Some Nice Jazz Vinyl For the $1,000 Bin
Time to update the $1,000 jazz vinyl bin:
Here’s quite an interesting one: Donald Byrd in Paris and Parisian Throughfare, Volumes 1 and 2, Brunswick 903 and 904. This was an auction of two rare records, released in France , and listed in M- condition for both records and both covers. The seller described them as like new. I’m familiar with the U.S. Signature release of these records and, in fact, I own Volume 1. I’m not sure how and when these were released in France and the U.S., but I imagine someone out there will have that information to share. These records, quite attractive and enticing, fetched $2,400 as a pair.
Horace Parlan, Us Three, Blue Note 4037. This was an original pressing listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,675. I actually owned a copy of this record is nearly the same condition, maybe slightly less, and sold it for $1,500 last year to a Jazz Collector reader. We were both pleased, and I’m pleased to see the price is holding steady, if not increasing.
Helen Merrill, Emarcy 36006. This looked to be an original pressing with the drummer logo and the blue writing on the back, although it would have been nice to have seen a picture of the back cover. Nevertheless, this one was in VG++ condition for the record and the cover and it sold for $1,545
Sonny Clark Trio, Time 70010. This was an original pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,290, which is the highest price we’ve seen for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.
Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This was an original pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $1,300: A similar copy in a little bit worse condition sold last week for $1,815.
Those Byrd albums “in Paris” were released in the US under Signature label. The french original Brunswick edition is very scarce. I had one very long time ago, and sold it to Japan (of course). The problem is that they have a very flimsy cover, and noisy pressings. So it is very very difficult to find them in decent condition.
Donald Byrd (tp) Bobby Jaspar (fl, ts) Walter Davis Jr. (p) Doug Watkins (b) Art Taylor (d)
“L’Olympia”, Paris, France, October 22, 1958
Dear Old Stockholm Brunswick (F) 87 903
Paul’s Pal –
Flute Blues –
Ray’s Idea –
Blues Walk –
Salt Peanuts, I Brunswick (F) 87 904
Parisian Thoroughfare –
Stardust –
52nd Street Theme –
At This Time –
Formidable –
Two Bass Hit –
Salt Peanuts, II –
what a beautifull cover (Parisian thoroughfare…: colour photography wasn’t done so much in jazz those years… but most of all, it is a picture that still looks ‘modern’.. could be an album of a rap-artist from 1997
You’re right Maarten, it could be the cover of a rap artist. I also see a great opportunity for today’s rappers to position themselves in the exact same setup and make their tribute, 2011 record cover out of it. Plenty of famous classic covers have been imitated by rappers as a tribute and maybe one of the most famous ones done by a none rapper was of course Joe Jackson who imitated Sonny Rollins’ Volume 2:
http://www.jj-archive.net/albums/bs.html
Of course there’s plenty of more examples, but still this Donald Byrd screams for a similar treatment. Maybe The Roots are up for it 😉
of course should read “non rapper”
I still have a mint copy of Don eating French fries on Brunswick but sold the E companion volume for a good price to Japan. Had kept the US version of this one on Signature, but cannot find it!
Added info: the same group recorded a double album one week later (29 Oct. 1958) “Au Chat qui Peche” club in the Rue de la Huchette, Paris-V.
side 1
All the things you are
It might as well be spring
side 2
Parisian Thoroughfare
side 3
My funny Valentine
Off minor and Well you needn’t
Salt peanuts
Down
side 4
All this time
Stella by starlight
52nd st theme
Baby let me do it
Catalogue number OMS 7001/7002. Label:Jazz O.P., Milano Italy, 1983.
Are either of these sessions available on CD anywhere?
Yes, Mike, you will find them on the “Jazz in Paris” collection.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Byrd+in+Paris&x=0&y=0
Oh,these Donald Byrd LP’s are just fantastic. I don’t own them originally, but the music is just so good and to my opinion slightly better than his first Blue Note efforts.
His music for the Transition label should be looked for as well!
The Cover of the Byrd LP is great – though I would rather stick it to an English Pub than to a French Bistro. Instead of Chips Donald should have a sophisticated Boeuf a la Chef on the platter….
I also see the blueprint of a 2011 release of a Hip Hop – LP.
Thanks Michel, I’m ordering now
I have the CDs “Jazz in Paris” and like them very much!
/Shaft
I played my copy of Don eating Donald Rumsfeld’s Freedom Fries. Michel said that the pressings by French Brunswick are noisy, mine plays without any surface noise. The sound is crisp. I have never been a fan of Don Byrd and this record confirms my lack of enthusiasm. I prefer 1958 Lee Morgan and also Bill Hardman (considered aminor talent).
Bobby Jaspar is just great. He plays a fantastic tenor.
I also played one side of the double album OMS 7001/2 recorded in Le chat qui peche,”The fishing cat”, not the sinning cat. (on my Russian keyboard with cyrillic characters, I don’t have the French accents). The club’s piano is terribly out of tune. The rhythm section is well recorded though, Doug’s bass sound is great; the horns are a bit distant. The sound is authentically monaural.
