Mosaic Select series are 3-CD boxes, containing four, and sometime more, rare, and out of print LPs by giants of jazz (Paul Chambers, Dexter Gordon, Woody Herman, Art Pepper, Gerry Mulligan) and sometimes unsung heroes (John Handy, Denny Zeitlin) of the music. From popular big bands of early 1940s to post-modern solo improvisations of Andrew Hill.
The materials usually come from
Blue Note,
Pacific Jazz Records and
Columbia. All sets have been accompanied by detailed discographies, voluminous booklets, great photos, and additional information like original liner notes.
Here is a pictorial discography of 35 volumes of the Mosaic Select series. Including the cover, direct link to Allmusic, dates, the name of original albums (and their release date, and when sessions are not under the name of the box set artist, the name of original session leader). -- Ehsan Khoshbakht
1
Grachan Moncur III
1963-67
The music on this collection features both of trombonist and composer Grachan Moncur's Blue Note LPs as well as his four historic collaborations with Jackie McLean:
- One Step Beyond, 1963
- Destination Out, 1963
- Hipnosis, 1967
- 'Bout Soul, 1967
2
Carmell Jones
1961-62
Including all three of his earliest Pacific Jazz albums:
- The Remarkable Carmell Jones, 1961
- Business Meetin', 1962
- Brass Bag, 1962
3
Bennie Green
1958-62
Contains five LPs:
- Back on the Scene, 1958
- Walkin' & Talkin', 1959
- The 45 Sessions, 1958
- Soul Stirrin', 1958
- Congo Lament [Ike Quebec as leader], 1962
4
Randy Weston
1957-63
This set comprise the complete sessions from six different albums, one of which was previously unreleased:
- Piano a La Mode, 1957
- Live at the Five Spot, 1959
- Little Niles, 1959
- Uhuru Afrika Freedom Africa, 1960
- Music from the New African Nations, 1963
5
Paul Chambers
1956-59
Including 6 studio albums:
- Chambers’ Music, 1956
- Jazz In Transition, 1956
- Whims Of Chambers, 1956
- Paul Chambers Quintet, 1957
- Bass On Top, 1957
- Drums Around The Corner, [Art Blakey as leader] 1959
6
John Patton
1963-68
There are five albums collected here:
- Along Came John, 1963
- The Way I Feel, 1964
- Oh Baby!, 1965
- That Certain Feeling, 1968
- Understanding, 1968
7
Curtis Amy
1960-63
Contain Amy's entire six-album output for the Pacific Jazz label. The titles include:
- The Blues Message [co-led with organist Paul Bryant], 1960
- Meetin' Here [co-led with Bryant], 1961
- Groovin' Blue [co-led with drummer Frank Butler], 1961
- Way Down, 1962
- Tippin' on Through, 1963
- Katanga! ,1963
8
Duke Pearson
1968-70
Including 5 original albums:
- The Phantom, 1968
- Merry Ole Sole, 1969
- How Insensitive, 1970
- It Could Only Happen With You, 1970
- I Don't Care Who Knows It, 1970
9
Bob Brookmeyer
1954-58
Including these LPs:
- Traditionalism Revisited, 1957
- Street Swingers, 1958
- Kansas City Revisited, 1958
- Stretching Out [Zoot Sims as leader], 1958
- Playboy Jazz All Stars [Various Artist LP], 1958
10
Bud Shank and Bob Cooper
1954-58
There are five complete albums (and cuts from two other) on these three discs. All of them under the name of Bud Shank in their original release:
- Bud Shank and Bob Brookmeyer, 1955
- Bud Shank and Three Trombones, 1954
- Jazz at Cal-Tech, 1956
- Flute and Oboe, 1956
- The Swing's to TV, 1958
- Jazz Swings Broadway, 1957
- Blowin' Country, 1958
11
Dizzy Reece
1958-60
Including 4 original albums:
- Blues in Trinity, 1958
- Star Bright, 1959
- Soundin' Off, 1960
- Comin' On! ,1960
12
Dave Liebman & Richie Beirach
1976-91
All of the recordings on this set are previously unissued live performances. They are compiled from the years , when Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach began recording together in an electric group called Lookout Farm (with Frank Tusa, Jeff Williams, and Todd Barkan), and recorded for the ECM label.
