gmonahan

Yeah, I waited and watched until an Amazon seller had it priced around $15 per disc (ca $60.00). I figured it was worth that price, and after listening to it, I think I was right! (And I was lucky in getting the Vaughan and Washington Mercury boxes just as they were going out of print.) Many thanks to others for the recommendations on Merrill. I'll check those out! gregmo

Lon's recommendation is good enough for me, especially the part about the tank top. I'm seeing it this afternoon, though in my small town, no 3-D, alas. gregmo

I'd save it for the Ellington set. I'm going to have the Crosby under the tree. Looking forward to that! (And I think my brother might get me the "Sinatra: New York" set--double cool!) gregmo

New Orleans Suite 70th Birthday Concert Jazz Party I'd put "First Time" with Basie on the list, but it's not entirely an Ellington album. And I agree that "Moon Maiden" on "Intimate Ellington" is a gas! gregmo

Bump. I finally got hold of the 4-disc Complete Helen Merrill Mercury set, and have just finished listening to the fourth disc. I was surprised at how good the sound was since the set dated from 1986. It appears (at least the one I have) to be Japanese--the notes (in English) are by Hiraku Aoki. Whatever its origin, it's certainly worth searching out (albeit, for a price). A really fine singer. I got turned on to her by the recent Mosaic singles which I also have. What others of her records should I check out? gregmo

I haven't ordered this one. Just haven't been able to get over the very stingy playing time on the discs and the sense that it's a royal ripoff. I have the Twardzik material on another disc. gregmo

Eric Dolphy: Complete Prestige Recordings arrived today from Newberry, and I'm into disc one. I like it *much* better than I thought I would. Looking forward to hearing the rest, even as he moves farther out. gregmo

A *really* fine pianist! His albums with Sonny Stitt are still among my favorites. Happy Birthday Mr. Harris! gregmo

Jeez, I'm gone just a few days....! Looks great on my Firefox browser, as many others have said. I haven't tried a search yet. Hope that's improved too. Thanks Jim! gregmo

Mosaic has been known to sell the booklets separately for $15. You might ask them. I just listened to the second volume of the Helen Forrest vocals last night on Jasmine. The sound was surprisingly good, I thought, and there really is some very fine music there. But Mosaic seems to have decided to keep the size of almost all their box sets at 7 discs maximum. No idea how they came to that number. They have promised that the upcoming Ellington 30s set will be more and will include all the Ivie Anderson vocals. I'm still looking forward to that one! gregmo

I didn't even know that Leon Thomas sang with Basie. How long was he with him? It was kind of cool to see people dancing to Basie's music. I think that with all the concert recordings, we sometimes forget what a great *dance* band he had. gregmo

From me too. I've never been a huge Dolphy fan, but at this price, I'll give him another listen. gregmo

Yeah, I just got that email too. What a drag! That was going to be a great deal! gregmo

I'm particularly fond of Joe Williams's tunes on this one, especially "The Comeback." I don't think he and the band ever sounded better together. gregmo

Yikes ! I know the ladies usually don't shave their armpits in MPS-land but.... Me wants a copy of that one.

I like the playing of Dickie Wells, but I think he was all wet on this one. Freddie Green was probably the best *rhythm* guitarist who ever lived. He didn't need to solo, and that wasn't his thing. His chords were nearly always perfect, and his time was even better! gregmo

Two other products that work really well are "De-Solv-It" and "Goo-be-gone." Both have a lemon juice solution. Gets it right off. gregmo

Cool. I've only been to Poland once--to Krakow. Lovely city. Nice people. I do remember trading in some currency and getting a bucket-full of zloties. I think I would have preferred sausage. gregmo

I see it now, on the back outside cover. I didn't think to look there. All is well....just a little curveball. Change comes hard to us older dudes. Tell me about it. I've asked for this one from my (very sweet) old father for Christmas. He says he will. 'Course, he's in his 80s, and I wouldn't put it past him to open it up and listen to it and then forget he was going to give it to me. Might have to wrestle him for it! gregmo

I just saw this! Did you take them up on it?! gregmo

Well, getting past all this stuff about posting, I found the ARTICLE very interesting. I had never actually given much thought to what a "metal part" was even though I'd read the term a zillion times over the years. It's good to know RCA did such a good job storing their material. Wish all the others had. gregmo

I wouldn't pay two grand for the Buddy Bolden cylinders...provided they'd been reissued on cd. gregmo

The Commodores are great...but...how can you not LOVE the Deccas?! Billie's classic ballads! Absolutely essential, IMHO! gregmo

One of Red Garland's finest hours, IMHO. gregmo