take5

Pardon this extreme newbie question: I've been listening to and collecting jazz for a couple of years now and coming to this forum is the first I've seen about these Mosaic sets, so no, I don't have any. I visited their website and they don't have much info. In general, I don't like box sets. Many of them are too academic- track order is chronological, lots of talking or alternate takes or whatever- I just like to listen to the albums. Also, packaging can be unwieldy and space consuming (I toss out jewel cases of CDs and store them in binders, obviously couldn't do that with a box set). Not to mention that cost. (Those Mosaics are like a hundred bucks!) I don't even have the fancy Miles sets from Columbia- and I'm a huge Miles fanatic. I just got all the albums. I do have a few box sets, of course: Coltrane- European concerts, Coltrane- complete Vanguard, Miles- complete Plugged Nickel, Corea- Origin at Blue Note, Miles- complete Montreaux, and a bunch of rock stuff. Those are cool because you don't get most of that music anywhere else, especially live stuff. How do these Mosaics sound? Do they re-package music that is available elsewhere, re-releasing old albums, or is it all previously unavailable material? The Mosaic site lists a Django set as their next release. That's an artist I've always wanted to get into. Would this be a good way to start? I may come to regret asking about this because my music budget is already stretched between jazz, classical, rock, and SACD. Eep.

I've had my eye on the Charlie Parker Verve Master Takes box set. I think it's relatively new. It comes in like a tin can. My questions: 1. How does it sound? Obviously it won't be audiophile quality, but do they use too much noise reduction or anything like that? 2. I'd like to eventually collect everything Charlie Parker released, but am not really interested in false starts, alternates, and all that academic stuff. I'm wondering if this is a good start. Right now, I only have compilations.

I have the set and really like it. It serves to demonstrate that Miles' 80s material has value, it just rarely came through on the studio albums. I have more Miles CDs than any other artist, so I'm one of those guys who pretty much likes everything he does to some degree (though I've removed the duds from the collection, like Quiet Nights and Man With the Horn *shudder*). I've always wanted to hear some more hot live material from this period since I listened to We Want Miles, by far the best post-'70s Miles record, IMO. No coincidence that one is live, too. Sure there are many version of Human Nature and Time After Time. But who listens to 20 CDs in one shot, anyway? I listen to a concert, which is usually 2 CDs on this set. The 70s stuff is nice but not essential. This music has been documented extensively on other releases. The last few disks I don't listen to, either, as the band is too small and peppered with relative amateurs, at least compared to the earlier discs, and Miles' decline is too much. The Quincy Jones thing is too cheesy- I can live without that. It's everything in the middle that I care about and makes the set worth it. The medleys with slap bass and killer drumming is great, and then when they take it down with Human Nature (a truly great song, even the original version) is sweet.

Yes, sir! I just found out they're playing the Iridium, so I'll be there tomorrow night. Can't wait! Love his playing with Mingus, but would I get blacklisted if I said I only had one of his albums (4,5 & 6)?

I would like #46, please.

I saw this band at the Blue Note in NYC a few months ago. It was fun and the band is tight, but if anyone else is going, don't expect Maynard to play much. He can barely get on stage without passing out, let alone blow a horn. During the drum solo when the drummer was bringing it down soft and low in the middle, one lady blurts out, "He must be getting tired!" Maynard gave her a good razzing for that.

Tell me about it. I feel so ashamed for instantly spotting the Mingus tune. In my defense, I hardly ever listen to Mingus albums where he doesn't play bass (so yes, that includes Oh, Yeah). It's just kinda "wrong" to me.

Ok, I just listened to this, so I'm very very late. I'm gonna hit the answers thread after this post. I liked the second track on disc 1, the reggae thing, just not the noise out of the horn player. I haven't found my way to appreciating male vocals, so much of these discs doesn't work for me. I've only recently started listening to female singers, so maybe I'll work my way towards this. And I recognised and love the Ellington.

Rock for me, but I've been getting into classical more and more. I can see myself gradually phasing out rock in favor of jazz and classical. I'm getting old.

I missed the group last time they played here in NYC and I was so mad. They are by far my favorite playing jazz group.

I'm 26 years old. Not a lot of female jazz fans in my circle. I just separate my love of music and women. I've just accepted that a woman won't understand (nevermind share) this passion. They just have to tolerate it. Let me buy my music, let me go to the concerts, and don't get on my case. Letting someone do their own thing is as important in a relationship as sharing things. Music is my own thing.

Most of Steely Dan's catalogue would be appropriate for this thread.

Corea, like Miles and 'Trane, means different things to different people. My tastes lately have favoring "standard" acoustic jazz, but I used to be into electric fusion type stuff before, so RTF and some of his solo work both mean a lot to me. Of his acoustic music, I like his Origin and New Trio the most. I may be biased because Origin is the only live Corea I saw (at Carnegie Hall, with the Roy Hanes trio opening, no less). I liked the Akoustic Band when I first heard, when I first starting exploring jazz. Now I feel it's too "plastic," no grit, and no fun to listen to. Corea offers a great mix of innovation, brilliance, cheese (Mad Hatter, Leprechaun) and composition.

