Mosaic Records

Mosaic Records is an American specialist jazz record label, founded in 1983 by Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie (current partner Fred Pustay, joined in 1994) to issue coherent limited edition box sets (initially on LP) of jazz recordings by individual musicians, which had fallen out-of-print. The sets would be leased from the major record companies, usually for a three- or five-year period, with the edition limited to a specific number of copies. Sometimes the complete catalog of a label would appear: the complete masters of Milt Gabler's Commodore Records were contained in three sets consisting of some 66 LPs. In 2003 the company initiated the Select series of smaller sets, not necessarily "complete" in the usual sense. In 2006, the company began a third line, Mosaic Singles, a series dedicated to reissuing individual albums on CD which have not previously been available in US editions, or at all.

Mosaic's sets are primarily sold and distributed directly to customers, initially promoting through leading jazz publications, then mail order catalog, and now the internet. The first three years of releases did not sell particularly well. In 1986, Cuscuna reached out to a record producing acquaintance, Fred Seibert for help. With partner Alan Goodman their company, Fred/Alan Inc. in New York, devised a catalog and strategy that immediately increased sales almost tenfold and put the company on a solid footing for the first time. Mr. Goodman continues to write the copy for all new release sales.^[1]

Over a hundred and fifty sets have now been issued by the company (though most sets' leases have now expired). Since 1998, Capitol Records has owned 50% of Mosaic,^[2] and is part of the Blue Note Label Group.

