take5

Wow... God making children suffer right from birth. That's some swell religion ya got there...

No kidding! Only recently has my focus of music collecting gone from rock to jazz. I've just discovered Mosaic this summer and have been ordering stuff by artists I never heard before. Unfortunately, I like all of it. The only music I don't like is some of the Ellington Reprise stuff (though of course I was familiar with Duke's better material) and the first New Orleans session. But I'm lovin' the George Shearing, Buck Clayton, and Teddy Wilson. My Mosaic buying right now is purely based on grabbing up what appears on the Running Low/Last Chance lists and whatever OOP stuff I can get on ebay. It adds a wonderful element of surprise and discovery to my music collecting and listening when I'm not choosing based on music but on the fortunes of the Music Collecting Fates, with an almost-guarantee of quality music, sound, and packaging. No selects yet. Two more Mosaics coming in the mail: Woody Shaw and Kenton (ebay and Running Low, respectively)

My CDs never leave my house. I use MP3 CDs for the car and @ work. Use the computer to listen to music. If someone wants to "borrow" a CD, I make them a CD-R. My babies are too precious to me...

I already met the parents, but she hasn't met mine. Will be going over tonight... and bringing Complete Grant Green w/ Sonny Clark Quartet Sessions for her.

Our first date was to see the Joe Lavano Qt (w/ Hank Jones) and two weekends ago we saw Ahmad Jamal. She's gonna be living in Boston and I'll be in NY, but we'll obviously visit a lot and have to jazz scenes to play with. It's nice being able to combine dating and concerts, instead of having to choose each night. I placed an order for the Ornette Coleman box set, so she'll be getting my individual CDs. That should be interesting...

I am currently on a major box set kick, collecting box sets (mostly jazz), even if it replicates some of the CDs I already have. I just love the way they look, feel, the exhaustive material, etc. I also recently started spending time with a lovely young lady who has shown tolerance and even appreciation for my music insanity. As most 22 yr olds (I'm 26, so don't worry, nothing creepy going on here), she is uneducated about jazz music (here is where I would normally put my rant about how under-appreciated jazz is, but I'll keep this thread positive). Here's how serendipity comes into play: as I acquire these sets, I need to get rid of some CDs with repeated music. Normally I'd sell them or trade them to spun.com, getting an average of $2 a CD. Instead, I'm just giving them all to her. The timing is excellent: I have great CDs to give and she is building a great music library for free. I also love the fact this music is being enjoyed by someone I care about. That's worth a lot more than the money. Thank goodness for amazon marketplace and ebay, allowing me to do all this without completely breaking the bank. Here are the box sets I've been getting and the CDs she got from me as a result: Miles Davis- all 6 of those metal spine Columbia sets (which look so cool on my shelf) She gets: Milestones, 'Round About Midnight, Kind of Blue, Porgy & Bess, Miles Ahead, Sketches of Spain, ESP, Miles Smiles, Nefertiti, Miles in the Sky, Sorceror, Filles De Killemanjaro, Water Babies, In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson- all remastered except the last (I don't think a remastered Jack Johnson has been released yet) So it's a pretty solid Miles Davis collection. At some point I'll burn her copies of Birth of the Cool and some of the pre-Columbia quintet music (album titles ending with an apostrophe) to complete the picture. John Coltrane- Complete Atlantic and Impulse! Studio Quintet box sets She gets: My Favorite Things, Ole Coltrane, Coltrane Jazz, Coltrane Sound, Coltrane (Impulse!), Crescent, Ballads, Chim Chim Chiree, Transition, Sun Ship, First Meditations To compliment this bounty, I included a CD-R of A Love Supreme and Giant Steps (without bonus tracks, they all fit on one disc) as well as a warning about 'Trane's later music. I could not in all good conscious give someone the majority of 'Trane's peak material without somehow including these two albums. However, my Giant Steps CD is the MFSL gold which of course I want to keep, and my A Love Supreme CD is the 2-CD new version with the live stuff and I of course have the SACD, and ain't no way I'm parting with any of that. Ella Fitzgerald- complete songbooks She gets: Cole Porter and Irving Berlin songbooks Charlie Parker- Complete Savoy & Dial Sessions She gets: Yardbird Suite (a solid 2 CDs compilation) Paul Simon- remastered albums, box She gets: Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin' Simon, Still Crazy After All These Years, Graceland, Rhythm of the Saints, You're the One She also got my copy of Charles Mingus' Carnegie Hall concert because I acquired the MFSL gold CD, and Sarah Vaughan's s/t album because I had two copies due to a screw up with an order. What I'm planning on getting/giving: Charles Mingus- Complete Atlantic recordings I ordered this, but it came without the slipcase, so I sent it back, waiting for a new one, etc. When I get it, she will get pretty much all the music on that set: Pithecanthropus Erectus, Oh Yeah, The Clown, Tonight At Noon, Antibes concert. Mingus is my ultimate music idol, so that should be fun. Grant Green w/ Sonny Clark- Mosaic box set I believe this OOP Mosaic I won on ebay contains all the music that's on the double CD from Blue Note, though I haven't checked. If so, the lucky lady will get that set, which is amongst my favorite music outside of the Big Holy 5 (Monk, Bird, 'Trane, Miles, Mingus). The rest I haven't ordered but am planning to at some point: Duke Ellington- Complete RCA Victor She would get the 3 CD set that's compiled from this 24 CD monster. Still waiting to find a good deal on it. Bille Holiday- Columbia set She would get my 2 CD compilation. Ornette Coleman- Complete Atlantic She would get: Free Jazz, Change of the Century, Shape of Things To Come I am also considering the Herbie Hancock complete Blue Note set, but don't know how that sounds compared to the individual CDs. Any opinions are appreciated. On top of all this, she gets a 120 CD rack that I obviously no longer need. Yesterday she IMs me to tell me she loves Sun Ship Our first date was to see the Joe Lovano Qt (with Hank Jones). Last weekend we saw Ahmad Jamal play in a park. Oh, and she ain't to hard on the eyes neither. And because she studies science, I was able to explain compression and why so many recordings suck (sound waves, amplitude, etc are not foreign concepts to her) Are you all jealous yet? Normally I never push my music on people, but if they're interested, I love it when people get exposed to the greatest art in the world. And at least my collecting obsessions are doing some other good as well.

