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Better mail Scott personally: Mosaic mail

I don’t think I’ve ever owned any of their releases and a subscription to vinyl isn’t for me but I find the concept interesting. https://www.denverpost.com/2024/05/03/vinyl-me-please-denver-fires-ceo-lawsuit-rino-plant/ The Denver record company Vinyl Me, Please has ousted its top executives and sued them for allegedly funneling company funds to their pricy pet project in RiNo. Vinyl Me, Please was founded in 2012 and has become a popular record-of-the-month subscription service in the dozen years since, with 20,000 subscribers today, it said. CEO Cameron Schaefer and Chief Financial Officer Adam Block led the company in recent years. But the company’s board fired them, along with Chief Strategy Officer Rich Kylberg, in March. And on Wednesday, all three were sued by the company they led. The stated cause for their ouster is a new 14,000-square-foot vinyl record production plant at 4201 N. Brighton Blvd. That plant, which started pressing records this year, has been hyped by national and local media, as well as Schaefer, Block and Kylberg, since 2022. “It’s purely because we love Denver,” Schaefer said that year of the decision to press records in RiNo. “People might laugh at that, but it’s really true. We definitely had people pushing us like, ‘There are cheaper places you could build this.’ But that wouldn’t be as fun.” Behind the closed doors of Vinyl Me, Please, the plant is not seen as such a fun success. “To date, the pressing plant has not demonstrated the ability to press vinyl records in a timely or professional manner,” according to the company’s lawsuit in Denver District Court. In 2020, as the pandemic pinched global supply chains, VMP’s suppliers placed limits on the number of vinyl records it could buy. That’s when Schaefer, Block and Kylberg “seized on the order cap and the fear of possible further disruptions in VMP’s supply chain as an opportunity that they could exploit for their personal benefit,” the company says now. The three executives decided to start a vinyl pressing plant that would supply records to Vinyl Me, Please directly. They came before VMP’s board with a proposal in late 2021. In VMP’s recollection, the plan was for the factory to be independently owned and independently funded, save for some minor expenditures and VMP staff time. The seven-person board was divided, 4-3, with Schaeffer casting the deciding aye vote, the company said. Vinyl Me, Please accuses Schaefer, Block and Kylberg of violating that plan before it was even approved, by spending $200,000 in company funds on equipment for the plant in mid-2021. They had also spent hundreds of company hours on the plant by then, VMP alleged. And when it came time to hire a manager for the plant, it was VMP that paid the “substantial salary, benefits and bonuses” of industry veteran Gary Salstrom, the lawsuit alleges. 5280 magazine reported last yearthat Salstrom was made an equity partner in VMP. “Defendants did not disclose to the board that they had directed hundreds of thousands of dollars of VMP money to pay the salary and bonuses for a VMP employee that worked almost exclusively for the pressing plant,” the lawsuit said Schaefer, Block and Kylberg. A banner announces the future site of the Vinyl Me, Please pressing plant in RiNo in this promotional image. (Provided by Vinyl Me, Please) Before long, Vinyl Me, Please’s top executives were spending a majority of their time on what was supposed to be an independent side project, and convincing other VMP employees to do the same, according to the company. “As a direct result of defendants’ devotion” to the plant, “VMP’s operating results declined throughout 2023 and into 2024,” it alleged. Meanwhile, outside funding for the factory fell through, so VMP’s executives spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of company funds on equipment for it, “including a specialized sound system that was not necessary…but was rather an amenity,” VMP said. They allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on leases too, and hid that from the board. In March 2022, two years before the factory was functional, VMP’s executives signed an agreement that made VMP a customer of the plant, at an upfront cost of $1.5 million, the lawsuit alleged. They also sent out marketing materials “implying the two entities” — VMP and the factory — “were one and the same, creating confusion amongst customers,” VMP said. “When, by late 2023, the pressing plant was still not able to press records or fulfill orders, the board began to investigate the relationship and business dealings between the pressing plant and VMP,” according to the lawsuit. Schaefer, Block and Kylberg “did not provide a candid or truthful accounting or explanation to the board,” so they were fired in March. Vinyl Me, Please is suing the trio of ex-execs for breaching their fiduciary duty to the company. Its lawyers are Chad Nitta and Shelby Morbach in the Denver office of Kutak Rock. The company and its attorneys did not respond to interview requests this week. Emails and phone calls to the listed numbers of Schaefer and Kylberg were not answered or returned this week either. Contact information for Block was not available. VMP co-founder Matt Fiedler became interim CEO of the company last month, according to his LinkedIn profile, which states he was previously CEO from 2012 to 2020. The company’s subscriptions run $46 a month or $435 a year, according to its website.

