Mosaic big box sets

[LJazz]

I have 14 plus the Jazz Crusaders w/o the box or book.

[LJazz]

11, and I think I'll add 2 before the month is out. Bix/Tram/Tea & Stitt are the front runners, though Venuti/Lang & Parlan are still in the race. Odd how a week ago Stitt wasn't even on the radar (at least in terms of a big big box.) But dang, those samples are too good!

I HIGHLY recommend the Stitt if you like that style. One of my favorites.

[GA Russell]

15, plus the Blue Note retail version of the Clifford Brown box.

[J.A.W.]

3 for me (Anita O'Day, my first, Gerald Wilson, and Crusaders). I also find them overrated, and in fact, I want to sell the Anita O'Day one (PM me if you're interested!). I just prefer individual CD's, where possible.

That said, I'm thinking about the Art Farmer set, having purchased three of his individual CD's, which I'm really enjoying, from Paul recently. What can you do.

That Crusaders Box set is definitely not overrated.

That is definitely a matter of taste

[Peter Johnson]

Yes yes yes, the Crusaders box is indeed the shit! No individual CD's for those, though, and I had a hard time finding the records on wax. Same with the Gerald Wilson.

3 for me (Anita O'Day, my first, Gerald Wilson, and Crusaders). I also find them overrated, and in fact, I want to sell the Anita O'Day one (PM me if you're interested!). I just prefer individual CD's, where possible.

That said, I'm thinking about the Art Farmer set, having purchased three of his individual CD's, which I'm really enjoying, from Paul recently. What can you do.

That Crusaders Box set is definitely not overrated.

I totally agree, the Crusaders box is definitely not overrated. I'd say it's probably underrated, definitely unique in a very good way.

I'm into 4 of the big boxes at this point, The Crusaders, Hank Mobley, Horace Parlan and Stanley Turrentine. I really don't have the funds or required desire to spring for many (if any) more. I'd like to pick up the Gillespie box eventually.

[paul secor]

35. More than I would have thought - I never counted before.

Maybe Mosaic should give us a group discount.

[Van Basten II]

The music in some case maybe overrated but it remains the only way to access in that fashion an ensemble of music that would be pretty hard to get otherwise.

Seriously do you know a lot of companies who would work out a box set of guys like Horace Parlan.

Mosaic is overrated like Mozart is overrated it wouldn't the same without him.

[JohnJ]

11, I think. Don't really understand the overrated comments, that is the last thing I would call Mosaic.

[Rooster_Ties]

I'll have to count 'em when I get home.

I'm guessing something like about 12, maybe 15 tops.

Did a quick count, and I think it's 14 - but I have a hunch I'm overlooking one. (Or maybe the one I'm overlooking is the Don Cherry set that I've traded, since the last of this material recently became available as a Conn). In any case, 14 or 15.

All of them were purchased new, except for my Larry Young box -- bought on eBay (without a box or booklet, though I've since bought a slightly water-damaged Young booklet from another board member here -- still no box), and I also bought my Lee Morgan box used -- from a board member back on the old BNBB. Both were for pretty reasonable prices, not more than about $20 per disc as I recall, or maybe closer to $22 or $23 at most.

All of my sets are of Blue Note material, with the exception of Woody Shaw and Gerald Wilson, FWIW.

[kenny weir]

All of my sets are of Blue Note material, with the exception of Woody Shaw and Gerald Wilson, FWIW.

My own Mosaic habits bemuse me in this regard. When I first started hanging out at BNBB, any suggestion that I would veer AWAY from the Blue Note stuff as I slowly caught the Mosaic habit I would have found riotously funny.

As it turns out - with 12 on the shevles (Hey that sounds pretty cool, heh? ) and another on the way - the DByrd/PAdams (bought at Running Low) is the only BN Mosaic I've bought. And I like ity, but it's not a favourite.

Meantime, I fallen hard for Mosaic and the pleasure ir provides exploring some older and (often to me) less familiar areas ...

Chico Hamilton

Johnny Hodges

Woody Herman (Columbia)

Kenton (Holman/Coopper/Rosolino)

Kenton (Russo/Holman) - bought for $40 at last year's Wangaratta Jazz Festival!

Mulligan CB

Tav Farlow cheapie ex Amazon

HRS

Bix/Tram/Tea

Jazz Crusaders

Yesterday I ordered the Condon mob set, based entirely on the giddy pleasure the Bud Freeman Single has provided for the past week. More weirdness: I've become a Dixieland nut.

I look at the likes of the Mobley, Turrentine and Parlan sets, think about it, then say, "Nah".

