Thoughts on your Mosaic Select purchases

[Edward]

Are there any Mosaic Selects that you have purchased that really pleased you OR didn't quite thrill you as much as you had expected? I know that taste is totally subjective, and that one person's ambrosia is another's poison; but Mosaic has put out a fairly large number (ten) of select sets in about a year's time, and I am just trying to gauge others' thoughts. I generally have not found the reviews on the Mosaic site terribly helpful.

I have the Carmell Jones, and this morning I just placed an order for the Anita O'Day (released in the summer of '99), Brookmeyer select, and disc 4 of the Stuff Smith set. (For those of you who did not copy the Stuff Smith discography while it was available, it appears that you would basically have the complete set [save, perhaps, for a few unreleased takes] if you were able to acquire discs 1 and 4 of the Mosaic as well as the old Stuff Smith/Dizzy Gillespie 2-fer.)

[wesbed]

I believe the Duke Pearson is the least desireable of the Select series. I'd purchase the Pearson only after purchasing any other Select I had an interest in.

My favorite Select, to my surprise, is the Bennie Green. The Curtis Amy is very good.

Edited March 9, 2004 by wesbed

[sidewinder]

I like the John Patton very much indeed, although there seem to be some mixed opinions out there concerning sound quality of parts of this set.

[wesbed]

I like the John Patton very much indeed, although there seem to be some mixed opinions out there concerning sound quality of parts of this set.

I like the John Patton Select very much as well.

I have no complaints about the quality of the sound. The 'sound controversy' about the set, that I'm aware of, lasts something like 10 to 20 seconds and it is, to me, completely ignorable. I'd not want to miss this great set due to a few seconds of odd/muffled sound.

[desertblues]

I only have two selects (so far): Carmell Jones and Bennie Green. I knew I was gonna like the Carmell, but the Green really knocked me out! It's just a great set all the way through. Next Select for me would be the Amy or Brookmeyer.

[Uncle Skid]

Along with the Blue Mitchell set, I also recently purchased the Grachan Moncur III Select.

I didn't really know what to expect - but quite a few people on this board whose opinions I respect gave it high recommendations.

I didn't like it at all at first; I found parts of it very dark and tortured. This is certainly not your typical production-line Blue Note hard bop. AMG accurately classifies it as "volatile, sophisticated, cerebral" free/avant-garde jazz.

After repeated listenings, I'm finding that it's really growing on me. While I really love all of CD's by Mobley/Morgan/Mitchell et al., this one is expanding my musical horizons much like Roscoe Mitchell's Snurdy McGurdy.

I think Carmell Jones may be the next purchase. Any reviews on that one? Edward?

[JohnS]

Apart from the Carmell Jones set I pretty much knew what to expect, all of it good. The Jones set is absolutely wonderful being the biggest surprise. But the Curtis Amy set runs it a close second despite being familiar with a lot of the music. The Green set is a masterpiece but as I have all the music on lp or TOCJs I didn't go for it.

I didn't go for the Duke Pearson ( I have the vinyl and nice though it is it's always sounded a bit lightweight compared with the rest of the catalogue). Bud Shank too I did without, again because I had so much on record.

[BFrank]

I have the Carmell and Patton Selects. Both are good. After listening to Carmell a lot when I first got it, I'm finding that I don't go back to it as often as I thought I would. If nothing else, it's a good companion piece to the Gerald Wilson Mosaic.

Patton is Patton - if you like him, then this would be a "must-have".

Next on my "buy" list would be Moncur, Weston or more probably Paul Chambers.

[Gary]

I've bought each set as they have come out , with all but Paul Chambers being completely new artists to me. After I bought the first two sets I knew this series was going to be a great way of a)hearing great music & b)introducing new artists to me .

I dont think the last couple of releases have been as strong as the first ones , but like you say thats down to personal preference -

Heres how I'd rate them out of 5 (purely to my ears - please dont flame me!).

