sal

I was going to tell you about that disc, E! I've got mine pre-ordered from CD Universe, can't wait to get it!

Wow! I had no idea that the album was hard to find. I found it in a small record store in Washington last summer for $16.99. Definitely one of the best Mingus albums in my collection. I think its even better than "Mingus at Antibes". Any Mingus fan should do whatever it takes to acquire this one.

I actually love Blue Mitchell! His work with Horace Silver is some of my favorite trumpet playing, and I recently picked up his Mosaic set and I think its great. I understand what you mean by neither of them being innovators. But to my ears, Blue has a high level of skill, and lots of talent. To me, he is a gifted trumpet player. Hank Mobley to me just sounds like any old sax player that you can find in any jazz club in any city anywhere. I don't hear anything special about him. And also, I didn't mean to make my post sound like the only reason I don't dig Hank is because other players are better. That's not why I feel the way I do at all. I always try to look at each artist as an individual. I was just using those players as references to tenor players that I feel are great players. And I don't think Hank fits the bill as a "great" player.

It's really interesting to read your posts. Dan, to answer your question, when it comes to tenor sax work, I'm quite easily impressed. Guys from Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins, to Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, from Fathead Newman and Sam Rivers, to Joshua Redman and Chris Potter have all blown me away at some point or another. Its funny because I consider myself to be much less critical on sax players than I am on other musicians. I don't think my opinion of Hank comes from the fact that he's neither a heavyweight nor a lightweight. I enjoy the different styles of tenor sax that have emerged throughout the decades. I just don't hear anything special in Hank's playing. I'll admit that he was a fine composer, had cool names for his songs, and surrounded himself with the best players. But it just always seems to me that his skills are mediocre. His tone is decent, but I much prefer Joe Henderson's. His ability to improvise over a melody is decent, but is nothing compared to Sonny Rollins. He could handle complex high tempo chord changes alright, but nothing like John Coltrane or Johnny Griffin could. And he could play a nice ballad, but sounds like a novice compared to Dexter Gordon. To these ears at least. I don't know.....like I said, I don't think he's a bad player. He can hold down any tune without a complaint from me. He just doesn't stand out at all. I wish I did get it, but I just don't.

I've been absolutely obsessed with the sound of Sonny Rollins's tenor lately. When I finally got a job last month after a year of unemployment, I went nuts and bought two Rollins box sets, "The Freelance Years" and "The Complete RCA/Victor Recordings". Man, I think I'm finding my new favorite tenor of all time! I've also been loving everything about Mosaic. I only discovered thier stuff last month, and have alrady acquired 4 sets along with all four Mosaic selects. They must be the greatest thing to ever happen to recorded jazz.

In spirit of the "confessional" mood we are all in courtesy of the great thread started by Connisseur Series 500, I wanted to bring the topic of Hank Mobley up for discussion. In the 4 years or so that I've been listening to jazz seriously, I have acquired quite a number of recordings that feature Hank Mobley as a sideman. In addition, I even have two of his own recordings, "Soul Station" and "No Room for Squares". What makes is so strange is that even though I enjoy most of the albums I have that feature him, he has never once made me take a step back and marvel at his playing. While I feel that his playing is solid, it really doesn't do anything for me. I guess that I've always heard alot of talk, especially on the old BNBB, about Hank Mobley and his greatness, how he was unfairly underrated,etc... Even alot of musicians, new and old, seem to love Hank and his style of playing. I don't know, I guess for me, he just seems to "be there". He has never made me say "God, this guy really sucks", nor has he ever made me say "Wow, this guy is a great player!". He just seems to be a filler saxophone player, who while he filled in the tenor spot in many great settings, never really stood out on anything. I guess I don't particulary like his style of playing. Strange, since I love albums like No Room for Squares, Cornbread, the Miles Davis Blackhawk albums, Six Pieces of Silver, Whistle Stop, New Perspective, various Jazz Messenger albums, etc. So, what do you all think about Hank? Especially regarding his skills on the tenor? Does anyone feel the same, or am I just not understanding something?

After being backed up with music (I listen to them the order I receive them), I've finally gotten around to listening to the first two discs of this set, and I must attest to its greatness as well. Never having heard his music before, I'm surprised that Randy Weston was not more widely recognized...he's an amazing composer and pianist! I can't wait to spin disc three tonight and finally hear his African music fusion. Don't miss this one, folks!

Hey Red, One of my favorites is a Jack DeJohnette concert featuring Dave Holland, Herbie Hancock, and Pat Metheny. I can't remember the name of the DVD, but its from a jazz festival in Canada circa 1990. Its an amazing concert, and the DVD picture is very sharp, and the sound mix is a very nice Dolby 5.1. Check this one out if you have any interest in those musicians, its availiabe on amazon.com. Its a great one!

Joe Henderson's "Page One" never has done much for me. I'm a huge Joe Henderson fan, and I've liked every other album I've heard of his, both Blue Note and on other labels. But Page One just comes across to me as somewhat boring. I don't like Kenny Dorham's playing on that one, and I think Pete LaRoca was one of the weakest drummers that played for Blue Note in that era. However, Joe's and McCoy's solos keep me somewhat interested.