I have an extra copy of Sarah Vaughan's self-titled Verve album, with Clifford Brown. This is the "Desert Island Disc" series version (which just means it has a grey slipcase around it. I'm asking $10 for it, which includes shipping costs to anywhere in the US. E-mail me at take5a@yahoo.com if interested. I prefer PayPal, but will also take checks or money orders.

The first jazz concert I took my last girlfriend to was some old boring guys. I told her part of the fun was to just check out new stuff on a lark. Bad idea. Then I took her to a McCoy Tyner and though she never became a jazzbo, she at least understood the difference. Shopping for a CDs with a woman is easy. Just find the nearest shoe store before hand and remember to pick her up when you're done. Or not. Whatever. My dumb-ass solution to the CD addiction was to stop buying DVDs and books and to sell most of them away. The library and NetFlix make that easy. I'm giving myself one money draining hobby and there was no question as to what that would be. On some weekends, my CD addiction makes me a cheap date.

I just discovered this forum and this thread, so I decided to re-listen to Black Market. Weather Report albums currently in my collection: Black Market, Mysterious Traveler, Heavy Weather. Favorite: Mysterious Traveler (except the last couple tracks don't work for me) In general, my interest in fusion and Weather Report has been waning in favor of other stuff, but I'll revisit them every so often. Impressions and remeniscences of Black Market as I listen: Street noise, entering the Black Market. Track 1: groovy synth line/bass line, Zawinul toying with the melody. Music like this is anchored by the bass player, and this dude sure ain't no slouch. His place in jazz is unfortunately shadowed by the great Jaco, but this guy had a great rhythmic sense that was based on simplicity. Oh, wait, he just did a little awkward thing 4:40 into the tune. Eh, no matter. Ah, the low-key, track ending cut with the melody fade-out. What's blowing up over here? Track 2: Cannon Ball I haven't listened to this album in a while and I remember Jaco was on a couple tracks but forgot which. With the very first note of this tune I didn't need to look it up. Such command over everything he plays- he's not all chops and harmonics! This guy could play Mary Had A Little Lamb and would be gorgeous. Earlier in the thread (or another?) people were talking about their favorite Jaco performances. As a huge Joni Mitchell fan of course I love his work on Heijira (and you must hear some live performances of that band!), but how cool is Jaco's first solo album? Donna Lee duet with congas into a Sam & Dave soul tune? Track 3: Gibraltar Wayne leading us into the groove with a mellow soprano. The old-timey (to this 26 yr old) keyboard cheese is in full effect. Yes, I know, for it's time, etc and so forth. But sometimes it's so cheesy- and I love it! Stevie Wonder, Rick Wakeman- these guys got some delightful sonic amusement out of their spankin' new keyboard chachkes. Oh, nice crashing cymbal work 3:30 into the track. And now all the instruments are playing the same riff leading into Wayne's blowing. I like that trick. Track 4: Elegant People Ah, Zawinul is using a piano sound! A nice break in the middle of the album. The pretty tune on the album. Track 5: Three Clowns The short ballad. Fusion ballads usually sound silly to me. Track 6: Barbaby Coast How the hell does Jaco get so much funk out of every note even when he never slaps or thumps or pops or whatever the hell Stanley Clark does all the time? It's too bad so many of Weather Report's songs later on weren't good enough to this. Track 7: Herandnu Coleco Vision sound effects are back in full effect. The opening of the track is more a sound collage, which is cool. I'll be keeping the other AOW threads in my head next time I hit the record store, and I'd love to do my own at some point. This is cool.

Evan, give us a concert review after you see Shorter. I hear he's been playing some interesting material. I picked See No Evil because it was my first one and, along with JuJu, is a nice balance between accessibility and sophistication.

SWEET!

Aw, damnit, I posted my review of the Saturday night show in another thread. Oh well. But yeah, cool show!

The show was a lot of fun. Silver's playing is sparse and quirky. He's not displaying massive technical chops, just having fun with the tunes. The drummer had some heavy Blakey thing going on, very appropriate for the Messenger's style hard-bop. All the tunes were mid to up tempo swinging numbers. The trumpet player / band leader started off uninspired but kicked in the juice later on. One of the trombone players was awesome (the other not so much). The sax players were competent but not particularly inspiring. Bass player was real smooth. Closing number was, not surprisingly, Song For My Father, which started off as a trio bit after the opening theme and the horn players came back one-by-one. Very cool.

The first is the "Titan" symphony, and that word pretty much describes the man's work. But it's the shortest, too: it's the only one that fits on one CD, to my knowledge. Very dense, huge orchestration. I've been delving into his work recently. It can be like its own hobby. I have yet to see it performed live, though.

Miles Smiles is one of those records that totally changed me, made me "understand." One can write a PhD thesis on William's non-time in-time drumming alone. Simply breathtaking. The "2nd quintet" was a firestorm of innovation.

Cassandra Wilson is great. No, not a pure jazz singer, but sure makes great music. Lizz Wright is the most impressive young jazz singer I've heard. She does lots of original songs and a smokin' version of Afro Blue. She comes from a gospel tradition so her voice is powerful, but real warm, too. Her fist album, Salt, is great. I also saw her this past weekend and she cooked!