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ajf67
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Posts posted by ajf67
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almost...
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I thought i'd get in on this too. Just to get my post count to 100.
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Welcome to the group! I think this is the best jazz discussion site on the web, and I hope you enjoy it.
There are a lot of Mosaic fans on this site, so you are bound to hear a lot of reasons for liking them. Here are some of mine.
I've bought quite a few Mosaics, and what keeps me coming back is the attention they pay to details and quality that all too often don't get paid attention to in the music biz today. Sound quality is a biggie for me, and Mosaic does a superb job in this department. They go back to original masters and really pay attention to how they are transferred to either their LP or CD re-issues. There have been exceptions, which have been debated in this forum (most recently on some of the Stanley Turrentine remastering, which I don't have and can't comment on). But for the most part, they are outstanding.
Add to the sound quality the fact that a lot of the items they put out are not readily available elsewhere. Either they are out-of-print as CD issues, or more likely they never made it to CD in the first place. So, unless you can find good-condition old LPs (and you have a turntable), you are hard-pressed to find this stuff. For example, the J.J. Johnson set covers some excellent albums he did for Columbia that for the longest time were not available at all as stand-alone albums on CD, and the sessions were only represented on the Columbia CD "Trombone Master," which functioned as a kind-of "greatest hits" album of the period. I don't know if any of the individual albums are available today on CD or not (I suspect the answer is still "no"), and if they are how they are mastered etc.
I also really appreciate the effort they put into their booklets that come with the sets. They do a superb job covering the sessions, providing background on the artists, and putting the music into context. Much more than you ever get in a standard CD issue or even a typical boxed set.
They also provide all the alternative takes. This used to seem less of a selling point for me, but the more I listen the more I end up appreciating the completeness of these sets. Some have more alternate takes than others, however, so if that's not your bag, be sure to check the track listings.
They also have absolutely first-rate customer service. They really do a great job there.
It's true that these boxes are not cheap. But this is an instance where you get what you pay for.
Hope this helps.
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Thanks for posting this. I'm running out of room in my apt for my records, and I keep saying that "I'm going to re-organize my LPs and clean out duplicates, etc." (My girlfriend just rolls her eyes at this). It's one of those "someday" jobs that I keep meaning to do later. Anyway, when I do clean them out -- you know, in 2008 -- I hope Audiogon is still around.
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Although I have some sympathy if he didn't have sufficient access, I guess I still can't give him a pass. He and his publishing house are making money off of the Blue Note name and Cook's own well-deserved reputation as an authority on jazz, and they are doing so with a really half-assed effort in my opinion. He comes close to admiting as much in his introduction to the book if I remember correctly (I'm at work -- and obviously not working! -- and don't have it with me, but I think I remember him semi-apologizing for the title "Biography" and claiming that was the publishers doing, that he saw it as more of a sketch or something.)
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I'd like to see that too. Good call.
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I was very dissappointed by the book, and I like to think that if Cook were reviewing it for the Penguin guide he would blast it as the underachieving, make-a-quick-buck, phone-it-in effort that the book is in my opinion. One and a half stars.
I'm an avid reader and lover of the Penguin guides, for a lot of reasons. As has been mentioned before in various threads, I think Cook and Morton provide rock-solid analysis based on their years of listening and knowledge of jazz. While I don't think each edition is as useful to pick up as they used to be (mostly because they only focus on in-print CDs), I still think it is the essential reference book, and it's what I recommend to newcomers as what they should purchase before any other jazz book. The AMG has more listings (which I like as an LP listener), but oh man is some of the analysis cringe-inducing.
For anyone who has read the Penguin Guide, there is little reason to read Cook's biography, because most of it has already been written in the Guide. And once you get through the early part of the book (the part of Cook's history that earns him at least some praise), there is almost nothing new. Add to that his neglect of important artists like those mentioned above and it just starts to make me mad.
One of the things that ticked me off about this book is that I imagine it will make it harder for someone else -- someone who really wanted to put out a book worthy of the label -- to get a Blue Note history published. Now it's already been "done."
I picked up this book without reading any reviews and really expected something worthy of Cook. This isn't it. I will grant that it is a good starting point, as has been mentioned above. But a book by Richard Cook about a label as important as Blue Note should have usefulness far beyond being a simple starting point for those new to jazz. It's like his own ratings for later Sonny Rollins albums, where he acknowledges that the ratings are "miserly", but "we're talking about Sonny Rollins." Same applies here.
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QUOTE (Chuck Nessa @ May 23 2004, 06:25 PM)
Phillip Wilson Trio, "Fruits" with Leo Smith and Johnny Dyani.
Chuck - Never heard (or heard of) this one until now. I see from checking a discography that it's a Circle LP. I assume that it must be a good record if you've held onto it for this long and you still listen to it.
