gmonahan

And I just got my two cds, including the SACD Gil Evans. Concord is something else. Great record, by the way! greg mo

They really are goofy, aren't they? I remember when they did that huge sale...what was it...last year? Year before? It was the same thing--pure chaos. Orders got delayed, some things were available, some not, no "order" to it at all. And yet, despite all the craziness, most orders did arrive...in time. The lunatics really do seem to be in charge of the asylum over there. greg mo

New Louis Armstrong set, disc one. Great Satch! greg mo

Well (he said, selfishly), I hope my order got processed before the Evans went out of stock! greg mo

It's part of the Canadian conspiracy for world domination. South Park was right. To war!! greg mo

Would that some of my [college] students wrote English half so well! greg mo

I think you mean to say that their overhead is *high*. I don't know about that. They may know from experience that discounting does not increase the revenue stream. I'd have thought that now is the time to give serious discounts a go. The euromosaics which many of us here have bought have frequently been sold for less than half the regular Mosaic price so it can be done. When I said their overhead was "low" I meant that they don't have much staff, that their operation is pretty small, and that there aren't a lot of costs that can be cut in order to make room for the kind of discounting you suggest. Relatively speaking, I could see how that could also be defined as "high" overhead. You may be right in inferring that companies like Mosaic simply can't survive in the brave new world of downloads and streaming into which we all seem to be sliding. If so, that would be a shame. I confess that I've always viewed Mosaic as something more than a record company, and no, not as a family, which they like to say in their publicity materials. More like a favorite, if rather expensive, charity. I guess I feel a sort of moral responsibility to support them! But it definitely IS a very expensive charity! Too bad I can't get a tax deduction on all those sets! greg mo

I went looking too. CC has put out the Helen Forrest set with BG mentioned already and one with Harry James, but not one with Artie Shaw. I confess I'm sort of with Lon on this one. I'm not sure most of the vocals with Shaw are that essential, with the exception of those by Hot Lips Page, which I imagine the set will contain. Would be nice to have all the Forrest things, though. Of all the singers with Shaw, I think she was the best. greg mo

I'm afraid they wouldn't persist long if they started slicing prices. Their market is pretty small for these luxurious, expensive-to-produce sets, and my impression is that their overhead is very low. Not much fat there. The sets are mostly aimed at loons like us! They do occasional sales, and I recently saved about $16 (on the US side of the pond) by ordering the Armstrong set with the free shipping offer. Word today, by the way, that it was shipped!! greg mo

Why not tell Mosaic what you think? It may still not be too late My guess is that this one is in the can. This is big band only, right? It would be nice to have the Grammercy Fives in the set. I always thought that was a particularly interesting and cool group! greg mo

Troublemaker! greg mo

I looked up Shaw vocalists. There were a fair number besides Helen Forrest: Kitty Kallen, Peg LaCentra, Anita Boyer, Bonnie Lake, Paula Kelly, Fredda Gibson, Imogene Lynn. Pastor did a number of vocals on novelty tunes, and both Hot Lips Page and Roy Eldridge played in his bands. Page sang, of course, but I don't remember if Eldridge did any vocals for Shaw. He did a few for Gene Krupa. Somehow, I have the feeling there aren't too many Fredda Gibson cds out there!! greg mo

Ah yes, but as I posted on that other thread, will it also leave out the vocals? There were some great ones in Duke's band during this period--Ivie Anderson for sure, and Al Hibbler too I think. Inquiring minds want to know! Not that I won't get it, of course! greg mo The Ellington set will have Ivie Anderson vocals, but, since the set is limited to Ellington's 1930s Brunswick/Columbia recordings, no Al Hibbler vocals - he didn't join until the 1940s. Of course. Brain fart on my part. Hibbler didn't join until after the recording ban, I think. Nice to know the Anderson stuff will be there. Did Duke have a male vocalist in the 30s? I can't remember. I'm pretty sure that Ray Nance and Herb Jeffries didn't join until around 1940. greg mo

Ah yes, but as I posted on that other thread, will it also leave out the vocals? There were some great ones in Duke's band during this period--Ivie Anderson for sure, and Al Hibbler too I think. Inquiring minds want to know! Not that I won't get it, of course! greg mo

