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

[Niko]

really don't know how Steve could be misunderstood... in my view, the Savory set is far more attractive:

Savory: this is core material to pretty much any jazz fan. Some of it was previously available in a format nobody prefers. Don't think there is a "download generation". There was only a short moment in history when record companies tried to get high-priced downloads to work before streaming took over.

Beehive: I like what I've heard. What I've heard, I've heard from the original LPs which are usually available in the 2-6 Euro range (huge difference to the Tina Brooks BNs). Wouldn't even say that original LPs are my preferred format, but I do like to get to know the individual albums one by one. Plus: From what I can tell, these are nice albums but they're not Lester with Basie. They're not even Sam Noto Xanadus.

Edited April 30, 2018 by Niko

[JSngry]

and they for damn sure ain't Bill Barron.

[paul secor]

[Brad]

3 hours ago, Niko said:

really don't know how Steve could be misunderstood... in my view, the Savory set is far more attractive:

Savory: this is core material to pretty much any jazz fan. Some of it was previously available in a format nobody prefers. Don't think there is a "download generation". There was only a short moment in history when record companies tried to get high-priced downloads to work before streaming took over.

Beehive: I like what I've heard. What I've heard, I've heard from the original LPs which are usually available in the 2-6 Euro range (huge difference to the Tina Brooks BNs). Wouldn't even say that original LPs are my preferred format, but I do like to get to know the individual albums one by one. Plus: From what I can tell, these are nice albums but they're not Lester with Basie. They're not even Sam Noto Xanadus.

That’s selling this set a bit short.  The Nick Brignola sessions, for example, are outstanding. 

[sidewinder]

I view this set as a time capsule of the late 70s/early 80s US scene. These type of releases were formative to my early listening so there’s a certain sentimental value, having bought e.g. the Curtis Fuller when it first came out. I have a fair number of them on vinyl but wouldn’t want to be without this fine Mosaic box.

Agree that the Brignola sessions are outstanding.

Edited May 1, 2018 by sidewinder

[soulpope]

2 hours ago, sidewinder said:

I view this set as a time capsule of the late 70s/early 80s US scene. These type of releases were formative to my early listening so there’s a certain sentimental value, having bought e.g. the Curtis Fuller when it first came out. I have a fair number of them on vinyl but wouldn’t want to be without this fine Mosaic box.

Agree that the Brignola sessions are outstanding.

Another thumbs up for the Brignola sessions ....

[mikeweil]

13 hours ago, David Ayers said:

In the meantime, the Bee Hive set left the website. 

I wonder: did Jazzmessenger seize the opportunity and order a handful ......

[John Tapscott]

4 hours ago, soulpope said:

Another thumbs up for the Brignola sessions ....

Yes! And the Ronnie Mathews sessions, as well. Overall, it's a very fine set. 

Edited May 1, 2018 by John Tapscott

[Jim Duckworth]

On 5/1/2018 at 7:41 AM, John Tapscott said:

Yes! And the Ronnie Mathews sessions, as well. Overall, it's a very fine set. 

Ronnie Mathews is what I keep replaying on this set, but there are so many things well done on this box that it is easy to overlook, say, Arnett Cobb's session.

[mikeweil]

On 18.4.2018 at 11:56 PM, JSngry said:

That Bill Barron set will give them good cash flow, when it comes.

Seriously, I doubt there will ever be one. The reasons:

https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/bill-barron-albums/5706-bill-barron-quintet-sextet-3-lps-on-2-cds.html

https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/bill-barron-albums/2218-west-side-story-bossa-nova.html

https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/bill-barron-ted-curson-orchestra-albums/1622-now-hear-this.html

Say what you will about Pujol - he did reissue some Bill Barron!

Edited June 3, 2018 by mikeweil

[JSngry]

Yes, but, I want something that I will pay for because it has been paid for. Does anybody really buy Fresh Sounds "reissues"?

And - Motivation. Who's done that yet? Nobody?

 

[Brad]

I’m not sure what you mean by the above post about Fresh Sounds. Although some of their early stuff may have been questionable, their more recent stuff hasn’t been. I believe their recent Lucky Thompson box won an award. 

Edited June 4, 2018 by Brad

[JSngry]

Well, good for that award and good for the people who gave it.

I get Fresh Sounds "reissues", but I don't pay for them. And I seriously doubt that their Bill Barron product was paid for, so we're even on that count.

Mosaic can do more/better with Bill Barron than Fresh Sounds could ever scheme to. Motivation + the Muse dates + Savoy + all those other things, hell yeah, Mosaic.

[Clunky]

I’m sure the sound of “West Side Story” and “Now hear this” could both be improved on as recall the transfers sounding a bit grating.

It’s his Savoy dates and any unissued Muse material that would interest me most. 

[mjazzg]

Now if Mosaic could only find and release some unreleased Coltrane I'm sure they'd find lots of takers and considerable media interest...

[JSngry]

Have you heard? There's a recently discovered session coming out very soon. You heard it here first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[neveronfriday]

Just a thought or two.

One of the major reasons (imho) Mosaic got into trouble is because they simply don't go with the times. I just had to pay an additional $50 (on top of the usual, expected and accepted European import fees) because Mosaic, ever since I started ordering ages ago, is too fu*king lazy to affix the bill to the package. This past month I received 12 (!!) packages from the US (without any problems!) and Mosaic's is the only (!) one that incurred this fee (problems every single time ever since I started ordering from them ages ago).

What, a plastic pouch with the bill is too fu*king expensive?
Really?
Too much trouble?

I was sent a photo copy of the box my two Mosaic sets were in and visibly, they declare absolutely f*cking nothing.
And I mean  ... nothing.
Zero value, zero information, absolutely nothing.

Zip.
Zilch.
Zero.
Nada.
Nothing.

There might be Trump's toxic urine in the package or Osama Bin Ladin's rotting and seaweed-infested corpse. 

If you do business this way, you are doomed to fail.

I will never order from Mosaic again, out of principle.
And not from a European importer that fixes Mosaic's total negligence either.

I have enough money, but to insular companies whose world view (and experience/customer care) stops at their local state's border(s) because it doesn't matter to them one bit, I'd rather not give my money.

What the hell does it help to pour your lifeblood into putting out fabulous releases (and Mosaic is fantastic in this respect) if you can't get a grip on the (international) business end of things? I have kept many of the shipment boxes for years that Mosaic sent my stuff in and they never ... ever ...  adhered to any of my country's (=all of Europe) custom regulations.

I often wonder why really everyone (!!!) else can.
And, just for good measure, three more exclamation marks.
!!!

 

P.S: Because I know from past experience that comments like these get blasted out of the water, a quick summary of the past 4 weeks. Every single one of the items below (which were often more pricey than what I ordered from Mosaic) was processed both by the German post office AND by the same customs office north of here):

1. I ordered an expensive collector's box from a single-person second hand dealer in Chicago ... no problems (processed, delivered, paid for at the door).
2. I ordered a backpack from a dealer in Minnesota ... no problems (processed, delivered, paid for at the door).
3. I ordered a very rare and expensive turntable head/needle from a great (!) guy in San Francisco ... no problems (processed, delivered, paid for at the door).
4. I ordered a transformer for an old Marantz amp from a guy in Connecticut ... no problems (processed, delivered, paid for at the door).
5. I ordered a shitload of Siegel-Schwall releases through a friend of mine in San Fancisco (processed, delivered, paid for at the door).
6. ...
7. ... get the picture? ...

 

I ordered a Teddy Wilson set and the Savory Collection from Mosaic. Two measly items.

So far, three mails, two letters and absolutely nothing (!!!) but trouble. Right now, I'm thinking of having the package returned and writing the money off.

Let the guys at Mosaic drink 120 liters of expensive coffee (on me, and they deserve it just for their stellar releases) ...

... and then forget about them.

---

[/end rant]
 

 

 

[Brad]

I believe that Mosaic employs a third party to mail its packages.  

