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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 6:15 pm
by Haydn
Just ordered my Ellington set - couldn't resist any longer
Looking through my earlier Mosaic purchases, I recommend the 3-CD Johnny Mercer set, which is cheap at $44:
http://www.mosaicrecords.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MS-028
Lots of solid 40s material including:
It Ain't Necessarily So
I've Been Hit
Minding My Business
Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed
Mrs. Wiggs Of The Cabbage Patch
My Sugar Is So Refined
Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 12:52 am
by lipi
I've been eyeing that Mercer. What are the tempos like? And what's the vocal/instrumental mix like?
From the Selects, I recommend the Sidney Bechet: it covers 24 years, so isn't anywhere near complete, but the remastering is very good. It certainly beats the Definitive and Membran releases I had.
If you like boogie woogie, then the "Boogie Woogie and Blues Piano" and Freddie Slack (OOP, I'm afraid) ones are good, too, but I haven't used them for DJing much.
Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:10 am
by Haydn
lipi wrote:I've been eyeing that Mercer. What are the tempos like? And what's the vocal/instrumental mix like?
To give you an idea of the tempos, here are the BPMs of 6 of my favourite tracks from the CD set:
108
115
122
164
174
186
Vocal/instrumental mix? I think every track is a vocal, and within each track there are instrumental sections.
Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 12:08 am
by penguin
Have just gotten into CD 6 of the Ellington set - this is the beginning of the 1936-37 period. Damn it's swinging hard - virtually every track on this disc is seriously in the pocket.
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 8:56 am
by anton
The Jimmie Lunceford set has now been officially announced - drooool!
The Complete Jimmie Lunceford Decca Sessions (7 CDs)
(Release Date: May/June 2011)
Mosaic is pleased to announce a long awaited project that has been on the wish list of many of our customers: The Decca recordings of the Jimmie Lunceford band. Blessed with superb soloists and demandingly advanced arrangements, the Harlem Express, as they were billed at times, became a favorite among swing fans and the record buying public in general.
Amongst the classic Decca sides represented here were hits like "My Blue Heaven", "Margie" (the Trummy Young trombone and vocal feature which became his trademark), "Rhythm Is Our Business", "Sleepy Time Gal" (with its remarkable reed passage), "Swanee River" (the Sy Oliver chart which later was recycled to become one of Tommy Dorsey's greatest successes), "Organ Grinder's Swing", "Blues In The Night", "The Honeydripper" and the smash hit of "For Dancer's Only". The band had a unique one-on-one relationship with the public since they rarely played in one venue for long stretches of time. Their frequent one-nighters made them one of the most traveled bands of the era in theaters, nightclubs and ballrooms country-wide and the first jazz group to tour Sweden in 1937.
The Lunceford roster stuck with Jimmie for much of the band's life history and included the booting tenor of Joe Thomas, the fluid alto of Willie Smith (among the big four along with Carter, Hodges and Parker), Paul Webster's stratospheric trumpet, the brilliant trombone work (and vocals) by Trummy Young and one of the greatest of all jazz drummers - Jimmy Crawford. But what set apart this band from many of the others were the futuristic yet swinging arrangements by Sy Oliver, Eddie Wilcox, Willie Smith, Eddie Durham, Gerald Wilson and Tadd Dameron.
This will be the first time all of these Decca sessions are to be gathered together for the first time. We were fortunate to have not only metal parts available from the Universal Music vaults, but also mint condition test pressings from the collection of the masterful sound engineer, the late John R.T. Davies and mint 78s from collector (and Mosaic customer extraordinaire) Leon Dierckx. The text for our booklet comes from researcher and author of the Lunceford biography Rhythm Is Our Business, Eddy Determeyer. Photographs for the booklet include many never seen before images from the Joe Thomas archives held at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Libraries.
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 5:41 pm
by trev
Drool indeed! The fact that they've had access to such pure sources is particularly exciting. The purchase of this set is a no-brainer.
Also, a 1930s Coleman Hawkins set is due this Christmas
Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 8:23 pm
by CountBasi
Two questions on the Ellington 1932-1940 set for those that have it.
1. Do Discs 2, 3, 6 and 7 give you a hard time getting them out of the cases or am I really inept at the technique of operating a CD case where there are prong-like things in the centre for keeping the CD in place? Maybe the set I have are especially tightly packed in (i've just been plain unlucky?) or maybe they will not feel like I am about to break(I'm not exaggerating) them when I prise them out.
Disc 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11 have a different type of centre in their cases so don't give this issue at all.
2. Did the Windows Media metaservice work for you for retrieving the recording data and picture cover image, or do you all use iTunes for that?
Thanks for your help.
Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 8:37 pm
by dogpossum
I always have trouble getting CDs out of the cases.
RE the track details. I use itunes, which uses gracenote, but I added data to the individual track as well (eg which musicians were on which tracks, etc).
Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 9:46 pm
by trev
Mosaic have acknowledged that their CD trays are difficult (it has cost them money in replacements for snapped discs!), and apparently they are working on improving things.
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:07 pm
by anton
Mosaic Records now has the Lunceford set up for preordering!
http://www.mosaicrecords.com/genres.asp?dept=50
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:15 pm
by Haydn
The audio clips sound good compared with my existing Lunceford tracks
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 7:56 pm
by trev
When they first announced it, I was super-excited because I thought if was going to be made from mostly original metal plates, but it seems that 2/3 of this Lunceford set has been remastered [only] from 78s. I guess the proof will be in the pudding!
Still a no-brainer for me though.
Edit: Just had a closer listen to the audio samples. Wow!
Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:06 am
by anton
More good news: a Chick Webb/Ella Fitzgerald box is in the works!
http://indianapublicmedia.org/nightligh ... osaic-set/
Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:50 pm
by trev
Awesome news!, although I feel like I have most of this already in good sound from the Hep releases, but I'm sure I'll get this anyway.
Plus, who knows what audio magic Mosaic can work...
Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2011 11:16 pm
by trev
Lunceford is shipping! So Excited!
