Bluesnik Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 Oh, yes! This is a great set. Very cohesive material that makes for a good compilation. I love Horace Parlan. And I do like him precisely because of his rythmic attack, among other things. And the interplay with the Turrentines and Booker Ervin is great. Happy Frame of Mind has to be my favorite album, together with Us Three and In the Spur... and and. But I also have most of his BN output in album form. I like the album format too much. And that's precisely the one argument that could be held against it: it's not an essential set, everything's readily available. Of course there's the booklet and the sound, which might be the reason I got it in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 You don't have this yet? Man, you gotta get it NOW! Shut the hell up. OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 You don't have this yet? Man, you gotta get it NOW! Shut the hell up. I strongly recommend this set. :rsly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesbed Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 I strongly recommend this set. I can't win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 Yes, it's time to throw in the towel (and the dollars!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted November 18, 2004 Report Share Posted November 18, 2004 I strongly recommend this set. I can't win. Got it now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyles Posted November 18, 2004 Report Share Posted November 18, 2004 Damn! I have owned the set for a long time and have yet to listen to even to it. I had heard some of the music in previous LP and CD issues, but I have yet to make the time to listen to this. You people are reminding me just how much of a mistake that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesbed Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 The DHL van delivered my Parlan today. Tasty. I received set number 2348 of 5000. So, not half sold yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 Damn! I have owned the set for a long time and have yet to listen to even to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etherbored Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 could anyone comment on the mastering in comparison to the prior toshiba issues? one of my most solid favorite sessions is headin' south . god i love that record... comments? -e- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Goren. Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 (edited) How are the trio sessions? I have all the stuff with horns ... all of which is very nice. Eric The trio sesssions are great but his best trio sessions (IMHO) Parlan recorded for SteepleChase: Blue Parlan & No Blues. Blue Parlan No Blues Edited December 31, 2004 by B. Goren. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 The DHL van delivered my Parlan today. Tasty. I received set number 2348 of 5000. So, not half sold yet. Keep in mind, the LP sets sold out long ago. According to my Mosaic Parlan booklet, there were 5,000 "album" sets (their term), which I take to mean 5000 LP sets, and 5,000 CD sets. If so, it's clear that the LP sets were more attractive to Mosaic buyers. I'm still wondering why they ever stopped making LP sets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed S Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 The number of sets negotiated in the terms of the lease agreement refers to the total number of sets, irrespective of the format. Of this I am certain. So, of the 5,000 total sets, there might do 500 or so on vinyl (or whatever number they determine to be optimal/profitable) The remainder of the 5,000 are on CD. The reasons given in the past for eliminating vinyl is that it is not profitable enough to justify pressing and warehousing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 The number of sets negotiated in the terms of the lease agreement refers to the total number of sets, irrespective of the format. Of this I am certain. So, of the 5,000 total sets, there might do 500 or so on vinyl (or whatever number they determine to be optimal/profitable) The remainder of the 5,000 are on CD. The reasons given in the past for eliminating vinyl is that it is not profitable enough to justify pressing and warehousing. I'll try to find out how many LP sets were produced of the Parlan. As for the given reasons why LP sets were discontinued, I do know them, and I know that this is a subject oft-discussed on the board, but it still strikes me as odd that, just as Mosaic stops making LPs, so many other companies (Classic, Analogue Productions, Sundaze, etc) seem to be developing thriving businesses based on LP reissues. Indeed, I'm seeing a lot of new Blue Note reissues now circulating at about $10 each (provenance unknown but Blue Note must have some involvement). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed S Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 I'd like to see vinyl come back as well. I have heard that Mosaic is actually a pretty small outfit with very limited warehousing space. I think a lot of why vinyl might not work for them has to do with the price point of the sets (not the individual Q-LPs), the cost per LP of doing a pressing and the ability to warehouse a pressing. For a lot of purchasers of jazz, I think the one time cost of a set is prohibitive. At $18 per Q-LP, the price is actually attractive on a per LP basis, IMO, especially when you compare it to the what - $30 per LP (180gm) Classics price. But when you look at the set cost of say the Teddy Wilson at $144 for the LPs vs $80 for the CD, I'm guessing that the average guy who wants the music is going to go for the CD. For a lot of people, the sound difference doesn't matter - plus you get the convenience of CDs when you go that route. Then there's the cost of pressing the LPs in a quantity that makes sense economically. I'm guessing that the more LPs you make per pressing, the cost goes down per LP. So in order to make money on your product, you probably have to press more than you have space for. Factor in that CDs sales will outpace LP sales on a unit per unit basis and that means that the LPs will sit around a lot longer, sucking up shelf space. Also factor in the sales pattern for new sets - meaning high number of sales early on followed by a slow down until last chance and the same warehousing factors come in to play. I wonder what the profit margin on an LP set is vs a CD set, too. I guess what I'm saying it that I can see why vinyl was not working for them when looking at the big picture. All that said though, I'd be curious to see what the results would be if say, the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet was released with the number of LP sets specified right up front. I mean - put some urgency into those LP sales. Announce that only 250 LP sets will be pressed and throw it on Last Chance a month after it is released. I wonder if that might not get enough fence sitters/procrastinators who love vinyl to adjust their priorities and grab the Mosaic. Who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 (edited) Well said, Ed. I wish the the expense of warehousing was the only problem, as I would