[Scott Dolan]

54 minutes ago, Brad said:

I believe that Mosaic employs a third party to mail its packages.  

They farmed this out years ago. It’s been a major disfunction ever since. 

I suppose if neveronfriday knew this, he’d not have gone on his xenophobic tirade, since American customers have experienced multiple problems with them as well. 

Edited June 22, 2018 by Scott Dolan

[Brad]

11 minutes ago, Scott Dolan said:

They farmed this out years ago. It’s been a major disfunction ever since. 

I suppose if neveronfriday knew this, he’d not have gone on his xenophobic tirade, since American customers have experienced multiple problems with them as well. 

Reminded me of Belushi's rant in Animal House. 

[Scott Dolan]

I know. I was waiting for him to break out the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor line. 

[king ubu]

Ha ... and my parcel with Wilson and Savory just slipped through customs thanks to the fake sticker outside the box - which contains a full declaration ("music item") but a less than full value (30$).

But I had all kinds of experiences: getting letters asking me to provide a real bill (which is a pain as it delays delivery by two or three weeks), paying the regular tax (including the applicable, ridiculously high fee) because someone was smart enough to check the website for value, and estimation of value by customs and tax/fee based on that. 

[JSngry]

What's this about getting corpse urine in the mail? If it's what I think it is, a fish head sandwich will be next. And then, the "personal visits" begin. Shudder....

My advice is to make restitution ASAP. Those people don't play.

[Big Beat Steve]

Weeelll .... I was half tempted to add a post in the Savory box set thread about eagerly waiting for the shipping to arrive, but seeing this post by neveronfriday (hey, never knew you live in this neck of the woods, more or less ... ), I just had to chime in with another status report re-Mosaic shippings:

Ordered the Savory set on 31 May, received an order confirmation from Mosaic on 1 June, an order forwarding (shipping) confirmation from Mosaic on 7 June, communication with Scott Wenzel was good and prompt , no complaints at all. Spot on. Then on 7 June a shipping notification from this William B Meyer company arrived, including a tracking number which initially did not show up any details of the actual status of the parcel. So far, so good - was to be expected that this would take its time. Then, on checking 2 days ago, the tracking details (handled by "Asendia" - who??) said that after receiving the shipping information on 12 June (what hapened to the parcel between 7 and 12 June, but never mind ...) the shipment seems to have left the "origin border point" (read, the US of A, innit?) on 14 June. 

But then ... while no more status info has been added to the page since then and though the destination country "Germany" is clearly indicated, the info under the "Postal tracking #" now reads:

" Asendia has partnered with Swiss Post for final mile delivery of your parcel ", and when clicking on the POSTAL tracking number a page comes up with the logo of SWISS POST at the top (i.e I am on a website in Switzerland now)

WTF??

I am of course keeping my fingers crossed about the parcel showing up eventually and safely but I am more than a little surpised by this turn of things.

Do those who handle shipping  "stateside" realize that these are two different countries? What's the business of SWISS Post with delivering a parcel coming from the US for delivery to Germany? What kind of order processing is this?
In about 18 years of ordering regularly from the US I have never seen such bizarreries. DHL (operating internationaly) - yes, but Swiss Post for an item that does not even go though Switzerland?

As for having to go to the customs office showing an actual invoice and pay the fee, no big surprise, this can happen and I am more than half expecting this here with an item of this bulk. It just is anybody's guess which parcels slip through under the customs radar (including if the value ahs been declared low or not at all). I've been lucky a number of times so the overall ratio is bearable but the delay this will inevitably cause (King Ubu is right about the 2 weeks' span - same here) is annoying indeed.

 

 

Edited June 22, 2018 by Big Beat Steve

[king ubu]

Did they send you my tracking number?

The only friend I know from Switzerland who also ordered it got his set today, again no fees and taxes. So as so often in life, what works for some people doesn't work for others.

I'd also wish DHL would get outta here, btw. Lousiest service ever as far as postal service goes ...