Month: December 2008

Remembering Freddie Hubbard

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I’m sure many of you saw the news that Freddie Hubbard passed away yesterday at age 70. Hubbard, of course, was a seminal figure in the post-bop era. We write about his records often in the posts at Jazz Collector, particularly since his LP Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040, is one of the top collectibles, often selling for more than $1,000. He also played on Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041, another of the rarest of jazz collectibles. Our own memories of Hubbard stretch back to the great Oliver Nelson LP, The Blues and the Abstract Truth, Impulse 5, where he played in a great setting with Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy and others. I always remember Nelson stating that Hubbard sounded like John Coltrane playing the trumpet, and that always stuck with me. Hubbard was never quite as inventive as Trane or as experimental, but he certainly had a style and sound that was immediately recognizable. Other favorite early recordings are Eric Dolphy Outward Bound, New Jazz 8236, and Art Blakey, Buhaina’s Delight, Blue Note 4104. I saw Hubbard many times at the Village Vanguard in the early 1970s, and he was always a passionate, charismatic performer. What are some of your memories, and favorite Hubbard recordings? Please feel free to comment on this post.

Back Again, Looking at High-End Vinyl

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Wow, have we really been away for three weeks? Sorry, sorry, sorry. 

So, where were we when we were so rudely interrupted. Ah, yes, we were looking at records that crossed the $1,000 barrier. We just did a quick search of eBay and found a few more for you, just from the past few weeks when Jazz Collector went AWOL. Here are a few to peruse and muse about:

Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This was an original deep groove pressing with the West 63rd Street address. It was in M-/M- condition and sold for $1,248. 

John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This was an original mono pressing with the black label. It was also in M-/M- condition. Price: $1,031.66

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This was an original pressing that was in M-/M- condition. Price: $1,075

Yow, I’m sure most of you saw this one: Charlie Parker, Bird Blows The Blues, Dial LP1. This is a 12-inch LP, issued from the Spring of 1949 with no cover. The dealer listed it as being the first 12-inch jazz LP ever produced, which we’ve never seen disputed. This was in VG+ condition, with a yellow label and purple vinyl. Price: $2,850

George Wallington at the Bohemia, Progressive 1001. This was an original pressing that came directly out of George Wallington’s collection. It was listed by his brother, who listed the vinyl as M- and the cover as VG, but he said there were virtually no flaws. The price was $1,380.50.

That’s it for now. We’ll be back soon. Promise.

Keeping an Eye on the $1,000 Barrier

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We were looking at records that broke the $1,000 price barrier last week. It’s always interesting to take note of high-end collectible prices. Here’s another one that broke the barrier yesterday: Horace Parlan, Us Three, Blue Note 4037. This was an original pressing, of course. The vinyl was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The final price was $1,620 and there were 22 bids and seven bidders. Looking ahead at today’s records, there isn’t likely another $1,000 record, although this one may come close: Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. This is an original pressing and the vinyl is in M- condition. The cover, however, is only VG+ and that might limit the bidding. At this point, the price is $543 with a few hours left to go. We took a look at the Jazz Collector Price Guide and found several instances of this record being sold for more than $1,000. The highest price we recorded was $1,591.

Updating The Price Guide, Dec. 2, 2008

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Here are some items we’ll be adding to the Jazz Collector Price Guide today. Most of these have previously appeared on the site, so we’re not providing new links. Here goes:

Gigi Gryce, Rat Race Blues, New Jazz 8262. This was an original pressing, deep groove, purple label. Both the record and cover were in M- condition. Price: $205.50

Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House, Blue Note 1515. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was VG- and the cover was VG. Price: $201.50

Art Farmer Quintet with Gigi Gryce, Prestige 209. This is a 10-inch LP. Record was M- and the cover was VG+. Price: $190

Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This was an original pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG. Price: $435

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Norvo, Farlow and Mingus: Volume 2?

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A Jazz Collector reader poses a question. On eBay, there was a copy of this record: The Red Norvo Trio, Volume 1, Discovery 4005. This is a 12-inch LP featuring Tal Farlow and Charles Mingus. It includes the following tracks: Little White Lies, Move, I Get A kick Out of You, I’ll Remember April, I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Zing Went the Strings of My Heart and September Song. These are the exact same songs that are on the 10-inch version of the LP, Discovery 3012, which has similar packaging, with the exception of an added picture (a great one of the group in action). The question is this: Is there a 12-inch Volume 2 of this series as well? There is a 10-inch Volume 2, which is Discovery 3018, so we assume there’s a 12-inch also (probably with the same pictures), but we don’t have a copy and, rather than search through eBay, we figured we’d throw it out there to see if someone knows the answer. Thanks.