THE MOSAIC RECORDS STORY (so far)
Eric LeBlanc-CISTI
Before I review the new CHARLES BROWN 5CD box set (on his birthdate), I would
like to present a short - and informal - history of MOSAIC RECORDS, it's
founders and the productions that BLUES-L readers should be aware of.
MOSAIC is the combined efforts of 2 people (Charlie Lourie & Michael Cuscuna)
with one big idea - to provide state of the art reissues for serious collecto
rs,
issued as limited editions and available only by mail order. So far 54 editio
ns
have been issued, with only 29 still available, with a few almost sold out. I
should add that most are still available as both CD or vinly, some as 180-gra
m
pure vinly. The first edition (101) was the complete Thelonious Monk BLUE NO
TE
Recordings, now long out of print. Once an edition is sold out, they NEVER
republish it due in part because of their licensing agreement. It seems
that Michael Cuscuna had discovered some unissued Monk, and decided to
approach the owners of BLUE NOTE to see if they could issue the complete
Monk all together in one place, as his Blue Note recordings were scattered
& not easily available. Since then MOSAIC has leased material from BMG/RCA,
Commodore (vinly only), DA Music/Candid, EMI, MCA, Polygram and SONY/CBS.
Charles Michael Lourie (b. 1940/Apr/20, Boston, MA) is a graduate of the
New England Conversatory (1962), and has been working in the record industry
since joining Epic Records in 1970. During his years in merchandising/
marketing, he worked for Blue Note/United Artists (1974-76) and Warner
Brothers (1977-81). It was during his involvement with the BLUE NOTE
'two-fers', as Project Director, that he & Michael Cuscuna crossed paths. Old
timers on BLUES-L will remember the 'two-fer' BLUE NOTE LA533-HE : T-Bone
Walker - Classics of Modern Blues, which was the first major reissue of
T-Bone's Imperial recordings, which shows that MOSAIC does have an interest
in the blues.
Michael Cuscuna (b. 1948/Sept/20, Stamford, CT) has been involved in the
music industry since his early years as an amateur musician, deejay in
Philadelphia & NY, a concert promoter and producer of the Art Ensemble of
Chicago, Dave Brubeck, Anthony Braxton, Larry Coryell, Dexter Gordon,
Andrew Hill, Cecil Taylor, Woody Shaw, etc. BLUES-L readers should also
know his name as he produced the BUDDY & THE JUNIORS set for Blue Thumb
Records, featuring Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and pianist Junior Mance,
available now as MCA CD 10517. He's also someone who knows what the term
'discography' means and is co-author (w/Michael Ruppi) of "The Blue Note
Label : a discography" (Greenwood Press, 1988).
As for MOSAIC editions that BLUES-L readers should be aware of, here's a few
of them. For those who also have an interest in Jazz, John Norris' recent
article in CODA #256 (July/August 1994), "MOSAIC Records : A Complete Update"
is the one to read.
(1) MOSAIC MD5-153 : CHARLES BROWN - THE COMPLETE ALADDIN RECORDINGS, has
just been issued. It contains 99 tracks including 2 alternate takes, 18
unissued titles, and 9 tracks as a member of Johnny Moore's Three Blazers,
all recorded between 1945 and 1956. All 12 of his Top 15 R&B hits are
here, including 2 takes of "Driftin' Blues". I'll be reviewing this set on
Brown's birthdate (September 13), but those of us who know his music, say
from his recent CD releases, will know what to expect : "sweet singing and
lowdown, mournful lyrics, his keyboard comping in quiet restraint against
the emotion intensity of his voice." This is where it all began & it's a
major reissue of the year. (By the way, MOSAIC is also planning a
AMOS MILBURN box set of his Aladdin Recordings, and if I'm not mistaken, a
Buddy & Ella Johnson set of their Decca Recordings.)
(2) MOSAIC MD6-130: T-BONE WALKER - THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS (1940-54) is now
nearly completely sold out, so you should act quickly as this 6CD set
belongs in everyone's serious blues collection and once sold out, it will
never be republished. I should mention that when MOSAIC says complete,
they do mean complete, unlike the 2CD EMI set, which leaves out 2 alternate
takes. Also this set is the only source for the complete BLACK & WHITE
recordings, considered his best recordings - with lots of unissued takes,
including 2 takes of original "Call It Stormy Monday".
(3) MOSAIC MD3-139 : THE COMPLETE CANDID OTIS SPANN / LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS
SESSIONS is also necessary and it contains many unissued tracks. These
sessions were recorded in 1960, just when the folk-blues revival was
beginning. Some of these titles are available on CANDID CD but this is
the only source for the complete session.
(4) MOSAIC MD18-138 : KING COLE TRIO - COMPLETE CAPITOL RECORDINGS is
a set BLUES-L readers should be aware of. It contains the Nat Cole pre-pop
material by his trio, and represent some of best early West Coast blues
ever recorded. It's nearly sold out. The University music library here
has this collection of 18 CDs but does not allow it to circulate!
(5) MOSAIC MD2-103 : ALBERT AMMONS/MEADE LUX LEWIS is now OUT OF PRINT but
most of it can be found on CAPITOL CD 98450 : ALBERT AMMONS / MEADE LUX LEWI
S
- FIRST DAY. If you enjoy boogie woogie piano, these recordings are a
must.
(6) MOSAIC 107 : COMPLETE BLUE NOTE FORTIES RECORDINGS OF IKE QUEBEC &
JOHN HARDEE is a wonderful set by two important early tenor sax men, now
long out of print. Tiny Grimes, guitarist, is also included in this set.
(7) MOSAIC 108 : COMPLETE RECORDINGS OF THE PORT OF HARLEM JAZZMEN is long
out of print, but all of it is now on CAPITOL CD 28892. If you're not aware
of this collective, let me say it's very blues based with wonderful playing
by Meade Lux Lewis, Sidney Bechet, Teddy Bunn, etc. The original owners of
Blue Note were blues fans, and it shows when they recorded these sides.
Finally, MOSAIC have a wonderful brochure, actually a newletter with lots
of great b/w photos, so you should write/fax them & get on their mailing
list. There's no cost. The latest (#12) has a great article by Billy Vera on
the pioneer Blues/R&B label, Aladdin Records. Remember it's a mail order
service, so getting on their list is a good idea and once a set is sold out,
it never gets republished. It's your lost if you don't act.
MOSIAC Records,
35 Melrose Place,
Stamford, CT 06902
Tel : 203-327-7111
Fax : 203-323-3526
eRIC