Mosaic's forthcoming James P. Johnson set

[jazzbo]

I had to get a replacement sent to me. . . even though I ordered it to my new address they sent my Johnson set to my old address that I moved from in July, and no one there indicated that it was received. . . . Should have a set soon.

[medjuck]

No one has commented on the quality of this set yet.  Let me be the first:  I'm really enjoying it; think it's great. 

 

[SwingItTrev]

On 4 February 2016 at 10:30 AM, medjuck said:

No one has commented on the quality of this set yet.  Let me be the first:  I'm really enjoying it; think it's great. 

 

I'm loving it too. I think these sets that explore one artist through many different bands/combos are my favourite.

[mikeweil]

Could I get some more comments, please, to make me pull the trigger for this set, now that it is on "last chance"?

[mjzee]

It is a great picture of that era.  The set runs from some of the earliest points of jazz (1921) through almost the modern era (1943).  In some ways, JPJ is like a Zelig, fitting himself into many different situations and styles, seeming at home in each of them.  There's a nice variety between solo sessions, small groups, and larger groups; also, this is the Mosaic to showcase female blues singers: mostly Bessie Smith, but also Clara Smith, Lavinia Turner, Sadie Jackson, Rosa Henderson, Martha Copeland, Ethel Waters, Eva Taylor, and Ida Cox.  I'm impressed by the discographical digging that Mosaic's put into this set.  In short, this is the sort of set that Mosaic was made for, and it's highly unlikely that any other record company will do this sort of project ever again.

[AllenLowe]

love it; buy it.

[sidewinder]

3 hours ago, mjzee said:

 In short, this is the sort of set that Mosaic was made for, and it's highly unlikely that any other record company will do this sort of project ever again.

Word !

To be honest, I’ve hardly scratched the surface of this set to date but very glad to have it for future delictation.

[Ed S]

8 hours ago, mjzee said:

It is a great picture of that era.  The set runs from some of the earliest points of jazz (1921) through almost the modern era (1943).  In some ways, JPJ is like a Zelig, fitting himself into many different situations and styles, seeming at home in each of them.  There's a nice variety between solo sessions, small groups, and larger groups; also, this is the Mosaic to showcase female blues singers: mostly Bessie Smith, but also Clara Smith, Lavinia Turner, Sadie Jackson, Rosa Henderson, Martha Copeland, Ethel Waters, Eva Taylor, and Ida Cox.  I'm impressed by the discographical digging that Mosaic's put into this set.  In short, this is the sort of set that Mosaic was made for, and it's highly unlikely that any other record company will do this sort of project ever again.

Can't be said any better than this.  I was impressed with the diversity of the set relative to the settings in which JPJ plays.  To be honest, I expected lots of solo stuff which would have been okay.  What I got was what is described above - and it's a delight.  Love the vocal tracks.

This was perfect for me as I had next to zero JPJ.  Here it is - for the taking.  Grab it while you can.

Highly recommended.

[JSngry]

Yeah, James P. Johnson was a musician of the highest order. You can't hear him too often.

[mikeweil]

Thanks - my wife already agreed to put this on the gifts table for my birthday, upcoming in a few weeks. We're low on funds at the moment, but I know I'll kick myself for years to come if I fail to get me one.

Edited February 1, 2018 by mikeweil

[Hardbopjazz]

This is one of my favorite Mosaics.

 

[mikeweil]

Ordered a copy from Jazzmessengers - I know I'll enjoy this one! Thanks for the encouragement.

[sidewinder]

1 hour ago, mikeweil said:

Ordered a copy from Jazzmessengers - I know I'll enjoy this one! Thanks for the encouragement.

You’ll not make a better decision this year. 

[Clunky]

It really is a wonderful set. Excellent balance of tracks leading to the impression of one masterpiece followed by another. Perhaps that's a tad too strong but it's not a set many are likely to regret. Excellent sound too.

[J.A.W.]

A dissenting post: I've been on the fence about this set, but eventually decided not to get it. I have the 1992 French Hot 'n Sweet CD Harlem Stride Piano, which has all the 1921-1929 solo piano tracks (no alternates) and a few band tracks, and, while I fully acknowledge Johnson's importance, the music does not really move me enough to want the Mosaic. Besides, I have all of the Bessie Smith tracks and don't care for the other vocals, the band tracks or the later material.

Edited February 1, 2018 by J.A.W.

[mikeweil]

I, too, have all the Bessie Smith tracks on LP, but the positive voices here convinced me. I hesitated about the Earl Hines at first - in the end was very glad I got me a copy.

But I can see your point. I decided against the Ella Fitzgerald set as I never was really enamoured by her voice and style, and wanted the Chick Webb instrumentals in the first place - I got me the two HEP CDs and am fully satisfied with them. 

Edited March 24, 2018 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

It looks like I got the last copy Jazzmessengers had in stock, as it is no longer listed among the Mosaic sets they have for sale. Phew ...

Edited February 11, 2018 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

James P. Johnson is in the house!

Took from Friday to Monday to bring it here - just opened it and threw in the first disc. Splendid sound for a 1921 session.

My copy is # 1209 ...... did they really have all 5000 copies made?

He was a helluva pianist, for sure!

Edited February 5, 2018 by mikeweil

[Justin V]

My library's streaming/download service has this.  Does anyone care to share some of their favorite sessions?  I don't see myself being disciplined enough to download everything at 10 downloads per week, but I can see grabbing the best sessions.  I already downloaded and am really enjoying the Louisiana Sugar Babies session.

[Stompin at the Savoy]

Been trying to find a reasonably priced copy for a while.  Listening to a few vols of the Chronological Classics I have in the meantime. Kind of a shame this is limited edition - deserves to be better known with the best mastering available.

[Justin V]

16 minutes ago, Stompin at the Savoy said:

Been trying to find a reasonably priced copy for a while.  Listening to a few vols of the Chronological Classics I have in the meantime. Kind of a shame this is limited edition - deserves to be better known with the best mastering available.

For what it's worth, Qobuz has CD-quality downloads of it at $26.09 per two-disc volumes and Amazon has it at $19.99 for mp3.  It's an imperfect solution, but better than nothing.

[Stompin at the Savoy]

6 hours ago, Justin V said:

For what it's worth, Qobuz has CD-quality downloads of it at $26.09 per two-disc volumes and Amazon has it at $19.99 for mp3.  It's an imperfect solution, but better than nothing.

Thanks, I wasn't aware of the downloads!  Discography is here: http://web.archive.org/web/20160825154520/http://www.mosaicrecords.com/discography.asp?number=262-MD-CD&price=%24102.00&copies=6 CDs

Gee, now that you mention it I see that another one I've been looking for, the Earl Hines set, is similarly available on Qobuz and the book is here: https://musicbrainz.org/release/5cd94980-bd83-4638-a194-f4b44eaa5eb9/cover-art

Edited July 5, 2023 by Stompin at the Savoy

[jazz man]

On 11/28/2015 at 1:14 PM, Late said:

For those that don't go in for vocalists, this disc provides a fine demonstration of Johnson's art in solo format ...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51H55OFZqEL.jpg

How is the sound quality on this disc? I can see from the liner notes that "reprocessing was accomplished through the use of the Cedar de-clicker"

Apologies for the question, as it doesn't really have to do with the mosaic

Edited 13 hours ago by jazz man

[mhatta]

8 hours ago, jazz man said:

How is the sound quality on this disc? I can see from the liner notes that "reprocessing was accomplished through the use of the Cedar de-clicker"

Apologies for the question, as it doesn't really have to do with the mosaic

I heard it on Spotify.  It sounds just fine.  But I'm not really an audiophile, though...