I don't have all of Zoot's output on Pablo (missing the Ellington and Lady Day albums + the Harry Edison collab and probably some others), but his playing, as always, was very consistent for the label. That said, my own (entirely subjective) ranking would go something like this:
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Just discovered that Smokin' was reissued in the U.S. in 1985 on Roulette. Weird. Right here.
Anyone here happen to have this compact disc edition??
Oh—the newly reissued LP set (above) has dropped in price. It's now around $120 on eBay.
I don't suppose we'll ever see a Betty Carter Mosaic, but that would be very cool. I was a teenager when I bought my first Carter album. It was the vinyl reissue with a tweaked cover:
The original cover was better:
I got to see/hear Carter just once, in 1990. Sarah Vaughan had just died, and Carter dedicated the show to her.
Still surprised no Shorter (on Blue Note) Mosaic has emerged. That'd probably be the only way to hear the Because session. I bet Don Was wouldn't be against it (unless Shorter expressly wished that session remain unheard).
Maybe in 2039 (for Blue Note's Centennial) we'll be able to hear Abrasion, Because, and [let's think of a better title than The Trainwreck.] In the meantime, there are plenty of other recordings to explore.
A Sam Rivers post-Blue Note Trio & Quartet Mosaic. That'd be great.
I'd echo this sentiment. Not necessary, but not unpleasant. But I do wonder who (Bob Thiele?) thought: "Waitaminute! I know! Let's use harpsichord instead of piano! Yeah! People will go crazy for that! We're gonna have a new jazz hit!" 😜
I wish there were a Ben Webster Impulse! date with Gary McFarland arrangements. And Bill Evans on piano. I think Ben played better—or perhaps was more inspired—when placed in a setting that was harmonically challenging. I could see McFarland pulling that off while still giving Webster room to be himself.