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Mosaic big box sets


How many Mosaic big box sets do you own?  

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I have more than 50. I haven't counted, but it is easily more than that.

My mother has bought a set for me for Christmas, and another for my birthday, every year since Mosaic started. She always says that they are so nice to her and so easy to order from. She is afraid to use any other mail order service because they may not be as wonderful to her as the Mosaic people have been.

Also, I have ordered many on my own over the years, to be sure.

Edited by Hot Ptah
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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.

That was my first one and I agree - it's amazing - I wasn't too familiar with his solo albums. A great way to catch up.

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I'm not sure I agree... Prior to Mosaic.. I had no Bud Shank, Oliver Nelson, Anita O'Day, Tal Farlow, which were all fabulous wins for me... Now I also had no Chico Hamilton... :bad::bad:

I agree in general... that it does help to have familarity with the artist... and you do take more of a risk when your first purchase is a Mosaic of so and so... but I think it's a fair strategy... if you're game for it... :D

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.

Edited by tranemonk
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One of my top five.. maybe even top 3... :excited::excited::excited:

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.

That was my first one and I agree - it's amazing - I wasn't too familiar with his solo albums. A great way to catch up.

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One of my top five.. maybe even top 3... :excited::excited::excited:

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.

That was my first one and I agree - it's amazing - I wasn't too familiar with his solo albums. A great way to catch up.

Great. I was on the fence about this one. Now it looks it's going on the "get it" list. :ph34r:

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I'm not sure I agree... Prior to Mosaic.. I had no Bud Shank, Oliver Nelson, Anita O'Day, Tal Farlow, which were all fabulous wins for me... Now I also had no Chico Hamilton... :bad::bad:

I agree in general... that it does help to have familarity with the artist... and you do take more of a risk when your first purchase is a Mosaic of so and so... but I think it's a fair strategy... if you're game for it... :D

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.

The Tal Farlow box set is going to be a "first pick" for me as I have none of his stuff yet. I read a lot of talk about the set and liked the samples I heard (via AMG) so I sprung for it. Normally, I probably wouldn't have done it but I found a brand new set for $50.00 and couldn't resist. Hard to lose at that price. :excited:

Horace Parlan was also a first pick for me and I loved it! Then again, I did my homework on both sets so I wasn't going into either blindly.

Maybe those who feel the Mosaics are overrated are expecting too much. They're generally a "snapshot" of a particular segment or period of an artist's work. If they buy a Mosaic thinking that it's going to be the ultimate all-encompassing set which is all you'll ever need of an artist or all that's really worth listening to, then they may end up disappointed.

Edited by mikelz777
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The Tal Farlow box set is going to be a "first pick" for me as I have none of his stuff yet. I read a lot of talk about the set and liked the samples I heard (via AMG) so I sprung for it. Normally, I probably wouldn't have done it but I found a brand new set for $50.00 and couldn't resist. Hard to lose at that price. :excited:

This is probably one of the European sets that aren't directly from Mosaic, and aren't numbered. Still a good deal though!

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The Tal Farlow box set is going to be a "first pick" for me as I have none of his stuff yet. I read a lot of talk about the set and liked the samples I heard (via AMG) so I sprung for it. Normally, I probably wouldn't have done it but I found a brand new set for $50.00 and couldn't resist. Hard to lose at that price. :excited:

This is probably one of the European sets that aren't directly from Mosaic, and aren't numbered. Still a good deal though!

And still a Mosaic. :rolleyes:

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The Tal Farlow box set is going to be a "first pick" for me as I have none of his stuff yet. I read a lot of talk about the set and liked the samples I heard (via AMG) so I sprung for it. Normally, I probably wouldn't have done it but I found a brand new set for $50.00 and couldn't resist. Hard to lose at that price. :excited:

This is probably one of the European sets that aren't directly from Mosaic, and aren't numbered. Still a good deal though!

Yes, it's one of the Universal (import) Mosaics. The source really doesn't bother me and it would be hard to pass up on that price. Just from various conversations I've read on various jazz boards, I'm not the only one to pick up the Tal Farlow because it was available at such a low price. :cool::) If this set pans out to be as good as the first impression I got from listening to samples then this is going to be quite the bargain.

Edited by mikelz777
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The Tal Farlow box set is going to be a "first pick" for me as I have none of his stuff yet. I read a lot of talk about the set and liked the samples I heard (via AMG) so I sprung for it. Normally, I probably wouldn't have done it but I found a brand new set for $50.00 and couldn't resist. Hard to lose at that price. :excited:

This is probably one of the European sets that aren't directly from Mosaic, and aren't numbered. Still a good deal though!

