Mosaic (Select, Boxed, whatever)

[Capt. W./TX.]

Got the Brookmeyer set last week. It's pure pleasure!

The music is small band stuff from '54-58, a very musically productive chunk of Brookmeyer's career.

The "Street Swingers" set ('57) with Jim Hall & Jimmy Raney and the "Stretching Out" set (late '58) with Zoot, Cohn, Sweets Edison and Freddie Green are by themselves are worth the price of admisssion.

I'm an avid follower of BB's entire career. It's surprising how much his playing has stayed pretty much the same, melodically and rhythmically, over 5 decades-even as his writing constantly evolves and develops.

On the set with Hall and Raney, BB plays quite a bit of piano, too.

I'm very partial to his late 50's and early-to-mid 60's playing; he used a lot more different 'vocal' colorations then. The two sets I mentioned earlier, along with the solos he recorded with the Mulligan CJB and the quintet he co-led with Clark Terry during the 60's, are prime illustrations of this. He seemed to be strongly influenced at this point by older players-Vic Dickenson and Bill Harris in particular. His sense of humor was more pronounced; he was not above bits of musical horseplay. His Swing Era roots are strongly in evidence here, even though at this point in time he was working with the Jimmy Giuffre 3-a trio that was very musically advanced for its time.

[chuckyd4]

Arrrrrgggghhhhh.... I was missing in action for a month or two, just not paying attention to the Mosaic stuff, and the Blue Mitchell - something I have had my eyes on for years - has come and gone. I saw it when it first hit the "Running Low", but then promptly forgot. When I checked next, it was lodged firmly in the "Out of Print" list.



So..... would any of you kind souls out there be interested in burning me a copy (and photocopying the booklet) in exchange for the same treatment from one of my boxes or some rare discs I have?

In my defense, that is the first time that has happened to me with a Mosaic.

[Fred K]

Does anyone have the Anita O'Day set? I think I'm interested but 9 cds seems like a little too much.

[Clay Fink]

Does anyone have the Anita O'Day set? I think I'm interested but 9 cds seems like a little too much.

I've got it and very little of it ISN'T worth hearing. A lot of it has been reissued by Verve recently so you could just pick up som eof the choice ones. I'd start with the Bill Holman and Jimmy Giuffre collaborations, though any of the stuff ion Verve is well worth hearing. She was amazing.

[J.A.W.]

So, what is the general consensus regarding the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh box?? Is it wonderful and marvelous??

The TKM set is a MUST. It's wonderful to have this great music complete (it includes a former Japan-only Konitz LP) and the sound is good to great. Grab it while you can. Recommended!

[stonemonkts]

The TKM set is a MUST. It's wonderful to have this great music complete (it includes a former Japan-only Konitz LP) and the sound is good to great. Grab it while you can. Recommended!

Thanks, J.A.W. I've been unable to get the website to load for a few days, but now for whatever reason, I'm in.

I'm also very tempted by the Select Sets of Bob Brookmeyer, and Dizzy Reese.

ah what the hell

[J.A.W.]

Mosaic's Scott told me yesterday they have only about 50 T/K/M sets left. It'll be gone soon, so get it while you can, it's a wonderful set.

[stonemonkts]

Mosaic's Scott told me yesterday they have only about 50 T/K/M sets left. It'll be gone soon, so get it while you can, it's a wonderful set.

I concur.

Fwiw, the Brookmeyer is very good, and the Dizzy Reece is excellent.

[shrugs]

Mosaic's Scott told me yesterday they have only about 50 T/K/M sets left. It'll be gone soon, so get it while you can, it's a wonderful set.

And when it's gone, it will surely hit ebay craziness land!!!

[stonemonkts]

Mosaic is offering free shipping beginning June 9 and ending June 20th (order must include a regular Mosaic box set, after that you can add as many Select boxes as you like to the order).

Unfortunately you cannot use the free shipping for the soon-to-be-released Tad Farlow box.

Anyway, does anyone have an opinion on any of these:

• Carmell Jones (Select box)
• Bennie Green (Select)
• John Patton (Select)
• Curtis Amy (Select) - I've never heard anything by Amy, but I'm thinking I'd dig him if he is anything like Booker Ervin
• Bud Shanks & Bob Cooper (Select)
• Stanley Turrentine - Blue Note Quintet/Sextet Sessions - I've been enjoying much of his work from the early 60's as sideman.
• J.J. Johnson - Complete Columbia Small Group Sessions
• Elvin Jones - Complete Blue Note Sessions

If I want to get the free shipping I need to pick at least one from the bottom three.

[jazzfiend]

Can't help ya, Stone. I wouldn't be interested in any of those, except possibly the Elvin set. But I already own pretty much all his stuff. Can't stomach Turrentine most of the time.

[Boris Badenov]

Get the J.J.

[vibes]

• Carmell Jones (Select box)
• Bennie Green (Select)
• John Patton (Select)
• Curtis Amy (Select) - I've never heard anything by Amy, but I'm thinking I'd dig him if he is anything like Booker Ervin
• Bud Shanks & Bob Cooper (Select)
• Stanley Turrentine - Blue Note Quintet/Sextet Sessions - I've been enjoying much of his work from the early 60's as sideman.
• J.J. Johnson - Complete Columbia Small Group Sessions
• Elvin Jones - Complete Blue Note Sessions

I have all of these except the Shank/Cooper, the Johnson and the Patton (but I do have most of the Patton in the form of TOCJ's and JRVG's), and enjoy all of them and listen to all of them frequently. If I didn't have most of the Patton already, it would be at the top of the list of those you mentioned, for me. As for the rest, the I play the Turrentine, Jones and Amy sets more than the others. The Amy set has been one of the most pleasant Mosaic surprises I've picked up in a long time, with the live material in the set being my favorite part. Check out the sound clips on the Mosaic site and see what you think.

