JSngry Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 But here's an idea that'll make you puke - Strata-East Remixed. That shit is so influential in certain areas of the "dance underground" that it would be fun to see what the cream of the crop could do with a bunch of Tolliver/Cowell/etc tunes of yore. Hell, "Impact" is already a freakin' prototypical broken beat dance groove as it is. Mosaic, Tolliver, Strata-East, dance music, hell it's all coming together in the nightmare of your dreams! I'm only kidding (maybe...) but hell - do you think that Dusty Groove carries all those Strata-East sides just for hardcore jazz fans? No way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 But here's an idea that'll make you puke - Strata-East Remixed. That shit is so influential in certain areas of the "dance underground" that it would be fun to see what the cream of the crop could do with a bunch of Tolliver/Cowell/etc tunes of yore. Hell, "Impact" is already a freakin' prototypical broken beat dance groove as it is. Mosaic, Tolliver, Strata-East, dance music, hell it's all coming together in the nightmare of your dreams! I'm only kidding (maybe...) but hell - do you think that Dusty Groove carries all those Strata-East sides just for hardcore jazz fans? No way... They carry them 'cause they are cheap and can get bucks for themselves, nomatter the quantity or quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 God, there's just no romance left in music retail is there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 FWIW, DG order in ones and twos. They have a really tight inventory, up to date web inventory and a fan base not necessarily earned by supply. How many times have you gone back to find stuff "out of stock"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Often enough to know that if I set the money aside and hit the "notify me when..." button, that I'll get it within a week or four. Wait, let me rephrase that... "Hard to come by in any quantity, but if you hit the "notify me when..." button, we'll get it within a week or four, and with a nice, spiritual vibe!" When in Rome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Most of my "notify me when"s go unanswered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Really? That's not been my experience... A few, yeah, but overall, the fill rate's been quite high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 (edited) My thoughts -- hey, if they want to reissue this stuff, best of luck to them. That said, I really wonder what they're thinking. Mosaic has never before shown interest in "contemporary jazz" and this change of heart seems insincere. It really seems like a gimmick with the primary purpose of (relative) commercial success. Ghost's question about Mosaic's dilution of their brand* is on the money. Companies sometimes paint rosy pictures of other pastures and as a result spread themselves too thin, forgetting their values and core competencies and what made them successful in the first place. We've been down this road before. Let's hope that's not the case here. Guy Edited January 31, 2007 by Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincy Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 (edited) 2 different examples, and I don't think either is a good match but I'll toss 'em out anyway. 1) At Fantasy it was CCR that paid the bills and kept stuff in print. No way Mosaic's Contemporary wing can be all that, but if it can produce extra money for the big boxes then "go for it." 2) I don't think people got confused about GM selling Chevys and Cadillacs. Then again, given where GM is today maybe not a good example. Did people who bought Mercedes stop after the merger with Chrysler? I think it's possible to differentiate between "the highest quality" and newer stuff that jazz snobs look down at, without the prime segment being adversely affected. Edited January 31, 2007 by Quincy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 There is already a jazz label called Contemporary, and I am surpised that Concord will allow Mosaic to use the word in its title. As far as I know trademark law, Concord's "Contemporary" trademark would not allow them to forbid someone else to use the word "contemporary" in a label name (which is "Mosaic Contemporary" in this case), since the word is descriptive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Jimmy Owens' first Horizon album would be a good 'un. And Hugh Masekela. And there's '80s stuff on JAM that I'd like to see out: Arnold Sterling; McGriff; McCann; Upchurch; Holloway etc. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Most people here don't seem all that upset that Concord's deleting a slew of (imo) good records. Why get excited/upset because Mosaic is releasing a few (imo) mediocre records? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tranemonk Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Okay Js... you talked me down off the ledge.... A very valid post (and wise)... I'm not sure I agree with everything you said but you're viewpoint is legit... Personally I don't like it... I know at some point Mosaic will disappear.... and I can't STAND the thought of Pat Metheny and Boney James in the same sentence... ( I just can't do it...)... This on top George Wein selling the jazz festival biz.... not a good week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I'm still hung up on Cuscuna's reference to "adult music" in addition to jazz. Isn't that kinda like radio-station-format talk, as in AAA (Adult Album Alternative)? Seems as if Mosaic is softening (blurring?) its focus a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mailman Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 It's a sign of the times and we are living in terrible times. Terrible times should produce great art. No evidence of that yet unless bitching counts. Where in the world did you get that romantic notion? Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 It's a sign of the times and we are living in terrible times. Terrible times should produce great art. No evidence of that yet unless bitching counts. Where in the world did you get that romantic notion? Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Please offer your examples. Then we play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcello Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Jimmy Owens' first Horizon album would be a good 'un. MG Jimmy Owens is one of those really great players and people who never put out a lot of great records. That Horizon date was not then or is now indicitive of what he can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I'm late to this party, but doesn't this come down to, Who will be making the decisions at Mosaic from now on or down the road, and what will those decisions be? If the advent of Mosaic Contemporary means that the Mosaic we know can spruce up its bottom line and thus be better able financially to keep putting out the kind of sets it has, fine with me. As Jim said, the presence of an Earl Klugh compilation doesn't bother the Chu Berry purchaser in me. But what if Matt Pierson, or the force or forces behind Pierson (if such there be), wrest control from Cuscuna and Scott Wenzel, and we get fewer, or no, Chu Berry-type sets anymore -- if only because Mosaic no longer would be run by people with the knowledge and the imagination to know what can and needs to be done in those realms. Then we got a problem. I guess I want to know what the inside story is here, if indeed there is one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed S Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I have to say, this came as quite a surprise. I'm curious and confused I guess. I guess I can buy into the "improve the bottom line" logic. It does makes sense, I suppose. I don't know this Pierson guy from my neighbor three doors down, but the fact that some of you guys react to the mention of his name with a certain amount of trepidation is enough to raise my level of suspicion. I wonder how much the fact that 50% of Mosaic Records is owned by Capitol or EMI or whoever (I think) plays into what appears to be more than a trend to address the bottom line. We've seen - infairly rapid fashion - the introduction of Mosaic Selects, then Singles, then new releases, now Mosaic Contemporary. But certain aspects of this Contemporary thing really puzzle me. As of right now, there's no mention on the Mosaic Website. Not even a link to a Mosaic Contemporary page. Not that the typical Mosaic customer would be interested in Mosaic Contemporary. But if they are part of the family, why the red headed stepchild treatment? I have to winder why use the Mosaic name at all given the risk of tarnishing the reputation of Mosaic as an elite jazz reissue label. Then - they are going directly to retail outlets, which is unusual for Mosaic. Then there's the 2 comps. Now I do admit to buying comps, but that is so un-Mosaic like. And to call them "Ultimate"......Oy vay . All that said, I'm keeping an open mind. Given the discounted pre-order price and the link through this site, I'm going to place a preorder for at least the Hubbard and Laws. Wonder what's next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I know very little about 70s contemporary jazz. There appears to me to be two issues: 1) Should Mosaic be doing this? I've gotten the impression from reading this board that for a number of years Mosaic sets have timed out rather than selling out their full allotment. If that's the case, maybe Cuscuna really needs the money. Maybe the Mosaic experiment as initially conceived has run its course. 2) Even if it is agreed that adding to the bottom line is OK so long as Cuscuna continues to re-issue the good stuff, has he chosen good Contemporary jazz? As I say, I'm not familiar with all that artform has to offer; but it seems to me that there must be better Contemporary jazz to re-issue than Earl Klugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mailman Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 It's a sign of the times and we are living in terrible times. Terrible times should produce great art. No evidence of that yet unless bitching counts. Where in the world did you get that romantic notion? Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Please offer your examples. Then we play. You said that they "should". Who says they "should"? I think that is a romantic notion. If you don't that's OK but is respectfully disagree. I don't think anything like this falls into the area of "should". As for an example; I think these are terrible times; war, income inequality, global warming etc. etc. You said there isn't great art being produced. Unless you don't think these are terrible times I'd say we agree on the substance of the matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 2) Even if it is agreed that adding to the bottom line is OK so long as Cuscuna continues to re-issue the good stuff, has he chosen good Contemporary jazz? As I say, I'm not familiar with all that artform has to offer; but it seems to me that there must be better Contemporary jazz to re-issue than Earl Klugh. Not just that, but an Earl Klugh compilation. Is this really the best use of Mosaic's resources? Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 The path to 'Mosaic Ultimate Kenny G.' is getting shorter.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tranemonk Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 don't go there..... The path to 'Mosaic Ultimate Kenny G.' is getting shorter.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Clugston Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 They could get Kenny G to do overdubs on some of the Mosaic favourites a la his "It's a Wonderful World" fiasco. Early contenders would be The Four Freshmen, the Bix or the Andrew Hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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