If there’s any single factor most likely to contribute to my eventual bankruptcy, it has to be the continuing existence of Mosaic Records. It’s SO worth it though! Mosaic is a jazz label–part of the Blue Note Label Group–that specializes in reissuing tastefully packaged, obsessively annotated, impressively comprehensive limited edition box sets of hard to find, often out of print, records. Every so often, I splurge and buy one or two (or ask others to splurge and buy one or two for me as a gift!), sometimes of their 3-CD “Select” Sets (the Charles Tolliver and Bobby Hutcherson sets are a couple of faves) and, when I’m feeling particularly flush, their full box sets (the Oliver Nelson and now out of print Elvin Jones sets are pretty amazing).

Last October, Mosaic strayed from its usual, more traditional jazz-oriented approach, and released the phenomenal 8-CD Anthony Braxton box set. I listened to it several times over in the few days after my pre-order arrived, and many, many times since. It basically ushered in a full year (so far!) of me revisiting my more “out” musical tendencies (I did once have a radio show here that focused on avant-garde music, after all), much to the chagrin of my wonderfully patient ladyfriend. One of my recent re-discoveries has been Henry Threadgill, former member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, the group Air, and several of his own awesome combos.

And lo and behold, a recent email from Mosaic lands in my inbox announcing…wait for it…the Henry Threadgill Complete Novus and Columbia Recordings box set to be released in early 2010, featuring Air, X-75 (a nonet with 4 reeds, 4 basses, and a vocalist), and the “Sextett” (actually a septet with Threadgill, trumpet, trombone, cello, bass, and two drummers). Definitely pre-order material (when the time comes). Until then, though, there’s always youtube, which has this pretty awesome big band recording from 1988: