wesbed

Hehe... now we know who to bother when we have a medical question. vibes: Have you listened to these 'phones? Can you recommend them? Are they worth the price tag? I'm having a problem, in my local area, that I can't find any high-end headphones in stores to listen before I buy. It doesn't seem smart to buy speakers of any type without the opportunity to listen first. I'd think, $499 at Best Buy, should buy a good set of 'phones.

The time is a few minute before 1:00AM. I'm playing Coltrane live At Birdland. Quite an excellent performance by John and the rest of the Quartet. Mesmerizing. If I didn't have to work in the morning I'd have a cup of Seattle's Best Coffee. Brewed strong & black and enjoyed with sugar & milk.

Poor Eric. This is the tune where Jackie plays a haunting style saxophone with a bowed bass playing alongside? I didn't notice the bass was there the first time I heard the song. Only that Jackie's horn sounded hauntingly and interestingly full of sound. Jackie's horn is just the right amount of soft and loud, smooth and jagged. It must be heard to be appreciated and understood. When I first heard Poor Eric, about a week ago, my thought was, "How perfect."

I'll be up for another hour or so. I'm listening to The All Seeing Eye, playing on my computer, drinking a beer, and reading a Mosaic booklet. Sound familiar? I suppose I should be sleeping right now. But, not. I start playing the music and I'm as good as not going to sleep for a while. It's a little past midnight for me. Not a bad night so far.

This is the view from my bed as I type this note on Monday night. Yeah, my time seems to be mostly my computer and my collection of CDs lately. Notice the 'nice' stand I have for my computer? Have you got a bed?

Thanks LAL, for the Mosaic Vee Jay information. I'm hoping, when the Running Low time arrives, we can get some numbers from Mosaic to say how many sets are remaining (as Mosaic usually offers this infomation if asked).

It will be interesting to see, after the posts on this board regarding the Vee Jay sets… if Mosaic sells more of the boxes, for the rest of this year, than they predicted. Unfortunately, we will most probably never have access to the information. I do know that we, on this board, will be first to be informed when the sets are moved to the Last Chance category.

Man, I laughed out loud at this remark. I don't know why, it just seemed funny (due to the logic being all too familiar). I've made all kinds of CD purchases via fuzzy logic. Like, "I might as well go ahead and get it while they've got it in stock." Or, "What the hell, I've been wanting this for a long time anyway." As if these were valid reasons for spending more money to buy more CDs.

I read it 3 times and counted 4 F's. I still can't find all 6. This is causing me to want to go to Border's tonight and buy some new CDs.

Of course, none of my nice Mosaic sets explain this little flaw: Whoops.

Funny you should mention. Yes, I did do this... just last week. I pointed to my Paul Desmond Mosaic box. I said, "See that? There are four CDs in there. They'll easily sell for $100 per disk on eBay. I'd say $400 isn't bad for a set that cost me $60, wouldn't you agree? Just think what my six-cd sets are worth." Ha haaaaa, haa ha ha ha....

A female friend wondered why I have unopened CDs in my closet (such as Mosaic CDs). I advised her that I have to buy these boxes because some of the sets won't be available forever (case in point: the recent New Orleans and T/K/M boxes). She made the comment that there is no reason for me to have the CDs if I'm not going to listen to them. I made my point that, yeah, I just feel better knowing I have them, I can afford them, so what's the bother. I asked her about all the books she buys that sit on her shelf, unread, or partly read, with bookmarks scattered hither & thither between the pages. She said, "Oh yeah, those. I think I now understand your CD dilemma." I have only a One Step Program to kick my craving for CDs: BUY MORE CDs! Bwaaa haaaaa haaa...

For me, I'd not purchased most Blue Notes till the introduction of the RVG series. I have a few Blue Notes from the 1980s but not many. I've purchased every RVG, except for Blue Train, whether I already had the earlier edition or not. I've duplicated only about two or three CDs. The various other Blue Notes I have from the 1980s have not yet been re-issued in the 24-bit format. I'll re-buy when and if they are. Most of my collection was Columbia 1980s issues. I've repurchased the remastered Columbias as desired (some Monk and Miles). I don't intend to re-purchase RVGs when they market the next level of remastering (unless the RVG Series becomes the MA Series - for Malcolm Addey).

So... by not purchasing so much jazz, you were able to save money... errr... which is now burning a hole in your bank account till you buy some more jazz? Just keep buying the jazz, you actually stay ahead that way... uhhh, somehow... maybe.

I'd like to have the Vee Jay boxes. Hell, I'd like to have ALL the Mosaics. I continue to not purchase the Vee Jay sets due to the great number of alternate takes. I hope I don't wait too long. Tsk, tsk. Morgan/Shorter Vee Jay Kelly/Chambers Vee Jay

To those who recommended I purchase the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh box before it went away... This is a TERRIFIC set. I can't get enough of it. I've not been this captivated by a Mosaic set, I don't believe, ever. Every Mosaic box has its moments. I played the Hank Mobley and the Bud Shank numerous times. The T/K/M just keeps going and going on my stereo every night. The playing is good, the choice of songs is good. There is something very interesting about the entire set. I can't explain it, exactly. Again, thanks for the recommendations. Now, I can recommend to anybody who doesn't already have this set... GET IT BEFORE IT GOES THE WAY OF OOP.

