Author: Al

A Rare 10-Inch Trio and $3K For Saxophone Colossus

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Been offline for a few days, but back in business. Here are a few records that sold on eBay whilst I was away, starting with Jack Sheldon Quartet, Get Out of Town, Jazz:West 1. This was an original 10-inch pressing. To be honest, this is a record I’ve never seen before and I wasn’t even aware of any 10-inch records on the Jazz:West label. Apparently, there were two, both by Jack Sheldon. This one was in VG+ condition for the record and G for the cover. It sold for $450.45. And the same seller had the second Jazz:West 10-inch LP as well: Jack Sheldon Quintet with Zoot Sims, Jazz:West 2. This one was in much better condition, listed as M- for both the record and the cover. It sold for $560. You would think, based on the condition, there would have been a bigger discrepancy between the prices.

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Back To Blue Note

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Where were we? Oh, yes, eBay. Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing from the Jazz Record Center, part of a nice auction that closed last week. Based on the description I would count this as M- for both the record and the cover. The final price was $2,275. Before eBay was around to show us what the market really looks like, I used to think that True Blue was the ultimate Blue Note collectible, and for a while that did seem to be the case. But it has since been surpassed in desirability — and price — but at least a couple of other records, to wit: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original pressing with the New York 23 label on side two, which makes it uber-original in the eyes of many collectors. Perhaps of equal excitement, this was a promo copy. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover was listed as EX+. The final price was $7,970, which may be a record for any jazz record, depending upon how you view these things. Quite incredible, don’t you agree.

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Review, Sonny Rollins, Way Out West, Deluxe Boxed Set, As Good as It Gets

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I went to my mailbox the other day and there was a record box. This was strange because I hadn’t remembered ordering any records. But there it was and I opened it. Surprise! A brand new boxed set of Sonny Rollins Way Out West. A promo copy. Understand, I’ve gotten about three promo copies in the 15-plus years I’ve been doing Jazz Collector. I don’t typically do reviews, so nobody puts me on the list. I did make the list on this one and, man, am I pleased. This is a really fantastic set, just what a reissue should be all about. Two LPs, including material that was never released at all and some material that was only issued on CD. New liner notes, including quotes from a 2017 interview with Sonny conducted specifically for the release of this set. Great Bill Claxton photographs and high-end packaging all the way around. Congratulations to Craft Recordings for doing justice to a great album on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of its original release. A couple of bonuses on the album are Read more

An Unusual Quartet of Jazz Vinyl

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I’m always pleased to see my little love notes from CeeDee, although I usually expect to see them when I’m hardly posting. That hasn’t been the case this week, but I got a couple anyway, with links to a bunch of records that typically defend the sensibilities. The first such record this week was an auction from December, so I’m curious about the delay. Anyway, Yusef Lateef, Before Dawn, Verve 8217. This was an original pressing with the trumpeter label. The condition looked to be around M- for the record and the cover. This one sold for $350 and, yes, that is an unexpectedly high price for a Yusef Lateef record on Verve, IMHO.

This one also comes from December: Roland Alexander, Pleasure Bent, New Jazz 8267. This was an original pressing with the purple labels and deep groove. The record was in M- condition and the cover was Ex. The final price was $293. High? The last time I went to the WFMU Record Fair in Brooklyn I purchased a mint copy of this record for $50. That was in May 2015. I guess the value has gone up in less than three years. A lot.

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A Couple Of Records You Don’t See Every Day

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Several readers sent me the following link: John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, Impulse 77. This is a test pressing, dated Dec. 31, 1964. Look at it — it really does say “Ken” Coltrane. Anyway, it is in VG condition. And you can buy it now for a mere $20,000.

Here’s another really odd one I was watching: Miles Davis, Blue Note Volume 1. This is a Taiwan pressing with orange vinyl??? And it’s stereo??? I have no idea of the vintage or the motivation behind issuing an orange vinyl version of this record, but it was offered on eBay for $500 and did not sell. Can’t say I’m surprised. Stereo??? I don’t think so.