gladly find some room. Was just listening to the Larry Young set thinking what an excellent pressing it is/was. Edited January 1, 2005 by wolff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 I believe the Parlan LP sold out because it was their last one. I have to Mosaic and it's relatively small. Most of the space is devoted to their warehousing and looks big to me. But there are carrying costs associated with carrying a large inventory and lets face it cds will move faster than lp so you want to move merchandise (whether its music, books, widgets, etc.) as quickly as possible to cut down on overhead. Mosaic is after all a profit enterprise. However, the Miles Davis material is still lps so they haven't given up on it completely. But then again Miles always sells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 Brad, I don't think the Parlan was the last non-Miles Mosaic set, as the Teddy Wilson Mosaic set is still available, albeit on Last Chance (consisting of 8 Q-LPS,, @ $144.00). Also, when did the Blue Mitchell LP set sell out? My recollection, and I could easily be wrong, is that the LPs sold out much sooner than the CDs. My point about Mosaic and vinyl is that, it seems to me, Mosaic is the sort of niche marketer who should be able to do well with vinyl. I just wonder if they gave up on vinyl too quickly. Why not partner with an outfit like Classic? When I look at those big Mosaic boxes-- definitely LP sized -- they just seem to me to cry out: VINYL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 I proposed this back on BNBB. If you think "some reissue", either cd or vinyl makes a whole lot of sense, write a budget - list all costs and returns. Please do this as a substitute for 'whining". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 Big, expensive vinyl sets do not seem to move out the door. No one is doing them. The few smaller sets I've seen lately are going for $25-30 per LP. Most Mosaics LP sets did seem to go pretty fast, so I was surprised to see them end. If Classic did more sets they would be $30 per LP as their RCA and Verve sets were/are. Analogue Productions charged $35 per LP for their 2 sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 I proposed this back on BNBB. If you think "some reissue", either cd or vinyl makes a whole lot of sense, write a budget - list all costs and returns. Please do this as a substitute for 'whining". I'm not sure what you proposed but if it was for Mosaic to partner with another company for LP sets, then I'm glad to hear it. I think that has real potential. As for "whining," I prefer to think of it partly as wistful thinking, and partly as wishful thinking , and no more than that. I don't pretend to any insider knowledge. But from the point of view of a jazz fan and Mosaic fan (who buys Mosaic product, both LP and CD), I'm just am wondering if Mosaic might have prematurely left a market that it might still do very well in. I would bet that if any of the Blue Note based sets currently available on Mosaic were offered in LP format, they would sell exceedingly well. It's weird when you think about it, how many EBAY sellers are making mighty money off of O/P Mosaic LP sets (CD too of course), but Mosaic itself reaps little if any benefits from that market. Could Mosaic use EBAY (like a lot of other retailers do) to enhance its sales? How many times have we seen buyers paying above retail for in-print Mosaic sets on EBAY Or another marketing idea. I used to sells rare books, so have some knowledge of how limited edition items were sold in that market. Take Stephen King for example. He would issue a 26 lettered set at a big premium. Then a set of 100 numbered copies signed by the author (again at a premium). Then a 1000 unsigned numbered sets (more expensive than the regular edition). Then the regular "trade" edition. I don't know if a similar approach would work for Mosaic. The idea is to give potential buyers motivation to get in and buy sets as soon as possible (thus mortizing costs and generating up-front revenue), rather than the current "last chance" strategy. OK, this is all wool-gathering, I admit. Maybe the numbers aren't there. OTOH, maybe Mosaic will heed the "whining" and reconsider its non-LP policy, at least on some of its subsequent issues. In the meantime, there are other companies already out there making money on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesbed Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 I'm enjoying the Parlan Mosaic very much this evening. I was trading some CDs in and out of my player. I couldn't find the right thing for this evening's mood. I started Parlan and said, yessssss, this is it. Parlan's style is unique in a way I can't explain. He has a sort of sophisticated, bluesy, and personal style of rhythm in his playing. Subtle yet solely his own. Parlan likes to get 'stuck' in much the same way as Grant Green, playing the same notes over and over till he moves to the next part of the song and releases the tension. I purchased this Mosaic due to it's release date, going through the Mosaic catalog from the oldest to the newest. I figured, it's Mosaic releasing the complete Blue Note recordings of an artist. How bad could it be? I've learned this set is far from bad. It rates, on my personal scale, equally with the Tristano, Konitz and Marsh Mosaic for the Mosaic box with the lowest expectations and the greatest rewards. I had no idea the Parlan Mosaic would be this good. Since taking-in the Parlan Mosaic, it's odd to know Parlan didn't get nearly as much recognition as several of his peers. This is the kind of music that causes my mind to clear, my emotions to soften, and my perspective of the world to shift in a most positive direction. Some great songs and some great playing. What else can you ask for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 This is the kind of music that causes my mind to clear, my emotions to soften, and my perspective of the world to shift in a most positive direction. Some great songs and some great playing. What else can you ask for? There ya go!! What refreshing comments that reveal what's at the heart of the purpose of music/art and of course, the artist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 This is the kind of music that causes my mind to clear, my emotions to soften, and my perspective of the world to shift in a most positive direction. Some great songs and some great playing. What else can you ask for? Thanks for sharing so eloquently your enthusiasm about this set. I've been thinking about getting this set for a while, but you've just pushed it up to near the top of my Mosaic wish list. B-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertblues Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 Revisiting this thread has inspired me to break out my lp copy of the Parlan Mosaic. I've often wondered why this one has been so seldom discussed/recommended compared to other sets. Anyway, it remains one of my favorites - how can you go wrong with the Turrentines, Book, Grant Green and the Parlan Trio? The sound on the lps is outstanding (and I'm sure the cds are fine also). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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