Grachan Moncur 5

Carmell Jones 6

Bennie Green 4

Randy Weston 5

Paul Chambers 4

John Patton 4

Curtis Amy 4

Duke Pearson 3

Bob Brookmeyer 3

Bud Shank/Bob Cooper 3

Even the ones I havent rated as high as others have their own gems among the sessions eg Duke Pearson -'Merry Old Soul ' & Bob Brookmeyer - Kansas City Revisited.

I double check the Mosaic site every day looking for the next select release date.

[vibes]

I have the Moncur, Jones, Green, Weston, Pearson and Amy sets. I like the Pearson set the least of the three, but only because of the vocals that are found on many of the tracks.

Each set has great things about it, even the Pearson set ("The Phantom" session is very enjoyable). I'd never heard any of the music in the any of the sets, save the Moncur, before I bought them, so each contained surprises. The Moncur is probably my favorite, with the "Hipnosis" session being the treat for me.

I'd get the Patton if I didn't already have most of the sessions in the box. I'll probably buy it one of these days anyway. I wish they'd done a regular box with more of Big John's work - his music is certainly deserving of that kind of treatment.

[wesbed]

Next on my "buy" list would be Moncur, Weston or more probably Paul Chambers.

When I think of the Select sets, I tend to think of the ones that are unique or different. The Weston and the Moncur have different/innovative stuff on them. Curtis Amy is, possibly, an innovative name... not generally one of the well-known jazz giants.

I often overlook the Paul Chambers Select because it is... simply, Paul Chambers. Not necessarily innovative Chambers and definitely not the name of an obscure bassist. But, the Chambers box is one of the very best from the Select series.

Excellent playing from the great players, very classy, and highly recommended. Chambers shines on these recordings.

Edited March 9, 2004 by wesbed

[Edward]

Thank you all for your thoughts - keep them coming!

Uncle Skid,

Thank you for your very helpful review of the Moncur set. I know that this set comes highly recommended by many, but I still have reservations about taking the plunge (even considering all of the stories like yours that I have heard over the years of people experimenting with avant-garde jazz to find the music grow on them.)

I am really pleased with the Carmell Jones set. The quality of the material and the playing is quite high throughout. Please bear in mind, though, that I am a big fan of jazz trumpet and much of the jazz recorded during this period in general. (I'm sorry if this "review" is not too helpful.)

Edited March 9, 2004 by Edward

[ralphie_boy]

I have the Moncur, Amy, Weston, Brookmeyer and Green. My favorite amongst these is the Weston. The biggest suprise for me was the Brookmeyer - much better than I expected. They're all very good though.

[Sahara Blue Orchestra]

I have not yet purchased a Mosaic Select Set but am seriously considering the Shank-Cooper.

To Wesbed - What did you not like about the Duke Pearson? Just curious.

[Uncle Skid]

Edward -- don't let my review discourage you from ordering the Moncur Select. Labelling it "avant-garde" or "free jazz" is a gross over-simplification. There's a whole bunch of great straight-ahead, accessible jazz on this set as well.

Vibes is right, the "Hipnosis" session is a real treat. I think my initial impression of this set would have been much more positive if I had listened to them in reverse order: CD #3, #2, and finally #1. As I mentioned earlier, I keep discovering new things every time I listen to these discs.

Thanks for your summary of the Carmell Jones Select. I've got my finger on the "Add to Shopping Cart" button! I just can't make up my mind between the Mobley and Tristano/Konitz/Marsh boxes....

[vibes]

Uncle Skid, go for the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh. The Mobley should be around for a while, and with the Tristano set going OOP soon, if you don't like it, you'll be able to sell it for more than you paid for it...and that would easily finance a Mobley box purchase.

[Edward]

Uncle Skid,

I have heard some of the material on the Moncur set before. I really liked "Blue Rondo", but was not thrilled by "Air Raid". I realize that the music on this set must be difficult to categorize, but how much of it would you say resembles the former more than the latter?

