Tal Farlow Mosaic

[Dave James]

I guess the next question, and others have alluded to it, is will there be more sets discounted in the future? If these are truly Mosaics (and I guess I have no reason to believe they aren't) then perhaps they are giving some thought to changing their business plan, i.e. moving to a volume based model. By that, I mean selling enough sets at discounted prices to at least equal and hopefully exceed what they would have made if they'd sold fewer sets at a higher cost.

It will be interesting to see what happens. The Farlow set was released some time ago, and didn't show up at the discount houses until recently. I suppose it's possible they may be allowing the sales of a given set to drive the move to a volume driven approach, i.e. if a set is moving slower than they need it to move, they go to Plan B. If that, indeed, is what they're up to, I think it makes a fair amount of sense.

Up over and out.

[rostasi]

Well, this is what the hullabaloo is about.

Here's the first minute of Disc 6 - the cut "Lean On Me."

Tal

John, does this sound like yours?

I might add...I think the biggest

defect tho is that it doesn't sound anything

like the Bill Withers tune.

Edited April 13, 2005 by rostasi

[Michael Fitzgerald]

The speculation about how sets end up being discounted seems to be completely off-base.

The Jazztet and Tal Farlow sets were limited to 10,000 upon their initial appearance in the Mosaic catalog. Do you really think that these were going to be "same old same old"?

Both of these were collaborations with Universal Music. The Woody Herman that came out at the same time (Sony Music) was limited to 5,000.

Mosaic isn't about to double the quantity just willy-nilly. They didn't go with 10,000 and upon seeing poor sales push off a bunch into another market. The initial 10,000 must have included a certain number designated for that other market - and they were designated from the git-go. This appears to be a plan that is specific to their involvement with Universal Music. So, if you ask me, it's quite possible we will see similar cases with other Universal Music collaborations.

Mike

[Ron S]

Well, this is what the hullabaloo is about.

Here's the first minute of Disc 6 - the cut "Lean On Me."

Tal

John, does this sound like yours?

My Disc 6 (also from a Universal-distributed set purchased from Caiman) definitely does NOT have that on it. Thanks for posting that, Rod. I've been wondering what people were talking about.

[JohnT]

Rod,

That's it!! I have that same annoying noise at the beginning of the track.

Did you or are you going to return your set for a replacement? I returned mine but received the same defective disc 6 in the replacement set.

Thanks for posting that -- now everyone can hear what we have to listen to on disc 6.

John

[sidewinder]

So, if you ask me, it's quite possible we will see similar cases with other Universal Music collaborations.

Mike

Sure hope so ! Suprising though that the Mulligan hasn't already appeared via this route. I'm hoping this will happen for the Jazztet and the Eldridge, even if these are 'Concert Band' editions

[Swinging Swede]

Interesting. That's exactly the same type of sound defect that was on a copy of Blakey's Three Blind Mice, Volume 1 I bought back in 1992. It also started strongly at the beginning of the disc and then gradually faded away over the first minutes. I exchanged it, and the replacement was fine, but that sound is still engrained in my brain (maybe from the shock!).

I wonder what causes it? It seems to fluctuate with the volume level.

[Brownian Motion]

I received my Tal Farlow set yesterday from Caiman. Mine came with the correct lettering on the spine but also with the defective disc 6. But I can live with the noise; it disappears into the song pretty quickly.

I haven't bought a new Mosaic set in a decade, and I have been assuming all along that the set design would no longer reflect the long-playing record era. Of course I was wrong. I suppose to stick with the original design concept gives a nice uniformity to things, but the fact is that as presently designed these sets waste space, and, at least in my home, space is at a premium.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Although I am well aware that the 12" square is due to the original LP size, I don't think of Mosaic's use of this size for CD sets as "reflecting the long-playing record era" but rather as continuing to present something that does not require a magnifying glass to see text and details in photos, and that allows for some tasteful page layout - impossible in a 5" square.

Mike

[Ron S]

I received my Tal Farlow set yesterday from Caiman. Mine came with the correct lettering on the spine

Yours doesn't say "Concert Band" on the spine? If so, whoever produced these (Mosaic or Universal or a subcontractor thereof) must have caught the mistake in the middle of the production run.

[t brooks]

Mike i think you are right , received my Tal Farlow set today from seller [new] on amazon $52 shipped everything looks and plays fine so far.

[Jerry]

Finally got mine from Music Media, around $50. Well packed, arrived in good shape and fairly fast. It has the 'concert band' on the spine and unfortunately the defect on disk 6. I noticed some scoring on the surface of the disk. Possibly the machine they used caused a scratch or they had a batch of bad disks. The disk was rather difficult to copy for my offsite backup (cubby at work) - Easy CD creator choked completely but an IBM cd copying program I had was able to copy it at a very slow speed. The copy still has the stutter on the first track. This was mildly disappointing but I don't think I'll bother returning for the one track. The good news is the set is great! I only had the Swinging Guitar and one other date on Prestige I think. This set changes my whole impression of Farlow and now I see what all the fuss is about. Some really great playing on this. Thanks everyone for the tip.

