mikelz777

Would anyone getting the good box set offer be willing to help me out on 1 or 2 box sets and have them shipped directly to me? I could pay you by check or by Paypal and I'd be willing to buy you a single selection from BMG for your efforts like Aggie did. I was interested in: Vladamir Horowitz: The Complete Recordings On Deutche Grammophon (6-CD) and possibly, depending on cost, Neville Marriner: Complete Mozart Edition 1 (12-CD) I'm pretty well set as far as the jazz box sets and other genres are concerned so I like to pick up some classical. Please let me know if you'd be willing to help me out.

That's a very nice disc--IMO even better than the sound samples would indicate (just like I told you about the Hodges Mosaic ) .

I'm still waiting for that Gillespie set to show up for a decent price. I was able to get the Farlow for about $50.00. I got the Buddy Rich and the Count Basie Clef/Verve for around $65.00 to $69.00 each. (all new) I'm hoping for the same with the Gillespie if the pricing history of these Universal sets holds up.

Rolf Billberg - Rare Danish Recordings By A Swedish Jazz Legend This was a very nice find at a Half Price Books store for only $5.98 and still sealed. Billberg, who plays both tenor and alto sax here, is not the leader of any of the groups featured in this CD but he's one of the primary soloists in all the numbers. It clocks in at a very nice 74:41 and I'm enjoying it very much. I'd recommend it . Three of the numbers here even include a 14 year old(!) Niels-Henning Orstad Petersen. Lew Blackburn - The Complete Imperial Sessions I had never heard of Blackburn until I read some buzz about this CD and how enjoyable it was. I checked out the sound samples, liked what I heard and picked up a copy which is somewhere in the USPS at this moment. Cecilia Coleman - The Imposter I first learned of pianist Cecilia Coleman while listening to Live365 on the internet. She's not well known but you can find several of her releases at CD Baby. I find her to be very talented and she's put a hook in me. Steve Huffsteter on trumpet/flugelhorn and Jerry Pinter on tenor sax make for the other primary soloists on this CD and all are excellent IMHO.

No workee here either. I think it depends on which standard offer they extend to you at any given time. And that doesn't appear to be consistent from member to member. I'm currently getting the Buy 1 Get 90% off offer. It must be a selective offer that doesn't work for everyone. I'm in the same boat with the same deal as Aggie.

Doesn't seem to work for me, it's coming up as $34+ .

The Quadromania cases are unique so the artwork/tray cards are probably not going to work very nicely on a replacement case. Several of my sets had broken CD retainer teeth as well but the cases seem to hold the discs well enough that I'm not concerned about damaging them as long as they are handled respectfully.

Not a bad idea! I actually had one of those a couple of days ago.

My fickleness and lunch at Applebee's. I had lunch at Applebee's with my family yesterday and was lamenting over the waste of my two daughters' half-eaten meals and what would be a $60+ tab when it came to mind that the tab was going to be more than half of what the Hodges Mosaic would cost me. Sure, it was an enjoyable meal and it would satisfy my hunger for several hours but all too soon, the meal would just be a memory and another contribution to the local sewage system. (Sorry about that image! ) We go out fairly frequently and I realized that we tend to choose to be selectively blind to that expense which really adds up quickly. I would easily have the cost of the Hodges Mosaic in the span of what we'd spend on 2-5 meals out without even thinking about it. The pleasure and purpose of the meals would be fleeting but the Mosaic could provide pleasure for years. Several of you pointed out that it would be an investment and that I could no doubt easily trade it in or sell it for what I paid for it if not more and it's very likely I'd really enjoy the set. In the end, it's basically a no-lose proposition. As such, I've decided to pick it up some time before it disappears and when I can find a little wiggle room in the finances. I'd like to thank all of you for your input and advice.

Damn! This one I missed out on. You lucky SOB!

Well, you'd better be a big Cab Calloway fan with that set. I need to go through the set sometime and figure out how to program it for those times when a little bit of Cab goes a long way. Um, which is most of the time... Sheeesh, I don't mean to come off anti-Mosaic, but it seems like my role here is to save you money! Saving me money is a good thing so I appreciate it! I don't know Cab Calloway's work so I don't have an opinion either way on that. I'll have to check out his stuff as well as as many Chu Berry sound samples as I can find. I may just be caught up in the excitement of possibly getting a new Mosaic and that's the only one that's currently available that caught my attention. It wouldn't be the first time. A lot of times I'll get hot for something and want to get it right away. If I just sit on it, I'll often feel totally different about wanting a certain Mosaic if I wait a few weeks or months before seriously considering buying it. I've only purchased 4 Mosaic box sets on a quick decision whim just because I found them for such low, can't pass them up prices. I bought the Tal Farlow, Buddy Rich, Count Basie Clef/Verve and the Bobby Hackett sets when none of them were even on my rader. I ended up loving all of them except for the Hackett set which I ended up exchanging for the Farmer/Golson Jazztet box. (An excellent trade I might add.) I could be wrong but I may end up cooling on the Berry set as well. I'll check it out and give it some time and will see what happens.

