gmonahan

I wish all the Victor stuff was available in a tight set with *good* sound. I have the "Indispensable" 2-cd set from French RCA, but the sound is pretty lousy, and the Victor stuff is spread all over the Bix Restored cds. I do love the Mosaic, but it doesn't include the Victor material. I have a particular weakness for Bix's solo on Whiteman's "Dardanella." There's this huge orchestra, lumbering along, trying and failing to sound "jazzy," and suddenly this amazing clarion-clear cornet comes exploding out with a wonderful solo. Still a goose-bump moment after all these years!

The Mosaic Verve set by her was one of the only truly surprising Mosaic sets I ever got. I expected a pretty good set, as I always do with Mosaic, but found it absolutely wonderful, and one I get out and listen to as often if not more often than most others. I wish this great artist well.

"Woody's Winners" was always my favorite of the Herman Columbias. I had sort of hoped Mosaic would combine the Herman Columbias with the Phillips for a box, but this singles release would appear to cut off that possibility. That said, all three Columbias from which this singles release is culled have been available in the recent past on cd, so I'm not bowled over by this particular selection. Now, if we could get a Select box with all the Herman Phillips recordings, that would be sweet!

Yeah, I'll be patient. Not my most prominent quality though. If you find out if there's another box by these two guys (and it's not the piano one, I have that), post about it here, will you? I'm sure I'd jump on it. This is all new to me. Do these boxes repeat material from the "Jazz in Paris" series? Or are they just compilations from various labels including American recordings?

I want to reiterate a recommendation for "New Orleans Suite." I've been listening to Ellington for a long time, and I like just about everything he did in the 60s and early 70s, but this suite really sticks with me. "Blues for New Orleans," with Johnny Hodges' last studio solo and duet with Wild Bill Davis, is absolutely majestic, and Cootie Williams is wonderful on the "Portrait of Louis Armstrong." I don't think there's a weak piece on this disc, and it really does capture the spirit of the Crescent City. Very highly recommended.

I very much agree! (Second home?) Second home: an extended stay hotel/apartment place in Medical Center area, Houston. Been here most of the time since early April caretaking my wife through cancer treatment. I've been down that road. You and your wife are in my thoughts.

It's worth mentioning in this thread (as opposed to the other two just cited!) that two artists in particular recorded some interesting material for Mainstream that has been indifferenly reissued: Maynard Ferguson, most of whose Mainstream material was only briefly issued on cd, and Sarah Vaughan. Her Live in Tokyo set is well worth seeking out. Some Mainstream stuff came out via the Jazz Heritage series, but it would be nice to have the Vaughan material in particular.

I got my 58 discs a few days ago (took about three weeks to get them--not bad at all!). I'd ordered 62, three were out of print, and they forgot to put the McLean "4,5,6" K2 in the box. I called *the man* at Concord, and he assured me they'd get it in the mail. I got it the very next day by Federal Express! That seemed a bit extravagant, but I was glad to get it. Now I have LOTS of listening to do!

Mosaic has finally updated its pre-order page to include a couple of Selects and three singles. I listened to the sound bytes and was surprised to find myself most attracted to the Andrew Hill select. Much of his music has often proved a bit remote to me, but the little of this solo work I heard really sounded lovely. I'm looking forward to getting that set and hearing it! I'll probably get the Buddy Rich too. I've always liked that band.

Agreed. Worth it more for Bill Evans' playing. Tony does better elsewhere. You know, I used to feel the same way as all the other posters on this thread--liked the Fantasy album, thought the Improv was so-so, but that album has really grown on me, especially "You Must Believe in Spring," a Michel Legrand tune that has seldom been recorded. Call me nuts (and some of you will!), but there's something about that song that really catches my attention. The Bennett "Complete Improv Recordings" on Concord is well worth it IMO. Some of Bennett's best work.

I don't doubt that! It would be interesting to know about the rights. It was pretty unusual, I think, for artists to own their masters at that time. The movie "Ray" made a big deal out of Ray Charles owning his masters at ABC/Paramount. I haven't read any biographies of Charles, so I don't know how accurate the movie was about that. For all his legendary status, Tea wasn't exactly a chart-topper, so it seems to me like it would be unusual for him to be able to make that kind of deal, but you never know. Regardless, I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the music--Bobby Hackett with him on it too! I don't personally believe that Joe Teagarden has the rights to this Verve lp, but that he is just putting it out because he wanted to have a "prize" recording to offer and he's mad at how his dad's work has been stiffed by some majors and bootlegged all over the world. Well, if that's the case, I'm in a *hurry* to get the album!

