carnivore

George Leroy Tirebiter Baby Leroy Childe Harold

I found the sound got better (less harsh) around disk 5. Hope you will find the same thing. I just played disc 5 and the harshness was still there. I'm now listening to track 6 on disc 6 and so far the sound seems a bit better on this disc. [edit] The sound on disc 6 is indeed better than on the previous 5. Great music! Listening to disc 10 yesterday I was very happy indeed....apart from actually being able to hear Fred Guy clearly, I can hear Sonny Greer doing things I've never heard on these recordings before. And as I've always maintained...Billy Taylor has been cruelly overshadowed by Jimmy Blanton...now that we can hear him properly 'e ain't arf bad!

Mister de Mille Millie Martin Martin Mull

Dean Wormser Davis Grubb Maggot Thatcher

Arthur Lowe Saul Bellow Ralph Nadir

Brahms and Liszt Mickey Finn ZZ Top

Midnight Mama Dawn Addams Susan Maughan

The Scarlet Pimpernel Ther Yellow Peril The Pink Fairies

Can I have an a-men! Amen, Brother. Do I have a witness...? Yes!!! Have a great new year everyone.......

Paula Poundstone Nathan Milstein The Jolly Miller

Over all, I wonder why Mosaic used 78s instead of metal parts (or similar first generation masters). Perhaps they doesn't survive in the Columbia vaults? Or there are other reasons for this choice? To me, too, the sound is a bit too harsh, in the first 3 discs, and the set not so satisfactory: perhaps my expectations were too high. Wonderful music, of course, and it's great to have all this material in one big, beautiful Mosaic box. I think it's great that Mosaic decided to release this set and I love having my copy. I still wonder why they went with 78s as well. Again, I trust they went with what sounded the best. Sadly, I reach for the Ellington Small Groups much more than the new big band set. I don't know how to explain it, other than the Small Groups set is more musically enjoyable and have better sonics overall...for me. That said, some sets grow in their appeal through time. I hope this is the case. As I continue through the set I am finding some genuine and unexpected delights - especially details in the rhythm section that I've never heard before...sometimes something like a closed hihat that's never previously been audible. It seems that the original recordings themselves varied greatly in quality...there's a definite deterioration in clarity when Mills begins his own Master series, compared with the stuff recorded in the ARC studio. Re: 78s - I imagine the metal work for a lot of the material is gone.

Kitty Carlisle Eddie Durham George Formby

'The Swede' The Beefo Malt The Wily Oriental Gentleman

Ira Sullivan Storm Jameson Roy Tempest

The Old Bill The Sweeney The Filth

George Barnes The Shanty Irish Log Cabin Republicans

The Rector of Stiffkey Dirk Diggler Big Sid Catlett

Lennox Berkeley The Berkshire Hunt The Prick of Noon

Minnie Rippington Rip van Winkle Lawrence Whelk

Charles Atlas Ayn Rand Randy Andy

Mack and Mabel Eminem Milly Molly Mandy

I also find the earlier part of set harsh (Disks 1-4) compared to the Goodman (I don't have the Herman yet...). I also find the Shaw harsher than the Goodman too. Perhaps this is related to Andreas Meyers' transfers/remastering compared to Malcolm Addey (who remastered the Goodman and Herman)? Also, the Goodman and Herman are several years to a decade "younger" in recording quality than the Ellington big band sets first four disks. So it's almost comparing apples to oranges. I do understand what you are saying. I think Malcolm Addey's remastering is more "liquid" and "natural" sounding. Has Addey remastered anything from the early 30s for Mosaic? That would be interesting to do a comparison. Perhaps he will be doing the remastering for the upcoming Lunceford set. I find the sound quality more enjoyable on the Mosaic Ellington Small Group set than this new big band set. I also agree with the commentary on solo order, Lasker appears to be more of a historian than a musical critic. I don't want to sound negative or rip on Andreas Meyer, Steven Lasker or Mosaic, because I TRUST that they did the best they could with the material. With all that said, I am GLAD I have this set! Opinions? as I work my way through the set I think the sound is becoming a bit less harsh and that edge on the brass is diminishing.... I hope it continues. Having said that, the two takes of the earliest recording of 'Merry Go Round' are bizarre, especially when contrasted with the surrounding tracks.

KoKo YoYo Miou Miou

I've begun listening to my set and I have to say that, having been a regular buyer of Mosaic sets over the years, this is the first time I've been disappointed. While I appreciate the clarity and detail revealed in the rhythm section there is a shrill harsh unreal quality to the brass that makes listening fatiguing and much less than the joyous experience I was hoping for. I don't know whether Meyer or Lasker were responsible for this but it's a real blow. I was tempted to return the set but it is great to have all of the material in one package, and all of the alternates too. I think I will burn a new set of discs and use an equalizer to remove some HF. For me, it's that bad. And I contrast this with the recent Goodman and the Herman, both of which were sonically terrific. The booklet is a disappointment too. The photos could have been rarer and the notes seem to be written for someone who is unacquainted with Ellington and his music. (Not the profile of a Mosaic buyer I would think). We don't need a commentary on the tracks that tells us stuff like 'Johnny Hodges alto solo is followed by Lawrence Brown on trombone' I want to know the reason for 'Best Wishes' and when Duke used it, not told that the co-writer was Ted Koehler..... And...why mention Fred Guy playing banjo on the September 21 recording of 'Maori' when it's not on the set? (Cos it was recorded for Victor.) Overall, the set seems to say that there's been less care taken over this one than its predecessors.

Fredric Remington Stella Rimington Sammy Rimington