Mosaic Select: Pacific Jazz Piano Trios

[Alexander]

Those of you who heard my BFT (waaaaaay back at #9) know how fond I am of the ivories. For those who might be on the fence regarding this set, I highly recommend it. Excellent performances all around. When I got it, the only two that I know I'd heard before are Freeman and Rowles, but Twardzik (who died tragically young, and who's only performances as a leader (at least in a trio setting) are on this set) and Fischer are excellent. I'm especially taken with Fischer who is heard to great effect with Gary Peacock on disc three. Two thumbs waaaay up from me!

Edited January 3, 2006 by Alexander

[Chuck Nessa]

Yup! All really interesting stuff. Russ Freeman was one of the first "real" musicians I met. The Fischers were issued at a time I was "ready to go there", if you know what I mean. I do have to admit when I met Clare he "set me straight"! In spite of the stupid crap he spewed, I still like these dates a bunch.

[B. Goren.]

Those of you who heard my BFT (waaaaaay back at #9) know how fond I am of the ivories. For those who might be on the fence regarding this set, I highly recommend it. Excellent performances all around. When I got it, the only two that I know I'd heard before are Freeman and Rowles, but Twardzik (who died tragically young, and who's only performances as a leader (at least in a trio setting) are on this set) and Fischer are excellent. I'm especially taken with Fischer who is heard to great effect with Gary Peacock on disc three. Two thumbs waaaay up from me!

I agree that the 2 recorded sessions with Fischer are the best of this set.

[mikeweil]

I dug out the Freeman & Twardzik Trio CD on Pacific Jazz a few days ago to get an idea of what to expect the day I can afford this set.

I had one of the Fischers on Japanese CD but wasn't too thrilled at the time - maybe next time.

I loved the Rowles, but the Japanese CD was dubbed from a Liberty LP - awful. How's the sound in this set?

All very individual players. Worth every cent, I suppose.

[RDK]

Those of you who heard my BFT (waaaaaay back at #9) know how fond I am of the ivories. For those who might be on the fence regarding this set, I highly recommend it. Excellent performances all around. When I got it, the only two that I know I'd heard before are Freeman and Rowles, but Twardzik (who died tragically young, and who's only performances as a leader (at least in a trio setting) are on this set) and Fischer are excellent. I'm especially taken with Fischer who is heard to great effect with Gary Peacock on disc three. Two thumbs waaaay up from me!

I agree that the 2 recorded sessions with Fischer are the best of this set.

I'll second (third?) that. The only session I'm not overjoyed with is the Rowles, and honestly that might be due to the subpar sound.

[B. Goren.]

I dug out the Freeman & Twardzik Trio CD on Pacific Jazz a few days ago to get an idea of what to expect the day I can afford this set.

I had one of the Fischers on Japanese CD but wasn't too thrilled at the time - maybe next time.

I loved the Rowles, but the Japanese CD was dubbed from a Liberty LP - awful. How's the sound in this set?

All very individual players. Worth every cent, I suppose.

Mike, IMHO onle the quality of the sessions with Fischer worth the price of the set. All the rest is a bonus for me.

Edited June 30, 2006 by B. Goren.

[B. Goren.]

BTW: There are three sessions with Fischer and not two as I previously mentioned.

[Dave James]

Anything from Richard Twardzik is a godsend. There was an absolute uniqueness to his sound and in the way he put a tune together that puts him, IMO, in the company of artists like Monk and Herbie Nichols. His all too early departure was one of the great losses to the music.

Up over and out.

[wolff]

A jazz pianist from Spokane, WA, yeah right. LMAO. That's as likely as an NBA lottery pick from the Palouse, with diabetes no less.

[Rooster_Ties]

I might well be up for this set sometime (maybe when I get the new Hill select).

Further discussion of the individual sessions would be welcome, and I guess then I'm looking for reviews.

Thanks!!

[Joe]

Fischer is an interesting pianist at this stage of his career, for sure. But what great bass-drums teams on those recordings: Gary Peacock and Gene Stone [hear Don Ellis' ESSENCE for more]; Ralph Pena and Larry Bunker; and Albert Stinson and Colin Bailey.

