Face of the Bass

PM sent on Carmell Jones.

What is happening to the music industry is the problem with capitalism. What I would like to do is have a revolution in this country, the main purpose of which would be to provide obscene levels of funding for the art that I think is great. If I don't think it's great, I don't care. If it is great, then I make sure that it has the best recording facilities, the best recording technology, and a wide range of cheap, readily available formats in which to listen to it. If we can subsidize corn to the point where everything we buy has high fructose corn syrup in it, we can do this.

As long as personnel remains difficult to track down, digital formats are a rip-off as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure MP3s are great for people who listen to shallow pop singers, but for the rest of us it's definitely a step backwards.

The former. Yeah, I guess it doesn't meet that criteria as well as some of the other sets. But it hits the time period I'm after and I don't think there's any question whatsoever that it is historically significant material.

Do you mean where am I getting the black church out of Hawkins, or why am I interested in the black church? Just a feeling I've been having lately. But then I tend to hear the black church in a lot of jazz music.

At the moment I'm hoping to stay in the jazz canon, but Goodbye Babylon looks very tempting. It occurred to me that I'm probably overthinking all of this. I was rereading part of Scott Deveaux's book on the origins of Bebop and it occurred to me that the Coleman Hawkins set meets all my criteria. The only Hawkins from this period that I have is the four-disc set on Properbox, some of which is repeated in the set, but not that much overall. I was actually originally supposed to get the Hawkins set last Christmas from my father, but after several months passed and there was no box by mutual agreement we changed the present to something else. After reading the thread on the Hawkins set that seems like a good direction to go in. I am still very intrigued by the HRS box, although its OOP and thus more expensive to track down. The Hawkins is in print and not on backorder, so it seems like a simple solution...

I actually got the Charlie Parker last year and was a bit disappointed. The playing is great but I underestimated how much cutting out full performances would bother me. I don't really like having a huge set of Parker solos where you often lose a lot of the interaction between the other musicians. Thanks for the suggestions. Right now I'm thinking it's between the Gillespie set and the HRS sessions, if I can find those for a decent price. (Plus the Gillespie is on backorder at the moment, but I'm not in any particular rush.)

So, having jettisoned a few box sets from my shelves, I have a bit of cash to play with to pick up something new. And I'd like to get input. Here's where my tastes incline these days: a.) Not Free Jazz and (for the most part) not Hard Bop. I have plenty of that stuff. I'm mainly looking at music from the 1930s through the 1950s. b.) Something rooted in African American forms of expression. The closer the music gets to the black churches the better. c.) Something historically significant, that tells an important chapter in the history of jazz music, regardless of its intrinsic quality. d.) Something thoroughly enjoyable to listen to. I've been looking off and on at the following sets: From Mosaic: the recent Coleman Hawkins set, the big Duke Ellington box from the 1930s, the Dizzy Gillespie box Not from Mosaic: the Complete Charlie Parker on Verve, the Complete Jazz at the Philharmonic The thing that has paralyzed me and prevented me from going for any of the above sets is the following: a.) Coleman Hawkins--Slight aversion to big band music, too many vocalists b.) Duke Ellington box--See above. c.) Dizzy Gillespie box--A step below his most important music. Too much of an Afro-Cuban vibe that I've never found entirely compelling. d.) Complete Charlie Parker on Verve--Also a step below his most important music. Too many alternate takes of the same thing. e.) Complete Jazz at the Philharmonic--Too repetitious and formulaic. What attracts me to each of those boxes: a.) Coleman Hawkins--bridges the gap from swing to bebop, major influence on his instrument b.) Duke Ellington--It's Duke f***ing Ellington. c.) Dizzy Gillespie--Hearing music that bridges different styles, plus I don't own much Gillespie. d.) Complete Charlie Parker on Verve--Really a basic feeling that I should have this material, even if it doesn't quite measure up to the Savoy & Dial recordings. e.) Complete Jazz at the Philharmonic--Even if it is formulaic and repetitious, amazing musicians playing together and burning like crazy. A desire to hear major talent showing off and not apologizing for it. The musical equivalent of a slam dunk contest. Any feedback welcome.

Set is gone. Thanks for your interest.

After some consideration I will also consider cash offers for this set. It retails for $300 new and is very heavy, so I'll offer it for $250, shipping included to the U.S., if anyone is interested. Also a note that the discs are all in like new condition, as is the booklet. The outer box has VERY minor shelf wear, just a slight fraying on the two corners that form the hinge for the cover.

Set is gone. Thanks.

Listening to it now. This is EXACTLY what I was hoping was out there. I can't believe I went this long without paying much attention to Christian. Thanks guys, for the help.

Am downloading as I type this...

So last week I bought a new computer and with it came a $100 Itunes gift card. On a lark the first thing I decided to get with this was the Charlie Christian--Genius of Electric Guitar four-disc set on Columbia. Fantastic, fantastic stuff--I have spent most of the past several days wading through the music. My question now is what else is out there that is worth picking up, that is not found on the Genius of Electric Guitar set? Any suggestions are welcome.

Last chance at these prices...these are going to ebay in a day or two.

I have the following box sets for sale. All are in excellent/like new condition unless otherwise noted. Shipping is included for the U.S. If international please send me a pm to inquire on cost. Paypal only. I will also consider trades for box sets of similar value. Mosaic #190: The Complete Django Reinhardt HMV Sessions -- $80 (Like new condition. Discs 1-2 have been opened, but discs 4-6 are still sealed.) Improvised Music From Japan 10-CD Boxed Set (limited edition of 800, long OOP) -- $250 Pauliine Oliveros: Reverberations: Tape & Electronic Music, 1961-1970 -- $65 Thanks for looking!

I got these in the mail last week and recommend them both highly. Especially Glasses.

Excellent restraint, my friend!

Thanks guys! It's been a good day.

This is IMO one of the best Mosaic sets. I'm not one to jump on the bandwagon of every set, but if I was only allowed to keep five of my Mosaics, this would probably be one of the ones I would hang onto.

PM sent on the Roland Kirk box.

I will say this: Mainly because of the hype that often surrounds these releases, I find that I am more likely to be disappointed by a Mosaic set than another box set. Basically, I've bought too many in the past. But there are a few that I do love.

Picked up a copy of this at the Vision Festival last night for $70. Very much looking forward to listening to it. Kind of wondering if the first track on the first disc is a tribute to Ingrid Thulin...

I will be there on Saturday night....the only time I could make it down for the week, but I always try to go out of my way to see Joelle Leandre.

Bump, with some updates.