Elvin Jones Mosaic

[Adam]

up for running low.

BTW, I also enjoy the Elvin Jones set a lot.

[martini]

My copy arrived yesterday (#3003) and I've spun the first two discs so far. I must say that I'm enjoying Joe Farrell's playing quite a bit. I also like that, given the time period ('68), Elvin was experimental while still "keeping the root" of bop-influenced music. So far this set is a winner. Buy it while you can . . .

Oddly, the booklet that came with my set was incomplete (missing pages 1 & 2). It was clearly a binding flaw, as nothing looks torn out of it. Mosaic, being the good people they are, have a replacement booklet on the way.

[Kyo]

Joe Farrell was one of the main reasons for me to get this set.

I also like George Coleman's playing a lot, so I just had to get the whole thing.

[gslade]

Just got home and the set (3012) was waiting for me.

I wont get a chance to listen untill late tomorrow, damn

[Rooster_Ties]

One of the main reasons I got the Elvin Jones set (well, one of them, anyway), was that one date with Lee Morgan. One of the very few (only?) dates in Lee's entire career without any kind of chordal instruments in the line-up.

Haven't listened to it in over year, I think I'll get it out shortly.

[mikeweil]

... The last thing he needs is some corny conga playing in the background.

This clearly shows you have no idea what the African heritage of percussion and ryhthm is all about, matters of taste notwithstanding. Elvin had a real deep connection to this.

Besides that, I wonder what "corny congas" might be, except for the alliteration ....

[sheldonm]

... The last thing he needs is some corny conga playing in the background.

This clearly shows you have no idea what the African heritage of percussion and ryhthm is all about, matters of taste notwithstanding. Elvin had a real deep connection to this.

Besides that, I wonder what "corny congas" might be, except for the alliteration ....

Hey, are you one of those "corny" conga players???

Mark~

[CJ Shearn]

I hope I can get this set soon

[felser]

(From the Artists thread: "BTW, his Vanguard recordings are nice as well. Maybe not as good as his Blue Note trio dates with Joe Farrell (my favorites!), but they are well worth a spin.")

This isn't about the Mosaic set per se, but about the Elvin Jones shows at the Vanguard. I think there is one legitimate release on Enja and then the four Skyscraper albums on Honeydew. I have the first, but haven't tracked down the others yet. First question is if they are legitimate or bootlegs. Second is if 2-4 are worth acquiring. Third, is there anyway to promote the idea that the live sets at the Vanguard become a Mosaic Select -- after all Elvin was technically under contract to BN at the time, right? (just dreaming probably).

Anyway, I do have the Elvin Jones Mosaic and enjoy it greatly. I am about to spin discs 1 and 2.

I love the Elvin Blue Notes (except for the last couple, which I still enjoy), but from memory, the Enja and Especially the Honeydews had excessive drum solos on them. If 20 minute cuts with 15 minute drum solos is your idea of great music, go for it. Otherwise, stick with the Blue Notes. Ironically, the Live at the Lighthouse stuff is great.

[mikeweil]

Oddly, the booklet that came with my set was incomplete (missing pages 1 & 2). It was clearly a binding flaw, as nothing looks torn out of it. Mosaic, being the good people they are, have a replacement booklet on the way.

Same here - received my replacement booklet today.

Any corny remarks aside, I think the Elvin Blue Note sessions are rather underrated as far as their position in the line of conversations of jazz drummers with percussionists and their African heritage is concerned. IMHO opinion they are on the same level as Art Blakey's Orgy In Rhythm etc., and Max Roach's M'Boom group. This is an important part of their recorded legacy and just as important as the "jazz blowing". Of course, being a percussionist, I probably can relate to this side of the music easier, but I generally think the rhythmic aspect of jazz is undervalued.

[king ubu]

What, you already got your replacement booklet??? No trace of the set here... not even a shipping confirmation email!

[clifford_thornton]

I bet this set is good. I have some of these on LP and am consistently finding new things to piss myself about on them... the Lighthouse date is a particularly heavy one, even without Farrell in the mix. I will wonder why he didn't get his own BN menage.

