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Don Byas Mosaic set available for pre-order


jazzbo

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I listened to the first disk and enjoyed it.  There is a sort of air of exploration - some participants are still playing swing as Byas edges into bop.  It was very nice to hear from Tiny Grimes and Clyde Hart again, memorably heard on the early Parker Savoys. And Hot Lips Page is fun.

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Those who haven't received it yet have a lot to look forward to.  This box is utterly amazing, easily one of the best Mosaic sets ever released (IMO).   

The heart of this set is two and a half discs of mostly previously unreleased Timmie Rosenkantz apartment recordings from 1944.  There is an abundance of prime Don Byas here.  There is also what would appear to be the first recorded session where Thelonious Monk could be considered the leader, with both Don Byas and Lucky Thompson on sax!  That session comprises 54 minutes of music.  Only one track from this session was previous released on the "Timmie's Teasures" compilation.  A bunch of the unreleased Timmie Rosenkranz recordings showed up on YouTube a while back but the Monk recordings were not among the ones I heard.  

If I have any complaint, I feel that Mosaic should have made an effort to also include the Town Hall recordings from 1945 with Slam Stewart in this package.  Not only is this some of the most celebrated Byas on record, but it fits right in with this collection with respect to content and chronology.  There are even preliminary recordings with Slam Stewart on I got Rhythm and Indiana among the included Timmie Rosenkranz recordings.   Despite the critical praise for the Town Hall recordings, they have been reissued in a very haphazard and often incomplete way.  I have even yet to track down the recording of "Candy" from this concert.   

 

Edited by John L
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1 hour ago, John L said:

   

The heart of this set is two and a half discs of mostly previously unreleased Timmie Rosenkantz apartment recordings from 1944.  There is an abundance of prime Don Byas here.  There is also what would appear to be the first recorded session where Thelonious Monk could be considered the leader, with both Don Byas and Lucky Thompson on sax!  That session comprises 54 minutes of music.  Only one track from this session was previous released on the "Timmie's Teasures" compilation.  A bunch of the unreleased Timmie Rosenkranz recordings showed up on YouTube a while back but the Monk recordings were not among the ones I heard.  

 

 

How would you rate sound quality on the set as a whole and the Rosenkrantz discs in particular?

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19 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

How would you rate sound quality on the set as a whole and the Rosenkrantz discs in particular?

I would rate it very high, but for the private Rosenkrantz recordings the sound quality is variable due to the source material.  Most of it is quite good for private recordings from the 40s, with strong presence for Byas' trademark tone.  Some tracks were left off due to perceived insufficient sound quality.  They are also listed in the discography in the booklet.  Some tracks were included despite significant sound issues if they were deemed by Loren Schoenberg et al do be sufficiently strong or historically important. 

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On 12/13/2023 at 1:13 PM, John L said:

Those who haven't received it yet have a lot to look forward to.  This box is utterly amazing, easily one of the best Mosaic sets ever released (IMO).   

The heart of this set is two and a half discs of mostly previously unreleased Timmie Rosenkantz apartment recordings from 1944.  There is an abundance of prime Don Byas here.  There is also what would appear to be the first recorded session where Thelonious Monk could be considered the leader, with both Don Byas and Lucky Thompson on sax!  That session comprises 54 minutes of music.  Only one track from this session was previous released on the "Timmie's Teasures" compilation.  A bunch of the unreleased Timmie Rosenkranz recordings showed up on YouTube a while back but the Monk recordings were not among the ones I heard.  

If I have any complaint, I feel that Mosaic should have made an effort to also include the Town Hall recordings from 1945 with Slam Stewart in this package.  Not only is this some of the most celebrated Byas on record, but it fits right in with this collection with respect to content and chronology.  There are even preliminary recordings with Slam Stewart on I got Rhythm and Indiana among the included Timmie Rosenkranz recordings.   Despite the critical praise for the Town Hall recordings, they have been reissued in a very haphazard and often incomplete way.  I have even yet to track down the recording of "Candy" from this concert.   

 

It came out in the gimambo Commodore Set from Mosaic.

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On 12/13/2023 at 8:46 PM, John L said:

I would rate it very high, but for the private Rosenkrantz recordings the sound quality is variable due to the source material.  Most of it is quite good for private recordings from the 40s, with strong presence for Byas' trademark tone.  Some tracks were left off due to perceived insufficient sound quality.  They are also listed in the discography in the booklet.  Some tracks were included despite significant sound issues if they were deemed by Loren Schoenberg et al do be sufficiently strong or historically important. 

I should have made a recording of a Rosenkrantz recording instead of that track I posted. I think Mosaic has a few samples on their website. Anyway, I agree completely with your comments. 

Edited by hopkins
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31 minutes ago, John L said:

One of the Timme Rosenkrantz sessions has some very pleasing vocals by a certain Nita Bradley, who sang briefly with Artie Shaw in the 30s.   It makes me wonder why she didn't sing / record more?

Nita Bradley pops up again in two sessions by the Teddy McRae And His Zanzibar Orchestra in 1945 (Kenny Kersey on piano). And that's all!

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On 11/30/2023 at 11:57 PM, J.A.W. said:

If you ordered directly from Mosaic there is no VAT included, they do not use the EU IOSS ("Import One Stop Shop") scheme as far as I know. Within the EU you pay VAT on arrival of an order from outside the EU, unless the non-EU seller uses IOSS, in that case VAT is charged at check-out if the total value does not exceed 150 euros, and no VAT is due on arrival.

By the way - and this might be of interest to EU residents - Belgian store TYQMusic is currently offering the Byas Mosaic for 189 euros (pre-order) plus shipping. They told me they're expecting the set mid- or late December: TYQMusic

Just got an email from FedEx: 50,41 Euros bill. The grand total of this set is more then 260 $! Last set I ever buy direct from Mosaic.

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