I agree that $200 seems steep (heck, it IS steep) for what's being offered but here's my counterargument (despite not being ready to take the plunge) - 1) How many labels besides Blue Note are still out there trying to find young jazz talent and record that talent in a way that does the utmost credit to the music? You may not love some of the most recent signings to the label but I recently heard the "new" Blue Note Jazz All-Stars album (Glasper, Loueke, Akinmusire, et al.) and really dug it. 2) How many labels are still making a genuine attempt (which may very well be in vain but) to bring jazz to a wider audience?
I could see someone rationalizing this purchase as a way to essentially support the label that is trying to do all of the above with the bonus of getting a nice gift in return (think NPR). That said, I think that using this mechanism to bring MORE music (especially unheard music) and less "product" to the true jazz believers while simultaneously including material that reflects what is happening at the label right now (which seems to be the basic idea given the inclusion of the Blue Mitchell lp) to help the music reach a wider audience that hasn't yet embraced it is an extremely worthy cause and, my guess is that someone like Don Was (who is clearly so enamored of jazz) would have open ears to the suggestions of jazz fans who would love nothing better than to see jazz, one of America's original art forms, begin to make strides in reaching the kind of audience it once did.