Hey Kids, Have You Heard The News? MOSAIC's IN TROUBLE!!!

[Big Beat Steve]

It's quite amazing how things are perceived differently. I have always had mixed feelings about the MJQ. My mother had several MJQ records and when I became interested in jazz (at 15 in the mid-70s) at about the same time I became interested in buying records at all (jazz wasn't my only interest) she touted the MJQ as well as others in a similar vein (e.g. George Gruntz) as the begining and end of jazz and what jazz was supposed to be all about. Easy to understand - to that generation deeply conditioned by classical music and the listening habits that went with it, here at last was some jazz outfit that had the aura of respectability and seriousness that was compatible with listeners' ears brought up on classical music.
As I of course leaned towards much more meaty, straight-ahead, outright blowing jazz (from classic jazz of the 20s via swing - both big and small bands - to my early bop discoveries), in the beginning I found the MJQ utterly odd and it took me a long time to figure out what "Fontessa" (her preferred MJQ record) was all about. In fact I bought my own copy eventually (figuring that there must be something to it) as well as "No Sun In Venice" but to this day the MJQ I prefer is the one where things focus on Milt Jackson and his soloing.
Those where John Lewis takes control of things I cannot always warm up to in full, and in general (and particularly from a historical point of view of the European scene) I still find that all that "Third Stream" fetish and "jazz must attain the respectability of classical music by being married with it" attitude was a dead end and a huge disservice to the evolution of jazz over here and therefore something that I find needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt. IMO this overly zealous attitude (particularly widespread among Germans, alas, including certain jazz scribes) to use classical music and their "respectability" as the yardstick by which jazz is supposed to be judged (which was one major reason why the MJQ concerts always were huge and much-lauded events here)  has often stifled the development of real, down-to-earth no-frills jazz here that is allowed to develop fully and be appreciated on its OWN terms. In between more pop-oriented bands where jazz came to the fore very occasionally and high-art, high-brow Third Stream there was not that much room for other, IMO healthier and more straightforward forms of jazz. Between being not commercial enough (to make a living) and not "respectable" enough, jazz led a hard life. And the MJQ and its success had a huge role in setting that scene, alas.

On 29.9.2017 at 1:31 PM, king ubu said:

Too bad they never really did a proper collaboration with Jimmy Giuffre, that could have yielded amazing results I think.

Did you check out the "MJQ at Music Inn" LP (feat.Jimmy Giuffre)? That's a start, at least.
Bought it on a whim at a clearout sale years ago, not something I can take in often, but maybe I should again one of these days...

Edited October 1, 2017 by Big Beat Steve

[mikeweil]

9 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Did you check out the "MJQ at Music Inn" LP (feat.Jimmy Giuffre)? That's a start, at least.
Bought it on a whim at a clearout sale years ago, not something I can take in often, but maybe I should again one of these days...

I have a surplus copy of a Japanese CD reissue of that album looking for a new home ... pm me if interested.

[Big Beat Steve]

Thans, no. Like I indicated in my post, I bought it some years ago -  I have it on a 80s CBS LP and I am fine with that pressing.

But somebody else, maybe ...

[king ubu]

10 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Did you check out the "MJQ at Music Inn" LP (feat.Jimmy Giuffre)? That's a start, at least.
Bought it on a whim at a clearout sale years ago, not something I can take in often, but maybe I should again one of these days...

Well yes, of course ... had those for many years on the Giuffre Mosaic box already. Those are the really lame ones though, the better ones are the two cuts (performed as a suite) on the "Third Stream" LP. Still that is just a beginning, too ... I think Giuffres clarinet would have been a really cool addition, but then Lewis (and Giuffre) would have had to work some to add it to the group, not just to have it play along.

[Patrick]

Free shipping promo ends tonight. Pulled trigger on Dial and Savoy. Thinking about MJQ and Lester before final curtain. 

[Rooster_Ties]

1 hour ago, Patrick said:

Thinking about MJQ and Lester before final curtain. 

Probably now or never for me, re: the MJQ set. Guess I've got about 90 min to decide. Do I need 4-6 albums of MJQ material??  Hell yeah I do!! But do I need 14(!) - that's quite a lot.

[medjuck]

Go for Lester.  

[JSngry]

Both.

[JSngry]

Still, both MJQ & Lester. Long game, trust me.

[J.A.W.]

This may be interesting for EU customers who get their Mosaics from Jazz Messengers, Barcelona. I contacted them about the possible consequences of the current political situation in Catalonia and they assured me there will be no problems, they will move to another region of Spain if the Catalonian parliament declares independence from Spain and the region automatically ceases to be part of the EU that way.