[Kalo]

Just physically counted: 8 on vinyl, 4 on CD, so my "vote" was right on the mark.

(I also own 4 selects).

I hope that BruceH isn't disappointed in me. On the other hand, I was a supporter from the very beginning (my first set was their first set: the Monk Blue Notes).

And there are at least a handful of Mosaics I covet but haven't gotten around to. (Mulligan Concert Band and Golson/Farmer chief among them.)

What the hell, if I had the dough I'd buy them all...

[LAL]

I have the booklets for 70 sets, does that count?

[Kalo]

I have the booklets for 70 sets, does that count?

Explain, please.

[brownie]

I began acquiring these boxes soon after Mosaic got started. I started strong but slowed down lately.

I have 49 of the sets by now!

[tjobbe]

its 9 plus 2 on the short list (Crusaders and Wilson)....and the Gillespie when it hits Europe for a "Universal style price"

Cheers, Tjobbe

[king ubu]

Wow, so much bad words on the O'Day? I haven't made my way through all of it, but I loved all of it, so far! She's a totally astonishing singer and artist, in my opinion! Plus this is one of the "good for money" sets where more or less each disc holds two albums.

As for "overrated", throwing a bone some might find displeasant, but I think the ones I could easiest live without are in fact all the BN sets. Now that even the Hills are available as Conns or RVGs, I don't see the point... ok, I have many of them (Rivers, McLean, Morgan, Hill, Parlan, Fuller, Byrd/Adams, Tina Brooks LP - not sure that's all, going from memory) and except for the Brooks have not "upgraded" anything, but in the end it might be cheaper to get the RVGs and Conns, plus they're more easily accessible as single discs, and some may argue they sound better, too... of course you'd lack the nice booklets, but you can't have it all.

Anyway, I still think Mosaic is best when doing things like the Classic Capitol or the terrific H.R.S. (single discs on Fantasy, btw - some on the Concord sale list, I think), or then doing more unlikely things like the Bud Shank (much better than its reputation, I'd say - but as JAW said above, it's all a matter of taste), the Jacquet, the Giuffre, the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh, collecting either stuff from various labels or from labels that are not having good reissue series going on (Atlantic - ok, I dislike Collectables... - or Pacific Jazz).

[EKE BBB]

I think that one of the basic problems some people have with the Mosaics (leading them to call a box "overrated") is that they buy them as an introduction to an artist. I have read many times "Well, this is my first XXXX acquisition. I bought it because it was a Mosaic....".

Well, IMHO Mosaics are for completists (or for collectors, or for traders, or...) but NOT thought as a "first-pick" for a musician.

Just my 2 cents.

[EKE BBB]

Flurin, I hadn´t read your post before throwing mine.

Of course, not talking about you. You better fit with the "completist for each and every musician" definition!

[EKE BBB]

Oh, and I´m also in the +21 category.

[king ubu]

Good point!

Although I plead guilty as using some for introductory purposes, too (O'Day being the most recent one).

Some of the earlier, smaller sets (like the Fuller or the marvellous Thad Jones which I forgot above) were good for introduction, but nowadays, boxes are almost all at least 6-7 discs... and the Selects again are probably in many cases not great introductions because they feature lesser known musicians and would for many include too much stuff by those... (people may want "Katanga!" and maybe the one with Booby, but they're not interested in the organ dates and no one ever heard the name of that 'bonist anyway...)

[king ubu]

Well, now I hadn't read your next post before writing mine... I didn't think it was directed at me - rather a general (and valid) observation.

[Dave James]

88 big box sets. First set, Serge Chaloff. Last set, Dizzy Gillespie. 11 Selects.

Love the O'Day (jazz singing at its very best) and the Crusaders is definitely not overrated.

Up over and out.

[John Tapscott]

I have around 45 -50 black box Mosaic sets (too lazy to count) and half a dozen Selects. The count will soon go up by one with the arrival of the Stitt set under the 10% sale. I know people may call me crazy, but the one Mosaic set that I found slightly disappointing (or shall I say didn't quite meet my expectations) was the Mobley. Not that I don't like it, but I do find it a bit uneven, especially in sound quality. I find the session with Milt Jackson hard to listen to.

OTOH, the set which exceeded my expectations was the Elvin Jones. That is truly a great Mosaic set, one of the very best, IMHO. I had several of the LP's, but assembling all of Elvin's BN dates together magnifies the overall impact and the importance of this music.

Also the two sets by brother Thad, with Mel Lews and the big band, and also the small group sessions, are among my favorites.

[Big Al]

Jimmy Smith

Teddy Wilson

Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams

[Alec]

51 sets, with 3 recently added because of the sale.