Rudolf, I thought you were located in France? No French Keyboard?
I like Byrd, but when it comes to trumpet, my favourite is Blue Mitchell… Blue Blue Blue, is always with me everyday. Gone but not forgotten.
that is correct, but my French one out of order, so working on my wife’s.
Sometimes, it helps to have a wife !! 🙂
sic!!
Hello All.
The train ride from Brooklyn to NYC was around 40 minutes, remember I now had the address 1650 Broadway, 3rd floor, of this dynamite instrumental by a group called The Chiefs on the Greenwich label. I walked into the building there was an elderly man and I guessed he was the elevator starter. Asking him as I was pulling out the record did he ever hear of this record company, he looked puzzled and told me no. I told him I think its on the 3rd floor. The doors of an elevator opened, I entered, little did I know I would enter this same elevator many more times over the next 20 years. I got out on the 3rd floor, as I look back… It now reminds me of The Matrix Movie, all the doors looked alike. There must have been 9 to 10 doors they all had names on them, Sally Music, Two-Tone Music, etc. But which one was Greenwich? I read each one the last one said Webman Music and some other names, I took out the record and under the title he was the writer Webman I knocked on the door it opened and this little short guy maybe 5 foot 1 was standing there. I said excuse me I am looking for somebody named Webman, he looked puzzled and said to me “Whats this about Kid” Just than the phone rang and he waved to me to come in and sit down. After the call he said what can I do for you my name is Hal Webman. I pulled out the record and told him the story.. He starts to laugh, boy you must really like the record to go thru all this trouble, I told him I like instrumentals especially Jazz.. He opens a closet and there was boxes of 45’s. He tells me take what ever you like, and by the way how much are you paying!!! I didn’t answer, I started pulling out the records that looked interesting. After finishing I looked at the desk there was stacks of 45’s. I asked him did he have any books on Music like the librarian at Lincoln Center told me Billboards,etc he tells me under the desk, he had three big desks in this room. I pulled out this box, they were Billboard International Year end editions from 1955 to 1970.. I was getting tired.. I than asked him how much you want for this stuff, he looks at me and laughs again and tells me what are you going to do with all these records start a business and that 1970 billboard leave here, I still need that one.. He flips thru the records and tells me todays is your lucky day I have to weed out alot of this stuff and you have to see my apartment. And than he stares at me with a wierd look and tells me how about $12,000 dollars. My mouth droped, his face changed again and he tells me GOT YOU.. How bout $50.00 and a lunch, but the lunch will have to wait until next week. I told him I really appreciate this and will come back next week for lunch. He opens up another closet and pulls out some boxes I fill them up with the 45’s and he had a few shopping bags…. In this closet which was huge there were hundreds of albums, I told him any Jazz, again he laughs and tells me next time kid!! Helping me down with the boxes of records and books, I catch a cab back to Brooklyn.. When I get home I start playing these records most of them I never heard of, some were Soul, R & B, Instumentals, Doo Wops – I counted them there was 712 45 records and 15 books, little did I know that the 15 books were the GOLD.
Well, Nick, your stories surely read like a book. Too bad that The Netherlands is not exactly known for labels like the ones you saw on the doors in that building, ’cause if that had been the case I’m sure I would have gone on the prowl in the exact same way. 😉
Hello All
Around a month ago I had emailed a good friend in California and told him about this site. Before I begin I would like to thank him for emailing me and pointing out to me that I made alot of mistakes in writing this. First thing the year was not 1970 it was around 1977. Second Hal was not 5′ 1″ but around 5′ 7″ and third his office was on the 7th Floor. And I did not get 712 records but around 300 and one last thing I didn’t get 15 books, but around 5. The only thing I got right was the price. (LOL) The other numbers I quoted were from another hit I had latter on the 3rd floor with a different music publisher. The reason he corrected me is that the three of us went to lunch around 1982 and he said I only told him this story 5 times. LOL Well Mattyman my life is a vinyl journey…Now that I made these corrections back to Webman. The following week I called him we met in a small restaurant on Broadway…He was such a nice man and his knowledge of the music business was so vast. He was in the music business since the 1940’s and he knew so many people, he had worked at Down Beat and Billboard magazines. I asked him about the albums in his office he told me most were not Jazz, and than he handed me a small shopping bag and told me not to open it until later. He than said he had sold alot of them to a guy named Leon Levitt (Jazz Dealer From California) who I didnt know at this time…Over the years me and Hal would have lunch every now and than or I would visit him in his office or call him on the phone if I had a question. Everytime I went to his office I would get a new batch of records and more literature. On the way home I opened the bag. There was 2 record albums and two small books, the albums were Joe Newman and Zoot Sims – Locking Horns on RAMA Promo and Elmo Hope on Beacon, both albums I never heard of at that time. The two books were Music Guild Books 1964 & 1968 ….to play music in New York you had to belong to the union… More on these books and the Billboard International Books tomorrow.
Nick, great stories!
Thanx for sharing them!