Discography

Mosaic

• 101 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Thelonious Monk (4 LPs)
• 102 The Complete Pacific Jazz and Capitol Recordings of the Original Gerry Mulligan Quartet and Tentette with Chet Baker (3 CDs or 5 LPs)
• 103 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis (2 CDs or 3 LPs)
• 104 The Complete Blue Note and Pacific Jazz Recordings of Clifford Brown (5 LPs)
• 105 The Complete Pacific Jazz Small Group Recordings of Art Pepper (3 LPs)
• 106 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of the Tina Brooks Quintet (4 LPs)
• 107 The Complete Blue Note Forties Recordings of Ike Quebec and John Hardee (3 CDs or 4 LPs)
• 108 The Complete Recordings of The Port of Harlem Jazzmen (1 LP)
• 109 The Complete Edmond Hall/James P. Johnson/Sidney De Paris/Vic Dickenson Blue Note Sessions (4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 110 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Sidney Bechet (4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 111 The Complete Candid Recordings of Charles Mingus (3 CDs or 4 LPs)
• 112 The Complete Black Lion Vogue Recordings of Thelonious Monk (3 CDs or 4 LPs)
• 113 The Complete Pacific Jazz Live Recordings of the Chet Baker Quartet with Russ Freeman (3 CDs or 4 LPs)
• 114 The Complete Art Hodes Blue Note Sessions (4 CDs or 5 LPs)
• 115 The Benny Morton/Jimmy Hamilton Blue Note Swingtets (1 LP)
• 116 The Complete Bud Powell Blue Note Recordings (1949-1958) (5 LPs)
• 117 The Complete Verve Recordings of the Buddy De Franco Quartet/Quintet with Sonny Clark (4 CDs or 5 LPs)
• 118 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Herbie Nichols (3 CDs or 5 LPs)
• 119 The Pete Johnson/Earl Hines/Teddy Bunn Blue Note Sessions (1 LP)
• 120 The Complete Recordings of the Paul Desmond Quartet with Jim Hall (4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 121 The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions of Ike Quebec (2 CDs or 3 LPs)
• 122 The Complete Pacific Jazz Studio Recordings of the Chet Baker Quartet with Russ Freeman (3 CDs or 4 LPs)
• 123 The Complete Commodore Jazz Recordings, Volume I (23 LPs)
• 124 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Freddie Redd (2 CDs or 3 LPs)
• 125 The Complete Atlantic and EMI Jazz Recordings of Shorty Rogers (4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 126 The Complete Johnny Hodges Recordings 1951-1955 (6 LPs)
• 127 The Complete Candid Recordings of Cecil Taylor and Buell Neidlinger (4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 128 The Complete Commodore Jazz Recordings, Volume II (23 LPs)
• 130 The Complete Recordings of T-Bone Walker 1940-1954 (6 CDs or 9 LPs)
• 131 The Complete Recordings of the Stan Getz Quintet with Jimmy Raney (3 CDs or 4 LPs)
• 132 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of George Lewis (3 CDs or 5 LPs)
• 133 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Grant Green with Sonny Clark (4 CDs or 5 LPs)
• 134 The Complete Commodore Jazz Recordings, Volume III (20 LPs)
• 135 The Complete Roulette Live Recordings of Count Basie and His Orchestra (1959-1962) (8 CDs or 12 LPs)
• 136 Stan Kenton: The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Holman & Russo Charts (4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 137 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Larry Young (6 CDs or 9 LPs)
• 138 The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio (18 CDs or 27 LPs)
• 139 The Complete Candid Otis Span/Lightnin' Hopkins Sessions (3 CDs or 5 LPs)
• 140 The Complete Master Jazz Piano Series (4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 141 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Art Blakey's 1960 Jazz Messengers (6 CDs or 10 LPs)
• 142 The Complete CBS Studio Recordings of Woody Shaw (3 CDs or 4 LPs)
• 143 The Complete 1959 CBS Charles Mingus Sessions (4 Q-LPs)
• 144 The Complete CBS Buck Clayton Jam Sessions (6 CDs or 8 Q-LPs)
• 145 The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Don Cherry (2 CDs or 3 Q-LPs)
• 146 The Complete Decca Studio Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (6 CDs or 8 Q-LPs)
• 147 The Complete Serge Chaloff Sessions (4 CDs or 5 Q-LPs)
• 148 The Complete Capitol Small Group Recordings of Benny Goodman 1944-1955 (4 CDs or 6 Q-LPs)
• 149 The Complete Roulette Studio Recordings of Count Basie and His Orchestra (10 CDs or 15 Q-LPs)
• 150 The Complete Blue Note 1964-66 Jackie McLean Sessions (4 CDs or 6 Q-LPs)
• 151 The Complete Solid State Recordings of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra (5 CDs or 7 Q-LPs)
• 152 The Complete CBS Recording of Eddie Condon and His All Stars (5 CDs or 7 Q-LPs)
• 153 The Complete Aladdin Recordings of Charles Brown (5 CDs or 7 Q-LPs)
• 154 The Complete February 1957 Jimmy Smith Blue Note Sessions (3CDs or 5 Q-LP)
• 155 The Complete Aladdin Recordings of Amos Milburn (7 CDs or 10 Q-LPs)
• 156 The Complete Roulette Recordings of the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra (10 CDs or 14 Q-LPs)
• 157 The Complete Capitol Recordings Of George Shearing (5 CDs or 7 Q-LPs)
• 158 MIles Davis: The Complete Plugged Nickel Sessions (10 Q-LPs)
• 159 The Phil Woods Quartet/Quintet 20th Anniversary Set (5 CDs or 7 Q-LPs)
• 160 The Complete Capitol Recordings Of Duke Ellington (5 CDs or 7 Q-LPs)
• 161 The Complete Blue Note Andrew Hill Sessions (1963-66) (7 CDs or 10 LPs)
• 162 The Complete Blue Note Lee Morgan Fifties Sessions (4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 163 The Complete Capitol Studio Recordings of Stan Kenton 1943-47 (7 CDs or 10 Q-LPs)
• 164 Miles Davis/Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings (11 LPs)
• 165 The Complete Illinois Jacquet Sessions 1945-50 (4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 166 The Complete Blue Note/UA Curtis Fuller Sessions (3 CDs or 5 LPs)
• 167 The Complete Blue Note Sam Rivers Sessions (3 CDs or 5 LPs)
• 168 The Complete Capitol Fifties Jack Teagarden Sessions (4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 169 The Complete Columbia J.J. Johnson Small Group Sessions (7 CDs or 11 LPs)
• 170 Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions (12 CDs or 19 LPs)
• 171 Bill Evans: The Final Village Vanguard Sessions-June 1980 (10 LPs)
• 172 The Complete Blue Note/UA/Roulette Recordings of Thad Jones (3 CDs or 5 Q-LPs)
• 173 The Complete Verve Recordings of the Teddy Wilson Trio (5 CDs or 8 Q-LPs)
• 174 The Complete Atlantic Recordings of Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz & Warne Marsh (6 CDs or 10 Q-LPs)
• 175 The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings of the Chico Hamilton Quintet (6 CDs or 9 Q-LPs)
• 176 The Complete Capitol & Atlantic Recordings of Jimmy Giuffre (6 CDs or 10 Q-LPs)
• 177 The Complete Studio Recordings Of The Miles Davis Quintet 1965 - June 1968 (10 Q-LPs)
• 178 The Complete Blue Note Blue Mitchell Sessions (1963-67) (4 CDs or 6 Q-LPs)
• 179 The Atlantic New Orleans Jazz Sessions ( 4 CDs or 6 LPs)
• 180 The Pacific Jazz Bud Shank Studio Sessions (1956-61) (5 CDs or 7 LPs)
• 182 The Complete Verve/Clef Charlie Ventura/Flip Philips Studio Sessions (6 CDs or 9 Q-LPs)
• 183 Miles Davis: The Complete Bitches Brew (6 Q-LPs)
• 184 The Complete Peggy Lee & June Christy Capitol Transcription Sessions (5 CDs)
• 185 Kenton Presents: Bob Cooper, Bill Holman & Frank Rosolino (4 CDs)
• 186 The Complete Verve Stuff Smith Sessions (4 CDs)
• 187 The Complete H.R.S. Sessions (6 CDs)
• 188 The Complete Anita O'Day Verve/Clef Sessions (9 CDs)
• 189 The Complete Kid Ory Verve Sessions (8 CDs)
• 191 The Complete Columbia Recordings Of Miles Davis With John Coltrane (9 Q-LPs)
• 192 The Complete Capitol Recordings of Gene Krupa & Harry James (7 CDs)
• 193 Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings (5 CDs)
• 194 The Complete Blue Note Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams Studio Sessions (4 CDs)
• 195 The Complete Blue Note Elvin Jones Sessions (8 CDs)
• 196 The Complete Capitol Recordings of Woody Herman (6 CDs)
• 197 The Complete Blue Note Horace Parlan Session (5 CDs or 8 Q-LPs)
• 198 The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings of Gerald Wilson and His Orchestra (5 CDs)
• 199 The Columbia Jazz Piano Moods Sessions (7 CDs)
• 200 The Complete Verve Johnny Hodges Small Group Sessions 1956-61 (6 CDs)
• 201 The Complete Mercury Max Roach Plus Four Sessions (7 CDs)
• 202 The Complete Vee Jay Lee Morgan & Wayne Shorter Sessions (6 CDs)
• 203 The Complete Capitol Four Freshmen Fifties Sessions (9 CDs)
• 204 The Complete Columbia Recordings of Mildred Bailey (10 CDs)
• 205 The Complete Vee Jay Paul Chambers & Wynton Kelly Sessions 1959-61
• 206 Classic Columbia Condon Mob Sessions (8 CDs)
• 209 Miles Davis: The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions (6 Q-LPs)
• 213 Classic Columbia And OKeh Joe Venuti And Eddie Lang Sessions (8 CDs)
• 215 The Complete Blue Note Lou Donaldson Sessions 1957-1960 (6 CDs)
• 217 The Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings Of Louis Prima And Wingy Manone 1924-1937 (6 CDs)
• 219 The Complete Bruswick, Parlophone and Vocalion Bunny Berigan Sessions (7 CDs)
• 220 Miles Davis: The Complete Blackhawk Sessions (6 Q-LPs)
• 221 The Complete Verve Gerry Mulligan Concert Band Sessions (4 CDs)
• 222 The Complete Verve Roy Eldridge Studio Sessions (7 CDs)
• 224 The Complete Verve Tal Farlow Sessions (7 CDs)
• 225 The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions (7 CDs)
• 226 Miles Davis: The Complete 1963-1964 Columbia Recordings (10 Q-LPs)
• 227 The Complete Roulette Dinah Washington Sessions (5 CDs)
• 228 Columbia Small Group Swing Sessions 1953-1962 (8 CDs)