Sounds interesting. I've never heard of it either. But if Chuck Nessa is listening to it, that's a good recomendation to say the least!
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Music Inc. on Strata East. Bought it last week at a garage sale in DC. 17-piece band, with Stanley Cowell on piano. I like it a lot. Side 2 has 2 small scratches that give some brief light ticks but overall the rest is very clean, and the music is really great.
I also bought another Strata East LP by Brother Ah called Sound Awareness that has a Max Roach narration on side 2. It's not in as good of shape, and I can't see returning to this one as often, but it is definitely interesting stuff.
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Yes, yes. I see now. I can tell my girlfriend that all my records have been, uh, solid investments.
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Crazy.
THis is WAAAY more than Hill Blue Notes have been going for. You're right, they are mostly in the $100-150 range. Nuts.
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Whoops, just saw that you said used CD stores. My bad.
The best on in Dupont closed, but try going up 18th Street to Adams-Morgan (not far) to DCCD. They have a good selection of CDs, mostly pop and rock, but some jazz.
In Georgetown, there is one on M street at around 30th Street that is pretty good too.
Orpheus (see above note) is also good for used CDs, so I would check that out.
If you have a car, try the CD Cellar in Virginia on route 7. That I think is the best used CD place in the area.
Hope this helps.
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Try Second Story Books on 20th and P right off Dupont Circle. They have some generally reasonably-priced LPs, mostly jazz. Not a huge selection, and the conditions vary, but I have found some great things there.
Georgetown used to have a great record store called Orpheus Records, with a huge inventory and a lot of jazz. They have moved across the river to Clarendon, but its near the Clarendon Metro stop, which is only two stops in on the Blue line. The LPs here are usually in great condition (they come with a money-back guarantee) but the prices are higher.
Happy hunting.
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Yikes! If you want that LP that badly, check out the Classic Records mono re-issue. I just got it and it sounds good enough to me. Certainly better than $2,300!
And my girlfriend thought I was crazy...
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I live and work near Dupont Circle and those guys are fun! It's always a cool surprise to hear them as I'm getting closer to the circle, then turn the corner and see them having a blast with a crowd around them. No idea who any of them are.
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Haven't heard it, but I'll pick it up. Thanks for the recommendation. Folks will definitely be able to find it cheap. I don't know if there is a specific reason for it, but Pablo LPs are never much $$.
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Mike, right on!
And it is truly a shame that the mono mixes are ignored. It would be great if there were some way other than the steep Classic records re-issues or waiting for them to appear on E-Bay and then watching them go for $$$$$$$$. Of the ones that I have, I like them better than the stereo versions. But it seems everyone is fascinated with surround sound now.
Maybe Mosaic can come out with a new "Mosaic: The Mono Mixes" line...
I know, I know...
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Good riddance. I don't remember much of the good stuff either.
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Mine is probably Art Pepper's "Meets The Rhythm Section" and Coltrane's "Afro Blue Impressions."
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I love this album too. It takes me back to college. I also loved their b-sides compilation and had I been listening to it on LP I would have worn it out! I haven't gotten them out for a while, so thanks for the reminder.
I am also suspicious of some of these LP re-issues. Don't know whether this particular LP is analog or not, but Brandon's right on the broader issue.
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I have three I love:
Stones: December's Children (mono)
Beatles: Revolver (mono)
Velvet Underground: Loaded
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I saw Lou at the Vanguard a few months ago and I am sooooo bummed that I couldn't get up there this time. GREAT, GREAT show.
Peter, thanks for the play-by-play on your show. Wish I had been there!
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My MMF-5 can play 45s, but I have to take the platter off and adjust the belt, which is a pain so I haven't bought any of the 45 remasterings. Plus, it does sound like 45rpm would mean a lot of up and down to change sides. Just when i got comfortable I'd be flipping the record.
I think these things are treasures too. I'm also amazed at how good the sound can be on an old mono record that looks like it's been trashed. I went home for Thanksgiving to Pittsburgh, and made my required trip to Jerry's Records (if you are ever in Pittsburgh definitely stop there, it's in Squirrel Hill. Great prices and TONS of inventory.) I found an old copy of Jimmy Smith's "Houseparty" that looked pretty beat up for $7.00 but I took a chance on it because it was a deep groove with the W.63rd St. address on the label and the cover was in nice shape. I ran it through my Nitty Gritty record cleaner and stuck it on the turntable and there was Jimmy, Lou Donaldson and Lee Morgan coming through very clear and with that nice Blue Note mono soundstage (which even on my cheapy system to me sounds soooo much better than CDs). There are some clicks and pops and some low-level static, but the horns are distortion-free and the overall sound is very enjoyable.
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