I'm on my second pass through Cape Verdean Blues. Joe Henderson just freaking tears it up on Pretty Eyes.

This is an excellent reminder, LAL. I'd forgotten about the J.J. box. It is one I definitely don't want to miss. I'm surprised it's still available. I just checked the Mosaic site. The J.J. box (1996) is older than the Mobley, the New Orleans Jazz, and the Tristano/Konitz. I'd expect, with a name like J.J. Johnson, the box would be already gone. It's been available for about eight years.

I heard about these pictures but didn't know where to find the link. Thanks, Claude.

It is so welcome to read comments about the liner notes by the person who wrote the liner notes. Where else could this happen except on an internet discussion board? I believe the liner notes are well written. I believe this set of liner notes is better than those in some other Mosaic boxes. Sometimes there are nuances of a certain genre of music that aren’t noticed till somebody else describes them. Sometimes these nuances have to simply hit you before they are noticed. It took me several listens to ‘get’ Grant Green. I thought he was over-rated till, one day, I wanted to hear him all the time. I had the same thing happen with Stanley Turrentine only a couple of days ago. I’ve enjoyed the T/K/M Mosaic very much. I’ve been listening to it every night since I received it last week. The music and the playing are quite good. There something interesting, calming, and intense about this music. To me, Tristano is the most intense of the three players. Konitz is ‘quietly’ intense, as if he’s not really intense at all, till you listen very closely. I’m not sure how this music is different, yet it is. It’s subtle, in that, if I’d heard these tunes in passing, I’d not have thought there was too much different about them. When listening to the tunes, repeatedly, and late at night, there is something interestingly different about them. I was hoping to gain a better insight into the ‘differentness’ by way of the liner notes. However, it may not always be possible to describe what’s different about music. Just, to understand that it is different and wait for it to click in your own mind. I don’t know how I’d describe Monk’s music, except to say that it’s different than that played by any other piano player. Listen enough, and you’ll discover for yourself. I'll listen to the music some more, and read the T/K/M notes again.

Maybe we should meet at Dan's house? Errr... it's on the beach?

I was surprised, too, when I learned of this information. I've purchased the last few Mosaics before they went OOP. The Fuller, Shank, Mitchell, New Orleans Jazz, and T/K/M. If I remember correctly, I don't believe any of them reached their limit. I'd expect certain sets, such as the Fuller and Mitchell, to have sold all the copies. It's not like these guys were exactly unknowns. I'm still surprised the Mobley hasn't gone OOP due to it selling all the available copies. Of course, I'm immersed in the world of jazz music and Hank seems much more important to me than he does to the general public. I mean, who wouldn't want this music? I'm thinking, lately, that I, in fact, won't be surprised when I learn that the Mobley box didn't sell-out, rather, expired.

Yeah. I thought I'd make an attempt at reviving this thread. To get people talking about it again. I have a friend who is into the internet gaming thing. He's met with the members of his board a couple of times. He says it's always well worth the time and money spent to do so. It would be fun to meet, if possible, and focus it around an Organissimo show.

I was away from the Board for a while. Did this poll ever reach a conclusion? Just wondering...

I listen to lots of music (mostly lots of jazz music). I have an ear for listening, enjoying, and appreciating the music. I know (at least, I think I know) when I hear styles that sound different... different in timing, phrasing, style of playing. I knew it when I heard Monk's playing, where it sounds like he's playing 'wrong' or 'stretched' notes, yet the notes are still very acceptable. I knew it when I noticed I could not tap my foot to Brubeck's Unsquare Dance. I knew it when I heard Coltrane and Sander's squealing horns on Ascension. I knew these were things that were different. Yet, I'm a musical illiterate. I don't play an instrument and I don't read music. I understand only the finished product, how it sounds, how it makes me feel, and what other's opinions of the music are. I know what 3/4 & 4/4 timing are, but my inadequate knowledge ends there. When I listen to the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh Mosaic, I hear something different about Tristano's playing. Something intense, forceful, and directed. Yet, still jazzy. The box groups Konitz and Marsh with Tristano. On the first page of the Mosaic booklet, it says, "It will be the first and perhaps most important task of these notes to describe just what Tristano, Konitz and Marsh were up to musically..." I've not read all the notes in the Mosaic booklet although I've enjoyed what I've read so far (thank you, Mr. Kart). I've not listened to all the music but I've heard bits and pieces of the entire set. Besides making very good music, what were Tristano, Konitz and Marsh up to musically? The liner notes make the point that something different is taking place with this music. I can hear the forceful intensity of Tristano's piano. But, what were they up to? I don't believe my knowledge of music is acute enough to fully appreciate the liner notes. Maybe somebody can offer a more simplistic explanation of the intent of Tristano, Konitz and Marsh? Presented in terms that even a musical illiterate can understand?