Tag: Sonny Rollins

Iconic Autographs and a “Visit” to a Jazz Record Store in 1957

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A reader sent me a link to this auction: John Coltrane, Ballads, Impulse A-32. This was an original mono pressing, I think. It doesn’t actually state the condition of the record, but that’s not what makes this copy particularly interesting, and valuable. It is signed in ink by all four members of the quartet: Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. The record is described as coming from the personal collection of Jimmy Fox, founder of the James Gang. The final price was $5,001.25. Here’s my response to the reader: Read more

New Newk, New Guest Columnist

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I suppose many of you have already seen that a new Sonny Rollins album came out last week, Rollins in Holland. Unfortunately, Sonny is no longer playing the sax. The music and interviews are from radio and concert appearances from May 1967, a time when Sonny was taking a hiatus from studio recordings in the States, so this is an interesting addition to the catalogue from a time period where there isn’t much Newk on record. I have to admit, I haven’t ordered the record yet, nor have I heard the music, but I will order it as soon as I finish writing this post. I was planning to wait until getting the record to write about it, and I will probably still do that, but in the meantime our loyal reader from Amsterdam, Maarten Kools, sent me an email last week with some insights on the album and I wanted to share them here. Maarten also sent me a separate email a few weeks ago about some of the great jazz artists who are still alive, so I henceforth shall be turning this post over to Maarten as an improvised guest column of sorts. Read more

Blue Note Temptation

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I haven’t bid on a record on eBay in a long time, so long I can’t remember when, so long that I no longer have access to any sniping software. But today, I am strongly considering making a bid on something. If I was greedy, I wouldn’t share my intentions here, but I don’t have high hopes of winning the record because I don’t think my bid will be nearly sufficient. For the record (pun intended), the record is Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This looks to be an almost original pressing with one New York 23 label and it is listed in VG++ condition for both the record and probably VG+ for cover. Read more

Pandemic, Prestige, Impulse, Blue Note

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How are you all doing out there in the midst of a global pandemic? I’m doing well, despite the fact that I haven’t posted here at Jazz Collector since August 3, which is one of  the longest inactive stretches for me since I started doing this as a blog site nearly 12 years ago. These are crazy times. I’m home more than ever, which would seem to be an opportunity to listen to my records more frequently. But that hasn’t been the case. I’m still working full time. My son was here for nine weeks. My wife, The Lovely Mrs. JC, is now working from home, so she is around all the time. My daughter and son-in-law just moved into a new house right near mine up here in The Berkshires. Frankly, while the music, the record collection and the blog have often served as an escape in the past, I haven’t turned to them as frequently as I would have expected throughout the course of this pandemic. Read more

Collectible Jazz Vinyl on a Summer’s Day

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Here’s a pretty cool jazz collectible that is closing today on eBay: J. R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This looks to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record is in VG+ condition, or perhaps even better. The cover has an autograph by J. R. that looks authentic to these eyes, but I am no expert. The cover is probably in VG or VG+ condition. This is a nice collectible with or without the autograph, which, to me, enhances the appeal, although some collectors differ on that account. Anyway, the bidding is in the $950 range with about 10 hours left on the auction. Read more

Rare Jazz Vinyl and A Question about Reissues

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Here are some rare jazz records we are watching on eBay, starting with a few from our friends at the Jazz Record Center, including: Lester Young, The President Plays with the Oscar Peterson Trio, Norgran 1054. This is an original yellow label pressing that looks to be in M- condition for the record and the cover. This is my personal favorite out of all the Lester Young records on the Norgran and Verve labels, both musically and for the David Stone Martin cover, which looks especially nice in this photo. The bidding on this copy is in the $165 range with about four hours left in the auction as of this posting. Read more

This is New; And So Is That

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Pardon the interruption. Since I last posted, I’ve driven back and forth to Chapel Hill, written about a dozen papers for work and even tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. It’s been busy here and I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time on my records or on Jazz Collector. Having said that, I plugged back into eBay this morning and pulled a few records to share with you, starting with Kenny Drew, This is New, Riverside 236. This is an original white label pressing and it looks to be in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. This is a nice quartet/quintet record featuring Donald Byrd and Hank Mobley. Put it on Blue Note with this personnel from this era and you have a record that would be a regular in the $1,000 bin. On Riverside, the bidding is in the $275 range with the auction closing later today. Read more

Collectible Jazz Vinyl and Not Vinyl

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Yeah, that Bill Evans New Jazz Conceptions LP with the original cover sold for $1,725, as someone pointed out in comments. With a VG cover and VG record. I guess not even a global pandemic can halt the market for original jazz collectibles. A few more from the same seller: Gil Melle, Patterns in Jazz, Blue Note 1517. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing in VG MINUS condition with a VG cover. Despite the condition it sold for $910. Curtis Fuller, Bone & Bari, Blue Note 1572. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in VG MINUS condition for the record and VG for the cover. It sold for $706. Read more

Vinyl Classics From Riverside and Prestige

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Let’s look at the Jazz Collector watchlist on eBay for an update, starting with Bill Evans, New Jazz Conceptions, Riverside 223. This is an original white label pressing. The record is in VG condition and the cover is also VG. The bidding is in the $294 range with two days left on the auction. As of now there have been 12 bidders and 46 bids. Such a great cover – you wonder what Riverside was thinking when they replace it for the second pressing. The seller for this one is Carolina Soul, which often has nice jazz vinyl on eBay, this week being no exception. Here’s one more: Curtis Fuller, New Trombone, Prestige 7107. This is an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is VG. The bidding is in the $60 range with two days left. The seller mentions a “slight storage warp,” on both of these records, so that may be effecting the bidding, particularly on the Fuller. But , looking closer at the Fuller, the real gating factor is probably the huge writing in black marker on the back cover. When I first started buying jazz records, it was always about the music, but when I became a “collector” my values changed, perhaps not for the better, and the condition of the cover became almost-but-not-quite-as-important as the music. I imagine I am not the only one here was a similar experience. Read more

Sonny Rollins on Art

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Imagine my pleasant surprise, just a few seconds ago, reading The New York Times over a cup of coffee, wading through the distressing news about politics, coronavirus, voter suppression, et al, and then seeing headline “Art Never Dies” and the name “Sonny Rollins.” This is the first essay in a new series called “The Big Ideas: Why Does Art Matter.” It was written by Sonny as told to Ian Carlino. I love the piece and I love the simplicity of the byline, which is simply: “Mr. Rollins is a musician.” I would never normally just reprint an article from another publication, but I realize many of you may not have subscriptions to The Times and this is deserving for everyone here to read, so, if The Times wants to send a cease and desist for Jazz Collector’s 1,000 daily page views, be my guest. Also, the picture is not from the article, just something I chose from the many images available in the public domain. Read more

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