[Nick]

I have all of the ones mentioned above except the Elvin and S.T. sets. If I had to recommend one it would be the Amy box mainly because he has so little material available elsewhere. I'd never heard him before I bought the set and, as vibes said earlier, it was a very pleasant surprise. Many of the obscure (to me anyway) sidemen such as Roy Brewster, Frank Strazzeri, and Dupree Bolton are also fantastic. There's so much terrific JJ available elsewhere that 7 cds of similar material are kind of overkill for me.

[stonemonkts]

I'm picking up the Mosaic Select Don Pullen but while I'm there I thought I'd ask for any opinions on "The Complete Small Group Johnny Hodges Verve Sessions 1956-61" and also the Dexter Gordon Select Box.

A recent discovery for me has been the playing of Lawrence Brown especially in small group contexts. I see Brown plays with Hodges on many of those sessions, hence my interest (I also love Hodges and Ben Webster, so to me this set is a no-brainer). Any opinions??

Thanks,
Stone

[alankin]

... I'm there I thought I'd ask for any opinions on "The Complete Small Group Johnny Hodges Verve Sessions 1956-61" ...

Very good.

[Pete C]

A recent discovery for me has been the playing of Lawrence Brown especially in small group contexts.

You are a man of impeccable tastes.

[stonemonkts]

I'm the Milton Berle of taste.

[kenny weir]

I'm picking up the Mosaic Select Don Pullen but while I'm there I thought I'd ask for any opinions on "The Complete Small Group Johnny Hodges Verve Sessions 1956-61" and also the Dexter Gordon Select Box.

A recent discovery for me has been the playing of Lawrence Brown especially in small group contexts. I see Brown plays with Hodges on many of those sessions, hence my interest (I also love Hodges and Ben Webster, so to me this set is a no-brainer). Any opinions??

Thanks,
Stone

The Hodges box hit my joint about a month ago and I'm loving it. Much of what I'd read about it said that apart from Hodges the star of the set was Ben Webster. Wrong. The other real star is Brown - he's just so fine throughout. So sounds like this set's for you.

[stonemonkts]

Thank you Alankin and Kenny for sharing your opinions, and Pete C (who introduced me to Lawrence Brown's small group stuff in the first place).

I went for all three (Hodges, Pullen, Dexter). I'll report back here after I've had a chance to listen.

[crawjo]

I've been looking at getting the J.J. Johnson box. Any opinions?

[Derek Taylor]

One of my favorites. Some folks complain of a sameness across the seven discs (all small groups- quartets & quintets), but the level of musicianship & the arrangements are high caliber throughout. Johnson hardly ever falters & Bobby Jasper is a beautiful foil for his always lubricious brass. And then there's the rhythm sections...

The long & short of it? Well worth your shekels.

[crawjo]

Thanks for the info, Derek. I absolutely LOVE J.J.'s playing, but I don't have much of his stuff as a leader, just the sides with Clifford Brown and the Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Vol. 2. Now, I just need to figure out a way to come up with the shekels to bring this baby to my doorstep...

[Scott Dolan]

Anything with J.J. on it is worth every penny, IMO.

I've been eyeing that set myself.

[stonemonkts]

I like the J.J. box set very much, although I'd stop short of praising it as extraordinary, as compared to other Mosaic sets I know.

Since you like his playing I would say it is worth the money.

Mosaic sets are worth it no matter what...if you don't like it, wait till it goes OOP and sell it for at least 1.5X what you paid.

Of the two dozen or so I've obtained, only three are on the To Be Sold Later pile.

[Derek Taylor]

Of the two dozen or so I've obtained, only three are on the To Be Sold Later pile.

Curious which three, stone?

[stonemonkts]

Curious which three, stone?

Teddy Wilson Trio on Verve (actually selling it on E Bay now, auction to end tomorrow afternoon I believe) - I love Teddy Wilson behind Billie Holiday and Lester Young, but I found these trio dates somewhat disappointing.

Gerald Wilson box - probably wonderful but just not my cup of tea.

Curtis Amy Mosaic Select - There's a fantastic single CD burn in this box but I found the material uneven over 3 Cds.

[stonemonkts]

Another one the jury is still out on is the Max Roach box. I love Max but I'm not as enamored with the box in its entirety as I'd like (although I am still not sure one way or the other).

I'm sure it'll fetch a handsome price once it goes oop.

[crawjo]

I like the J.J. box set very much, although I'd stop short of praising it as extraordinary, as compared to other Mosaic sets I know.

Since you like his playing I would say it is worth the money.

Mosaic sets are worth it no matter what...if you don't like it, wait till it goes OOP and sell it for at least 1.5X what you paid.

I just ordered it. Fortunately, the necessary shekels arrived today as I was unexpectedly given a writing gig, which freed up some cash. Plus, as you say, if I don't like it I can sell this one for more than I bought it and make a tidy profit.

But I don't think I'm gonna sell it...

Stoner, Cadence finally said that they shipped out the cds today. So hopefully I will have yours out to you this week.

[stonemonkts]

Thanks for the Cadence news.

On J.J., I think you'll like it too. There are some really sublime moments, especially on the earlier dates. But it is fairly consistent throughout, and very good overall. I have no plans on selling my copy, that's for sure.

One of these days you owe it to yourself to pick up the single CD of the Mulligan Concert Jazz Band at the Vanguard (BMG has it). At least to see what all the fuss we've been making is all about. The Mulligan Mosaic box is among my very favorites (so is the Brookmeyer Select, for that matter).