More Vintage Getz
Apr 15, 2010 Jazz Clips
Posting that clip on Stan Getz playing The Way You Look Tonight evoked something for a bunch of readers last week. I got a note from my friend Dan Axelrod with an interesting story and clip:
“Billy Bauer told me he was in the Royal Roost in the early 50′s and Stan on a break returned to the bandstand and without accompaniment daven’d Little Girl Blue and when he was done there wasn’t a dry eye in the club.This ’56 live Basin Street Cafe rendition (Shelly Manne, Oscar Pettiford, Dick Katz) evokes a bit of that beauty- if you wanna post.”
A few words of explanation. Dan uses the word “daven’d.” This would be something of a Jewish colloquialism, although I’ve never heard anyone else use it precisely in this context. I think it generally means prayed, but in this case
Tags: Billy Bauer, Dan Axelrod, Royal Roost, Stan Getz
Live At Monterey: Jazz Collector
Sep 4, 2009 Jazz Memoirs
For any of you who may find yourselves in the wilds of Western Massachusetts this weekend, you can come down to the Monterey General Store on Sunday and catch a live performance of none-other-than yours truly. It is a long and complicated story that brings me there, and I won’t get into the details now, but I have a minor ability to play rhythm guitar and I will be doing so in support of my friend Dan Axelrod, who I have mentioned many times on this site as a brilliant jazz guitarist and protege of the late Tal Farlow. Many years ago, Dan and I used to play fairly regularly. That’s us in the picture, with more hair and less girth. I’m on the left. Don’t laugh — it was a time when mustaches like that were quite respectable. Anyway, a few years ago we revived the act and played at the Monterey General Store — which is, quite literally, a general store — and this weekend we are reviving the act for a “jazz brunch” from noon to 2 p.m. The music will be good and the gig should be a lot of fun. I’ll let you know how it goes next week.
Tags: Dan Axelrod, Tal Farlow
Adventures in Jazz Collecting, Part 1
May 12, 2009 Jazz Memoirs
I’ve had a very interesting couple of days. In my life I’ve bought one complete jazz collection, from my best friend Dan Axelrod more than 20 years ago. It was a transaction of convenience: I got to keep the records, and he kept them in the family and could visit them whenever he wants. Since then, I’ve seen collections but either didn’t have the money or the inclination to buy them. Then I started doing Jazz Collector and a few weeks ago I put a little advertisement on the site that states: We BUY Collections. Ever since I put up that ad, I’ve been getting at least one or two inquiries a week and then, on Friday and again yesterday, I looked at two jazz collections. I will write in more detail by the end of the day, so stay tuned, but here’s the bottom line: After driving up and down the New York metro area and up to New England, I am looking across a sprawl of records in my music room that includes nice original pressings of Capuchin Swing, Gil’s Guests, Sonny Rollins Movin’ Out, most of the Coltrane Prestige and Impulse albums, and many, many more. And, of course, I had a blast doing it.
Tags: Dan Axelrod
Catching Up With A Few Titles
Feb 5, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Here are a few more we’ve added to the Jazz Collector Price Guide:
Johnny Glasel, Jazz Session, ABC Paramount 165. This was an original pressing featuring Dick Garcia on guitar. The record and cover were both in M- condition. The price was $86. We had asked if anyone knew much about this record. Turns out our good friend Dan Axelrod knew Johnny Glasel quite well. He was president of the musicians union in New York and a regular on club dates. I’ve asked Dan to fill in the blanks on some of this and he has promised to do that, so stay tuned.
Sheila Jordan, a Portrait of Sheila, Blue Note 9003. Speaking of jazz guitar (that was Dick Garcia we just mentioned), this LP features some great work by Barry Galbraith. This was an original pressing. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $79.16.
John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This was an original black label in M- condition. The price was $154.27. A similar copy sold for more than $1,000 a few weeks ago. What was the difference? Who knows.
Tags: ABC Paramount, Atlantic Records, Dan Axelrod, Dick Garcia, John Coltrane, Johnny Glasel, Sheila Jordan
Catching Up, Nov. 24, 2008
Nov 24, 2008 Jazz Memoirs, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
Here are updates on some of the records on eBay we’ve been watching at Jazz Collector recently. Most of these will be added to the Jazz Collector Price Guide by the end of the week. Take a look, please.
Sahib Shihab, Conversations, Polydor 623257. This was an original pressing in M- condition. Price: $256
Billy Bauer, Let’s Have A Session, Ad Lib 5501. This was an original pressing with the red label. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. It sold for $160. I have two personal Billy Bauer stories. Back in the early 1970s, I had a gig as a rhythm guitarist accompanying my friend Dan Axelrod. My musical talents are, to be generous, modest at best, but Dan taught me enough chords to support him while he soloed. At the time Dan was taking lessons from Billy Bauer and one night Bauer came down to see us with a group of his other students.
