gmonahan

I'd take the Dial/Savoy set with me to my island, though that's probably cheating for this thread. All that said, I have to admit that the earliest solos with McShann still send a tingle up my spine. Nice K.C. blues popping along, and then this ethereal alto sax comes out of nowhere, and a revolution is born. Greg Mo

Well, now I'm a bit confused. The Centennial box set purported to include EVERYTHING Ellington ever recorded for the label, so how can there be no overlap with it if this set includes some of his 30s RCA material?! Sorry if I'm being dense. Wouldn't be the first time! Greg Mo

I prefer mono, especially with LPs. The idea of stereo being some sort of an "improvement" over mono is a myth. Stereo is better if stereo was meant. For example, the Ellington/Basie album "First Time" uses stereo with one piano on left, one on right, but I agree with you where mono recordings are simply re-processed into stereo. That makes no sense to me. And of course, the ancients among us remember the horrors of the awful and artificial stereo reprocessing in older LP series like the old Decca Jazz Heritage series! Greg Mo

The Complete Edison Recordings of Buddy Bolden The Complete Wartime Recordings of the Earl Hines Band with Charlie Parker The Complete Jazz Recordings of Sammy Kaye (My heartbreak at not hearing Don Cornell drone "It Isn't Fair" on a Mosaic cd...will I ever get over it?!) Greg Mo

Mosaic Select Boogie Woogie and Blues Piano, disc 1. Gettin' down. Greg Mo

Lester Young was a serious man. And he also played some very fine clarinet--wish he'd played more! Greg Mo

I've been to both. Always sort of liked Croco because it's a bit like mining! I also like browsing in FNAC when I'm in Paris. They occasionally license stuff that doesn't seem to be available anywhere else, though, with the present dollar/euro exchange rate, I won't be wandering around Paris anytime soon! Still, I do miss browsing in record stores. Fading memories of my youth, no doubt! Greg Mo

His latest "Aint' Necessarily So" is a good place to start. Although actually recorded live in 1997, it's a great representation of his talents. "Shades of Bey" is solid, too. My favorite is "Ballads, Blues, and Bey" on Evidence. It really shows off Bey's very intimate vocal style. Greg Mo

I think it's one of the greatest Rollins albums from this early, classic period. "I'm An Old Cowhand" alone is worth the price of admission. It is (or was?) available as part of the very fine 5-cd box, "Sonny Rollins: The Freelance Years," which includes all of his Riverside and Contemporary material with alternates. Greg Mo

I guess I should count myself "lucky" that I only really discovered LJ a couple of years ago. I traveled to Amsterdam last summer and was combing through a record store in the center (can't remember the name--sorry! Pretty big one), and there was the Bear Family box for around 81 euros. Even with a poor exchange rate (this was last summer) I snapped it up. It is one gorgeous production, but it is expensive as hell right now to order, especially on this side of the pond. If you CAN find it for a good price, though, it's a treasure. Greg Mo

Aw Jazzbo--say it ain't so!! Swinging to the new Lester Young with Basie set, disc one. Greg Mo

... and I should add, it's every bit as good as a Mosaic, production-wise! That it is. All of the Bear Family boxes are great productions. Not as easy to get 'em in the U.S. now that CDWolf has quit carrying them, though. I agree with everybody else on this one--great box, great music. Love that Mercury cd too! Greg Mo

Yeah, I have some holes in the early stuff too, but not because I necessarily had them somewhere else. I was just poorer then than I am now! I don't have 103, 107, 115, 121, 124, 126, 127, or 130. I also don't have the Don Cherry, Grant Green, or Art Hodes sets--wish I did! I think I have all the others. I have a lot of 'em! And odd as it may seem, I think I like that little Woody Herman Philips Select the best of all. It's the one that most often gets me out of my chair and dancing like a lunatic around the room! Greg Mo

Yeah, me too. I went ahead and ordered the new Basie/Young set as well as a couple of selects (Johnny Mercer and Boogie Woogie) and a couple of singles. I'm now up to date and out of cash, but what else is new?!

Woody Herman Select, disc 2. "Caldonia." The room is shaking. The house is bouncing. God, but I do love this set!!!! Greg Mo

Me too. I wonder what happened. Me three. My guess is, if they're still selling it, someone messed up with the pricing and claiming it's out of stock, never to return and creating a new entry in their system for it is easier than selling however many at a loss. Oh well, just wait six months and it'll probably start showing up at Half Price Books for $20. Me four. I tried on CD Universe, but they show it on back order since March. I've tried ordering it from Circuit City, of all places. No telling whether I'll get hold of one! Greg Mo

We've ragged about this one before here. There was some thought it was going to be reissued, but then it fizzled. It's weird when this happens--everything gets put out but ONE album! Oh well.... Greg Mo

One thing about all these 70s horn bands- they provided a lot of music for the basketball/marching/pep bands. Hearing these groups was what first got me interested in music. I remember playing in a high school group where we transcribed and performed a bunch of Chicago, BS&T etc. Big fun. The algebra teacher played bass, so we called the group "Aftermath". I grok that. We played "Spinnin' Wheel" in my high school stage band. I think that was in the late Jurassic period. I ordered this set, if only to chill out to the days of my callow long-haired youth (and enjoy Bill Chase--a good trumpeter)! I still don't know who that grey-haired guy is in the mirror each morning! Greg Mo

John - this one is great. I think you will like it ! Hmmmm.....I don't find the sound clips too compelling, are they representative ? Listen to samples of the entire set on the link below. Jazz Crusaders Mosaic I really dug this set, and I wasn't into the Crusaders at all before I bought it. Several posters recommended it, so I took the chance. Glad I did. In fact, I proceeded to get all the live albums (except the '69 album, which still hasn't been reissued, to my knowledge) and like those too, though the earlier ones more than the latter. Greg Mo

*Nothing* is THAT complicated!! But I join in the general relief that the Deccas weren't lost. My heart skipped about five beats. Greg Mo

I'd go with Basie, Dizzy, and Chu in that order. All good boxes, but I love the Basie New Testament band. That said, there's some fine Dizzy in that box, especially the Verve stuff. Greg Mo

Didn't Mezz greet *everyone* with gifts of MaryJane?! Greg Mo

Melissa Torme? (Bad Greggy! Bad! I've GOT to quit dissing Melly!) Greg Mo

That's pretty funny. I was thinking that the first two tunes are the only ones I like!! Different strokes.... It is certainly Basie's wildest album, and the most "un-Basie-like"! Nothing at all like "Basie Meets Bond." Greg Mo.