Rooster_Ties

I vaguely remember hearing this too — years after this thread — and also decided it sounded more like Garnett too. Or at least it definitely didn’t sound like Tyrone.

Hard to be content with no content.

No joke (no joke).

That’s my problem too. The price-point is just too high for me to justify. I’ve never owned any of the individual albums from the set — and, ironically, it’s the disc with the valve-trombonist that I’d maybe find to be the most curious (both for being valve trombone, and also for it being a pianoless/chordless quartet configuration. If it were half the price — and half the material (say 4 discs) — I probably would have bought one by now.

The alternate of “Mode for Joe” (the title track) IS — as far as I remember — on the Mosaic too. I’m talking about the track that was previously only ever on the semi-recent Japanese SHM CD reissue (which I do have). I don’t have the Henderson Mosaic (nor the Hutcherson or Hubbard), but I did buy a copy of the booklet for the Henderson Mosaic. I will say that that alternate of “Mode for Joe” is a real stunner, far as I’m concerned. I too am really curious about the previously unissued “Photon” from the Hutcherson set — but less so the other alternates. When push came to shove, I couldn’t justify rebuying all that Hutcherson just for that track (and the alternates) — although 10-15 years prior I probably would have bought it. I can play you that alternate of “Mode for Joe” sometime, Bertrand — it really was an eye-opener for me.

Didn’t that used to be CD’s you bought from Starbucks??

Yeah. Such dithering. Pick a side!

Oh, definitely, or eBay. No longer even considering this Amazon offer, once the $22 shipping fee appeared out of nowhere.

I’ve almost bought that solo-piano Herbie date a dozen times or more. Maybe one of these days I’ll finally bite.

Since I first posted, the listing on Amazon changed from being fulfilled by Amazon (and eligible for free shipping if you spend $35). Now it’s fulfilled by a third party, and costs an additional $22 for shipping. If I do buy this MJQ 40 box at some point, it won’t be thru this offer on Amazon. (But there do appear to be other not-so-expensive offers to be had elsewhere.) But I’m still pretty disappointed it doesn’t include their remake of Ornette’s “Lonely Woman”.

Ok, now that is weird — because yesterday and the day before it was free shipping if you met Amazon’s total purchase minimum (maybe $35 now, I forget). And I’d added almost enough in my cart to get to $35 — and there was no extra shipping on the MJQ 40 box. Bullet dodged then, I suppose.

I just noticed this MJQ box on Amazon, so cheap it might as well be free (less than $7, if you can imagine). Combined with other stuff, no shipping (we’re not on Prime, never will be). And it IS fulfilled by Amazon directly (it’s NOT from some dealer on the marketplace). Here it is… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002ISE I know, no brainer probably. But reading the Amazon reviews, oddly some of the reviews read like it’s for one specific album (cd) — so maybe this really isn’t the MJQ 40 box after all?? FWIW, I’ve only had 2 different MJQ LP’s over the years (somewhat beat up LP’s) — one was Pyramid (with “Django”) — and I forget the other one, which I must have traded 25 yrs ago. And no CD’s, ever. Big oversight on my part, I know. So I’m looking online to try and get a sense of the proportion of years covered in this box — and I can’t seem to find anything discographical other than song titles, and and overall set of years covered. And I found an image on eBay that said disc 4 covers 1973-1988 (so if the whole thing is chronological, then that means it’s not at all bloated towards their later years). What do people think about how this set was curated? But I’ll admit I’m really peeved to discover one tune, Ornette’s “Lonely Woman” apparently ISN’T included — which is one of a handful MJQ tracks I’ve always really loved. But other than that omission, is it a fairly good overview? Here’s the Discogs entry for it: https://www.discogs.com/release/7534618-The-Modern-Jazz-Quartet-MJQ-40

Herbie is phenomenal on that unreleased Tyrone session. I’ve often imagined what a Herbie piano-trio album from about 1965-1968 or so might have sounded like… but specifically with the kind of playing Herbie displays on the Tyrone Session (also on Wayne’s All Seeing Eye). More percussive, less harmony-driven, and less about ‘tunes’ and changes.

