hopkins

OK - it was a single track, not the whole box set! Mosaic has samples anyway if people are curious to compare them to whatever version they currently have: https://www.mosaicrecords.com/product/classic-vanguard-small-group-swing-sessions-limited-edition-box-set/

Thanks for letting me know, and sorry for my enthusiasm:)

I hope Mosaic Records will not take issue with me sharing a nice track from that Buck Clayton session, for those interested in hearing what it sounds like:

I received my set yesterday. My CD ripping software conveniently found all the track titles. I already had most of the sessions, but agree the sound is nice (they did not apply too much noise reduction; there are some clicks/pops on a few tracks). Last night I played the Buck Clayton July 1, 1954 session with Buddy Tate several times. Very nice! The recording itself is far from perfect, the tapes are 70 years old, but the Mosaic track sounds sharper, more vivid, than the digital version I had prior to that, which you can find on streaming services. https://www.discogs.com/release/8976533-Buck-Clayton-The-Essential-Buck-Clayton The liner notes describe how these Vanguard jazz recordings were first made: "In Brooklyn's Masonic Temple, Seymour [Solomon] had found his ideal recording venue. With Hammond as his new ally, Seymour hung a single microphone 30 feet over the stage, and recorded the first Vanguard jazz session on December 29, 1953... The new series was called the Vanguard Jazz Showcase, and the initial recordings carried a balanced soundstage with the instruments surrounded by natural echo emanating from the room's wooden walls and floors." These single microphone recordings required setting up the instruments correctly, and that was not always the case, as is explained in the liner notes: "As is abundantly clear by now, there are plenty of benefits to the single-microphone recording system. However, one of its critical failures can be heard on the opening track of this session [Just a Groove]...one microphone cannot correct a faulty balance on stage! At the beginning of this track, it sounds like Buck Clayton (cup mute) and Ruby Braff (straight mute) are standing behind the rhythm section, and at times, the acoustic guitar of Steve Jordan nearly drowns out the trumpets! The piano was provided by the Steinway company, and while Hammond reportedly moved it to different spots on the stage before the session began, the placement of the instrument seems distant and unfocused on this track.... But if th'e microphne can't fix the balance issue, certainly the musicians can. After Jimmy Jone's mystical piano solo, the trumpeters ditch their mutes and move to the front of the stage. The increased clarity makes an enormous difference."

Audiophiles don't listen to James P. Johnson I listened to the album and it sounds fine. Some tracks have more noise than others, as the source material is certainly of uneven quality - but it indicates that they did not make excessive use of noise reduction.

Listening to it now (streamed from Qobuz). It's a fun set. Some great beatboxing!

Here's another one I particularly enjoy: Portrait of Wellman Braud, from "New Orleans Suite". The album was recorded in quadraphonic sound. It was re-issued in quadraphonic sound on Blu Ray. https://store.rhino.com/en/rhino-store/artists/duke-ellington/new-orleans-suite-quadio-blu-ray-audio/081227815257.html I could not resist purchasing a copy, even though I have no way to listen to it in quadraphonic sound (4 speakers, with a special amp). However, I extracted the four channels of audio, to listen to them separately: https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/Portrait of Wellman Braud - Channel 1.wav https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/Portrait of Wellman Braud - Channel 2.wav https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/Portrait of Wellman Braud - Channel 3.wav https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/Portrait of Wellman Braud - Channel 4.wav - Channel one has Ellington's piano in the foreground - Channel two has Joe Benjamin's bass in the foreground - Channel three has the bass clarinet (Carney) and clarinet (Procope) solos and the saxophone section (if I am not mistaken) in the foreground - Channel four has the brass section and trumpet solo (Williams) in the foreground The instruments featured on each channel are really well recorded, and it is just interesting to listen to them individually. Perhaps some of you will be curious to listen to them, so enjoy!

Here's another that I particularly enjoy: Tina, from his Latin American Suite: However many times I listen to it, it still sounds fresh to my ears, as if Ellington was composing the piece for the first time. There is nothing flashy about his playing, nothing pretentious. It is simple, yet so subtle - creative, spontaneous, yet so obvious, and so captivating! His long improvisation on "Azure" at the Rainbow Grill (1967) gives me a similar impression, for example. I am sure there are many others. Ellington is often referred to as one of the great composers in jazz; he is certainly one of the greatest improvisers as well. I forget which jazz critic wrote that an Ellington chord was like a universe in itself, or something to that extent, and this piece also illustrates that aspect of his playing, which can be found in so many other tracks (I'm thinking for example of that chord that marks a transition half way through his "Mood Indigo" on "Masterpieces by Ellington"). Deep stuff! All this played over a nice latin beat. My only complaint would be that the track is too short, but I play it on repeat...

Here's one I really enjoyed listening to recently. It is "modest" in its ambition - just a solid "blues" with some groovy Hodges, and good accompaniment by Ellington and the band. It is "to the point", and I appreciate the simplicity. "Big Fat Alice's Blues": In a sense it is "quintessential" Ellington, or at least some aspects of Ellington... There are so many facets, this is just one. Now that I listen to it again, I think I'll be going on another Ellington binge in the coming days!

The digital version of this album has Sarah's voice on the left channel only - the mono LP is more relaxing to listen to. My cat chose to demonstrate her vocal range while I was recording this.

I have not checked all of the tracks, but I believe most of them have in fact probably been issued on CD before. The "Jo Jones Special" session, for example, was issued on CD by Fresh Sound Records (you can find other versions on streaming services issued by dodgy labels). I already have it on CD, and have the LP as well. I happen to like the sound quality of the latest Mosaic box sets - which were all handled by the same studio (Swan) - and this time they explain that everything was produced using the original master tapes. So between that, the booklet, and some of the sessions missing in my collection, I did not hesitate to pre-order it...

Same here!

Latest box set is now available for pre-order https://www.mosaicrecords.com/product/classic-vanguard-small-group-swing-sessions-limited-edition-box-set/

Some words by Ethan Iverson: https://open.substack.com/pub/iverson/p/tt-449-quincy-jones