“Mosaic On The Move: A Great Jazz Label Gets Smaller, Smarter”

[ghost of miles]

Some info about the upcoming 11-CD Black & White set here (great to read that Dan Morgenstern is doing the notes), and some good quotes from Scott and Michael:

Mosaic On The Move: A Great Jazz Label Gets Smaller, Smarter

(Wasn’t sure whether to post this here or in the “Jazz In Print” subforum. Mods, feel free to move it there if you think that’s a more appropriate place.)

Edited December 1, 2021 by ghost of miles

[Brad]

Thanks for the article David. 

[kh1958]

They are also disposing of the Francis Wolff photo collection.

Dear friends and supporters,

Over the last 30 years, Mosaic Images has released amazing images of jazz recording history taken by Francis Wolff to the world: We’ve published hundreds of gems in six books, reissue booklets and jazz press, presented gallery shows and photo exhibitions around the world and made fine art prints available to the public.

After Charlie Lourie and I launched Mosaic Records, I made friends with Alfred Lion, who made available photographic gems made by his partner Francis Wolff from the Blue Note sessions. We became the caretakers and eventual owners of the Wolff photographs and launched Mosaic Images. My wife Lisa and I carefully sleeved and curated these 20,000 photographs which came to us in two old trunks from Alfred’s attic. We realized that we had a vast and important asset of unseen jazz photography that might well have been thrown away after Alfred’s passing, had this opportunity not come about. 

Well, change is inevitable and soon the Francis Wolff photo archive will change ownership. Lisa and I will remain on as consultants for a while, but one of the casualties of the transition is that the availability of these images is undefined. This means that ordering fine art, metal and vintage silver gel prints will soon not be an option. 

No doubt the availability of making prints will return at some point, but if you are considering buying a Francis Wolff print in the near future, please do so on www.mosaicrecordsimages.com before December 17th.

Regretfully we are sorry for any inconvenience that this disruption causes.

Thank you for all your support, perceptions, and enthusiasm,
Michael Cuscuna

Edited December 1, 2021 by kh1958

[Brad]

I don’t remember seeing an email about an open house. Any idea when that is. Now would be a good time. 

[JSngry]

Glad to hear that the Black & White set is heading towards the finish line!

If they can't find ownership now....wait until they release it and it gets some press....

[Dan Gould]

5 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Glad to hear that the Black & White set is heading towards the finish line!

If they can't find ownership now....wait until they release it and it gets some press....

Yeah, Michael talks about one mistake sinking them, what if ownership shows up after release and its someone deep pocketed enough to wipe them out?

[ghost of miles]

51 minutes ago, Brad said:

I don’t remember seeing an email about an open house. Any idea when that is. Now would be a good time. 

I think it already happened.

[sidewinder]

That is interesting news about the Francis Wolff photo archive - I wonder where they are going?

Doesn’t sound good re: the forthcoming restrictions on prints.

[jazzbo]

Possible factor in their decision to sell the photos is that they feel they are done with Blue Note box sets. 

I wish them well. I want them around as long as I am.

[Bluesnik]

5 hours ago, Brad said:

I don’t remember seeing an email about an open house. Any idea when that is. Now would be a good time. 

Yes, that was some time ago and in it they mentioned their intention of downsizing. And their email about selling the Wolff pics (??? I would not do it) is not even a week old I think. And thanks for that very interesting and insightful article, ghost.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Bluesnik

[medjuck]

2 hours ago, sidewinder said:

That is interesting news about the Francis Wolff photo archive - I wonder where they are going?

Doesn’t sound good re: the forthcoming restrictions on prints.

Getty Images? 

[Rooster_Ties]

QUESTION:  Have all the photos in the "licensing" section of the mosaicimages website been published?  I mean, there are LOTS I've never seen before, but I don't have quite all the books of imagery that have come out over the years (I think I may have one, irrc, come to think of it -- but off the top of my head, there have been at least 3-4, irrc).

(I'm deliberately hot-linking to only the most obscure of the obscure images/names I can find among all those they have in the "available for licensing" section.  They've gone to some pains to try and disable anyone's ability to download these images, or to even link to them.  I did find a convoluted workaround to get to the bare URL's for the images themselves, but I don't want to expose anything (here) other than some images that would probably in demand to practically no one whatsoever.)

For instance this one...