Yes, it's one of the Universal (import) Mosaics. The source really doesn't bother me and it would be hard to pass up on that price. Just from various conversations I've read on various jazz boards, I'm not the only one to pick up the Tal Farlow because it was available at such a low price. :cool::) If this set pans out to be as good as the first impression I got from listening to samples then this is going to be quite the bargain.

The Farlow set is very good. I also picked it up for about $50 from Amazon marketplace. This was my first Farlow as well, and I'd say it's easily worth the $50 and more. :tup

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The Tal Farlow box set is going to be a "first pick" for me as I have none of his stuff yet. I read a lot of talk about the set and liked the samples I heard (via AMG) so I sprung for it. Normally, I probably wouldn't have done it but I found a brand new set for $50.00 and couldn't resist. Hard to lose at that price. :excited:

This is probably one of the European sets that aren't directly from Mosaic, and aren't numbered. Still a good deal though!

Yes, it's one of the Universal (import) Mosaics. The source really doesn't bother me and it would be hard to pass up on that price. Just from various conversations I've read on various jazz boards, I'm not the only one to pick up the Tal Farlow because it was available at such a low price. :cool::) If this set pans out to be as good as the first impression I got from listening to samples then this is going to be quite the bargain.

It IS quite a bargain - I got it (the Euro-version) for about that price as well. You're going to love it!

And yes Ron, I agree, it IS still a Mosaic... :bwallace:

:P

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Probably over 100 by now, but I have not counted for a while.

I have to say that I am one of those who has bought sets as my forst exposure to an artist. After quickly getting the picture about Mosaic with my first few sets, I used Mosaic to introduce me to Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Flip Phillips and Chatlie Ventura, Serge Chaloff, Mildred Bailey, Django Rheinhart, Stuff Smith, Anita Oday, Buck Clayton and probably a dozen others.

I guess I'm atypical in that regard but I also know my buying habits. I'll buy something buy someome and enjoy it - then I'll go out and get as much as I can by the same guy. Mosaic really helps in that regard as I can get a bunch of quality material all at once. I really don't care all that much about the complete aspect. It's nice, but not the only reason I go after a set.

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Probably over 100 by now, but I have not counted for a while.

I have to say that I am one of those who has bought sets as my forst exposure to an artist. After quickly getting the picture about Mosaic with my first few sets, I used Mosaic to introduce me to Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Flip Phillips and Chatlie Ventura, Serge Chaloff, Mildred Bailey, Django Rheinhart, Stuff Smith, Anita Oday, Buck Clayton and probably a dozen others.

I guess I'm atypical in that regard but I also know my buying habits. I'll buy something buy someome and enjoy it - then I'll go out and get as much as I can by the same guy. Mosaic really helps in that regard as I can get a bunch of quality material all at once. I really don't care all that much about the complete aspect. It's nice, but not the only reason I go after a set.

Maybe atypical, but not alone. I also am not really concerned about the completist aspect (that's my story and I'm sticking to it :D ). Before starting with Moasics and this board, my jazz collection was reasonably small and, while it's still not huge, it seems to be growing exponentially.

My wife bought me the Phil Woods Mosaic as a gift because she knew I was interested in it and am a fan. That was my first set. I was very pleased with the quality and since then Mosaic has introduced me to the works of Lennie Tristano, Woody Shaw, Anita O'Day and others (I may have heard some of their music on the radio, but I didn't own anything before purchasing the Mosaic sets). In some other cases I might have had a CD or two by an artist before purchasing a Mosaic box, but in most cases, the Mosaic set represented (and still represents) the vast majority of my collection by that particular musician. I suppose that may change over time, but that's how it is at the moment.

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i have 65 Mosaic boxes ( + all the Mosaic Select)

The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Thelonious Monk (4 LPs)

The Complete Pacific Jazz and Capitol Rec Gerry Mulligan 4tet/ 10tet with Chet Baker (5 LPs)

The Complete Blue Note and Pacific Jazz Recordings of Clifford Brown (5 LPs)

The Complete Blue Note Recordings of the Tina Brooks Quintet (4 LPs)

The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Sidney Bechet ( 6 LPs)

The Complete Verve Rec of the Buddy De Franco Quartet/Quintet with Sonny Clark (4 CD)

The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions of Ike Quebec (3 LPs)

The Complete Johnny Hodges Recordings 1951-1955 (6 LPs)

The Complete Dean Benedetti Recordings of Charlie Parker

The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio (18 CD)

The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Art Blakey's 1960 Jazz Messengers (6 CDs or 10 LPs)

The Complete CBS Studio Recordings of Woody Shaw (3 CD)