They are listed in the Discography section on the release page. The new title is "Photon in a Paper World", a composition which appeared on a Stanley Cowell album from that time. Somehow, I was not surprised that there weren't any alternates from the Total Eclipse session, which would have been the most exciting to me. There's a certain atmosphere to that session which I'm always attracted by.

This box seems intriguing. I'm actually not a fan of BN's more cerebral releases, in which I include Hutcherson's Happenings. I also own downloads of Medina and Spiral, and Patterns on a Japanese CD. Having said that, sometimes a box set can force a reevaluation and lend a new perspective. I'll think about it.

#4 is actually a tenor-led date (but very much an ensemble). #6 is indeed Frisell; I think his tone and phrasing are unmistakable. However, not Moon River (track name already identified). #9 has also been identified. #14 is an Ohio Players song, and the track has been identified; put on your platform shoes!

I'll pass. 7 unissued takes is not enough (for me).

I'm curious why the "Now" tunes that were recorded in 1969 were omitted. Those would be the first five songs on the 2004 release of "Now" that also includes some live material from 1977. The set is not sold as complete - with these omissions the reason for that AFAIK. I know that the vocals would not be everyone's cup of tea, but the music on those songs is very strong IMO.

Weyman Corporation – Le Chat ... France 1976

I think many would be surprised how many may turn out to buy copies of never before officially released Remler. I see a lot of talk of her on and off the forums.

👍 - as EmArcy – EJD-3074 [Japan 1990] on my shelf.

So you are saying that it doesn't sound credible? Actually, I just looked at the database of my own collection that has entries mostly by recording session or concert with no duplications. I count 511. That is already more than 3000 performances. And there are a lot of concert performances, in particular, that I don't have.

Makes me think about the late Joe Benjamin ....

Nor did I. Falling off the fence … I get why they left Now off, but I like it. It isn’t ALL vocals and I kind of like them.

Which combined may have made a nice Select, though the half of them are various degrees of fluff (with Natural Illusions being the nadir). I'm not really fond of Head On as originally released, but some of the CD bonus material is outstanding. One unissued tune and seven unissued alternate takes (don't have details past that). Can't justify the price tag for that (though I would buy a single CD with all that on it). Cash, shelf space, and listening time are finite resources.

Pre-ordered as well. Actually, I mistakenly ordered 2 copies because I did not think that my original order had gone through since, after submitting my online order, an error message asked me to click on the "Create an account" box. I then went back and re-ordered. I called my cc company and, unfortunately, they confirmed 2 charges. I left an online message for Mosaic to cancel, and refund my cc, for the erroneous order. Hopefully they will do so promptly. I am looking forward to this set!

Stella Estrallita - Blink And You'll Miss It!!!

The beef seemed to be with his double-stopped solos. I mean, ok I guess, but still... I'd like to go back in this thread to second the rec for Wellman Braud. Stong bass playing!

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.2 and No.3

Pre-ordered... with a melancholy feeling.

I might agree with his bowed solos leaving a little to be desired (though he is far from alone in that category as far as I am concerned) however, I never have issues with his pizz solos. And I agree with you, "the rest of it" alone is enough to justify his place in the halls of bass excellence. Jackie McLean - Swing Swang Swingin' Bill Barron - The Tenor Stylings... J.R. Monterose - The Message Walter Bishop Jr. - Speak Low Kenny Dorham - Show Boat Philly Joe - Blues for Dracula 😉

Another 80`s Ed Blackwell master class ..... btw not sure whether Mark Helias is "underrated", his playing is stupendous here ....

Former Bears QB Bob Avellini has passed away (msn.com) RIP.