Ron S

The Farlow is one of my favorites (not surprising--look at my avatar). I've also ordered the Django Reinhardt and the Johnny Smith sets (I already have the Joe Pass). I know the Smith set isn't as highly recommended by others as much as the Farlow, Pass, and Reinhardt, but I'm looking forward to it because of my interest in jazz guitar. I wasn't aware of Mosaic in time to get the Grant Green set but, fortunately, I've been able to assemble the equivalent of it from the current Blue Note Grant Green and Ike Quebec issues. I'm glad you got the replacement Farlow from Caiman and are enjoying it. And FWIW, I HAVE preordered the Basie set.

But it is an actual Mosaic set--one of the same limited edition of 10,000, obviously produced by Mosaic (Mosaic's name is all over the discs and booklet), but distributed by Universal as part of the licensing agreement that enabled the production of this set in the first place. There must be a story behind why the Universal copies of this set are being sold in the US at such discounted prices (maybe because the misprinted box spines?). If a Board Member with contacts could get the facts on this from someone at either Mosaic (Cuscuna?) or Universal, it would be interesting to know.

They send e-mails? I never got one! I guess you have to have one of those items in your queue before they send an e-mail. Exactly. If they learn that something in your queue will no longer be available to them on the date you have it scheduled to ship, they apparently give you a heads-up.

Wait a second--if Buddy Bolden really had played castanets in this session, wouldn't Wynton have, also???

Same here. But at least they sent an email advising to do that.

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No, because a lime is a good thing! Don't get technical.

Age is a state of mind.

I thought this was a thread about Chuck Nessa.

When life gives you limes make limeade??? I don't think so. And if you wanted to sue a car dealership or manufacturer, would you want to do so under a Lime Law??? Good Luck.

Obviously, if we all agreed on which recordings were "holy grails" or desert island material, there would only be about 7 posts on this Board (except of course for the 2 "General Discussion" forums). But if an absolutely objective, definitive, authoritative list IS ever developed, please let me know so that I can stop wasting time listening to other stuff.

Very well put, and virtually identical to my own feelings. B-)

Then who's the adorable kid in the photo?

That's the spirit! But I'd definitely recommend that you read it again BEFORE you stick it--doing it the other way around gets quite messy.

Party Pooper.

I think it's "50 is the new 30," to which I can really relate as I approach 50 with the fervent hope that I can finally get my act together.

I almost started this same thread a few months ago (about the time my avatar was the cover of Volume 1 of this set). The recording quality on these is astounding, and I've yet to encounter another live recording from any era that beats it (in fact, from that era none even approaches it). And the original CD transfer/mastering from the early '90's is just superb--I think the Japanese, or anyone, would be hard-pressed to improve upon these CD's, even with the latest and greatest technology. Also, the lack of Shelly solos nothwithstanding (sorry Jazz Kat), the level of ensemble playing on these CD's is marvelous. The subtle interplay and support among the musicians is at a level rarely attained (just listen to the way Manne, Budwig, and Feldman interact with each other, and with Gordon and Kamuca when they're soloing). Manne has to have been one of the most musical--and musically sensitive--drummers ever. These 5 discs are amazing, and it's surprising that with all the rave reviews they get (the Penguin Guide gives them it's highest accolade), they aren't more popular. I guess Manne just doesn't have the star power of a Miles or a Coltrane.

Mine, from Caiman via Amazon, does NOT have the defect. Caiman's current listing on Amazon (here) says that they have 60 in stock, and they seem to keep replenishing their supply (although obviously not indefinitely). So, even if you happen to get one of the sets with a defective disc (as described earlier in this thread), you could always return the set to Caiman and get another one (they pay for return shipping of defective products).

Allen, come to Philly and we'll be glad to have you take us--er, um, I mean take you--to lunch.

Yeah, but when you listen to them, you think to yourself, "PRICELESS!"

There's a lot of discussion in that thread by me and others specifically about the Farlow set and Caiman's selling of it. The so-called European set is identical to the one sold directly by Mosaic except that the set number is different (i.e., not a Mosaic number), the booklet is not individually numbered (although it does indicate that the set is one of a limited edition of 10,000), and the label on the spine of the box includes the words "Concert Band," apparently an erroneous hold-over from the Mulligan box. Other than that, the contents say "Mosaic" all over them, and at least in my set everything is indicated as having been made/printed in the USA.

If she's that good, it might be worth crossing the Atlantic for my next haircut.

Bev, were all those trophies awarded to her for hair-cutting?

Cool! Looks like you're playing a solo gig. B-)

That looks terrific! Now we can ALL get into bootlegging--just kidding.