After recently purchasing the Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes set, I'm looking to complete my collection of Charlie Parker's bebop studio work. I saw a CD "Bird's best bop on Verve", which looks quite good, but I don't know if there is anything else on Verve I should be getting. I know that Verve is releasing a "Complete Verve Master Takes" set later this year. My question is, should I get the single CD, or wait for the master takes set? I really am not interested in Bird's sessions with strings, so I'm thinking that the "Best bop on Verve" disc might be good, but I don't want to miss any of his other bop recordings that might have missed the single CD and will end up on the Master Takes set. Can anyone help me make a decision?

Sorry davef. Blues Walk is still there. I remember not long before they announced this most recent crop of RVGs, they removed Our Man in Paris, Adam's Apple, and all the other ones....which leads me to believe what I said.

My bad, I just thought we were throwing names out there of good albums so far this year.....not telling you what should be on your list.

Don't leave out Kenny Garrett's "Standard of Language". That's some hot shit!!!!!

I've noticed in the past that when you go to the artists discography page, and an album title is no longer there, that it ususally ends up being RVG'd or re-released in some updated form within a year. Anyone else notice this? Well, "Inner Urge", along with some Dexter Gordon titles (Feelin' Alright, One Flight Up) are no longer listed under the artist discographies at bluenote.com. I didn't get to check any other artists, but there might be more. Do you think we can expect RVGs of these titles sometime next year??? Or am I way off?

I agree with JSngry. I think its overall a very solid and enjoyable effort. The song styles are varied, but they all swing and they all sound great. Fathead's tone is as beautiful as ever and his bandmates play very nicely. I enjoy it much more than his last album "Davey Blue" (I think that's the name of it....).

Excellent.....once again, thank you all! This is definitely the most helpful board I've ever seen.

By the way, Lonson, I never got your e-mail. I think something is wrong though, because several people have sent me stuff (or at least claimed to) that I have never received. Must be the transition of my cable company to Comcast.

Thanks all! Next month, when my cash reserves go back to their normal levels, I'm gonna pick it up. Discovering the Mosaic sets has drained me for at least another month!

I know there was a post about this a while back, but I really didn't see too many opinions about it. I don't have any of this material, and am seriously considering buying this set. Does anyone have it, and if so, could you share opinions about the material, sound, packaging, etc..?? How is Dexter's music from this period??

Johnny Hodges - Mosaic Complete Small Group Recordings Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay Fred Hersch Trio - Live at Village Vanguard McCoy Tyner - Extentions

Its really a great album! At first it sounded just average, but it has been growing on me for these past two months that I've had it. It reminds me of "Sketches of Spain".

I have to second EKE BBB's recommendation for "State of the Tenor". I have 7 of his albums, and that one is my absolute favorite. Amazing album with Joe, Ron Carter and Al Foster live at the Village Vanguard. An absolutely incredible album. I think its Joe's best playing ever.

I voted for "Houses of the Holy", but I think all the albums from "Physical Grafitti" up to when they first began are excellent. "Presence" doesn't do much for me, but I must say that I think Achilles Last Stand is the greatest Zeppelin song ever.

Hey everyone....I hope you all had a nice extended weekend! First, I wanted to thank everyone who gave me feedback and advice regarding my first ever purchase from Mosaic. I ended up buying the JJ Johnson, Johnny Hodges, Stanley Turrentine and Blue Mitchell sets. Its alot of music, and I've only gotten through the JJ Johnson set and about halfway through the Hodges set. These sets are incredible. In fact, they are so great, that I'm already hooked and am planing my next purchase, which is what I wanted to ask you all about. For next time, I have in mind the Max Roach, Django, and the Grachan Moncur Select set. What do you all think about this? If any of you have these sets, any feedback would be appreciated. Also, I've heard some complain about the sound in the Moncur set. Is the sound OK in that one? I hope so because I really, really want that one as I don't have any of the albums included in that set. Lastly, are there any sets that I should be getting instead of the Roach or Django sets? I'm not familiar with alot of the music on the Mosaics, so I might be missing something. Thanks in advance for all your help, and I hope you all have a good week. Sal

Hey AfricaBrass, Like you, I was anxiously awaiting a reissue of the Blanton-Webster band material. With the bad sound on the old set and the high price of the Centennial set, I was just hoping that they would re-release it. But when the new reissue came out, I heard all kinds of mixed opinions on it. So I just decided to go out and get it, and I'm really, really glad I did! I had never heard most of this material before, and I must say it is great. I guess I don't have anything to compare it to, but the sound seems fine to me. True, a few of the tracks have some distortion in the upper register, but I don't think that this can be eliminated without comprimising the overall sound. The majority of the set is quite listenable IMO. I have been listening to my copy quite frequently since I bought it a few weeks ago. Here's a link to a review of it at AAJ: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0503_154.htm If you do get it, let us know what you think!