Not sure if the results of your 2014 inquiry was the first time I’d heard that — but I do know I’ve heard that date was ‘lost’ for years (and years). In fact, now that I’m typing this, I’m remembering that I (crazily) pitched an idea for a Tyrone ‘Select’ — with Natural Essence, the so-called ‘Trainwreck’, the unreleased Jackie McLean session(s) w/ Tyrone, and I forget what else I suggested including (maybe what Tyrone recorded with Larry Young — what all would fit on 3cd’s would have been dependent on how long the McLean material was). And I also think(?) Michael told me the McLean date was lost too. This was via an email exchange, and before I moved to DC (so it would have been in 2010 or before — maybe between 2005-2010). But I think(?) even that wasn’t the first time I’d heard it was lost.

True, but I was sort of pleasantly surprised by Just Coolin’ actually — but maybe my expectations were low going into it (which they were). No, not revelatory at all, but in some ways l like it better than the live version of that band (or at least the one live recording we have of that band).

Goodness gracious, a lot of those are quite nice!!! Looking forward to perusing their wares. Thx!!

Ok, sorta mulling this over. You all won’t believe this, but I’ve barely ever owned even a fraction of this set before.

Have had SBS! for 15+ years. But I just learned (this morning) that Clifford Jordan is on two of Lee’s Vee-Jay leader-dates from 1960. (And here all this time I thought all the stuff with Lee on Vee-Jay was with Wayne Shorter.) I’m at my dad’s all this week, and haven’t had the chance to even sample them. But what do people think of those two VJ Lee dates with CJ??

I only fairy recently picked up Lee’s Take Twelve with Clifford Jordan for the first time — it’s from Jan 1962 (just slightly after OP’s time-window) — after having owned all of Lee’s Blue Note output for 20+ years (but very little of his non-BN work). Have to say Take Twelve is a darn nice album. I got it primarily because I’ve been on a little bit of a Clifford Jordan binge — and it did not disappoint in any way.

One track is on streaming services (I noticed it on Pandora yesterday)… I sure wish it’d been another sax player than Sonny Red.

Trying to remember your chronology, Chuck (and geography). You were still in college then, right? (Or was this in high school?) — definitely pre-Chicago, though. But did you have to road-trip to go hear Diz? — or were you a student at Grinnell? (I forget where in Iowa you grew up too, for that matter.) I had a better handle on all that a decade+ ago when we traded Iowa info, when I was trying to figure out how close you might’ve been to where my wife’s folks (separately) grew up in Stanhope (her dad) — and Jesup and later Hampton (her mom). Idle curiosity is all, as always. Thx!

Helicopter crash in South Africa blamed on 'unsecured' penguin https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/04/11/safrica-helicopter-crash-penguin-cardboard-box/9611744402560/

Agree, but it’s also the only live version of Joe’s song “Power to the People” that’s yet been released (bootleg, or otherwise) — and a side-long version, at that. But I agree, the material is of a dubious nature (I’ve got the Everest LP). That said, I’d gladly pay $10 or $12 for it on a legit CD (warts and all).

I have a lot of genuine respect for Joe Lovano’s playing — I really do — but over the years, my interest in him has faltered a great deal. Let’s just say that eventually, I’ve traded off most of the CD’s I have by him (8-10 leader-dates, at least). And many he was just a sideman on too (well over a dozen, maybe not quite 20 even). I don’t want to pile on to the severe negativity of the thread-starter’s OP — and I disagree with the idea that his playing is ‘boring’. All that said, I’m really not a fan of Lovano’s tone and basic ‘sound’ — which I usually liken to sounding (metaphorically) like he’s ‘chewing’ on his mouthpiece. I mostly don’t have any problem with what he’s playing, so much as I do with his sound. But there’s easily a dozen other arguably great sax players whose sound I’m just not interested in — just like Lovano — and I figure that’s MY fault/problem, not his.

A surprisingly delightful album. I’ve had it for 15-20 years, and I’ve mistakenly contemplated trading it off a couple of times too (when I hadn’t heard it in a long time). But every time I actually sat down and listened again, I was reminded what a really rich and fun concept it is, and expertly performed. On paper — essentially a clarinet-choir jazz album — it looks dubious. But it’s a real corker, and winner in my book.