Ah, okay, that changes things. You are only semi-successful in talking yourself out of buying Mosaic sets I see. The sound quality of the Hodges set is great by the way. It's a fine example of why Malcolm Addey has a cult-like following. Regarding Ellington, aside from the small group Back To Back and Side By Side, I'd recommend checking out Far East Suite &...And His Mother Called Him Bill. Aside from sounding more "modern" (they're from the mid-to-late '60s) they both contain some of Hodges's finest moments. I can't imagine a being a Hodges fan without them. Well, I've been listening to the sound samples of the Hodges set over the last several days and while I like them and find them enjoyable, I don't think it's going to be enough to clear the $104.00 threshold required to own this set. I think I'd be just as happy owning just a few of his recordings. I'll check out your recommendations. Now that Chu Berry set may be another thing...

The Complete Blue Note/UA Curtis Fuller Sessions - Mosaic This set is outstanding and what stellar sidemen appear with Fuller! Hank Mobley, Bobby Timmons, Paul Chambers, Arthur Taylor, Sonny Clark, Art Farmer, Slide Hampton, Lee Morgan, Tommy Flanagan and Elvin Jones among others. Also, The Complete Atlantic And EMI Jazz Recordings Of Shorty Rogers - Mosaic

A bit of T-Bone Walker and Stan Getz.

I haven't listened to that one for a long time. I'll have to give it a spin soon. When you talk about depth of expression, the song that really struck a chord with me on "People Time" was First Song (For Ruth). When I first heard this CD and that song came on I just stopped everything I was doing and intently listened to the whole song. I think I might have replayed it 3-4 times in a row before moving to the rest of the CD. Just talking about it makes me think I'll have to give it a spin much sooner rather than later.

It looks like I'm following in Randy's footsteps except it cost me $12.00 (delivered). I had to pick up Getz's Sweet Rain.

I was thinking along the same lines. Getz is someone I like a lot and his work is so routinely excellent that I don't think of him in terms of "albums" but more as an artist whose body of work is outstanding and one I enjoy in all phases of his career. I could reach into my Getz collection blindfolded and would be happy listening to whatever I might happen to choose. I think the ones I've played the most are Stan Getz Plays or the (3-CD) East Of The Sun: The West Coast Sessions. I'd have a real hard time picking my favorites among his 80's Concord and Emarcy sessions. They're all excellent.

Bud Shank - I think this set is excellent from beginning to end. Right now, the Herbie Nichols set.

Wow! That's quite a statement! I'll have to be sure I give it careful consideration.

Hmm, I think it'd maybe make more sense to take a smaller bite of Hodges then the Mosaic, if you're not really an Ellington fan. Perhaps the Ellington & Hodges "Back To Back" would be more sensible, as it's not a big band setting (or Side By Side, though I like the other one more.) Or find a copy of Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges. Or maybe Passion Flower, a comp of material with & without the Ellington band that covers 1940-46 and can sometimes be found cheaply. I own & enjoy the Hodges Mosaic, but if you're looking for excuse not to spend the money, I just don't think taking that sort of plunge is for you based on what you've said. I suppose it's possible to love Hodges & not care much for Ellington, but as so much of his great playing is with the Duke, maybe it'd be more sensible & cost effective to check out some Ellington (w/ Hodges) from the library, just to see if it "clicks" for you. Yeah, this is the kind of advice I have to consider. Do I take a smaller bite and settle or do I end up liking him enough to want to go for the Mosaic and regret missing it when I had the chance and then only find copies at a huge inflated price? These sets are always a pretty good gamble. Of the 22 Mosaic box sets/selects I got, I ended up trading in only 1 of them for not liking it. If I ended up not really liking it I could pretty much count on at least getting my money back if not more. What attracts me to the set is that he's featured in the smaller group setting rather than the large. When I say that I'm not much of an Ellington fan I was, in part, comparing myself with others. It seems that the majority of people here just LOVE him and have a lot or the desire to aquire a lot of his recordings. I have four of his CDs containing his stuff from the Blanton/Webster days. I like it but I was never compelled enough to seek out more. I'll have to go through the sound samples of the entire Hodges set at allmusic.com over the course of several non-consecutive days and see what kind of impression it leaves me with over time.

These sets are always a big temptation for me to pick up when they are running low or in last chance but the cost is way too prohibitive just to spring for them. I have to look for reasons not to buy them in order to exercise restraint and not spend all the bills money. I see the Venuti/lang set is now gone so that made that decision for me. For that one, the guitar/violin combination is kind of a niche sound for me anyway so I'm sure I'd be happy just turning to the 9-10 Django/Grapelli CDs I own. I'm tempted a lot by the Prima/Manone but the abundance of Prima vocals is what's going to stop me. I think I'd grow weary of them pretty quickly. I wish I could just purchase the Manone sides because I think I'd really enjoy those. The Johnny Hodges is still on the radar for me. I'm hoping it stays on the running low for a while because I'm still trying to make up my mind on that one. It would probably be a good addition because I'm not really an Ellington fan and I have no Hodges in my jazz collection.

Looks more like a Thomas Tammy to me.

Cool! I'm glad you like it. That was one I kind of stumbled into and got it because it was so cheap at the time. I was really taken with it from the start and it's not one I see pop up in conversations about his recordings. I'd highly recommend it to anyone liking Shaw or that vein of playing.

I just received a shipping notice on some backordered titles from the $4.99 J&R sale.

Update: I just received notice that 4 of my 5 formerly cancelled items have shipped! I had planned on having to hang tough for at least another week. They re-cancelled that 5th item so I'll have to call them and see if they'd give me a substitute for $4.99. If so, I'll just grab a different title.