[Larry Kart]

Beginning to move through the set, I was struck by how much better Ron McMaster did with the Russ Freeman material than he did the first time, back in 1989. Freeman sure was a unique, swinging player. I particularly like the way he can strongly recast a standard in his own gnarly terms and still leave the tune-as-tune there (e.g. "You Stepped Out of a Dream," "East of the Sun," "The Party's Over"). Also, Harry Warren's "At Last" is a damn fine piece of music.

[jazzbo]

I'm going to have to get this Select. I have everything else either on Japanese cd or on vinyl. . . but I don't have all of the Rowles. And. . .well. . .that's not a good situation.

[jazzbo]

I'm going to have to get this Select. I have everything else either on Japanese cd or on vinyl. . . but I don't have all of the Rowles. And. . .well. . .that's not a good situation.

[(BB)]

A jazz pianist from Spokane, WA, yeah right. LMAO. That's as likely as an NBA lottery pick from the Palouse, with diabetes no less.

Hey, a lot of famous folks here in Spokane, besides the afore mentioned semi-mustachioed bulldog.

A True Spokane Piano Great

Edited July 2, 2006 by (BB)

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

hi everybody chewy-chew-chew here 2 tell u that i NEVER have seen that lp ANYWHERE or i would of checked it out and probably bought it if it was under $2.99. thats my capper price for regional northwest jazz lps anyway. my cappers larger for regional country and garage rock beacuse they have a better northwest music track record.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

#4398 recently arrived at an address in Falls Church, VA..........is this set flying off the shelves?

[Ron S]

#4398 recently arrived at an address in Falls Church, VA..........is this set flying off the shelves?

It's been discussed ad nauseam on this Board that, unlike the big boxes, the Selects are not shipped in sequential order. But that's OK--feel free to add some more nauseam.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Oops, sorry.

Now go call Tarantino back and get the final word on that Evans Vanguard box!!

[Ron S]

Now go call Tarantino back and get the final word on that Evans Vanguard box!!

I would, but I understand he's very busy remastering the entire Debbie Boone library--he mumbled something about the first issues in Concord's new 128-bit K3 series.

[king ubu]

Bumping this up... I finally got hold of this set, as I've mentioned elsewhere. Played it all by now, and it's very, very nice to have! Not one that jumped in my face and sounded like the greatest most thrilling stuff, but certainly one that will grow on me!

I have a question about the Jimmy Rowles set though. That one was released on Liberty and was initially planned for release on Nocturne.

Fresh Sound did a 3CD set "Complete Nocturne Recordings, Vol. 1" - a mighty fine collection of music with a good booklet - quite out of the ordinary, compared to their track record, and while maybe not legally cleared, Pujol seems to have been in touch about that with most of the musicians, who contributed remembrances etc.

In Jimmy Rowles' case, he also contributed two more tunes, an alternate take of "Let's Fall in Love" and the previously unreleased "All the Things You Are".

Why did Mosaic not include those? Might Pujol have done a "better" job for once by getting in touch with the musicians, while Mosaic "only" went the "usual" route by digging through the archives, looking for the masters etc?

This is the Fresh Sound 3CD set in question:

http://freshsoundrecords.com/record.php?record_id=1228

[brownie]

Might Pujol have done a "better" job for once by getting in touch with the musicians, while Mosaic "only" went the "usual" route by digging through the archives, looking for the masters etc?

Ubu, you're answering your question.

The 84-page booklet that accompanied the Nocturne set should have been a model for the Mosaic Select booklets.

The Select ones stuck to recopying the original albums liner notes and adding a postscript by Cuscuna.

I am glad to have those Selects around but Pujol is the one who did it right in that case!

[king ubu]

Too bad there was never (and as I understand, will never be) a Vol. 2!

I think a few more sessions were on OOP Fantasy CDs, but I never managed to find any of them for sensible prices and don't want to pay a lot of money for discs where I have half in the Vol. 1 set!

[JohnS]

Another vote for the presentation of the Nocturne set.

[romualdo]

I have to agree

This is one of the few occasions that a Mosaic set has been eclipsed by a "competitor" (and an impudent Spanish label at that !)

The Nocturne booklet is a real labour of love - it even contains a photo of Jordi Pujol with Shorty Rogers.