Threadgill and Air

[sidewinder]

Yeah - I can't believe his music has eluded me to date. Of course, lots of musicians over here in the UK in the 'free' area have been very much influenced by both Threadgill himself and 'Air' so the vibe has been around.

[jeffcrom]

I'm looking forward to seeing how much unreleased material is included. I have all the original albums - I didn't buy the Braxton set for that reason.

[Chuck Nessa]

Willing to bet the only new material is the unissued material from the X-75 sessions.

[JSngry]

In 1979, Threadgill made his first album as a leader for Arista Novus. “X-75. Volume 1” featured the unique ensemble of four reeds, four basses and the voice of Amina Claudine Myers. A volume 2 was made and never issued. It is released for the first time in this set.

That's (probably) gonna be it. But that's good enough for me.

[Chuck Nessa]

IIRC, the 2nd lp wasn't issued 'cause it needed more work and that never happened.

[Stefan Wood]

IIRC, the 2nd lp wasn't issued 'cause it needed more work and that never happened.

I thought it was mentioned in the email that the 2nd lp is included. I finally found the first this spring, but it will be nice to have everything in one box.

[Chuck Nessa]

IIRC, the 2nd lp wasn't issued 'cause it needed more work and that never happened.

I thought it was mentioned in the email that the 2nd lp is included. I finally found the first this spring, but it will be nice to have everything in one box.

Memory from "back in the day" is that more was recorded but another session was needed to complete the project. Just reporting my (possibly faulty) memory.

[Stefan Wood]

Nah, you are not there yet. I'm 39 and I can't remember what I had for breakfast.

[JSngry]

IIRC, the 2nd lp wasn't issued 'cause it needed more work and that never happened.

I thought it was mentioned in the email that the 2nd lp is included. I finally found the first this spring, but it will be nice to have everything in one box.

Memory from "back in the day" is that more was recorded but another session was needed to complete the project. Just reporting my (possibly faulty) memory.

At this point in time, I'll take it.

[gmonahan]

There's a big "superficial" difference between Air & the Sextet...sometimes...Air could get "open-ended" in a way the Sextet seldom did. But Air often swung like mofos too...hey, Steve McCall, I mean, hey.

Them that worry about Henry being "too" avant-garde should at least hear some of the Sextet before signing off on that position. You might still, but you might not. Depends on where your "line" is...

I'm willing to keep my ears open, Jim. Just got the Don Cherry Blue Notes and have been listening to those. What Sextet album would you recommend?

[Clunky]

I'm hoping the sound on Rag, bush and all will be improved. My LP although in mint condition sounds highly processed with little sense of space around the instruments, it's quite listenable but could do with a really good remaster.

[David Ayers]

I'm hoping the sound on Rag, bush and all will be improved. My LP although in mint condition sounds highly processed with little sense of space around the instruments, it's quite listenable but could do with a really good remaster.

Good point. As an LP that one is a dud.

[PHILLYQ]

There's a big "superficial" difference between Air & the Sextet...sometimes...Air could get "open-ended" in a way the Sextet seldom did. But Air often swung like mofos too...hey, Steve McCall, I mean, hey.

Them that worry about Henry being "too" avant-garde should at least hear some of the Sextet before signing off on that position. You might still, but you might not. Depends on where your "line" is...

I'm willing to keep my ears open, Jim. Just got the Don Cherry Blue Notes and have been listening to those. What Sextet album would you recommend?

'You Know the Number' has some wickedly swinging blues on it, well worth a listen IMHO.

[RDK]

Great news, but I have to question the inclusion of the Columbia discs. Aren't these very easily available - and often very cheaply? I don't think I've paid more than a buck or three for them in the used bins over the years - and in fact just picked up another copy of "Carry the Day" for a buck over the weekend.

The fact that the columbia discs are like 20 years down the road(1995-98) makes it lame to include it IMHO.......I don't like sets that span 20 years......mosaic at times does some conceptually dumb things. Stick with the Arista/Novus material only and make it a 5CD set. Just randomly piecing stuff together over a 20 year period is stupid.........I for one won't even think about buying this just for that reason.......it's obvious these folks aren't thinking straight. Mosaic doesn't know WTF they're doing.

I think that's overstating things considerably!

[Hot Ptah]

Great news, but I have to question the inclusion of the Columbia discs. Aren't these very easily available - and often very cheaply? I don't think I've paid more than a buck or three for them in the used bins over the years - and in fact just picked up another copy of "Carry the Day" for a buck over the weekend.

The fact that the columbia discs are like 20 years down the road(1995-98) makes it lame to include it IMHO.......I don't like sets that span 20 years......mosaic at times does some conceptually dumb things. Stick with the Arista/Novus material only and make it a 5CD set. Just randomly piecing stuff together over a 20 year period is stupid.........I for one won't even think about buying this just for that reason.......it's obvious these folks aren't thinking straight. Mosaic doesn't know WTF they're doing.

I think that is too harsh. Mosaic has to work with the music companies and get licenses when and how they can, for the material made available to them. Mosaic is not an omnipotent being, with supreme powers, which can pick and choose any music ever recorded, and decide what to include.

I am just happy that there is any company out there willing to release this stuff with such good sound and nice booklets. To complain too much about details of their work--why trash one of the very few great things out there for jazz lovers? We are not in a buyer's market here.