13
Don Pullen
1986-90
Contained two albums by the George Adams-Don Pullen Quartet (first two in the list), and two under Pullen's own name:
- Breakthrough, 1986
- Song Everlasting, 1987
- New Beginnings, 1988
- Random Thoughts, 1990
14
Dexter Gordon
1978-79
Including original live double LP,
Nights At The Keystone.
15
Art Pepper
1956-57
Contains complete Aladdin recordings:
- The Return of Art Pepper , 1956
- Modern Art , 1957
- The Art of Pepper , 1957
And some additional from:
- Collections [Joe Morello], 1957
- Just Friends [Bill Perkins], 1956
16
Andrew Hill
1967-70
Only six of the 31 selections on this set have ever been out in any form. Those six tracks are from Blue Note's
One for One.
17
Johnny Richards
1955-66
This set reissues arranger Johnny Richards' Capitol and Roulette albums that originally were called:
- Wide Range, 1957
- The Rites of Diablo, 1958
- Experiments in Sound, 1959
- My Fair Lady, 1964
- Aqui Se Habla Espanol, 1966
In addition, portion of an album:
- Annotations of the Muses, 1955
18
Freddie Slack
1941-55
An invaluable collection of all Slack's recordings as a leader and 17 previously unreleased performances, including a five-song session from 1946 and three numbers from 1952. Most of the tracks belong to the pre-LP era. Only last session comes from:
- Boogie-Woogie on the 88, 1955
19
Pacific Jazz Piano Trios
1952-63
A collection of recordings from Pacific house-pianists like Russ Freeman, Richard Twardzik, Clare Fischer and Jimmy Rowles. Including these rare albums:
- Trio: Russ Freeman/Richard Twardzik, 1952
- Russ Freeman Trio, 1953
- Jazz Swings Broadway, 1957
- Rare - But Well Done, 1954
- Surging Ahead - Clare Fischer, 1963
- Pianists Galore! 1956
- First Time Out - Clare Fischer, 1962
20
Charles Tolliver
1970-73
These recordings were owned by Tolliver himself, and originally appeared on Strata East, a label he co-founded with the pianist on these dates, Stanley Cowell. The set containing all materials from three original LPs and six unissued tracks:
- Charles Tolliver Music Inc. Live at Slugs' Volumes One, 1970
- Charles Tolliver Music Inc. Live at Slugs' Volumes Two, 1970
- Charles Tolliver Music Inc. Live in Tokyo, 1973
21
Gerry Mulligan
1957-58
Including sessions with Chet Baker, Art Farmer and singer Annie Ross:
- Reunion, 1957
- The Playboy Jazz All-Stars, 1957
- The Gerry Mulligan Songbook, 1957
- The Genius of Gerry Mulligan, 1957
- Annie Ross Sings a Song of Mulligan, 1958
22
Sidney Bechet
1923-47
A Set of recordings from 1923 through 1947, including his later Paris years, for the Columbia family of labels.
23
Andrew Hill
1978
All solo recordings at the Fantasy studios in Berkeley, CA during August and October 1978.
