ghost of miles

Quincy Jones in 1984 predicting the future of popular-culture distribution (from a Radio & Records Magazine interview, cited in Michaelangelo Matos' new book Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year): JONES: With computers around now, it would be very easy to get musical profiles of people's likes and dislikes... Maybe using TV to make impulse buying more accessible to more people... the screen lists whatever you're listening to... You say "I like that" and look at the information on the screen. Then you hit one or two buttons that ask for your purchase selection and credit card number... something in that direction. R & R: That would be a great way to chart sales electronically. JONES: Right. And it could be possible in five years for you to have no inventory in your house. No records, tapes, anything. If you had access to a satellite, a code book/catalog, and a television set, you could punch up anything you wanted anytime... And you could really target the music because you don't always want to hear a whole album. So you're programming several hours of music from this vast catalog in the sky. That would be incredible. You'd have access to anything out there that's current and have an intelligent way to catalog it.

So sorry to hear that this loss has a personal aspect to it for you, relyles. Evidently that's the case for Nate Chinen, too, who has yet to weigh in at length, but who cited Peterson on Twitter today as his mentor when Chinen was in his early 20s.

My understanding (in general, no idea about Mosaic's situation) is that vinyl is much more expensive to produce than CDs. Plus an LP version of a set is always larger than the CD version--the recent Mobley box, for example, would probably have taken 12 LPs? Can't remember what Mosaic's rate was for the old Q-LP boxes, but I'm sure it would be even higher now... not sure how much they'd have to charge or what their profit margin would be, as opposed to CD sets. OTOH people are obviously paying absolutely insane prices for vinyl... I just don't get it at all. I read an interview recently with a noted engineer/producer (can't remember who off the top of my head, unfortunately) who continues to champion CDs as the best physical format that's ever been available. I have a record player myself and just this morning was spinning a newly-arrived copy of the 1986 Keynote collection, but it's definitely not my format of choice. Anyway, I assume Mosaic's reasons for not getting back into the LP game must be based in economics.

Yes! Plus the 40-page booklet and the photo album. This set must have been an absolute godsend when it came out in 1986. Just finished listening to the first two LPs and will be making my way through the rest of it over the next few days. I have the individual CD reissues and the Fresh Sound collection, but still quite happy to revisit in this form.

Newly-arrived! And with a bonus Mosaic Brochure #4 included as well, published around the time that this set came out... so I’m assuming the original owner accidentally left it in his Keynote box:

Watched some of the Yankees-Jays game yesterday, with fans in attendance—good to see and hear even a very small crowd again. The players sounded pretty jazzed about it as well in post-game interviews.

New music from the Tiptons, aka the Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet:

Happiness is a box full of Steeplechase CDs... who knew?

Reading Sittin’ In: Jazz Clubs Of The 1940s And 1950s put me in the mood to pull this set out for the first time in several years:

One of the last OOP sets that was on my to-get list:

Really lovely version of “I Can’t Get Started” to be heard here.

Starting in on the Steeplechase order from Tommy’s Jazz that just arrived:

Good to see you again, garthsj--don't be such a stranger!

Really glad you liked it, DM. Hoping to do a couple more in a similar vein in the next year or two.

Oh man, so glad you liked it, Brad! I’ve actually been contemplating a prequel of sorts, focusing on the 1944-1950 years that would draw on the Deccas, the 1944 Commodore sides, and some live recordings as well.

I’m in for the “reasonably priced CD set”—is there a release date for it yet?

Had a very brief conversation with Scott today--he said the Henderson set is indeed on tap for a March release and that it will be 5 CDs.