Edited October 2, 2009 by Hot Ptah

[Joe Bip]

This is great news, and there won't be too much duplication for me. I've mostly been listening to Air albums like Air Song, Air Time, and Live Air, although I do have Air Lore on Vinyl. I just acquired Threadgill's Carry the Day and Where's Your Cup within the last couple of years, but I somehow managed to misplace the former CD, so I guess this set will remedy that.

As for the 20-year span, it's a little unusual but nothing to get bent out of shape over. Mosaic is doing what they need to do to make some of this music more available, and I'm grateful for that. I know that such chronological jumps can be jarring on a single-disc compilation, but who would listen to a box set as big as this straight through? Just take into account the recording date of the material on each disc as you take it out to listen to it.

[gmonahan]

There's a big "superficial" difference between Air & the Sextet...sometimes...Air could get "open-ended" in a way the Sextet seldom did. But Air often swung like mofos too...hey, Steve McCall, I mean, hey.

Them that worry about Henry being "too" avant-garde should at least hear some of the Sextet before signing off on that position. You might still, but you might not. Depends on where your "line" is...

I'm willing to keep my ears open, Jim. Just got the Don Cherry Blue Notes and have been listening to those. What Sextet album would you recommend?

'You Know the Number' has some wickedly swinging blues on it, well worth a listen IMHO.

Thanks--I'll check it out!

greg mo

[charlesp]

As for unreleased material, the jacket to Air's Open Air Suite references a fifth suit that could not be included because of the time limitations of the LP medium - I hope it was recorded and will be included in the Mosaic set, along with Vol. 2 of X-75.

I have all of the Novus recordings on LP - but will preorder this set because Threadgill is one of the artists I have never tired of - I am always hearing something new when I listen for the umteenth time.

I do not have the three Columbia cds, so I am happy that they will be included - I, for one, do think that Cuscuna knows "wtf" he is doing - but we each have our own view. There must have been a liscensing issue that required Mosaic to leap frog the Black Saints.

[JETman]

As for unreleased material, the jacket to Air's Open Air Suite references a fifth suit that could not be included because of the time limitations of the LP medium - I hope it was recorded and will be included in the Mosaic set, along with Vol. 2 of X-75.

I have all of the Novus recordings on LP - but will preorder this set because Threadgill is one of the artists I have never tired of - I am always hearing something new when I listen for the umteenth time.

I do not have the three Columbia cds, so I am happy that they will be included - I, for one, do think that Cuscuna knows "wtf" he is doing - but we each have our own view. There must have been a liscensing issue that required Mosaic to leap frog the Black Saints.

The European music entrepreneurs (Werner at Hat Hut, Manfred at ECM, Bonandrini at Black Saint and Soul Note, and the guy at Steeplchase (forget his name)) will NEVER license their stuff out. They look at it as their life's work.

[J.A.W.]

...the guy at Steeplchase (forget his name)...

Nils Winther

[JETman]

...the guy at Steeplchase (forget his name)...

Nils Winther

Thank you!!!

Nice guy, btw. I had an email exchange with him last year regarding the Dexter Steeplechase box set.

[Д.Д.]

As for unreleased material, the jacket to Air's Open Air Suite references a fifth suit that could not be included because of the time limitations of the LP medium - I hope it was recorded and will be included in the Mosaic set, along with Vol. 2 of X-75.

I have all of the Novus recordings on LP - but will preorder this set because Threadgill is one of the artists I have never tired of - I am always hearing something new when I listen for the umteenth time.

I do not have the three Columbia cds, so I am happy that they will be included - I, for one, do think that Cuscuna knows "wtf" he is doing - but we each have our own view. There must have been a liscensing issue that required Mosaic to leap frog the Black Saints.

The European music entrepreneurs (Werner at Hat Hut, Manfred at ECM, Bonandrini at Black Saint and Soul Note, and the guy at Steeplchase (forget his name)) will NEVER license their stuff out. They look at it as their life's work.

I think Bonandrinis are not in charge of the Black Saint / Soul Note catalog after it was acquired by CAM Jazz.

Incidentally, most of Black Saint Air and Threadgill releases are since recently available as downloads only.

Edited October 5, 2009 by Д.Д.

[clifford_thornton]

X-75 is a fantastic record - further related material would be pretty cool.

[ATR]

I just found this in the upcoming releases section:

In 1986, Henry formed his Sextett, which consisted of seven musicians! This unique ensemble consisted of trumpet, trombone, cello, bass and two sets of drums as well as Threadgill. Over the next two years, the group recorded three albums, all for RCA Novus and all included here.

That's interesting. The current release on the Mosaic site is corrected to state that the sextet was formed in 1981 and began recording for RCA in 1986. The first three sextet albums, entitled When Was That?, Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket, and Subject to Change were released by About Time Records. All three are still in print and available from jazzloft or cadencebuilding. The first two are available as CD's, LP's, or from ITunes. Subject to Change is LP only.

Unfortunately for Mosaic, Threadgill didn't record for one label over a period of time long enough to collect a box set as Braxton did. And as I look at the Mosaic catalog I see that many or most of their boxes are The Complete [insert label name here] Recordings of [insert artist name here]. It was probably a difficult decision to decide what to include.

As a listener, I think that for the sake of continuity the About Time recordings would have been my choice over the Columbias. But I'm biased. This is going to be a great box, and the About Times are still available. AFAIK, a good part of the box (some of the Airs) has never been released on CD, and X-75 Vol.2 is a welcome addition to the Threadgill discography. Enjoy.

[Chuck Nessa]

For anyone waiting to see reactions to the box, buy the About Times and decide on the Mosaic as a result. The ATs and more are wonderful.