24
Tony Williams
1985-91
A set of five Blue Note solo recordings of Williams:
- Foreign Intrigue, 1985
- Civilization, 1987
- Angel Street, 1989
- Native Heart, 1990
- The Story of Neptune, 1992
25
McCoy Tyner
1968-70
This set contains four albums Tyner recorded for Blue Note between August of 1968 and September of 1970, culled from a total of seven sessions:
- Expansions, 1968
- Cosmos, 1969-70
- Extensions, 1970
- Asante, 1970
26
Bobby Hutcherson
1974-77
Five albums in this collection:
- Cirrus, 1974
- Inner Glow, 1975
- Waiting, 1976
- The View from the Inside, 1976
- Knucklebean, 1977
27
Al Cohn, Joe Newman & Freddie Green
1955
In 1955, Al Cohn, Joe Newman and Freddie Green made five superb small group swing albums for RCA with the group size ranging from septet to nonet. This set contains all those five LPs:
- The Natural Seven [Al Cohn]
- Jazz Workshop: Four Brass One Tenor [Al Cohn]
- Mr. Rhythm [Freddie Greene]
- All I Wanna Do Is Swing [Joe Newman]
- I'm Still Swinging [Joe Newman]
28
Johnny Mercer
1942-47
In this Mosaic Select, there are 79 Capitol (the label Mercer founded) tracks from the label's birth in 1942 to 1947.
29
Onzy Matthews
1963-65
This set collects two studio albums for Capitol, plus 29 previously unissued Capitol tracks by Matthews:
- Blues with a Touch of Elegance, 1964
- Sounds for the '60's, 1966
30
Various Artists
1936-41
Fifteen different pianists are featured, including Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Jimmy Yancey, Freddie Slack, Kenny Kersey, Teddy Wilson, and Mary Lou Williams.
31
Woody Herman
1962-64
Culled from five separate albums plus a 45 pm single from his early 1960s tenure on the Phillips label:
- Woody Herman 1963, 1962
- Encore, 1963
- Woody Herman 1964, 1963
- The Swinging Herman Herd Recorded Live, 1964
- Woody's Big Band Goodies, 1964
32
Dave Liebman
1978
Include the complete 1979 issued
Pendulum recording, and add two further full-length, previously unissued offerings done at the Village Vanguard.
33
Toshiko Akiyoshi
1974-77
Five studio albums:
- Kogun, 1974
- Long Yellow Road, 1974-75
- Tales Of A Courtesan, 1975
- Insights, 1976
- March Of The Tadpoles, 1977
34
Denny Zeitlin
1964-67
Three studio albums have been gathered into one Mosaic Select with 12 previously unissued tunes from the sessions:
- Cathexis, 1964
- Carnival, 1964
- Zeitgeist, 1966-67
35
John Handy
1965-68
This Mosaic Select is devoted to the three albums he made for Columbia that featured violin in the instrumentation, plus a live Carnegie Hall performance from 1967:
- Live At The Monterey Jazz Festival, 1965
- The 2nd John Handy Album, 1966
- Projections, 1968
36
John Carter and Bobby Bradford
1969-79
This Mosaic Select is compiled of unreleased materials (from 1969, 1971 and 1979) and all tracks from these LPs:
- Seeking, 1969
- Secrets, 1972
37
Charles Tolliver Big Band
1970-79
Three recordings, one of them previously unreleased (recorded in Hamburg for NDR), and featuring at least two generation of hard-boppers, including Jon Faddis, Herb Geller, Charles McPherson, George Coleman, Reggie Workman, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Heath, Clifford Jordan. On the German recording some of the most eminent Americans residents of Berlin, such as Benny Bailey and Alvin Queen, can be heard.
- Music Inc. and Big Band, 1971
- Impact, 1975
38
Sam Rivers and The Rivbea Orchestra - Trilogy
2008-2009
Not a "select" in the real sense of the word, and three sets of unpublished new materials. "When we heard the album, we called Sam to offer our jaw-dropping praise," writes Mosaic, "he told us essentially there is plenty more where that came from and set about sifting through hours of studio and live recordings to cull the three CDs of previously unreleased material contained in this set. The results are forward-thinking and electrifying."
Link to a discography of
Mosaic "Complete Recordings" Box Sets.
Last Update: July 29, 2016