[Brownian Motion]

Finally got mine from Music Media, around $50.  Well packed, arrived in good shape and fairly fast.  It has the 'concert band' on the spine and unfortunately the defect on disk 6.  I noticed some scoring on the surface of the disk.  Possibly the machine they used caused a scratch or they had a batch of bad disks.  The disk was rather difficult to copy for my offsite backup (cubby at work) - Easy CD creator choked completely but an IBM cd copying program I had was able to copy it at a very slow speed.  The copy still has the stutter on the first track.  This was mildly disappointing but I don't think I'll bother returning for the one track.  The good news is the set is great!  I only had the Swinging Guitar and one other date on Prestige I think.  This set changes my whole impression of Farlow and now I see what all the fuss is about.  Some really great playing on this.  Thanks everyone for the tip.

I emailed Mosaic about the defect. Here is their response:

We have checked the CD. The sound you are hearing is on the original

source

and [we] believe what you are hearing is brushwork.

Regrads,

Mosaic Records

Edited April 26, 2005 by Brownian Motion

[couw]

I emailed Mosaic about the defect. Here is their response:

We have checked the CD. The sound you are hearing is on the original source and [we] believe what you are hearing is brushwork.

Regrads,

Mosaic Records

uh-huh...

link to that mp3 of the first minute (courtesy of rostasi)

[Ron S]

Finally got mine from Music Media, around $50.  Well packed, arrived in good shape and fairly fast.  It has the 'concert band' on the spine and unfortunately the defect on disk 6.  I noticed some scoring on the surface of the disk.  Possibly the machine they used caused a scratch or they had a batch of bad disks.  The disk was rather difficult to copy for my offsite backup (cubby at work) - Easy CD creator choked completely but an IBM cd copying program I had was able to copy it at a very slow speed.  The copy still has the stutter on the first track.  This was mildly disappointing but I don't think I'll bother returning for the one track.  The good news is the set is great!  I only had the Swinging Guitar and one other date on Prestige I think.  This set changes my whole impression of Farlow and now I see what all the fuss is about.  Some really great playing on this.  Thanks everyone for the tip.

I emailed Mosaic about the defect. Here is their response:

We have checked the CD. The sound you are hearing is on the original

source

and [we] believe what you are hearing is brushwork.

Regrads,

Mosaic Records

Perhaps you could email them back and attach this link to the defective sound (with rostasi's permission--he created the link). I'm sure whoever listened at Mosaic was listening to a disc without this defect--when I first tried to listen for it on my nondefective disc, I erroneously assumed those who heard it were just hearing the brush strokes and tape hiss.

I still think that even though Mosaic didn't directly retail these Universal-distributed sets to consumers, they should replace the defective discs or, if they weren't responsible for manufacturing the discs, direct consumers to the appropriate contact number of whatever entity manufactured/produced/distributed the defective CD's. In the past, I've contacted Sony (which provides a quality assurance contact number in their CD's), Blue Note (Mosaic's "cousin"), and Fantasy about defective CD's, and they've always stepped up to the plate as manufacturer/producer and remedied the problem. ESPECIALLY with a large box set and a widespread manufacturing defect as apparently exists here, it's unreasonable to expect the retailers--whoever they may be--to remedy the problem.

[JohnS]

I had the Verve single cd of this. Definitely no defect.

[sidewinder]

I've listened to the sound sample and it's certainly not present on my disk (purchased through caiman).

[ianfaith]

Nor mine (also purchased from Caiman).

[Ron S]

Nor mine (also purchased from Caiman), as I said above. But it's apparently on enough copies of this disc--purchased from Caiman and other merchants--that the company that produced/manufactured them should replace the defective discs, IMO.

[RDK]

I agree that the defective discs should be replaced, but I think it's unfair to put the burden on Mosaic if we didn't purchase the set from them at their price. I wouldn't think of asking them to replace it anymore then I'd ask them to replace a defective used disc or one bought new/hot/boxless from an Ebay vender.

[Brownian Motion]

I agree that the defective discs should be replaced, but I think it's unfair to put the burden on Mosaic if we didn't purchase the set from them at their price. I wouldn't think of asking them to replace it anymore then I'd ask them to replace a defective used disc or one bought new/hot/boxless from an Ebay vender.

I disagree. It seem to me that Mosaic is the responsible party here, not Caiman. Caiman has no control over quality issues; Mosaic does. If the reason these sets are being sold at less than half-price is because of the already enumerated faults, then Mosaic should say so. I can accept that. But to deny there is a problem is pretty disingenuous, IMO.

[JohnS]

Surely this is Verve's problem. The Verve discs are different to those in the Mosaic boxes.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

I have the set with the defect. It is the *manufacturer's* problem. Whether this is Mosaic or Verve (maybe it's both/either) needs to be determined and the appropriate contact information and procedure needs to be supplied.

Mike

[Ron S]

Surely this is Verve's problem.  The Verve discs are different to those in the Mosaic boxes.

Actually, they really aren't. The discs--and the booklet--in the Universal set (at least in mine) say "Mosaic" all over them, indicate they are made in the U.S., and appear in all ways to be Mosaic products (except that "Mosaic" does not appear on the outside of the box). It appears that ALL of these sets--Mosaic and Universal--were manufactured by Mosaic, and some portion of the 10,000 to be issued are merely being distributed by Universal. Also, all indications are that the Universal sets sold in the US are perfectly legal and are being distributed in conformity with any distribution agreement Mosaic has with Universal. And if they are not, Mosaic should say so. And I agree with Michael Fitzgerald that this is a manufacturer's (whoever that may be) problem.

[Bright Moments]

i got my set from caiman....DAMAGED

the box was CRUSHED!!!

i sent them an email, but no response yet.

does anybody have a phone number for them?