make check fails on check-recursive

`make -k check` produces the error
```
Makefile:646: recipe for target 'check-recursive' failed
make: *** [check-recursive] Error 1
make: Target 'check' not remade because of errors.
```

Steps to reproduce:
on a fresh Ubuntu 16.04 VM (I use virtualbox), run:
```

1. install oracle JVM 8
   sudo apt-get install python-software-properties
   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/java
   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install oracle-java8-installer
   sudo apt-install oracle-java8-set-default
2. install thrift prerequisites
   sudo apt-get install automake bison flex g++ git libboost-all-dev libevent-dev libssl-dev libtool make pkg-config ant
3. download thrift
   git clone https://github.com/apache/thrift.git
   cd thrift
4. compile thrift
   sudo ./bootstrap.sh
   sudo ./configure
   sudo make
   sudo make install
5. the make check failure
   sudo make -k check
   ```

Labeled "Major" because further development on Thrift is difficult when the existing test suites do not pass.