Mosaics That Got Away...

[Guest Bixieland]

[mikelz777]

I don't know that it haunts me but of the Mosaics I missed that I would be most interested in having/hearing:

Elvin Jones

[sidewinder]

Stuff Smith (although I can live with the deprivation).

[MJK]

I discovered Mosaic in the mid 80's and bought almost all of the sets available at that time. But I missed three and now wish I had picked up the Clifford Brown, the Thelonious Monk Blue Note, and the Art Hodes boxes. Over the years I have purchased all of the other sets I found interesting but still wish I had picked up those three when I had the chance.

[jeffcrom]

I was with Mosaic from the beginning - I pre-ordered their first set, the Monk Blue Notes. I have a bunch of their sets, but at one point I stopped following their issues. Somehow I just found about the Wayne Shorter/Lee Morgan Vee Jay set, which I completely missed. I'm kicking myself.

[John Tapscott]

I was with Mosaic from the beginning - I pre-ordered their first set, the Monk Blue Notes. I have a bunch of their sets, but at one point I stopped following their issues. Somehow I just found about the Wayne Shorter/Lee Morgan Vee Jay set, which I completely missed. I'm kicking myself.

Yes, the Shorter/Morgan for me, too. It went to Last Chance at the same time as the Chambers/Kelly set. I figured I could only buy one so I opted for the latter set. I enjoy that set, but I should have bought both. Sometimes you overthink these things and cheat yourself.

[ejp626]

I got interested in Mosaic a little late. Andrew Hill and Jackie McLean were already OOP. In fact, it is possible that getting deeper into these two brought Mosaic to my attention. So I started picking up some of the Hill and McLean (and Hutcherson) as singles (back when eBay was relatively new and kind of fun -- I almost never even look anymore, probably less than once a month). Suddenly I had a chance here and there to get the Hill or McLean Mosaics, but I was in a bit deep. Fortunately, all the material was eventually released on singles, so I don't regret it deeply. And indeed, I suspect that I do listen to this material far more on singles than I would if it was a box set.

[mellowT]

Well, that's one box I don't long for. I had a chance to pick up a new one on eBay for $175 and passed. I figured I had the Eddie Condon, both Jack Teagarden boxes, and Roy Eldridge's attempt at Dixieland, so probably enough of that genre for me. Nobody beats the Teagarden Roulette in my opinion. That's in my top 5 favorite Mosaics.

I've only been addicted to jazz since early 2006 (strangely enough when I discovered Mosaic Records), so the only boxes I missed buying directly from them and wish I hadn't were the J.J. Johnson and Elvin Jones. I picked up the Johnson on eBay, but so far the Jones has been out of my price range (and will probably stay that way unless I get lucky).

[Lazaro Vega]

The Tristano.

[Chuck Nessa]

The Tristano.

You have no excuse for that one.

[Ken Dryden]

I pretty much have the ones I want. Some, like the Getz, were later reissued individually or in small boxes by the original labels, though without the detailed Mosaic liner notes and array of photos.

I managed to snag a few of the long oop sets on ebay when I was flush with cash, though I regret missing the first Louis Armstrong box.

[gmonahan]

The Nat King Cole. Just didn't have that kind of bread then.

and the Commodores. I *really* didn't have *that* kind of bread!

greg mo

[king ubu]

I missed many of them... started buying in the 90s, when the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh was a new release, roughly (or rather, a few months later... in these my pre-internet days, new wasn't as new as it is today).

Some of the ones I missed and regretted a lot:

- the three Commodores (though back then they wouldn't have been of interest)

- the Teagarden Capitol (which I think I could have bought early on, but again, lack of interest back then)

- the Basie Studio Roulette (gone already, or I'd have bought it, got the live one at least!)

- the Art Hodes

- the Blue Note Jazzmen one (Hall/Johnson/DeParis etc, got the single discs, but the contents of disc 4 weren't reissued)

- the Jimmy Smith (which I missed because of not being online back then... I sent in an order for the Smith and more, asking for the Fuller in case the Smith would be gone, and gone it was...)

- the Goodman Small Groups (though I got a cheapo set with the master takes last year, for 7 or 8 euro-zlotys...)

- the first Johnny Hodges

The Condon I could buy recently from some seller here... but in that one again, I'd have had no interest back then...

And I'm sure my list misses other sets... the Cecil Taylor Candid, the Mingus CBS (though I assume the most recent Sony/Legacy CDs are the better option anyway, with all the restored music), the Charles Brown, the Amos Milburn, etc. etc.

I got to hear some of these thanks to generous friends, but I'd still love to have the real deal!

reading above yes, the first Armstrong, too - another one that would have been still around, but I had no Armstrong back then and started with the Hot Fives/Sevens later on, still not being attracted to the old guys doing their retro/old-fashioned stuff in later eras...

And the Nat Cole, too, though I'm not sure it would actually be listened to that often...

[captainwrong]

Well, it was Elvin, but I bought a copy from someone on here a while back. Other than that, all the ones I regretted have been reissued as singles, so until I strike up a new interest, I'm in good shape.

[Big Al]

The Tristano.

You have no excuse for that one.

Just as I have no excuse for not getting the Eldridge set.

[Guest Bixieland]

I'm also upset that I let the Condon Mob one go.

...and the Berigan.

I went to order the Berigan, and it *poof* it was gone. It was available the day before, too. Thankfully, I had picked up the 5 disk JSP a few weeks before....but still.

[Brad]

The Tristano.

You have no excuse for that one.

Got that one just in time. Phew.

The Nat King Cole. Just didn't have that kind of bread then.

and the Commodores. I *really* didn't have *that* kind of bread!

greg mo

Oh, yeah, the Commodores. Who doesn't wish they had that?

[colinmce]

I really don't know why I didn't just get the Parlan.

[Enterprise Server]

Yeah, you have to get them when they are around. Never know when you'll be beating your head against a wall because you failed to act impulsively and get it when ya can!

[captainwrong]

Y'know, after I answered this, remembered one that I didn't get and the albums haven't shown up as individual releases: Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. Man, I love the records of theirs I've found and probably should have jumped on the set, but I was literally living hand to mouth at the time. So it goes...

[sidewinder]

One of the things I particularly like about the Jones/Lewis Set is the booklet. The essay puts the formation of the band, their rehearsals with Manny Albam etc. and the scores into context. Some great band photos in that one too. Essential !

[Drew Peacock]

I've never purchased a Mosiac.....I know, I know. There is so much that I've missed out on. The top two that come to mind is the Andrew Hill and Gerald Wilson boxes. Oh well....