Nothing. Some of their other sets (the Beiderbecke/Trumbauer/Teagarden set, for instance) have lots of vocals. Why don't you ask them why they're leaving out the vocals on this one? The reasoning on the Goodman set was that almost all of the vocal material had been issued separately by Collectors' Choice or other labels. I haven't really checked on how much of the Helen Forrest etc. from Shaw's band is available elsewhere...but I'm guessing that including the vocals would make either the Shaw or Goodman boxes 12-13 CDs, which might be a bit unwieldy for cost/price/economic purposes in the present climate. In a way, I can understand leaving the vocals out, but still, I think doing so creates a distorted picture of the Shaw band, and the era. iIwould say that the vocals tracks are essential to a valid understanding of any of the big bands, and to leave them out goes against the very reason Mosaic was created, as quoted from their website: We want Mosaic Records Box Sets to be as important, and as complete as we can make them. Our sets include every significant track that falls within the scope of a given project, presented in an organized, chronological manner. We go into the vaults of as many record labels as necessary to examine all the original session tapes. In addition to all previously issued material, Mosaic box sets are usually rich with unreleased tracks and valid alternate takes. It's no accident we're considered the label for fans and collectors "who want it all". It's nice that this set is being created, but I feel that this continuing trend, in terms of traditional big bands, weakens the historical and artistic viability of what Mosaic is doing. I don't want to go on rant, but still, I think Mosaic can do better. Still, in these financial times, this is way better than nothing. I hear ya, Matthew, and ideally I'd like a complete set, vocals and all, as well. I remember somebody (at this board or another one) talking about how they'd taken the Mosaic Goodman they'd bought and created cd-rs that incorporated the vocal tracks into the sessions, in chronological order...pretty painstaking work, I'd imagine, plus you'd have to actually already have all of the vocal sides and a discography. But where there's a will there's a way for jazz diehards! In the meantime, I'll join the chorus of gratitude for anything at all coming out (plus I'm a big Shaw junkie & will love hearing the material I haven't encountered before... I've got SELF-PORTRAIT and the Heps that cover this period, but I'm still sure there'll be sides that are new to me). It would indeed be hard work. The Collector's Choice 3-cd set of the Forrest vocals is ok, and the Columbia 2-cd of the Peggy Lees is better, but there are a few outliers (Dick Haymes, others) that are hard to pull together. I'll also go for the Shaw set (I go for all the Mosaic sets). Are there vocal-only sets out there from the Shaw period as there are for Goodman that hopeless completists like me could get? I can't recall seeing any recently. Good news about the Ellington set, but will that also leave out the vocals, I wonder?--no Ivie Anderson? Al Hibbler? greg mo

Couldn't agree more. Their saving grace is that, once you figure out how and where to email them about an order, they're usually pretty responsive, or at least, they have been in the past. greg mo

Thanks Niko, I didn't know about this one: "20-- Frank Strazzeri: Taurus Conte Candoli (tp), Frank Rosolini (tb), Don Menza (fl,ts), Frank Strazeri (elp), Gene Cherico (b), Dick Burke (dr) (rec. 6.1.1973) (also issued on Creative World CW 3003 as "View from within" ) Taurus / Lazy Moments / Strazzatonic / Calcutta / Sphinx / View From Within" Don't think I've ever seen that one on cd. As something of a Rosolino fan, I'd like to hear that! greg mo

I've always had a weakness for Benny's bop stuff. It would be an understatement to say he never got into it like other swing band leaders did (like Charlie Barnett, for example)--he dismissed the whole thing after he disbanded that group. Some of it does sound weird, though! "The Hucklebuck" is sure a case in point! I only count about five sort-of-bop things with Gray on the 4-cd Mosaic set of his Capitol small group recordings. The rest are pretty traditional (but good) swing things. greg mo

That's an eclectic list! I appreciate the tip about the prices remaining despite the disappearance of the site. I went ahead and ordered the Gil Evans and Ten SACD and the new Monterey Jazz All-stars cd. Used the "cmg" which pretty well covered postage. greg mo

That's very good news! I'm embarrassed to admit, however, that I don't know much about the Revelation label. Could you share with us some information about what other artists recorded with the label whose work might be of interest to the Board? Many thanks! greg mo

Oh yeah--the old Decca Jazz Heritage Series! Great music, unbelievably dreadful sound! One of my nightmares is that the big fire may have left some of these as the only versions from some more obscure bands like Jan Savitt or Lucky Millinder. Brrrr. greg mo

Yeah, the sale stuff appears to be gone. All the links now take you to the box set sale. greg mo

I checked it out--nasty shipping cost to the U.S. I may wait a bit to see if another vendor gets hold of it. greg mo

I think you'll really enjoy Harold Land's The Fox It's a great album, and Dupree Bolton is amazing on it. greg mo

No one has mentioned Melba Liston, a brilliant arranger and a fine trombonist. Among singers...er...Ella?! Sarah? Carmen? And I love Shirley Horn too. greg mo