Tags: Ad Lib, Art Papper, Bethlehem, Billy Bauer, Booker Ervin, Candid, Dan Axelrod, Jackie McLean, Jazz West, Polydor, Roland Kirk, Sahib Shihab
Another Day on EBAY
Oct 1, 2008 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Norgran, Prestige
While the past two days have been light on eBay, today is fairly loaded with interesting items. Here are a few to keep an eye on:
We’ll start with some nice jazz guitar records. Atomic Records has a pair of nice Tal Farlow records on Norgran: The Artistry of Tal Farlow, Norgran 1014. This is in nice shape and in the $100 range as of this post. Also, Interpretations, Norgran 1027. This seems to be in a bit better condition and is in the same price range. My good friend Dan Axelrod is loaded with personal anecdotes about Tal, and at some point I’m going to prevail upon him to share them on this site. Dan, are you out there?
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Tags: Barbara Lea, Charles Mingus, Dan Axelrod, Debut, Horace Silver, Jackie McLean, Jazzland, Johnny Griffin, Kenny Dorham, Lee Morgan, Lockjaw Davis, Pacific Jazz, Sal Salvador, Tal Farlow
Sonny Rollins: A Birthday Tribute
Sep 12, 2008 Features, Jazz Memoirs
Tuesday was Sonny Rollins’ 78th birthday. Happy Birthday, Newk.
First time I saw Sonny was in the early 1970s at the Village Vanguard. Sonny wasn’t playing live when I first got into jazz. He was in one of his several retirements. I’d go to clubs in the city and see Bill Evans and Monk and Roland Kirk and Elvin Jones and Jim Hall and they were all great. But Sonny was my hero, and he was the one I was aching to see in person.
So I was quaking with excitement that first gig at the Vanguard, a dark, rainy, gloomy Tuesday night. Who knew what to expect?
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Tags: Dan Axelrod, Pharaoh Sanders, Sonny Rollins, Village Vanguard
Another Day, Another Price Barrier To Break
Jul 26, 2005 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Riverside
I was sitting at work yesterday, taking a little break and browsing on eBay, when my friend Dan Axelrod called.
“Are you watching eBay?”
I told him I was.
“Did you see the Monk record?”
I did a quick search and there it was: A copy of Monk’s Music, Riverside 242, by Thelonious Monk. It was an original white label pressing in near mint condition being sold by Atomic Records. What was unusual about the listing was not the record itself, but the bidding. When Dan called the bidding had passed $2,000. When the record finally sold, the price was $3,061.50. It looked like a bidding war among four buyers.
Dan and I weren’t the only ones intrigued – amazed – by the bidding: This record was viewed 1,215 times, which is more than I recall for any other jazz record.
“I didn’t even realize this was one of the heavy hitters,” Dan said.
Neither did I.
I did a quick search of the price guide at Jazzcollector.com. We had one copy listed with the white label. It was in VG++/VG+ condition and sold for $366 in March. Inflation? Rising prices? Condition? Is there any rational reason why this record would sell for more than $3,000?
If you have an explanation, send a note to us. We’ll explore this one in greater detail next week when we send out our next newsletter.
Tags: Dan Axelrod, Thelonious Monk
Donald Byrd! Transition! $5! Wake Up!
May 18, 2004 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Norgran, Prestige, Riverside
I went to the country for a couple of days and stayed off eBay, cold turkey. I had no outward signs of withdrawal, but my wife swears I was up in the middle of the night screaming incoherently about missing a Donald Byrd record on Transition for $5. Anyway, I’m back and looking at some of the items I was watching over the weekend to see what I might have missed. Here are a few things that are catching my eye:
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Tags: Art Taylor, Blue Mitchell, Dan Axelrod, George Wallington, Mary Osborne, Progressive, Ray Bryant, Signature, Tal Farlow, Warwick
In Search of Barney Kessel Clef EP
May 13, 2004 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
Yesterday we answered some questions from readers. Today we have a question we would like to throw out to the community and see if anyone else has the answer. We’re starting to get a little action on the forums, so if you have questions like these please put them there and we can start building a clearinghouse of information for collectors.
On to today’s question, from Pete aka “Bongo Pete the Drummer”:
“Hello. I have for years owned a 45-RPM EP on Clef Records called Introducing Barney Kessel and have never found any info on it. I also own the 10-inch LP Barney Kessel Volume 1 on Contemporary, which mentions in the liner notes that it is Barney’s first album – but that’s what it says on the back of the Clef 45. I know Barney just passed away on the 6th of this month. Do you know anything about this Clef EP?
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Tags: Art Blakey, Barney Kessel, Chet Baker, Contemporary, Dan Axelrod, Fontana, Jazz Collector Questions, Jazz Quotes, Limelight, Ronnie Scott, Zoot Sims