[Clunky]

What, you already got your replacement booklet??? No trace of the set here... not even a shipping confirmation email!

still waiting here too, no invoice either 3 weeks after it was apparently dispatched. oh well it'll turn up eventually.

[sidewinder]

They seem to be taking a while to get over the Atlantic at the moment Clunky but don't worry, I'm sure it will turn up.

Just been notified that my Stitt and Pass are at a main branch P.O. on the South Coast via Sweden with some customs to pay ( ) but at least I should be able to pick them up tonight. It'll be a Stitt-tensive weekend..

Edited September 29, 2006 by sidewinder

[sal]

... The last thing he needs is some corny conga playing in the background.

This clearly shows you have no idea what the African heritage of percussion and ryhthm is all about, matters of taste notwithstanding. Elvin had a real deep connection to this.

Besides that, I wonder what "corny congas" might be, except for the alliteration ....

I'm thinking that perhaps you misunderstood my post. I have absolutely nothing against congas or any other types of percussion. I'm a drummer myself, and am a big fan of Samba, Indian classical music, and many other forms of percussion heavy musics.

What I was saying is that on alot of these tracks, the addition of two and three other percussionists sounds very cluttered, muddy and messy to these ears. I think that its primarily because Elvin's style of drumming, with his tendency to so frequently accent in the most unconventional spots in the beat, along with his exceptional chops, fills so much space already, that the percusisonists just start to pile on top of each other, making it difficult to get any types of conversations going. Additional percussionists worked better with drummers like Max Roach and Art Blakey, as their styles of drumming allowed for more "space" to be filled. And then to top it off, you have the fact that the percussionists on these sessions don't really sound like they were exceptional players to begin with, hence my choice of adjective to describe the playing.

So, on the contrary to what you said regarding my understanding of music, I think that it really does come down to a matter of taste. On this set, I much prefer the tracks with Elvin alone.

[clifford_thornton]

I agree with you, or at least I see your point.

[mikeweil]

Yes I see your point, too, and apologize for my emotionalized reaction, caused by my love for these sessions - I have no problem with busy Elvin on top of the percussion and appreciate his engagement for the African part of the tradition very much, where this kind of situation is pretty common.

[Guest akanalog]

on "the site" someone just seeded an elvin jones show from 1971-2 discs and it looks great (not the blue note official release, of course). this has hammer, perla, farrell i don't know who else.

Edited October 7, 2006 by akanalog

[Head Man]

on "the site" someone just seeded an elvin jones show from 1971-2 discs and it looks great (not the blue note official release, of course). this has hammer, perla, farrell i don't know who else.

Thanks for the heads up. It looks a very cool session!

[JSngry]

...Elvin's style of drumming, with his tendency to so frequently accent in the most unconventional spots in the beat...

Oh, the spots themselves are quite often conventional enough.

It's the spots within the spots tha'll kick you ass.

[king ubu]

I finally got my set, but the booklet misses p. 1/2 (and thus also 15/16) - I hope it's not too late for them to replace it!

[mikeweil]

You're the third reporting these pages missing - I wonder why Mosaic doesn't check the booklets before shipping - would save them some money!

[king ubu]

Yes, even more so since someone actually put a readable number in there, and didn't check - I assume if they'd checked it the number would be unreadable...

[Clunky]

Really enjoying this Elvin set. Not that I'm hugely concerned but I was puzzled to note that the "Lighthouse" sessions on discs 7/8 are mastered from 16-bit mixes where as the rest is 24-bit.

Wonder why , were the original tapes lost after the session came out on CD in 1990 ???

I'm not bit-mad but the live material does sound a little flat although perfectly acceptable- I presume that's more to do with the way it was recorded rather than the digital transfer.

Edited October 9, 2006 by Clunky

[mikeweil]

Yes, even more so since someone actually put a readable number in there, and didn't check - I assume if they'd checked it the number would be unreadable...

That opens the door real wide for speculations about who actually scribbles them numbers into the booklets - mine was incomplete and the number unreadable .....