As for your Tristano/Konitz/Marsh vs. Mobley decision, I agree that you should probably go for the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh. Both sets are ostensibly limited to 7,500; the Tristano Mosaic was released about one year prior to the Mobley (summer of 1998). For what it's worth, the woman with whom I spoke at Mosaic this morning was unaware of any sets likely going OOP this year other than the Tristano, Atlantic New Orleans Jazz Sessions, and the Teddy Wilson. Moreover, I bet you that the Mobley is a steady seller that will at least come close to reaching its potential production run of 7,500 units, in which case it will be in print for a while longer. It appears that interest in the Tristano set has waned over time and that is why it is becoming unavailable.

Before placing your order, you should definitely ask for projections regarding the future availability of the Mobley. I once asked about a particular set that I was concerned might be at the end of its run and was told that there were X units left but that another Y units would be pressed thereafter.

If I could only have one of these sets, though, I honestly do not know which one I would choose.

[marcoliv]

so far i have the first 6 issued and Carmell Jones is my favorite one and a delicious surprise for me. the Weston is also better than i thought.

the Reece set is coming and i´m really excited to grab this one ASAP and i´ll probably place an order to get the last 4 on a shot

Marcus Oliveira

[jlhoots]

I have all of the material on several of the Selects so didn't purchase them.

The one( of 4) that I did get that far exceeded my expectations is the Amy.

The Carmell Jones is the next best of those that I've obtained.

Edited March 10, 2004 by jlhoots

[sal]

I have the first six Selects, and the one that just blew me away was the Carmell Jones, simply because I hadn't heard any of that music before. I was so pleasently surprised to discover that talent. All the rest of the sets are great, especially the Moncur and Weston. I don't find myself listening to the Patton too much, but its a good set nonetheless.

[Uncle Skid]

I have heard some of the material on the Moncur set before.  I really liked "Blue Rondo", but was not thrilled by "Air Raid".  I realize that the music on this set must be difficult to categorize, but how much of it would you say resembles the former more than the latter?

"Air Raid" is not one of my favorites, either. It's kind of hard to say how much of the set resembles that tune, but there are a few other tunes that also have that free-form, dark, haunting quality. "Evolution", "Gnostic", and "Nomadic" come to mind.

For what it's worth, the three songs available on the Mosaic website seem to be representative of the set in general. I also came across a review at All About Jazz that might be helpful.

Thanks for the advice regarding the Tristano vs. Mobley -- I still haven't pulled the trigger yet. Since I really want both, I'm tempted to just order both right now, along with the Jones Select: $231.00!! Ouch!!!

[montg]

I have four--I'd probably place the Patton and Bennie Green at the top, Carmell Jones next, and the Weston last. Not that the Weston is bad, but just, for me, a bit uneven. Maybe I need to go back and listen again. The Patton and Green are pure joy.

Glad to hear the positive comments on the Amy. That one's next on the list.

[wesbed]

I've been listening to the Grachan Moncur Select more and more recently. I ordered the set when it was a new release. I listened to parts of the set then put it on my shelf, considering it a good selection of music.

I've been pulling the box out recently and REALLY listening to it late at night. It seems, somehow, both comforting and complicated. It makes no sense and lots of sense at the same time. This music speaks much louder to me late at night than, say, at 3:00 in the afternoon.

I'm listening to the Some Other Stuff set (with Wayne Shorter) as I type these words. My spirits are high with Moncur/Shorter playing on the speakers behind me (while my laptop computer sits in front of me).

Edited March 21, 2004 by wesbed

[Jazzmoose]

Haven't bought any. Don't know if I will. I'm thinking about the Amy, but I'd rather find Katanga. I think I've got the Moncur covered. There's just too much out there I want to go for this stuff right now.

[J.A.W.]

Haven't bought any.  Don't know if I will.  I'm thinking about the Amy, but I'd rather find Katanga.  I think I've got the Moncur covered.  There's just too much out there I want to go for this stuff right now.

In my opinion Katanga is by far the best album collected in the Amy Select; nothing else in the set comes close.

Edited March 21, 2004 by J.A.W.