Milestones for a Milestone

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I’ve been waiting a few months to post this photo, sent to me by my friend Dan with the simple message: “Feb 4, 1958.” That was 60 years ago today, which also happened to be the occasion my fifth birthday. Quite a birthday tribute to me. We figured with Miles, Cannonball and Coltrane, it had to be a Milestones session and, thank you Internet, that is precisely what it is. If this picture doesn’t put a smile on your face, maybe you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

Here’s one more thing:

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An Update on Slide Hampton

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I received the following note after posting the link to the Slide Hampton Exodus record.
Hi, Al. Frank Basile here. I’m a baritone saxophonist in NYC. I’ve been a long-time reader of your blog. I was about to post a comment on your most recent post, but I’m not sure about your policies toward including links and promoting things that may be a bit “off subject.” But I wanted to bring to your readers’ attention some current happenings related to Slide Hampton after I read the mention of the Slide Hampton record Exodus in your most recent post. Slide Hampton’s Exodus is a fantastic record. Slide led his wonderful octet from 1959-1962 and they recorded a total of 8 LPs (1 on Strand, 4 on Atlantic, 1 on Epic, 1 on Charlie Parker, and 1 on Philips).
(With Al’s permission) I wanted to share a few things with the JC community related to Slide Hampton and the Slide Hampton Octet:
Over the past few years, I’ve been transcribing Slide’s great arrangements he wrote for this band and we’ve put on a number of concerts. We celebrated Slide’s 85th birthday last year with a weekend at Dizzy’s. I’ve posted a few videos from those gigs here:
We will be performing Slide’s octet music on February 9-10 at Smalls. Info can be found here:
(And for those of you who are interested in checking out the gigs but don’t live in the NYC area, you can live stream the gigs from the Smalls website.)
There’s also some amazing video footage of Slide’s original octet (which was filmed in Paris just days before the Exodus recording) here:
Finally, a very fine trombone player named Peter Lin, who has been helping look after Slide for the past few years, has just started producing an extensive video interview series documenting Slide’s life. He’s set up a fundraiser to defray the costs of the project. More info can be found here:

Hardee Bop

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Let’s catch up on some jazz records from our eBay watch list, starting with that John Hardee 78 album, Blue Note 101. When we last looked at this the start price was around $100 and there were no bidders. As noted, the condition leaved a lot to be desired and, alas, no one was willing to bid the $100 it would have taken to purchase it. The item is relisted at the same price, so maybe someone will see this and get the urge. One of the reasons I’m writing about it again is because I wanted to include the picture of the cover, which is quite cool, IMHO. Is it worth $100 just for that? Probably not, but close.

I’m always intrigued by records I’ve never seen before in my nearly 50 years of collecting jazz. This was one of them: Slide Hampton, Exodus, Phillips, B 77.915L. This was an original French issue from 1962. It was listed in at least VG++ condition for the record and M- for the cover. Looks like a good record, given the personnel (George Coleman, Richard Williams, Butch Warren, et al) and the tracks (Moment’s Notice, I Remember Clifford, Confirmation, Straight No Chaster, et al). Anyone have a copy and want to share some insight?

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Blue Notes, 78s and Idiocy: Happy Friday

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This record, like a lot of later Blue Note pressings, has increased quite a bit in value the past few years: Bobby Hutchinson, Happenings, Blue Note 4231. This was an original pressing with the New York USA label and it was in its original shrink wrap, which seems to have some appeal to collectors, although I’m not sure why. Perhaps because of the added protection for a record that is probably 50 years old? Anyway, this one was probably in M- condition for the record and maybe VG++ for the cover and sold for $299.99. Not one of my favorite Blue Note covers. I typically like the covers that feature the artists.

Here’s a rare Blue Note that did not sell:

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Guest Column: “Unholy Grails?”

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We have another guest column for you. I will let it speak for itself, although I will admit upfront I’ve never owned or listened to any of the records discussed here.

The Unholy Grail of Jazz Albums
By Lynn E. McCutcheon
najp@embarqmail.com

 Perhaps some of you have heard about the so-called “Holy Grail” list of jazz albums. It consists of some of the rarest and most desirable jazz albums ever made, with an emphasis on LPs made mostly in the 1950s and 60s. There are a large number of entries from the 1500 Blue Note series, a fair number from the 4000 series, and a sprinkling of entries from lesser known labels such as Transition, Signal, and Jazz West. On the rare occasions when these are offered for sale, they command prices that exceed the budget of many collectors.

At another extreme we have some very nice albums from the same time frame that seemingly no one is looking for – records that might fall under the heading of “Unholy Grail.” To my knowledge, all of these are rare, but let me know if you think some of these are actually more common than I think they are. I hope to list and describe a few of these that have fallen into my hands in the last decade or so. A caution – I tend to like MJQ, Sonny Stitt, Ben Webster, Arnett Cobb, Lou Donaldson, Chet Baker, Art Pepper, and Buddy Collette, to name a few. If you don’t care for any of these folks you may not like my list. Here are some of my favorites, listed and described in no particular order.

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