John Patton Mosaic Select: What's in, What's Out?

[David Ayers]

Used to have a Ponder LP called Illusions on ABC/Impulse. With strings, IIRC. It went to a better home but I bet I'd revel in it if I ever heard it again.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Used to have a Ponder LP called Illusions on ABC/Impulse. With strings, IIRC. It went to a better home but I bet I'd revel in it if I ever heard it again.

It's not bad, but not particularly great. His best in that line, I reckon, is "While my guitar gently weeps". If I've not got the dates wrong, I think this was arranged by Bob James before he went to CTI.

MG

[mikelz777]

I got the Patton Select and had a chance to listen to it this weekend. It's the first Patton in my collection and I've got to say it's a real winner! He and Grant Green are a natural pair and they sound great together. I think my favorite of the Patton releases included in the set is "That Certain Feeling" with Jimmy Ponder. That was a solid outing with a great groove that made me want to re-listen as soon as it was over.

Nothing on the set was disappointing at all and like a well assembled box set should, it makes me want to check out even more John Patton. At times, Harold Alexander's playing on the 3rd disc moved a little further "out" than I usually like but it's closer to "toeing the line" than pushing too far out. I'm pretty sure it will grow on me with a few listens.

Two thumbs up.

[Face of the Bass]

I got the Patton Select and had a chance to listen to it this weekend. It's the first Patton in my collection and I've got to say it's a real winner! He and Grant Green are a natural pair and they sound great together. I think my favorite of the Patton releases included in the set is "That Certain Feeling" with Jimmy Ponder. That was a solid outing with a great groove that made me want to re-listen as soon as it was over.

Nothing on the set was disappointing at all and like a well assembled box set should, it makes me want to check out even more John Patton. At times, Harold Alexander's playing on the 3rd disc moved a little further "out" than I usually like but it's closer to "toeing the line" than pushing too far out. I'm pretty sure it will grow on me with a few listens.

Two thumbs up.

Cool. I've been thinking about getting this one after hearing Patton for the first time on The Natural Soul. Any other opinions on this box? Most of the discussion in this thread seems to be about what was and was not included in the set, which really isn't an issue for me since I have nothing by Patton.

Thanks.

[mikelz777]

For what it's worth, here's the AMG review of the Patton Mosaic Select. They give it a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.

The Mosaic Select treatment has deservedly been given to Big John Patton. There are those who argue that Patton's entire catalog should have been the subject of a Mosaic box set proper. There was easily enough material for five, if not six, CDs. There are five albums collected here. His first three, Along Came John, The Way I Feel, and Oh Baby!, were recorded in 1963, 1964, and 1965, respectively. The last two on this set are That Certain Feeling and Understanding, from 1968. Missing are Blue John, his proper second album from 1963 and unreleased until 1986, Let 'Em Roll, and Got a Good Thing Goin', released in 1965 and 1966, and his post-1968 work, Accent on the Blues, Memphis to New York Spirit (unreleased until 1996), and Boogaloo. Quibbling aside, of the material included here, only Along Came John is currently available domestically, making this set a necessary purchase for Patton fans who have not shelled out the big bucks for Japanese pressings. Virtually every one of these outings is important, the first because it showcased Patton outside of his stead in Lou Donaldson's great early-'60s combo, accompanied by tenors Fred Jackson and Harold Vick with Grant Green and Ben Dixon. The band changed only slightly for The Way I Feel, when Vick was replaced by trumpeter Richard Williams. On Oh Baby!, Jackson was replaced by Vick and Williams by Blue Mitchell. These three dates are all very much of a piece. The band stays deep in the funky blues groove while nodding to the waning days of hard bop. And while the horns are generally regarded as strictly meat and potatoes on these sides, a close listen will correct that erroneous perception.

In the late '60s, Patton's sound became more lean, yet also more expansive and spacious. With Junior Cook on saxophone, Clifford Jarvis on drums, and Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Patton embarked on That Certain Feeling, one of his most illustrious dates as a leader. Ponder's fluid and edgy runs nicely complemented Patton's now arpeggio-heavy manner of playing. Cook's smoky tone that came out of both Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins added depth, dimension, and ambience to the band's sound. On the final session here, Understanding, the sound cut even closer to the bone: Harold Alexander was enlisted on tenor and flute, with drummer Hugh Walker the only other musician involved. The trio played all around the groove jazz sound, while turning it inside out in Alexander's out-ish honking solos. Patton's organ is way up in the mix, shape-shifting time signatures inside a 2/4 meter. The pace is aggressive, deep, and at times dissonant, making an excellent case for reappraisal here, as it dates better than anything else on this set. All in all, this is a deep, sometimes mystifying collection featuring Patton as a composer, bandleader, and arranger. His sense of rhythmic dynamics is among the most sophisticated in the history of the jazz B-3. There isn't a weak second on any of this material and it should be snapped up before Mosaic's copies go — they do not reissue. Blue Note should take the cue, do the entire catalog in 24-bit audio, and hustle it out there.

[bertrand]

Grachan Moncur told me he learned a lot about harmony from Big John when he worked with him in the early 80s.

Bertrand.

[Kyo]

"That Certain Feeling" - "Boogaloo" - and "Understanding" are my three favorite Patton dates, hands down.

"That Certain Feeling" - cuz of Jimmy Ponder (as previously mentioned)

and "Boogaloo" and "Understanding" cuz of Harold Alexander. ( )

I'm not quite ready to order the whole Select set yet, but I just ordered Boogaloo after checking out the short samples over at amazon.com. My second Patton disc after Let 'em Roll (which I like quite a bit). Can't wait to hear the whole thing!

[Kyo]

I'm not quite ready to order the whole Select set yet, but I just ordered Boogaloo after checking out the short samples over at amazon.com. My second Patton disc after Let 'em Roll (which I like quite a bit). Can't wait to hear the whole thing!

Got my copy of Boogaloo today and after four consecutive listens I am definitely ready to order the Select set, lol!

[Soulstation1]

this is also a good one....

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

this is also a good one....

Only good, eh?

MG

[Man with the Golden Arm]

but not quite as good as the re-issue!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

but not quite as good as the re-issue!

Ooo the 'eck is that!

MG

[Noj]

It's Britney Spears!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oh. OK.

MG

[sidewinder]

but not quite as good as the re-issue!

No wonder I get an 'Access forbidden - offensive content' message on my machine at work when I tried to bring up the Forum this week !

Edited January 11, 2007 by sidewinder