Mosaic: Complete Basie Clef/Verve 50s recordings

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Lawrence · #1 Post by **Lawrence** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 3:14 pm

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious for some, but I'm listening to it again and it is fantastic! Truly a bridge between Vintage and "Groove" Big Band music that every Swing DJ should own.

Several years ago, during the height of the revival, Mosaic released the Complete Roulette Studio and Complete Roulette live boxed sets, both of which have been out of print for seven years or more and go for three times their purchase price on Ebay. However, many vintage-music types bemoned its popularity because of the Hefti-inspired Progressive Big Band influence on Basie's music in the late 50s and 60s. Nonetheless, the Roulette boxed sets were somewhat sacred among Swing DJs.

The Complete Clef-Verve set (especially the first two discs) is far truer to Swing Era Basie style than the Roulette Set, but with better sound quality. Really great stuff. It took me a while to overcome my love/loyalty to the Roulette sets, but I actually think the Clef/Verve set surpasses the legendary Roulette boxed sets. Much more danceable material; far less throw-away Progressive Big Band material. Get it before it sells out!!

http://www.mosaicrecords.com/prodinfo.a ... =229-MD-CD

Anyone else have it?

russell · #2 Post by **russell** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 5:18 pm

I picked up a discounted copy through amazon uk.
Great material. Still working my way through it all.

trev · #3 Post by **trev** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:21 pm

russell wrote:I picked up a discounted copy through amazon uk.
Great material. Still working my way through it all.

Me too. I particularly like the first disc.

Jonas · #4 Post by **Jonas** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:20 am

trev wrote:
russell wrote:I picked up a discounted copy through amazon uk.
Great material. Still working my way through it all.
Me too. I particularly like the first disc.

Ditto here. Seems a lot of us saw those discounted copies at amazon.co.uk

I'm very much into 30's jazz and wouldn't have bought the set if the price hadn't been a third of what I'd have to pay here in Sweden, and I could sell my copy of "April in Paris", so I practically got the set for free.

I don't like much of the 50's jazz, too "fancy" and "intelligent" for me (I don't know if that's a very good description, couldn't think of anything else right off the bat, feelings can be hard to describe), I'm mostly into raw, hard hitting dance music, that punches me right in the gut, but Basie's Clef/Verve is slowly growing on me, I play a track here and there every once in a while...

/Jonas