jazzbo

"It's tough because this world often rewards a-holes." --AB HEY! I totally disagree. . . with the "often!" Isn't it "always"? Arrogance and cruelty? Yes. Hypocrites and bigots don't get my nod of approval either.

Whether tis nobler in the mind To suffer the McMaster Or to upgrade. . . that is the question. The answer for me is replace the McMaster! I upgrade a lot. I shouldn't probably, but I do. I'm a sucker for improved sound, but at the same time I listen to a lot of stuff that sounds awful! Truly, I am a complicated person.

How did we overlook Ella and Louis! Still, I think that I have to contend that the full opera is very interesting to experience. . . There is a lot of material that does not get jazz treatments, just as there are big chunks of the Miles and Gil that aren't from the opera! The 1951 "cast" recording really is the best I've heard. . . .

Nine to twelve, depending on whose series you grab and how full the cds are.

I know there was one, but I've never heard it!

I agree. The Mosaic sets sound fantastic! They can be a little unsettling if you are very used to the lps or the previous cds. . . they ARE remixed. But the sound is GLORIOUS.

I'm a Bix completist, but I'm already complete!

The Bethlehem two lp/two cd set is interesting. Here is my favorite: This Sony Classical recording from 195 is da bomb.

That Columbia cd (an English copy!) is the one that got ME started some years back. . . . I've grabbed all I can find of his since! A MASTER! If I just had to have ONE it just might be the Storyville. . . .

I've never been able to pull the ebay trigger on these because the prices were too high. . . never heard this stuff. Eventually someone will put it out on cd. Good job for Water Records I'd say!

Don't hesitate to deal with this vendor. Good peop's! I've gone the "Maxislim" route. Not really more expensive if you search for a good price. Half the width of a jewel case. Can sort by colors. . . .

After my decade or so of upgrading, I have to recommend www.decware.com The products there are really so loud in the "bang for your buck" department, dependable, hand-built, and most of all sound fantastic! I've been using their products for about seven years and eventually my main system will likely be ALL Decware. . . right now I only lack the source component. You'll find innovative thinking in many ways as well. There are pages on room setup here that I think are quite valuable. I wasn't able to put them in place, at least not yet. . . .

I think you're right. Honestly, I won't have time to do the comparisons, but I DID do the comparisons many moons ago and I believe that with the Mosaic and the JIPs you won't need any of the cheap sets. . . .

I have all their stuff. It's only rock and roll. . . but I like it. I guess the drummer is my favorite. Tony Spargo (later spelling of his name) was a great drummer. I love his later appearances where he plays the kazoo while ALSO playing killer drums!

I haven't seen Natalie lately. . . did see her live about fifteen years ago. . . . I don't think they look that much alike to me. . . !

Brad, in the post above I say distinctly that OP is good here. BUT I'm not that big an OP fan, I recognize his technical prowess and his innovation, but don't like his sound and "feel" as much as other bassists. I really think that I'd rather hear Wendell in this session. That's me. I'm not the producer!

Al, hate to say this in a way: if you buy the first two JSP Django sets. . . you'll have the Mosaic set. . .and more material as well. And probably spend half the Mosaic cost or less.

Thanks for sharing that news. I'm excited about the Phantom on Water; it is going to sound terrific, better than the Select would be my guess!

I'll be getting all the March RVGs in a few weeks in one big whack. . . how's that for overload! I'm very looking foward to this one. . . .

I guess it depends on your system; for me the sound on the first three discs is NOT GOOD AT ALL, it has that treble grit that seems to be an artifact of the NoNoise board that McMaster has or just his frequency balance of choice. . . . I live with it, but in a system without tone controls you don't reach for it with relish! That said, there are great sessions in this box set, and as Dan has pointed out a goodly portion not on cd anywhere else. There is only one unreleased session however; the others have been released on lp and some on cd.

I don't quite see your point, thanks for correcting the typo, I corrected mine in the post. You don't think Marshall would be a better fit? I can understand that, don't agree, but understand; I just am not sure what you meant. I like him better as a bassist tone and function wise, and I like him working with Klook during this time period. But OP is very good here too.

You're welcome. Yes, OP is wonderful, but not one of my very favorites. . . if only it had been Wendell Marshall!

Here's my two cents. I got this reissue because I passed on a 29 dollar Japanese K2 of this about four years ago and never saw another copy. . . .This is one of my favorite jazz releases featuring one of my very favorite pianist playing works of my favorite composer and with one of my very favorite drummers on brushes. . . . I've loved this lp, and the cd in the Riverside Monk box for a long time. . . . I think this K2 reissue sounds better than the Monk box set, I just compared a few songs. It seems better focused. The bass is deeper, and yet also fuller and tighter (sort of an odd combination that one, go figure). The piano is more clearly presented, and oddly there is less prominent reverb. There seems to be more space in the sound, a blacker background, something like that. I LIKE the sound of the Monk box, but the K2 is an improvement. Not sure how they did that as Chuck says there are no master tapes available for this session, but they took a lot of care in the transfer I think, and the results are very good. Now let me just say I have been working on my stereo for years, have it at a point now where I feel it is very musical without being "hi fi'd up" or ruthlessly analytically revealing, and I enjoy a good remaster. If you're not a remaster-buying kind of person, and your forty year old Scott receiver is going along fine with the original filter capacitors and zipcord for speaker wire and you don't buy remasters as a general rule, fine, don't buy this one because it ISN'T one of those that are gonna rock your world.

Brad, you really should get "The Golden Flute" for the TENOR playing. It's one of Lateef's best, and you should like Teefsky.

MAN it's going to be great! MAN it's goign to be EXPENSIVE!