mmilovan Posted May 1, 2004 Report Posted May 1, 2004 Not so long ago I saw somewhere on this board discussion about 60 or so LPs Mosaic issued long ago in 3 phases. So, my question is: was that set ever be available as CD format? If not, can we expect it in near future, or it is burried in grave forever? ANd another question for person who owns it in LP form: what are they, what period does these sets covers and of course, how does music sounds (probably great, I hope)? Quote
brownie Posted May 1, 2004 Report Posted May 1, 2004 (edited) The three Commodore Mosaic sets total 66 LPs. First and second sets had 23 LPs each, the third set had 20. The sets gather music from Commodore's first session (January 17, 1938 Eddie Condon and his Windy City Seven) up to June 1957 (a Peck Kelley date). A few pre-1938 tracks by Cow Cow Davenport, Fletcher Henderson and the Quintette of the Hot Club de France were also included. Each set was limited to 2,500 copies. They were issued in the late '80s and sold out very quickly. It was a pretty expensive investment at $230 each set (with a 20 percent discount on the third box for anyone who had already bought the first two). But there was an incredible amount of extraordinary music there with lots of material from people like Jelly Roll Morton, Billie Holiday, Chu Berry, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Pee Wee Russell, Ben Webster. There were a lot of wonderful unknown music. For example, it was my introduction to the wonderful sides by Bunk Johnson whose music I had neglected after reading adverse comments. And that's when I caught the Pee Wee Russell bug. He was on quite a number of Commodore sessions and he was a true revelation to me. And the Lester Young, Billie Holiday and Coleman Hawkins sessions are part of jazz history now and are awesome. The third set was a little less interesting even if it included great sessions with Wild Bill Davison, Willie Smith, Sidney Bechet, Ralph Sutton plus more modern sessions led by Frank Wess. Liner notes on all were done by Dan Morgenstern. The booklets were wonderful in true Mosaic fashion. No idea if Mosaic is planning to release in CD. Doubt it would be a feasible enterprise by now. Edited May 1, 2004 by brownie Quote
Roger Hiles Posted May 1, 2004 Report Posted May 1, 2004 I guess there's always Andorra's thriving recording industry... Quote
Bol Posted May 1, 2004 Report Posted May 1, 2004 A couple of months ago, I asked Mosaic about the possibility of these becoming available on CDs. I got a response back saying that there is no plan to lease these recordings from Universal again. So, my guess is that these will not be available again in any near future. I recently saw the 3 LP sets at Jazz Record Center in NYC (with some defect to one of the LPs). They were together priced at $1800!! The owner told me that he rarely has these in stock. If I had just won a lottery, I would have bought them and a turntable. Sigh... Quote
Brad Posted May 1, 2004 Report Posted May 1, 2004 I once saw Volume 1 (a couple of years ago) at Jazz Record Center for $450. Unfortunately, it was too rich for my blood. But I posted seeing it and I knew it was gone within hours. I've had to settle for the few cd issues available. Quote
brownie Posted May 1, 2004 Report Posted May 1, 2004 I knew I invested in good music when I bought the full set. Did not realise I also invested in financial profits. Hope the prices that are quoted hold on if and when I need to sell it. The set is in near perfect shape. Quote
mmilovan Posted May 1, 2004 Author Report Posted May 1, 2004 I guess there's always Andorra's thriving recording industry... I thought their policy is to issue only master takes from original metal parts Quote
jazzbo Posted May 1, 2004 Report Posted May 1, 2004 (edited) Mosaic truly did the jazz world a great favor when they produced these sets. It's unlikely we'll ever see Universal do the material justice in reissues. And it's amazing material! Much of the material has made it's way into the digital world via Classics and Neatworks; probably if they keep cranking those out and get to artists like Mel Powell etc. . . . Edited May 1, 2004 by jazzbo Quote
king ubu Posted May 1, 2004 Report Posted May 1, 2004 I guess there's always Andorra's thriving recording industry... I thought their policy is to issue only master takes from original metal parts Can I possibly open a lawsuit against my parents - they breeded me too late to get these sets... ubu Quote
RDK Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 I guess there's always Andorra's thriving recording industry... Well, if it's the only way to go... Quote
Alfred Posted May 3, 2004 Report Posted May 3, 2004 Can I possibly open a lawsuit against my parents - they breeded me too late to get these sets... ubu Quote
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.