Moving On: A Trio of Blue Note LPs
It was an interesting week on Jazz Collector following the chronicles of my purchase of the Irving Kalus collection and the subsequent comments, which are ongoing as I type this. Later in the week, when I have time, I will do an epilogue and I will also put all of the posts together in a single story, which will be downloadable as a PDF. The whole thing will probably read a bit like novel all at once. It’s a marvel of our era that through the Internet we could give life to a college essay written more than 60 years ago and create a living online legacy for a man who had passed in relative obscurity, except, of course, to his beloved family and friends. I certainly feel honored and blessed to have been able to play a part in that, so the gift to me is not just Irving’s records but the psychic reward of having done some good work. For all of the time and effort and money I’ve put into Jazz Collector for the past 10 years, this is a real nice payback.
Having said that, let’s move back on the mundane business of watching collectible jazz vinyl on eBay. Here are some items of interest this week:
Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. Irving did not have an original pressing of this, just a blue label Liberty. However, I was fortunately able to pick up an original in a previous collection I purchased. For that whole story you’ll have to wait for the Jazz Collector book, which is still a vision in my brain at this point. This original pressing of Cool Struttin’ is in beautiful M- condition for the record and the cover and is currently priced at more than $2,000. Even at that price it may not sell: It has not yet reached the seller’s reserve.
Curtis Fuller, The Opener, Blue Note 1567. This is an original pressing listed in VG+ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It’s tempting to bid on this one: I had an original pressing and sold it years ago. I now own a United Artists pressing, thanks to Irving, but it’s always nice to have the original Blue Notes. This one is in the $300 range and closes later today.
No bids yet for this one, which closes tomorrow: Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This looks to be an original pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The starting price is $750.
Sure would like to hear about your Cool Struttin’ acquisition.
Ahhhhhh Cool Struttin’… Got to love the cover on that one ! Truly an iconic image of a bygone era and for the Blue Note label itself. Although the one listed on ebay seems to have the second “original” cover tone a variation. Fred’s Book notes the earliest original pressings had a creamy off white tone on the lightest portions of the cover (ie. ‘Sonny Clark’ lettering) Strange how Blue Notes were manufactured and released… Kind of a “waste not want not” mentality back then, besides who would have ever guessed that collectors like us would have compiled so much pressing information or even be paying such extravagant prices a half-century after the original was released. Pretty much the only thing about my copy that is original is the cover itself… The LP inside, despite having all the typical traits of the original (DG, RVG & ear all on both sides) only has an original label on Side 2 ! Still, at these prices, its close enough for me until the real thing comes along. In this case you really can judge the proverbial book by it’s cover… Especially since the sides and line-up on this session are equally as impressive as those “gams” on the cover ! (Blind them with beauty, and perhaps no one will notice the NYC address on Side 1 ! heh heh.)
Stuart — I remembered I actually did write a little about it in January. Check it out:
https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/score-one-for-jazz-collector/
One day there will be a Jazz Collector book with all of these stories.
Every now and then I DJ at jazz festivals and every time you play Sippin’ At Bells loudly on a really good audio system, it’s party time. And maybe someone knows the answer to this question: is the cover photo an actual photo or is it a still from a film or otherwise ‘moving image’? I want to know, since I found an alternative photo of the Cool Struttin’ “legs” online and that made me wonder where the photo comes from. Check out the two versions of the “legs” by clicking HERE. I’m curious!
The track that always gets me on this is “Deep Night”. I always hoped a trio version of this would come out,but no luck. Listening to Sonny’s intro- and his playing throughout the track-tells you he could have ‘sang’ so much more…
Struttin’ is a masterpiece. I’m also fortunate to have an 1st original pressing of this in Near Mint condition. I’ve started a little archive of my modest collection of high end jazz vinyl here: http://www.1139indearoldstockholm.com
…I have just started adding stuff, it takes a lot of time… but it will be worth it, to have all my rarest LP’s on display for the world to see. Good for insurance purposes also I guess… to have an archive with photographs of these priced gems.
Nice display setup,Fredrik! I assume at this point you are getting around ok with just one arm and one leg?(lol)
…So Mattyman, I just noticed your post above, and to answer your question regarding the cover photo of Sonny Clark’s Cool Struttin’: It is in fact an original photo by Francis Wolff, but the real shocker is that the owner of those sexy ankles belong to Ruth Lion, wife of Blue Note co-founder Alfred Lion believe it or not ! (Ref. from the book Blue Note: The Album Cover Art, Volume 1) …I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but it kind of blows the mystique behind this one for me, almost like finding out that they belong to your grandmother or something !
Aha, Don-Lucky, thanks again for your answer. Still there’s one thing that keeps bugging me from the second version of the ‘legs’ photo that I found. Please click HERE on more time (and make sure to view in ‘slide show’ mode); don’t we all agree that the second shot must have come from the same session but seems to have been taken from a film or something like it? And at the same time one wonders where that second ‘leg shot’ came from…
I just saw a Japanese CD called the ‘Complete Cool Struttin’ on Ebay that has a few more pictures of Ruth Lion’s legs.
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561793_10151071127069135_1474148264_n.jpg
Judging from the alternate shots,I’d say that Wolff got the right shot for the cover. The juxtaposition of the movement of the forefront image against the more steady man’s legs in rear(both in contrast to the stability of the buildings in the distance)indeed make for a cool strut,and an iconic image. Now…back to the music!