Mosaic select

• MS-001 Mosaic Select: Grachan Moncur
• MS-002 Mosaic Select: Carmell Jones
• MS-003 Mosaic Select: Bennie Green
• MS-004 Mosaic Select: Randy Weston
• MS-006 Mosaic Select: John Patton
• MS-007 Mosaic Select: Curtis Amy
• MS-008 Mosaic Select: Duke Pearson
• MS-009 Mosaic Select: Bob Brookmeyer
• MS-010 Mosaic Select: Bud Shank and Bob Cooper
• MS-011 Mosaic Select: Dizzy Reece
• MS-012 Mosaic Select: Dave Liebman & Richie Beirach
• MS-013 Mosaic Select: Don Pullen
• MS-014 Mosaic Select: Dexter Gordon
• MS-015 Mosaic Select: Art Pepper
• MS-016 Mosaic Select: Andrew Hill
• MS-017 Mosaic Select: Johnny Richards
• MS-018 Mosaic Select: Freddie Slack
• MS-019 Mosaic Select: Pacific Jazz Piano Trios
• MS-020 Mosaic Select: Charles Tolliver
• MS-021 Mosaic Select: Gerry Mulligan
• MS-022 Mosaic Select: Sidney Bechet
• MS-023 Mosaic Select: Andrew Hill
• MS-024 Mosaic Select: Tony Williams
• MS-025 Mosaic Select: McCoy Tyner
• MS-026 Mosaic Select: Bobby Hutcherson
• MS-027 Mosaic Select: Al Cohn, Joe Newman & Freddie Green
• MS-028 Mosaic Select: Johnny Mercer
• MS-029 Mosaic Select: Onzy Matthews
• MS-030 Mosaic Select: Boogie Woogie and Blues Piano
• MS-031 Mosaic Select: Woody Herman
• MS-032 Mosaic Select: Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, Richie Beirach, Frank Tusa, Al Foster: Live at the Village Vanguard
• MS-033 Mosaic Select: Toshiko Akiyoshi
• MS-034 Mosaic Select: Denny Zeitlin
• MS-035 Mosaic Select: John Handy

References

1. ^ Mosaic Records, 1986-1992 Blog posting
2. ^ "Alumni profiles:Jazz preserver - Michael Cuscuna", Pennsylvania Gazette article, Vol.103, No.2 2004.

External links

• Official site
• The first Mosaic catalog devised by Fred/Alan Inc.
• Discography of Mosaic Box Sets
• Discography of Mosaic Select