Mosaic

Duke Ellington's Spacemen - The Cosmic Scene (1958) {Mosaic Singles MCD-1001 rel 2006}
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© 1958, 2006 Columbia / Mosaic Records / Sony BMG Music | MCD-1001 | Mosaic Singles Series
Jazz / Small Group / Progressive Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Piano

Still riding the success of his triumphant concert at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Duke Ellington in 1958 decided to reduce his touring orchestra to a nonet dubbed "the Spacemen" in 1958, and recorded this lone project with them for the Columbia label. Perhaps inspired by the first orbiting satellites, Ellington is not taking cues from George Russell or Sun Ra, whose extraterrestrial inspirations led them down even more progressive paths.

Bud Shank - The Pacific Jazz Bud Shank Studio Sessions (1998) {5CD Box Set Mosaic MD5-180 rec 1956-1961}
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© 1956-61, 1998 Pacific Jazz / Mosaic Records / Blue Note / EMI-Capitol | MD5-180 | 20-bit Super Bit Mapping
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

When one thinks of altoist/flutist Bud Shank's recordings of the 1950s, it is normally of his work with Stan Kenton's orchestra or collaborations with Laurindo Almeida or Bob Cooper. However, Shank led a superior quartet from 1956-1958 that also included pianist Claude Williamson, bassist Don Prell, and either Chuck Flores or Jimmy Pratt on drums. This typically magnificent five-CD limited-edition box set from Mosaic has the quartet's four albums (including a set that was recorded in Johannesburg, South Africa), a selection by Shank with a sextet that includes vibraphonist Larry Bunker, and three slightly later sets.

Goblin Market, a melodrama – a spoken narration with musical accompaniment – is a superb example of Aaron Jay Kernis' gift for almost recklessly profligate inventiveness. Christina Rossetti's mysterious, very long 1859 poem "Goblin Market" (it's over 550 lines) is notable for its vividly pictorial, sensual (and sometimes unambiguously sexual) imagery. The story of two little Victorian girls, sisters, and their nearly fatal misadventures with a band of goblins, comes across as …….

Stephen Eddins @ AllMusic.com