[sidewinder]

5 hours ago, J.A.W. said:

This may be interesting for EU customers who get their Mosaics from Jazz Messengers, Barcelona. I contacted them about the possible consequences of the current political situation in Catalonia and they assured me there will be no problems, they will move to another region of Spain if the Catalonian parliament declares independence from Spain and the region automatically ceases to be part of the EU that way.

Jeez !  Thanks for the clarification though as I was wondering last night how this would affect them. Good to know.

Edited October 11, 2017 by sidewinder

[medjuck]

For what it's worth: Ricky Ricardi mentioned in his obit for George Avakian that he (Ricky) and Scott Wenzel were planing a Mosaic box of Avakian produced Columbia Armstrong studio material for release in 2019.  

Edited November 25, 2017 by medjuck

[JSngry]

2 hours ago, medjuck said:

For what it's worth: Ricky Ricardi mentioned in his obit for George Avakian that he (Ricky) and Scott Wenzel were planing a Mosaic box of Avakian produced Columbia Armstrong studio material for release in 2019.  

What will there - of note, anyway - be that's not been out already?

I think a Bill Barron set would be more needed.

Or, if Cuscuna's retired or whatever, have we seen the end of Mosaic dealing with anything past a certain "point" of evolution?

[medjuck]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

What will there - of note, anyway - be that's not been out already?

I think a Bill Barron set would be more needed.

Or, if Cuscuna's retired or whatever, have we seen the end of Mosaic dealing with anything past a certain "point" of evolution?

To quote Ricky:

"Yes, if you’re curious, it will contain tons of bonus tracks and previously unreleased material from Handy, Fats, the “Mack the Knife” session and more."

[T.D.]

Another sign of liquidation in today's "Sunday Jazz Gazette" e-mail:

For the first time in our 35-year history, we are having an open house on March 22 to 25 at our Stamford, Connecticut headquarters. We are in the process of sorting out and assembling a number of Mosaic collectibles (no lists are yet compiled or available). Items will include.

OUT OF PRINT CD SETS

PARTIAL SETS

TEST PRESSINGS

OUT OF PRINT MOSAIC BOOKLETS

 MOSAIC SLICKS SUITABLE FOR FRAMING

 FRAMED PHOTOS & JAZZ ART

AND OTHER RARETIES & COLLECTIBLES

ALL AT SPECIAL PRICES.

 

FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE.

CASH, CHECKS, CREDIT CARDS AND PAYPAL ARE ACCEPTABLE.

DATES & HOURS:

Thursday March 22 & Friday March 23 from 11 am to 6 pm

Saturday March 24 & Sunday March 25 from 11 am to 5 pm

LOCATION:

Mosaic Records

425 Fairfield Avenue

Stamford CT 06902

(off I-95 exit 6)

Directions available upon request

[jlhoots]

"Fire sale"!!

[Brad]

Very concerning 

[mjzee]

They're probably just in the long process of closing up shop in an orderly manner.  I'm surprised they still own the Fairfield Avenue building.

[Big Beat Steve]

I do hope they will stay around to see the Savory set through and release it.

[Brad]

41 minutes ago, mjzee said:

They're probably just in the long process of closing up shop in an orderly manner.  I'm surprised they still own the Fairfield Avenue building.

Do they own it or rent it? I'd be surprised if they own it; ties up a lot of capital. 

[mjzee]

bluenotesound has a bunch of titles on Ebay now.  So does a seller named jackie_martling.

[ghost of miles]

I would guess the chances of a Bill Barron Mosaic are probably pretty low at this point--and the Armstrong's undoubtedly in the mix because they feel confident that it would sell well.  The "open house" does give me pause for concern, but perhaps it is simply a matter of looking to possibly close several years down the line, which wouldn't be surprising at all.  Or they could simply need cash to move forward with the Armstrong and any other projects on the drawing board.  

[JSngry]

50 minutes ago, ghost of miles said:

I would guess the chances of a Bill Barron Mosaic are probably pretty low at this point...

You're waaaaaayyyy more optimistic abut that than I have been for, like, the last 5 or so years, whenever Cuscuna started backing more and more out of driving projects.

[T.D.]

Looks to me like Mosaic are setting up to close the Stamford office. I would guess (pure speculation) that if Mosaic stays in business to some degree, they'll maintain a smaller office.

Edited March 4, 2018 by T.D.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Well, Michael Cuscuna is 68 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Cuscuna) and has be thinking about retirement in the next few years. I hope I will be retired by the time I'm 68. Life is too short to spend 70% of my waking hours at work. Of course, if work is your life, different story.