails in the dissemination of jazz knowledge. Her signed statement, attesting to the complete accuracy of this article, is in our possession.

The Records

That clarinet’s nice. That’s the right way to play melody on a tune and still make it interesting . . . band’s smooth . . . that singer would be better on ballads. He doesn’t have the right kind of voice for improvising. I’d give the record two stars.
Piano sounds like Fats. The style’s fine, but is sounds like an imitation; I don’t care too much for imitations. But he has a wonderful technique and should use it to create his own style. Tenor sax is excellent. Trumpet not up to par; clarinet okay. Rhythm a little too stodgy. Still I like the record. Three stars.
Alto fine-Charlie Parker, of course! Trumpet was a little sharp at first, but good. I like the beat, and it’s a nice arrangement-a little different. Pianist does a sort of Basie style solo. I like the tenor. Rhythm section good. Three stars.
Now that’s the way I like to hear a band play! Terrific rhythm, nice balance, a great beat. Piano very good, vibes good, tenor excellent. Band is very solid on the ensembles. Arrangement not out of the ordinary, but fine. Four stars.
Oh, don’t do that to me! . . . That’s Vic Dickenson on trombone, What’s he doing in there-he can’t play like them. It’s a shame to mix good musicians in that kind of outfit. I hardly know what to say. I just don’t like that kind of music. That’s Ed Hall. Trumpet sounds like Louis twenty years ago. Drums and bass good. I’ve heard better Dixieland piano. Don’t like the tune or the ensembles. Two stars.
Intro terrific. Trumpet wonderful, good taste and original ideas. Alto is good, too; sounds like Johnny Hodges. Clarinet sort of Duke style. Ending is different. Rhythm smooth. Three stars.
That’s a tuba in there, isn’t it? Oh, and a slap tongue tenor solo! Ouch! I don’t recognize this, but it sounds like something from the 1920’s. Even the Dixie they’re playing now doesn’t sound like that. Solos were good for that time, I guess, but no beat at all-can’t even imagine how they danced to it . . . What does it lack? Music! No stars.
King Cole; that’s great. Now here’s something that’s a good example for everyone to listen to; good taste, good balance, and the music tells a story. It’s the most perfect little outfit I’ve heard in years, and even if it weren’t King Cole I’d say the same thing. Four stars.
Sounds mechanical-like one of those old player-piano rolls. Not free. As if it had all been written out. Don’t care for the composition. Who is it? No idea. Two stars.
Arrangement’s fine, but they’re not together on the ensembles. I think it’s pathetic to arrange a number and not play it smoothly-rather not record it at all . . . trumpet sounds like Dizzy; good . . . that’s Don Byas . . . he can play anybody’s style . . . Sounds like Max Roach on drums. I like the idea of the record better than the execution; three stars.
Aren’t they out of tune in spots? You’ve got to be right in tune to play that kind of chords. Sounds a little like Duke. Why did they beak into that swing part there? It breaks the story, the mood of the thing. Voicing all wrong; the arrangement sounds like an experiment. I think it’s a good idea to write two arrangements-one with experiments, and one good one. The ideas didn’t work out here. Alto good, balance not too bad. Two stars.
This is the best record I’ve heard of Harry James in a long time. Very good taste in Harry’s solo; good band and arrangement, gets a nice mood; especially that modulation by muted trombones, I think it was. Tenor was great, too. Four stars.
I don’t know what to say. I’m prejudiced against people who are trying to take music back forty years. I think that just to make money, some people forget about music. Solos not even good for that type. Musicianship? I didn’t hear any.

Summary
Here’s the way I feel about music. I like almost all types of music, if they’re well played, except Dixieland. I don’t think the Dixieland fans even know why they like it; they’re just following the crowd. Up at Café Society I used to see them ask Ed Hall for Dixieland; he had to play it and he’d break up the house with it. I think it’s a bad idea for kids or youngsters who are interested in music to pick up on Dixieland; everyone should try to progress. Do you know, even in Spike Jones’ band, there are a lot of very good musicians, and they can play Dixieland and sound just like all those well-known Dixieland musicians?
I was in New Orleans five years ago, and even there I didn’t hear them playing that style. What do I like? Most of all I like originality in jazz. The kids should follow Don Byas, Ben Webster, Dizzy, Trummy, Tatum, Erroll Garner, Monk-he was really the originator of Dizzy’s style-and Earl Hines; his style is still being played with modern trimmings.
As for bands and arrangers, there’s Stan Kenton and Hampton and Ralph Burns-and of course Duke is still ahead. And I admire Sy Oliver because he set a new style.
New ideas and good taste and execution-put them together and you have good music, whether it’s jazz or anything else. That’s the way I feel about music.

Benny Goodman. Blue Skies (Columbia), with Art Lund, vocal.
Johnny Guarnieri. Salute to Fats (Savoy). Guarnieri, piano; Lester Young, tenor; Billy Butterfield, trumpet; Hank d’Amico, clarinet; Cozy Cole, drums.
Sir Charles (Thompson) The Street Beat (Apollo). Thompson, piano; Buck Clayton, trumpet; Charlie Parker, alto; Dexter Gordon, tenor; J. C. Heard, drums.
Woody Herman Orch. Northwest Passage (Columbia). Ralph Burns, piano; Marge Hyams, vibes; Flip Phillips, tenor.
Art Hodes’ Jazzmen. Sugar Foot Stomp (Blue Note) Hodes, piano; Vic Dickenson, trombone; Maxie Kaminsky, trumpet; Ed Hall, clarinet; Sid Weiss, bass; Danny Alvin, drums.
Barney Bigard. Blues Before Dawn (Black and White). Bigard, clarinet; Georgie Auld, alto; Joe Thomas, trumpet.
Jelly Roll Morton Red Hot Pepper (Victor). Morton, piano; Bass Moore, bass. (Recorded 1928)
King Cole Trio. Body and Soul (Capitol). Cole, piano; Oscar Moore, guitar; Johnny Miller, bass.
James P. Johnson. Blueberry Rhyme (Signature). Piano Solo.
Dizzy Gillespie Be-Bop (Manor). Gillespie, trumpet; Don Byas, tenor; Shelly Manne, drums.
Boyd Raeburn Orch. Yerxa (Jewel). George Handy, arranger; Hal McKusick, alto.
Harry James Orch. When Your Lover Has Gone (Columbia). James, trumpet; Corky Corcoran, tenor.
Bunk Johnson Band. When the Saints Go Marching In (Victor). (Recorded 1945).