• WMONCGF01 GRACHAN MONCUR II
• Ike Quebec's "Swing Seven" session, WOR Studios, NYC, July 17, 1945.

 

And another one...

• CVITOM01 MIROSLAV VITOUS
• Donald Byrd's "The Creeper" session, Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, October 5, 1967.

[sonnymax]

1 hour ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Have all the photos in the "licensing" section of the mosaicimages website been published?

From Mosaic: Over 2500 black and white and 300 color photographs by Francis Wolff have been scanned and now are on display on our website and available to license. Many of these photos remain unpublished.

[tranemonk]

Nice piece... I think something happened with their mailing list when they went to the new website. I was on the old one and routinely got the emails but somehow got dropped. No biggie though. I wonder when they did have the last open house? 

[Michael]

_{I think they have had at least 3 or 4 open house sales over the last couple years, even during the pandemic.  Wished I live closer to attend one but alas, you can't do it all.  Also, I could not access the article linked in the first post so can someone summarize the issue?  I am curious (but not yellow)}

Having talked to Michael once or twice over the last 5 years, I got the sense that they were trying to retire and were trying to figure out the easiest way .....

 

[T.D.]

I think the last open house was quite recent, within the past couple of months.

Edited December 2, 2021 by T.D.

[Brad]

I must have not read the email as they have already left the premises. Even though they’ve sold Mosaic Images that doesn’t mean they can’t license them back for any future BN sets. I assume BN pays a licensing fee when they use the photos on the Tone Poets and BN Classics series, unless there’s a licensing agreement already in place. 

[sgcim]

They misspelled my buddy Aaron Sachs' last name (Sax!). Those three guys SW mentioned that played in his big band were under recognized, great players. None of the kids can play like Aaron, Johnny Amoroso, or Eddie Bert, and now they're gone.

We still have their records, but nothing can replace the excitement of playing live with Aaron Sachs on the tenor. In that bag, only Getz was on that level.

[sidewinder]

5 hours ago, T.D. said:

I think the last open house was quite recent, within the past couple of months.

It was about a month ago I think - I got an email about it. Alas, have never been able to attend one (for obvious reasons).

[gmonahan]

On 12/2/2021 at 11:37 PM, sidewinder said:

It was about a month ago I think - I got an email about it. Alas, have never been able to attend one (for obvious reasons).

Me neither, not because I'm on the other side of the pond, but because I'm on the other side of the country!

Appreciated this article. Like Lon, I hope they're around as long as I am.

 

 

gregmo

[kh1958]

https://www.mosaicrecordsimages.com

NOTE: THIS SITE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SELL PRINTS AFTER JANUARY 14! ONLY THREE DAYS LEFT A 30% TO 50% OFF SALE OF A VARIETY OF FRANCIS WOLFF PRINTS. https://www.mosaicrecordsimages.com/shop/prints/sales-and-specials

We want to thank all of you who have supported our endeavors at Mosaic Images to bring the brilliance of Francis Wolff's photography and the history that he captured to the wider jazz public. We have created six books over the past 26 years, countless exhibitions all over the world and a wide variety of fine art prints that we have carefully curated and made available through the Mosaic Records and Mosaic Images websites. This website will come down at the end of the day on Friday, December 14th. As the Francis Wolff archive changes ownership, we don't know the fate of making and selling prints in various formats and sizes. When we have news of a new outlet to order prints, we will let you know by email.

A SALE ON SELECT FINE ART PRINTS FROM MOSAIC IMAGES VINTAGE, RARE SILVER GELATIN PRINTS ON SALE

[Patrick]

Are these links already shut down? Or do I need to try a browser besides chrome and edge?

[Shrdlu]

I hope these wonderful Frank Wolff pictures are not gobbled up by some souless corporation whose executives know nothing about them.

I scent retirement on Michael Cuscuna's part.

[felser]

3 hours ago, Patrick said:

Are these links already shut down? Or do I need to try a browser besides chrome and edge?

The links work for me in Chrome. 

[Dmitry]

I am not sure what to think about the change of hands for the Mosaic Images, but I have a bad feeling. Mr. Cuscuna, can you disclose the information about the new owner? Please tell us what will happen to this archive, if you are not contracted to stay silent.

I'm going to purchase one or two of the silver gelatin prints [i.e. the real photographs], before the rocker switch drops tonight. Now I have to figure out which ones.