This thread makes me want to estimate a similar calculation of dead people, but I'm not sure how to count something like the Grateful Dead or the Allman Bros, where only some of them are dead.

Big Wheel, your calculations don't include ebay purchases, revenue that wouldn't be going to Mosaic. But I guess that makes up for using the minimum of the choices in the poll. I have 2 and 4 more coming in the mail from ebay (all OOP), but I've only just started, Lord help me...

Go Pats!!! (Who will repeat, of course)

I was there. I went for Jamal, who I've never actually heard but read a lot about and enjoyed his set a lot. Excellent phrasing and original compositions. Scott was nice. I don't like male jazz singing, but he's got his own style and I always respect that. He does, indeed, sound like a woman.

Received the disc and playing it now- thanks! Don't have much to add as usual and don't really know any of the music, but I like most of it (though I'm not into the "modern" electric sound as much as I used to be). Was Fascinating Rhythm being quoted in track 5 or 6?

e-mail sent

Oh, that. Yeah, don't have much use for DVD-A anymore. Still have the CD, of course.

Machine Head? I don't get it. Of course I must ask why the seller is infamous. I haven't paid him yet, so any info would be nice.

Yes. My girlfriend will have to deal with McDonalds for a while...

I'm a very bad boy- just nabbed me three Mosaic sets off of e-bay: George Shearing Buck Clayton Jam Sessions Grant Green/ Sonny Clark Blue Note pretty sweet, eh?

Why do people bid for an item when there are still a few days left? It only drives the final price up higher. Doesn't it make more sense to wait until the last day?

I actually like De Drums a lot, more than some of the other material. Yes, it's the most "accessible," but I like that and love it's place on the album. Some of the sax excursions, with the harsh tone and squeaking on the first couple of tracks puts me off, but the rhythm section always keeps it interesting.

Guy, I'm a huge Crimson nut, so am very well acquainted with all the ProjecKt stuff. Space Groove is actually, IMO, the weakest of the ProjecKt recordings, because it all just came from the three of them screwing around with a new pair of electronic drums. Some of the material on the first CD is pretty nice, but it gets totally lost in the 2nd. My favorite ProjecKt material is found in two of the King Crimson Collector's Club releases, especially ProjecKt 4 live in San Francisco. That is both an awesome performance in itself and most clearly demonstrates where Crimson itself was going. Liquid Tension is a lot of fun, and I saw their first of four performances live. I don't like most fusion anymore, especially 80s/90s stuff. I guess I thought some of it was cool in college, but it all sounds so sterile. Al DiMeola can be fun to listen to. I have two compilations, don't know if I'll keep them. Saw him live, it was cool at the time, but I don't think I'd bother nowadays.

What's wrong with rap? At least it ain't jazz! Let's not play that game, OK? I just listened to Bear's Picks Vol 1, so I've now listened to everything in the Golden Road disc. Reading this thread, it's quite daunting how much material there is out there.

Interesting thread. I absolutely adore this band- my favorite current jazz music. I have some old Holland record, Life Cycle, and then all the quintet and big band recordings starting with Prime Directive. Of course I've been meaning to get the earlier stuff as well and have never even heard his band with Steve Coleman Nevertheless, I find this music consistently engaging. I don't like most current jazz because it's either too "out there," and I don't know what's going on, or two traditionalist (why should I bother with people copping the older cats, when I can just listen to the older cats, who did it better, anyway?). DHQt is modern but grounded, elegant and adventurous. I can't say I'm a big fan of vibes per say, but I'll listen to any instrument if it's played well. Love the big band album, too. Unfortunately, have yet to see them live.

Interesting thread. I absolutely adore this band- my favorite current jazz music. I have some old Holland record, Life Cycle, and then all the quintet and big band recordings starting with Prime Directive. Of course I've been meaning to get the earlier stuff as well and have never even heard his band with Steve Coleman Nevertheless, I find this music consistently engaging. I don't like most current jazz because it's either too "out there," and I don't know what's going on, or two traditionalist (why should I bother with people copping the older cats, when I can just listen to the older cats, who did it better, anyway?). DHQt is modern but grounded, elegant and adventurous. I can't say I'm a big fan of vibes per say, but I'll listen to any instrument if it's played well. Love the big band album, too. Unfortunately, have yet to see them live.

Received it and am listening to it now, thanks!

I only have TFA and Phrenology, but love both. Definitely need to get the rest, the new one, and see them live.

I'm listening to the second disc now. I am really liking- maybe my favorite one so far because it has less of the blues stuff. I like Pigpen gettin' down and all, but I just generally have been falling out of favor with white blues anyway. The stuff on this disc, with Garcia singing and the dual guitar stuff, the spacy arrangements- that's what I pretty much expected and wanted to hear. The verson of Truckin' hear is outstanding. I must give special mention to Phil Lesh. How does he know where to move the bass around what the guitarists are doing?