Blindfold Test: Walter Smith III

News, From the Magazine, Blindfold Test, Walter Smith III

By Ted Panken I Jul. 24, 2020

Kamasi Washington

“Hub-Tones” (Heaven And Earth, Brainfeeder, 2018) Washington, tenor saxophone; Dontae Winslow, trumpet; Ryan Porter, trombone; Cameron Graves, piano; Brandon Coleman, keyboards; Miles Mosley, bass; Ronald Bruner Jr., Tony Austin, drums; Allakoi Peete, Kahlil Cummings, percussion.

“Hub-Tones.” Definitely Kamasi. The trumpet player is Dontae Winslow. Tony Austin and Ronald Bruner on drums. The band sound is rich, a lot going on, a lot of people involved—that’s the hallmark of his music. He finds a way to do something simple, like the drum chant, and then plays that melody over it in a way that keeps you engaged the whole time. I’d describe his instrumental personality as relentless. Once he starts, it just keeps going. He pulls that momentum until he’s done.

Jacques Schwarz-Bart

“Oseh Shalom” (Hazzan, Enja/Yellowbird, 2018) Schwarz-Bart, tenor saxophone; Gregory Privat, piano; Stéphane Kerecki, bass; Arnaud Dolmen, drums.

I was thinking of someone influenced by Michael Brecker or Bob Berg. I can’t guess who it is. A very accomplished player—played all over the saxophone, comfortable in all the registers, everything is even.

Quinsin Nachsoff

“Clairvoyant Jest” (Quinsin Nachsoff’s Ethereal Trio, Whirlwind, 2017) Nachsoff, tenor saxophone; Mark Helias, bass; Dan Weiss, drums.

When it started, the way they get into the arrangement felt like something from JD Allen’s trio, but after the high E-flat I could tell it wasn’t JD. During the solo, I was thinking of Seamus Blake, but then it became clear that it wasn’t. I need to know who this is, because I’m going to steal a lot of that stuff for the trio playing.

David Kikoski

“Lazy Bird” (Phoenix Rising, High Note, 2019) Kikoski, piano; Eric Alexander, tenor saxophone; Peter Washington, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums.

Eric Alexander. Is Kikoski on piano? I didn’t know they played together. As soon as Eric played the melody, I identified him by his sound. I met him in high school, when he was teaching at a Jamey Aebersold camp, and I’ve always followed his records. Eric’s a bad dude. A lot of vocabulary. Great time. He knows all the substitutions. Every note is accounted for, and I appreciate that. I once toured with Kikoski in Poland, and a lot of what he was playing jogged a memory. He’s probably the only person who would add even more changes—“Countdown” chords—to what’s already in “Lazy Bird.” DB

The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and identify the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then asked to rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.

This story originally was published in the June 2020 issue of DownBeat. Subscribe here.