Face of the Bass

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.

To the initial question: the most essential Sun Ra that has been released has been the stuff that Evidence put out. Almost everything that Evidence reissued in the 1990s and early 2000s is classic Sun Ra. The Art Yard stuff is good but tends to come from the mid-to-late 1970s, whereas the Evidence material is mainly from the 1950s and 1960s.

Do we know when it is being released?

Last week was supposed to be the release date for the latest Analog Africa release, The Bariba Sound, but all the usual suspects seem to have delayed shipment. Any idea what is going on with this one?

Just wanted to say that I finished reading this book today, and IMO it is a truly excellent and moving work, in some ways more enjoyable than his biography of Monk. (Full disclosure: I'm an African historian with a particular interest in African music so this book is right up my alley.) Anyway, I give it my highest recommendation. The entire book is excellent, though I think I enjoyed the chapters on Guy Warren and Sathima Bea Benjamin the most.

I traded in my order for the seemingly permanently delayed Hawkins set and got the Johnny Smith one instead. I'm happy with that choice after listening a few times to all eight discs. Very enjoyable music.

I read through this thread last night and found it very useful. I am currently writing my dissertation on African history, based on field research I did in Namibia. The topic is corporal punishment, a gloomy subject to say the least. As I've been thinking ahead to where I want to take my career after this chapter is finished, I've been thinking a lot about using music as a way to understand cultural exchanges on the continent. I got this idea after listening to some of the truly haunting music (Chemirocha comes to mind) found in the Hugh Tracey recording series released by SWP records. I've been incorporating more African music into the way I teach African history, and lately I've been listening a lot to the four-disc Dust-to-Digital set, and more recently some of the offerings on Strut Records and on Analog Africa. The Mbaqangwa music found on the Next Stop-Soweto set is fantastic stuff. I've also been listening to a lot of West African, Afrobeat music, but it seems to me that the reissues we are seeing now perhaps focus too heavily on West Africa and especially on the music from the 1970s. I think I'd like to see more releases from the colonial period, and probably more releases of music collected by ethnographers rather than popular releases.