Ron S

My wife was going to buy me a Mosaic Select for Valentine's Day, so I ended up ordering this instead on Monday. Thanks for the heads-up Ron! Your welcome, Jeff. Let us know what you think of it.

Now that I've finished listening to all 7 discs of the Tal Farlow Mosaic, I just wanted to reiterate what a terrific deal is to be had by purchasing this set from Caiman through Amazon. Of course, the music is phenomenal, as is the Malcolm Addey-mastered sound. And the Universal/Verve European edition is identical in every way to the US edition, and is in fact manufactured in the U.S. The ONLY differences are: 1. the set doesn't have the Mosaic 224-MD-CD number; 2. the booklet isn't individually numbered, but just says that it's one of a limited edition of 10,000 (Mosaic actually numbers each of the US booklets at the time it's shipped to the purchaser, which can't be done with the European edition since it's sold by a variety of retailers); 3. the spine of the box says "Concert Band" as discussed above (and I haven't heard from anyone whether the US version also has this error); 4. rubber-cemented to the back of the box (presumably so it can be easily removed) is a copy of Mosaic's description of the set from its catalog and web site (since people considering buying the set in a store otherwise may not see it). The best part is that Caiman now has this set--brand-new and factory-sealed--for $50.45 plus $2.49 shipping. Here is their listing. And believe me, this IS the genuine article--a Mosaic through and through with slight numbering modifications to allow Verve/Universal to distribute it abroad. But, if you just MUST have that "224" on the spine of your box, and the individual number scrawled on the inside of your booklet by someone in Mosaic's shipping department, then you should spend the extra $76.06 and order direct from Mosaic. Personally, I'd rather do as tranemonk did, and put that extra money into another Mosaic.

They do list some--it's probably hit or miss as to whether they're in stock. But they give accurate stock info--in fact, you can't even order something unless it IS in stock. VERY occasionally, I've ordered something that went out of stock, but you're notified of that as soon as your order is shipped within 2-3 business days, and they just cancel that item from the order. Out of the hundreds of CD's I've ordered from them, that's happened maybe 2 times. But their prices are generally excellent for domestic issues, including RVG's and 20-bit K2's. It takes them a few weeks to stock a new issue, but if you check the label and issue date in the CD info, you can figure out whether it's the reissue you're looking for.

You know, you could get a lot better prices on at least some of those at AllDirect.com, where I do most of my buying. For example, the RVG's are typically $7.99 each, and you get free shipping on any order over $99 (FedEx Ground, which takes 2 business days to get from Nashville, where AllDirect is, to me in Philly). It takes them 2-3 business days to process an order, but they don't charge your card until they ship. I've purchased literally hundreds of CD's from them, and never had a problem. All their stuff is brand-new, but their return policy is great for the occasional defective CD, including refunding the return shipping cost. Highly recommended.

What are those, Lon?

I think he already sold it to Allen Lowe for $900. But Allen's only taking it so he can sell it on Ebay for $1500, so you'll have another shot at it.

That was me--I ordered the Dexter Gordon for myself. I hope you don't mind?

No Brad .... they ship according to your membership number ... the lower the number the greater the privileges you get! Mine is #1293 ... what's yours?? In that case, I won't be getting mine until sometime around 2009.

Clarify: When I placed my last order, I asked for the Hill too. Since it didn't come with yesterday's shipment, I wrote to ask whether I needed to reorder the Hill or will it just come when it comes out. That quote was their answer. rod --- Now playing: Dexter Gordon - Gingerbread Boy I sorta figured that. Either that, or I'm going to end up with 30 Andrew Hill Selects.

and how many Kenny G's? (be honest, now)

From Mosaic about the Andrew Hill: "No need to reorder and we expect to ship at the end of this week." Regards, Mosaic Records --- Now playing: Dexter Gordon - Come Rain Or Come Shine So what's going to happen to the 30 "reorders" I've placed over the past few days?

No, Brad--I think you are part and parcel of the nefarious international Pepper Select Conspiracy.

I agree completely. I always marvel at the sound of, e.g., Contemporary recordings from the late '50's, with or without the latest 20-bit K2 remastering. My favorite examples of that are the 5 "Shelly Manne at the Black Hawk" CD's (hmmm, wonder if that has anything to do with my avatar? ), which haven't been remastered since their first CD issue in the early '90's, but which--to me, at least--have sound that is unsurpassed.

Well, SOME people have already gotten them.

Can we listen in???

Well at least there were no problems with my 2 favorite tracks, "Kabul-stone" and "Afghan Alto."

Mosaic's holding mine hostage until the backordered Mobley box I ordered with it comes in later this week.

I am listening to the third disc now and I am loving every second of it. $80!! A bargain . I paid a bit more for mine as I did not trust Caiman. I might next time..... I said $80 EXTRA for a US numbered set. The European set from Caiman cost me $50.58 including shipping. I'm listening to Disc 3 now, also (Stompin' at the Savoy).

I received my European Farlow Mosaic from Caiman today, and am thoroughly enjoying it right now. It appears that the European sets are manufactured in the US and, except for the numbering, are identical to the US issue. So it's $80 extra for a US Mosaic number.

Do you have any change?

hmm.... this is making me nervous.... I assume all else (particularly the music/tracks/band) is the same....? Oh yes. Don't misunderstand me--this is definitely the genuine Farlow Mosaic designed for sale by Unviersal/Verve in Europe. I was just curious if others had these same details as mine, given that these are distributed by Universal and not Mosaic. But once you have it, you'll see (and hear) that it is definitely a genuine Mosaic box set. EDIT: I should have looked at these posts in a previous Farlow European Mosaic thread, which confirm that my European Farlow Mosaic from Caiman is exactly like those purchased elsewhere, right down to the goofy "Concert Band" reference on the spine. And this thread discusses the European Mosaics in general, including the removable information sheet attached to the back of the box.

Allen, I've said it before and I'll say it again: to EVERYTHING you say, I do this

Did my father log on to the Board?

You're brutal!

I received my Tal Farlow European Mosaic set from Caiman today. Some interesting details I noticed: 1. Unlike the sets you get from Mosaic, the entire box was shrink-wrapped, while the jewel cases inside were not. This makes sense because, unlike the US Mosaic sets, this set has a page containing Mosaic's description from the catalog rubber cemented to the back of the box. 2. Although the outside box doesn't have the name "Mosaic" on it, the CD's themselves do, and state that they're made in the U.S. 3. The spine of the box says "The Complete Verve Tal Farlow Concert Band Sessions." I'm wondering if that mistake is only on the European sets, or is that also on the American Mosaic sets? I know that the American Mosaic Mulligan CJB box says "Concert Band" on the spine as opposed to "Concert JAZZ Band." Somehow this got carried over to the Farlow box, or at least the European edition. Are the above 3 items consistent with the European Farlow sets that others have gotten?