Clunky

Gerry Mulligan Sextet on emArcy -LP4 pleasant, if not exactly earth shattering.

And no liner notes, personnel , recording dates etc. Even if a PDF is made available ( as with the Savory collection ) it's still a world of difference compared to having something physically in your hand. I've no doubt the technology will mature and improve but for now round discs of shellac, vinyl or silvered disc rule, ok.

Another great set which I picked up just as it was going OOP. So glad I did. It's timeless music

i had a similar message from Scott re JPJ. Perhaps the Justice for JPJ pressure group is already working....:)

For me , when I was first into jazz thirty years ago the only singer I could tolerate was Sarah Vaughan. Since then Ella and Billie have totally eclipsed the Divine Sarah. The young Ella was somethin' else. The old one also.... but like Lady Day , different

I thought that the naive top ten list was quite interesting even funny. Mosaic's inclusion in their gazette was to highlight that jazz is still pulling in an audience. I don't know anything about the writer but he/she comes across as young and just discovering the joys of jazz , has encountered some classics and Gregory Porter and wants to tell the world that they've discovered something worth blogging about. The top ten could easily have been ridiculed but that would have risked deterring newbies expressing their opinions. I want jazz to live and so I'm delighted that someone feels sufficiently engaged to blog their opinions however I'll informed they might be.

I like the Gazette. I think I look at around a third of the entries. Their effort isn't lost on me as they pull together some interesting features that I would otherwise never see. The recent Horace Silver video from Italy being good evidence for the defense.

Great Monk on that disc.

The JPJ is such a recent set too you'd have thought there would be plenty of buyers yet interested in it.

The JPJ is the one I really want/ need/ now ordered. I think JPJ is a relative forgotten figure but one who for me is always fascinating to hear. I really hope that it reappears. Kicking myself for not ordering it earlier but who knew...... ....

After years of procrastination I pulled the trigger on the Threadgill set. I have about 30% of the set already ,which I told myself was enough. However if ordering the Threadgill set increases the chances of a reprint of the JPJ set , then that's money well spent plus I get more Threadgill. The things we say to ourselves to justify purchases.... I've been a Mosaic customer for twenty five years and have around seventy big sets. I can't see them fold without me lending my support by ordering .......

Reid /Mazzarella ---------Signalling-------------(nessa) another quality nessa production. I can't really think of anything i've heard like it. For the open eared among us.

I'd recommend the Parker set if you really like Bird. Of all the Mosaic sets surely it would be the most unlikely to see light of day again. It's music which streaming old never do justice given it's fragmentary nature

Commodore & Decca Condon & Freeman Sessions: disc V beautiful music perfectly presented

This is sad as everyone has noted. The terrible exchange rate hasn't helped orders from me. Looks like I may have to live without the James P Johnson and Ella/Duke sets- these are pretty much the only ones I really wanted. I've just too much of the Savoy and Dial sets already to justify springing for them. I've ordered the JPJ set in the hopes that it encourages a further run or they find one behind a cupboard etc)

Playtime Trio ------- Tangential Excursions----------(Interrupto Music) Scottish trio ( sax, percussion, guitar/electronics). Two set-long improvisations recorded live at The Outhouse (Edinburgh). These guys keep the jazz/improv flag flying year round in Edinburgh , when almost all other opportunities to hear the music locally have dried up. Playtime Trio

Steve Lacy -------Shots-------(Musica France) Good session, I can now actually enjoy Irene Aebi's vocal contributions.

On a purely selfish level I too hope Mosaic pulls through. I've been meaning to order a couple of sets which have been on back order. If they don't survive I'll miss out on the James P Johnson and Ella/Duke sets. Taking a wider perspective perhaps Mosaic needs to re-think it's strategy. They lead the way and I think you can see how their archival approach has rubbed off on the like of Uptown and Resonance records. In this digital age I think there will always be a market for releases with added production effort put into sound quality, notes and photos.

Arguably the LP set is OTT. The outer box is about 2 cm deep . Two LPs are individually housed in standard LP covers. There is a 1cm thick LP sized booklet printed on very heavy weight matt . paper. It's mainly photos but there are some nice essays. Perhaps not enough about the music but Monk's career and circumstances of the session are covered well. Sam Records from my experience are immaculate pressings ( I have some Chet Baker and Barney Wilen LPs) and this set is no different. Spotless vinyl , only music , no pops/clicks what so ever. The whole thing looks very classy. Clearly £60 is pretty high but I think the producers have done just enough to justify that price. Before RSD I had seen some online vendors indicating a price of £49.99 but I wasn't taking the chance of not getting it online a week after RSD.

Steve Swell Quintet------------Soul Travellers----------------(Rogue Art) LP only release (?) Swell with a stellar band Jemeel Moondoc, Dave Burrell, William Parker and Gerald Cleaver. Rogue Art seem to be pretty consistently good judging by the releases I've heard. Sound on this LP is good but not noticeably better than the excellent sound of their CD releases.

Wadada Leo Smith ---Procession of Great Ancestry---(Nessa) Earlier - Smith's - America's National Parks--(Cunieform) I was staggered/annoyed to see this review at Amazon "It may be the worst CD I have EVER bought- amateurish, unlistenable- elementary school kids make better sounding music while practicing". I probably shouldn't be giving the writer any extra notoriety given how disrespectful the comments are.

Picked up this new release yesterday at RSD. Pricey and lavish. The tunes are all Monk warhorses but my ears tell me that something different was being attempted on this session. Approach seems less strident and just a bit more mellow. Interesting of course to hear Wilen's rather simplified approach to Monk's tune compared to Rouse's more thorough embrace of the intricacies. Lovelystuff. Big booklet , loads of photos , pressings and sound immaculate for the period.

Wynton Kelly & Wes Montgomery ----- Smokin' in Seattle-----(Resonance) pacier and and more exciting than the Verve set from the Half Note. Exceptionally good sound.

"Signalling" is a great disc and keeps up the very high standards of the label. I'm case anyone is hesitating over the Air Time LP repress, my advice would be - don't hesitate. The music is desert island stuff as most will know but the new pressing is simply superb. Totally silent background allowing the music to shine. Highly recommended. Congrats to Chuck on all fronts.

Elek Bacsik -----Bird and Dizzy----( Flying Dutchman) not sure about this in the same way that Supersax doesn't float my boat. Also in common with Supersax Warne Marsh is heard on two tracks. Here though he solos and isn't simply lost in the arrangements.