LAL

Enhanced my knowledge on jazz and music in general. Helped me not miss out on the Mosaic Vee Jays.

Greenspan may go down as one of the BIG culprits too. 52. Rather than a liability, Mosaic's are a great asset and a valuable addition to the estate, which can be passed down for generations.

Members of this BB should be given discounts for helping Mosaic speed up sales of sets on Running Low/Last Chance.

Stan Kenton 40s (discs 1&2) followed by... Elvin Jones disc 3 (again)

26. My Mosaic addiction is contributing to the American economy, which in turn is helping suck up exports from the rest of the world, which means helping keep a billion plus folks employed. 27. I like the exclusive look and feel of Mosaic boxes. They really are a marvel to look at - like a great piece of art. and of course... 28. That darn Mosaic order button is so easy to press.

Kelly/Chambers disc 6

I have been a Mosaic addict since early 2001. I liked the first sets bought so much that I was/am determined to get every in-print* and subsequent releases, and I've not been disappointed with any set acquired so far. The sound quality and choice of artists and recordings are mostly good to excellent. Packaging of the regular sets is bulky (as it is with most box sets) but that's a minor concern. My only grouse is not buying the Jimmy Giuffre and Bud Shank sets when they were in print. (* except the Four Freshmen of course and maybe the Johnny Smith) With Mosaic sets, I've been introduced to artists whom I'd never heard of before or would have even considered listening to. In terms of cost, $16/17 per disc may seem pricey, but if you consider that there's often more than 1 album's worth of material per disc, it really is cheaper than a single disc release by many other labels. Plus, once they go OOP, many of the recordings are unlikely to be released again, at least not for a very long time. E.g. the recordings on the Commodore label. The other great aspect of Mosaic is that they offer a broad range of recordings from the classic jazz of Bix and Tram to the avant garde of Sam Rivers. I'll agree with Cliff Peterson on scouting for bargains from online or bricks & mortar stores. These retailers sometimes sell Mosaics, I believe it's always Capitol material, and if you wait, you may even get them at nice discounts. I've bought the June Christy/Peggy Lee and Gene Krupa/Harry James both at quite large discounts. I even chanced upon an OOP Stan Kenton 40s set also at a discount - now THAT was a very happy find indeed. In short, my music-listening horizons have been greatly broadened and enriched by Mosaic.......but how the pocketbook suffers.

I tremble a little every time the Airborne man delivers a package - fear of having been imposed with a hefty customs duty. No such problems with deliveries by normal post. Btw, hasn't Airborne Express been swallowed by DHL? My last two shipments from Mosaic were delivered by them instead of Airborne. Now enjoying Elvin Jones Mosaic disc 3.

Stuff Smith disc 4

You mentioned three GREAT recordings, Harold. Love´em too! And the All Stars stuff I´m still getting started (two or three albums in my collection) Yes the Complete RCA box, Great Chicago Concert, California Concerts, the 2 1947 Classics discs - all must haves if you don't already.

I agree. There is a huge amount of material and some of the later recordings are probably of lesser interest to most jazz fans. Having said that, this is still an excellent acquisition for fans of swing music. For a one disc sampler, I would recommend ASV Living Era's "Harlem Lullaby" or Sony's "Incomparable Mildred Bailey", with the latter compilation CD being produced by Scott Wenzel.

Elvin Jones - disc 2 followed by Morgan/Shorter - disc 6

Maybe just maybe since the Herman set is still scheduled for release in the next few months.

I haven't watched since the final 4 but the winner is LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Fantasia Barrino 's fantasy of pop stardom became a reality Wednesday night when she was named the winner of "American Idol." Barrino, a 19-year-old from High Point, N.C., with a powerful, gospel-tinged voice, topped Diana DeGarmo, an effervescent 16-year-old from Snellville, Ga. The judges had pretty much crowned Barrino the winner the previous night, when she dazzled them with her powerful version of Gershwin's "Summertime" and two other songs. Associated Press

Coleman Hawkins. Benny Carter is right up there as well. Band leader/composer/pianist who didn't like his music classified as jazz considered? Then it'd have to be the Duke.

John R T Davies the musician

Charlie Christian Genius of the Electric Guitar box set.

Sad sad news indeed. RIP Mr. John RT Davies.

Thanks for the heads up. . The "Jaywalker" album appears to have plenty of songs not usually in the Duke's repertoire. More Ellington discs to add to the wishlist.

For a one disc starter, I'd go for the "Complete Gramercy Five Sessions" (RCA). The set includes excellent small group swing plus excursions into bebop on the later sides, with plenty of innovation by Artie. For a broad overview of his music, check out "Self Portrait" (RCA 5CD box), covering the years 1936-54. The music (or a fair bit of it) in the Gramercy Five disc is also included in the set. Of course, there's the Chronological Classics way for an even more complete collection of his music. There are about a dozen Classics discs at this point.

I find the music of the Hot 5s and 7s to be some of the best music that was ever recorded, never mind the limitations in sound quality. Satch was undisputedly in blazing form but the others - Johnny Dodds, Kid Ory and Earl Hines were also excellent and contributed much to these recordings. I have the original Columbia Legacy CD issues and the JSP set, but have marked this Columbia box for purchase. To many listeners though, even some jazz diehards, this music sounds very dated overall. I've loaned some of these material to folks interested in jazz but they just couldn't dig it. Although they could appreciate Satch's instrumental improvisations, they could not enjoy the music in totality. Perhaps many repeated listenings would do the trick? Out of topic: Strangely, I don't really enjoy Satch's late recordings including Wonderful World, Mack the Knife etc.

The list goes on... Django Reinhardt & The Quintet of the Hot Club of France. The JSP Volume 1 box is a great place to start.

Going through the discography of this set, one finds a treasure trove of classic jazz and swing music. Mildred is featured with many top orchestras/bands - Eddie Lang, Dorsey Brothers, Frankie Trumbauer, Casa Loma, Benny Goodman and the band of her then hubby, Red Norvo. She also fronted her own orchestra, which featured greats such as Chu Berry, Teddy Wilson, Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster and Artie Shaw. Mildred's slightly childish voice may not appeal to some but she can really swing/sing, making her a very worthy addition to the list of great jazz vocalists and deserving of greater recognition. With about 215 masters and alternates, there are bound to be some duds and there are a few IMO, depressing, songs on the set (listen to her delivery of Motherless Child and Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen). OK, I admit to buying the 2 4CD volumes of the same material issued (nicked?) by Definitive - shame on me. Thought I'd save some $$ but it turns out I'll be spending more because I'm definitely going to buy this Mosaic sometime in the future. Has anybody acquired this set? What are your thoughts and comments? I'm 200% sure the sound is far superior to the Definitives.

The inevitable happened - Liverpool sacked its manager Gerard Houllier 24 May. Potential/rumoured replacements include Valencia's Rafael Benitez, Charlton's Alan Curbishley or Celtic's Martin O'Neill.

A big to the Benny Carter (Urbane Sessions, Cosmopolite, 3-4-5 Small Group Sessions) and Duke Ellington Small Groups suggestions. Another recommendation for John Kirby's late 1930s to early 40s sextet recordings reissued on 4 discs on the Classics label (the first 3 are the preferred choices).