From an interview of Michael Cuscuna in 2009: Q: What kinds of things are you working on for the ongoing Blue Note reissue series and are there still opportunities to find rare, valuable unreleased material or have those opportunites been exhausted? MC: The Blue Note Rudy Van Gelder series will continue to revisit more Blue Note classics. But the Blue Note vault is tapped out of releasable unissued material. That’s why we started what we call internally the discovery series, looking to outside sources for new discoveries. And we hit with a megaton bang starting it off with the Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall. Charles Mingus At Cornell, and Horace Silver at Newport 1958 followed. We have a killer Freddie Hubbard album Without a Song – Live in Europe coming in June. Freddie was thrilled with this music – he told me he thought it was some of his best playing ever captured on tape. He was going to do a lot of press for it but alas… We are working on material by Andrew Hill and Wes Montgomery next. The Independent Ear | Interview: Evolution of a Record Man – Michael Cuscuna
That confirms what I posted earlier. I knew I had read it somewhere, but I keep forgetting to check the interview you and others linked. Getting old...
Similar to what Zev Feldman has been doing with Resonance, great detective work and tenacity from someone who truly loves the music. Everyone wins.
I still would have liked to have seen a deluxe box on the rest of everything that Ike Quebec had done, including the many sideman sessions, and a deluxe (in my dreams) 140 page book. Ike Quebec deserved something like that, which an assortment of separate issues does not achieve - serious recognition as one of the greats. Ike does not even get much recognition as one of the greats who died far too young (only 44). He was not burned out at all, but rather he was "burning" in his last 2 years. Had he lived as long as Dexter or Sonny, his discography would likely be enormous (given the rebirth of interest in jazz when he would only be in his early 50's), and he would likely be as revered as those two greats. A serious comprehensive box would be a fitting tribute
I kinda feel the same way bout Sonny Clark. He was always one of the good old boys just doing his thing without a lot of fanfare.
I'll add another dream box that will never happen, a cross-label comprehensive collection of Lucky Thompson
Mosaic abandoned the Lucky Thompson Select (3 CDs) they had initially planned and were working on a big Lucky Thompson box years ago, but had to shelve it due to licensing problems. I doubt we'll ever see one.
Sorry, don't remember all of them (too long ago), but they did include his ABC album and, if I remember correctly, also Commodore recordings.
This webpage gives you an idea. Be sure to click on the links on the right side of the homepage Lucky Thompson
I am a fan of both of these gunslingers, and you will be pleased to know that I just bought a vinyl set on eBay, for $69, from an estate sale merchant. The set even has its original six-panel brochure for Mosaic in pristine form. Best decision I've made in ages! Many thanks, @sberger!
I just got a good deal on the MJQ Mosaic set on eBay. Its' been backordered, and glad I got it now considering..
I own the Brown/Roach vinyl set and it is indeed an amazing sounding set. The reasons I haven't bought too many of their products is that they are on CD. If any genre lends itself to being on wax it's jazz. Perhaps do what Dylan does with his bigger sets and release a big CD set along with just a 3lp compilation.
Their customer base started demanding CDs. CDs are fine for jazz. Its all about the mastering. With alternate take mania, CDs help in listening. I think it is too bad the Commodore set never came out on CD. Today, the price for preferred vinyl (I'll call it $1 per minute) is more than 7 times the cost of CDs as sold on the market (about 13 cents per minute). I don't really view it exactly that way, but vinyl has become a very overpriced option and customer complaints about new vinyl flaws predominate many discussions