The Complete Serge Chaloff Sessions (4 CD)

The Complete Capitol Small Group Recordings of Benny Goodman 1944-1955 (4 CDs )

The Complete Blue Note 1964-66 Jackie McLean Sessions (4 CD)

The Complete Solid State Recordings of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra (5 CD)

The Complete Roulette Recordings Of The Maynard Ferguson Orchestra (14 LP)

The Phil Woods Quartet/Quintet 20th Anniversary Set (5 CD)

The Complete Blue Note Lee Morgan Fifties Sessions (4 CDs )

The Complete Capitol Studio Recordings of Stan Kenton 1943-47 (10 LPs)

The Complete Illinois Jacquet Sessions 1945-50 (4 CD)

The Complete Blue Note/UA Curtis Fuller Sessions (3 CD)

The Complete Blue Note Sam Rivers Sessions (3 CD)

The Complete Capitol Fifties Jack Teagarden Sessions (6 LP)

The Complete Columbia J.J. Johnson Small Group Sessions (7 CD)

The Complete Blue Note/UA/Roulette Recordings of Thad Jones (3 CD)

The Complete Verve Recordings of the Teddy Wilson Trio (8 LP)

The Complete Atlantic Recordings of Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz & Warne Marsh (6 CD)

The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings of the Chico Hamilton Quintet (6 CD)

The Complete Capitol & Atlantic Recordings of Jimmy Giuffre (6 CDs or 10 Q-LPs)

The Complete Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet (1965-June 1968) (10 Lps)

The Complete Blue Mitchell Blue Note Sessions (1963-67) (4 CD)

The Pacific Jazz Bud Shank Studio Sessions (1956-61) (5 CD)

The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Fifties Sessions (6 CD)

The Complete Verve/Clef Charlie Ventura/Flip Philips Studio Sessions (9 LP)

The Complete Miles Davis Bitches Brew Sessions (6 LPs)

Kenton Presents Cooper, Holman & Rosolino

The Complete Anita O'Day Clef/Verve Sessions (9 CD)

The Complete Django Reinhardt and Quintet of the Hot Club of France Swing/HMV Sessions 36/48

The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Gene Krupa and Harry James Orchestras

The Complete Blue Note Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams Studio Sessions (4 CD)

The Complete Blue Note Elvin Jones Sessions (8 CD)

The Complete Capitol Recordings of Woody Herman

The Complete Blue Note Horace Parlan Sessions

The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings of Gerald Wilson and His Orchestra (5 CD)

The Complete Small Group Johnny Hodges Verve Sessions 1956-61 (6 CD)

The Complete Mercury Recordings of Max Roach (7 CD)

The Complete Vee Jay Lee Morgan - Wayne Shorter Sessions (6 CD)

The Complete Vee Jay Wynton Kelly - Paul Chambers Sessions 1959-61

The Complete Pacific Jazz Joe Pass Quartet Sessions

The Complete Roost Sonny Stitt Studio Sessions (9 CD)

Miles Davis: The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions (5 LP)

The Blue Note Stanley Turrentine Quintet/Sextet Sessions (5 CD)

The Complete Roulette Sarah Vaughan Studio Sessions

The Complete Blue Note Lou Donaldson Sessions (6 CD)

The Complete Verve Gerry Mulligan Concert Band Session (4 CD)

The Complete Verve Roy Eldridge Studio Sessions (7 CD)

The Complete Columbia Recordings of Woody Herman 1945-1947 (7CD)

The Complete Verve Tal Farlow Sessions (7CD)

The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions (7 CD)

Complete Clef/Verve Count Basie Fifties Studio Recordings

The Jazz Crusaders: The Pacific Jazz Quintet Studio Sessions

The Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane At Carnegie Hall

The Complete Argo, Emarcy and Verve Small Group Buddy Rich Sessions

Oliver Nelson , The Verve / Impulse Big Band Studio Sessions

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I have 13 and some time next year I will pick up the Nelson and Gillespie bringing me to 15. This doesn't count the number of sets I have replicated because I came onto the scene a bit too late, particularly the Andrew Hill and Jackie McLean sets, which would have been far more convenient than gathering the material piece-meal as I did. I also don't often just pick up one of the sets and listen to one disc (when I do it is usually from the Farmer/Golson set), but I am trying to listen more regularly now that I have moved my Mosaic collection to mp3 format.

On the whole I like Mosaic a lot, but find that on the whole I tend towards the Selects than the big boxes. Maybe it has to do with really wanting to see the LP covers. That's the one thing that I just don't understand, that they couldn't reproduce the covers and at least some of the original liner notes in the Mosaic booklets.

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