Face of the Bass

I have the following Mosaic boxes I would be interested in trading: Lester Young with Count Basie Dizzy Gillespie Stanley Turrentine I am looking for the following Mosaic boxes: Jack Teagarden Beiderbecke, Trumbauer, and Teagarden Parker Benedetti Recordings If anyone is interested please send a private message. Thanks.

Thanks for the advice so far. I've registered on talkbass.com and checked out the Gollihur Music site. The other thing which I'm wondering whether it will be a factor or not is my height. I'm 6'7" tall (about 2.0 meters). Will that matter when choosing a bass or do most of them come in the same size?

Yes, I am ready to pay for instruction as well. I'm in the Albany, NY area, FWIW.

I've called around to some music shops...I was hoping to get maybe a good used model for somewhere between $800 and $1,200, if that seems reasonable. I don't want to go too high-end because it's my first one but I also don't want to buy a piece of shit either.

So I've decided that, as a New Year's resolution, I want to buy myself a double bass and start to learn how to play it. I know nothing at this point and so was wondering if anyone out there has any advice for good models to start out on, good methods/programs of instruction to pursue, or basically any advice whatsoever that you can offer me. Thanks in advance.

I got two Mosaics for Christmas, jack and shit.

I have the Jelly Roll Morton Library of Congress box set for trade. The set is in like new condition. There are a few Mosaic boxes I would be interested in getting in return, particularly the Beiderbecke, Trumbauer and Teagarden box, or the Teagarden box, or the Charlie Parker Benedetti recordings. If a trade can't work I would also consider selling it, depending on how much was being offered.

I'd say the well is mostly dry. As other posters have noted there are a few sessions here and there that cry out for reissue, but most of the RVGs coming out lately seem either to be third-rate efforts or stuff that's been widely available for a long time now. Blue Note should probably discontinue the RVG series at this point, maybe come up with a different brand identity for bringing back seldom-heard music from the '50s through the '70s.

1. Anthony Braxton 2. Elvin Jones 3. Tal Farlow Honorable Mention: Kelly/Chambers (more because I'm addicted to Chambers than anything else), the Ellington 36-40 set, Tristano/Konitz/Marsh

The Blue Notes box set on Ogun is phenomenal. Especially discs 2, 3, and 4. (Disc 1 is kinda boring.)

So many to choose from. I've blind-bought quite a few Mosaics, and the ones I have done that for I pretty much always end up selling later on. There's a disappointing same-ness to a lot of their hard bop boxes, thinking here specifically of the Turrentine, Parlan, and Mobley sets. I didn't think the Stitt box held up very well, either. I most often like the boxes that, at least to my ears, present a truly unique musical perspective or vision. So I love the Braxton box, love the Tal Farlow set, love the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh set, and really dig the Ellington set as well. For me I'd say that Mosaic has a hit/miss ration of something like 25/75, whereby a quarter of their boxes will really stand "the test of time" (whatever that means), while the rest are mostly for completists who find themselves jonesing for a particular sound at a particular time.

This was an easy choice for me. I voted for the Tyner 3-CD select. It has by far the most original and innovative material, perhaps with the exception of the Randy Weston, which really isn't to my taste. The only one of these I have not heard is the Akiyoshi/Tabackin. As for the rest: The J.J.! outing is pretty boring, and I say that as a fan of Johnson. Art Farmer's date is pretty much your run of the mill hard bop session. You might enjoy it, you might not, but it is hardly irreplaceable. The Andrew Hill solo set is a snore-fest. The Hutcherson set captures his work at perhaps his least interesting period. The stuff he did earlier in the 70s and in the late 60s is way, way better. There is something to be said for the Weston, but again, it's not as much to my liking as the Tyner. I would say that if you get anything other than the Tyner or, secondarily, the Weston, you will be wasting your money. Just my .02.

I agree with this 100 percent. Well stated.

That cover for the ninth edition of the Penguin is fucking dreadful.

This is a carry-over from my other thread. I'm offering the following three box sets for sale. Prices are post-paid to the U.S. Paypal only. PM for international shipping rates. Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions (Mosaic 170) (Never Played, Still Sealed, Out of Print) -- $200 ON HOLD Vandermark 5 - Alchemia (12 disc box set, like new condition) -- $75 ON HOLD Jelly Roll Morton - The Complete Library of Congress Recordings (8 disc box set, like new condition) -- $70

Up for anyone who is interested. The Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions box (Sealed, never played, out of print) is still available. I'll give it another week before it goes to EBay.

It seems like every time a Mosaic goes on Running Low all the fans come out imploring everyone to buy it. And I've had this one on my list for some time. But now I'm thinking, "Why do I need seven discs of Roy Eldridge?" And I don't have a good answer to that question.

I'm going to be leaving for a year in Africa in a few months, and before I go I want to clear out some space from some Mosaics I've picked up over the years. Unless otherwise noted, these sets are all in excellent condition, and have only been played once or twice at most. All prices include shipping to the United States. Paypal only. First come, first served. Mosaic 170 - Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions (still sealed, #3607) - $225 Mosaic 197 - The Complete Blue Note Horace Parlan Sessions (still sealed, #2744) - $70 -- ON HOLD Mosaic 211 - The Complete Okeh and Brunswick Bix Beiderbecke, Frank Trumbauer, and Jack Teagarden Sessions (1924-36) (#3077) - $80 -- ON HOLD Mosaic 221 - The Complete Verve Gerry Mulligan Concert Band Sessions (still sealed, #4573) - $115 -- ON HOLD Mosaic 236 - Classic Chu Berry Columbia and Victor Sessions (#1072) - $85 PM if interested.

Is the world really lacking in Oscar Peterson releases?

David, just wanted to let you know that the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh box arrived safe and sound yesterday. Thanks.

PM sent on Tristano/Konitz/Marsh.

They need to pull themselves out of the mainstream and start making some free jazz boxes. This has always been my biggest criticism of Mosaic. Their vision of the parts of jazz history that are worthy of the Mosaic "treatment" has always been far too limited and conservative for my tastes.

Email sent.

The sales aren't worth waiting for. They don't happen very regularly and when they do, as others have said, they aren't that great a deal.

Yeah, post the list!