It wasn't her best period, the Roulette stuff, but there are treasures in the set. She did better with Mercury, and I'm fond of her later Pablo stuff, especially the Ellington Song Books. Big Happy Birthday, by the way, to Michael Cuscuna, who turned 58 on Wednesday!

I don't doubt that! It would be interesting to know about the rights. It was pretty unusual, I think, for artists to own their masters at that time. The movie "Ray" made a big deal out of Ray Charles owning his masters at ABC/Paramount. I haven't read any biographies of Charles, so I don't know how accurate the movie was about that. For all his legendary status, Tea wasn't exactly a chart-topper, so it seems to me like it would be unusual for him to be able to make that kind of deal, but you never know. Regardless, I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the music--Bobby Hackett with him on it too!

OK, I'm an idiot! Thanks for the url. I ordered the cd and will look forward to hearing this very last of Big T's studio albums. I wonder how they got the rights from Verve to sell it? Not that I'm complaining, mind you!

It's not generally known, but Jack's son has reissued that Verve lp as one of the three cds that he sells on the website. . . . I bought all three of those cds, and there's lots of great Teagarden on them. It's actually been some time since I last heard them, and I would pull them out right now if I could, but I'm in another city from my collection. . . . Could you give me the url? Thanks! Greg M.

I'm going to revive this thread and ask if anybody can tell me about the one Verve LP that hasn't yet been released on cd. I think it was simply titled "Jack Teagarden." It's long been a giant hole in my Teagarden collection, and I wish they'd reissue it!! Oh yeah, my favorite Teagarden? "St. James Infirmery" recorded with Satch at Town Hall. Oh yeah!

MUCH earlier on this particular thread (two years ago!), somebody mentioned the Vogue set. I bought it a few years ago in, of all places, Charles Degaulle Airport in Paris. It was a 9-cd set (not 8) entitled "Sidnet Bechet Intégrale Studio 1949/1958." There is some wonderful stuff there, including the interesting session with Solal, but to be honest, there are also a fair number of things that aren't that good. Bechet himself is always interesting, of course, but some of the musicians who accompanied him on the earlier material weren't even within shouting distance of his ability (which is too bad, since there *were* great French musicians at the time who could have given him better support). I've always believed that Bechet was one of those jazz greats who played best when he was really challenged by his bandmates. That said, "Blue Horizon" on Blue Note may well be the greatest single jazz record ever made. Makes my spine tingle every time I hear it! Greg M.

Or, to put this back on sort of a jazz footing (!), there is Paul Desmond's legendary story about the security guy at the fair where they were about to play. He stopped their car and asked them who they were. "The Dave Brubeck Quartet," they answered. He looked at his paperwork and asked, "How many in the Quartet?" Desmond always intended to use that as the title of his autobiography, but sadly, never got around to writing it. I love that line. Greg M.

You're ALL lunatics. This is really MY kind of group!

The very last cd in the Venuti/Lang set, which I hadn't gotten around to listening to for a while after I got the set. Turns out there is some wonderfully funny, goofy nonsense toward the end when these characters were cutting up in the studio (including a tune they entitled "Non-Skid Manure"!)

You're not Greg Maltz are you? I don't remember him ever using a smiley... Nope. Last name's Monahan. I only use the smiley's cause they're so available! And as to this being a dangerous thread, not to worry--I lost my wallet to Mosaic years ago. I order just about everything they put out, and finding space on the shelves is part of the FUN!

This board is *really* bad for my wallet! I hadn't even heard of the big Concord sale before I started reading here only a few days ago, and now, I've ordered 62 cds. I have no idea how many I'll actually get, but at $3 a pop, what tiny, insignficant, wispy resistance I *usually* mount to such an order disappeared immediately!

DVDs? No discussion of them here before - do you have any more information?

admittedy, I am using the search function as well whenever it makes any sense...(favorite counter example is still joe guy) don't know why though Sorry I didn't see the other threads. I'm fairly new to this group, so I'm figuring out all the ins and outs. Bear with me. It'll take me a while! As for Jazz in Paris, they've also issued some DVDs. I saw 'em in Paris when I was there earlier this summer (along with the cool new box sets). 'Course, there's probably a thread on those too!!

Nice collection Greg! There has been a gap for the big box sets, however they did release a bunch of singles in that time span. I'm getting excited about the Ellington and the Chu Berry later in '07! Oh me too--especially the Ellington Small Groups set. In fact, I sent them an email suggesting that while they were at it, it sure would be nice to have an Ellington 30s box collecting together all the big band stuff owned by Columbia. That material hasn't been issued in any organized way in the US for a long time. I *still* have the old "Ellington Era" boxes issued by Columbia back in the late Jurassic when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I could still find old 78s at Goodwill, but it would *really* be nice to have that marvelous material in a Mosaic box!