Catching Up: Sonny Clark, Kenny Dorham +

I just logged in to eBay and, lo and behold, what do I see: Another primo auction from The Jazz Record Center, including a Sonny Clark cornucopia. Perhaps we will see some new price records set in the next week. Here are a few to watch: Sonny Clark, Dial S for Sonny, Blue Note 1570. This is an original deep-groove, West 63^rd Street pressing. The record and cover both look to be in M- condition. As you’ve probably noticed with The Jazz Record Center, they seem to eschew putting condition labels on their listings and instead rely on fairly detailed descriptions, such as the one for this record: “The playing surface is in near-new condition with a beautiful luster and just a single inaudible ¼” scuff; one tic on the second track of Side 2.” To me, that describes a record I would label as M-. The start price is $2,000 and the auction closes in about four days. So far, there are 86 watchers but no bidders. The previous high for this record is about $3,500. Let the bidding begin.

This one you don’t see too often: Sonny Clark Trio, Time 70010. This is an original deep-groove pressing featuring Max Roach on drums and George Duvivier on bass. It also looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding begins at $1,000 and, so far, there are 39 watchers and no bidders. If you are interested, the auction also includes Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579; Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091; and Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576.

Lest anyone think I am shilling for the Jazz Record Center (I’m not, of course), let’s look at some items from other sellers, starting with Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Riverside 291. This looks to be an original pressing listed in M- condition for the record and excellent for the cover. The bidding is at $360, with a little more than a day left on the auction.

I don’t follow the reissues market as closely as I probably should, so perhaps someone can share their knowledge of the Electric Recording Company. I’m asking because I am watching an auction of their reissue of Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, Prestige New Jazz 8025. It looks pretty cool, and I have (stupidly) sold both my original pressing as well as my Japanese reissue, so I am looking for another copy. The start price for this copy is $500 and there are no bidders.

I went to The Electric Recording Co. site and found this:

“British label founded by Pete Hutchison (who co-founded Peacefrog Records) specializing in high-quality, “audiophile” reissues of select classical and jazz originals using vintage – all-valve – mastering equipment using only the original tapes. These reissues reproduce the original LP artwork, label and inner sleeves (as far as copyright will allow) and are all officially sanctioned. Each copy comes with an embossed card insert which is machine-numbered, signed and certified by Pete Hutchinson. All 12″ records come in a sticker-sealed embossed PVC outer sleeve and a folded “banderole” with the ERC catalogue number printed on the top. Each record is then wrapped in ERC-printed paper and also sealed.”

A New York Times article from April 28, 2020, says this:

“The Electric Recording Co., which has been releasing music since 2012, specializes in meticulous recreations of classical and jazz albums from the 1950s and ’60s. Its catalog includes reissues of landmark recordings by Wilhelm Furtwängler, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, as well as lesser-known artists favored by collectors, like the violinist Johanna Martzy.

But what really sets Electric Recording apart is its method — a philosophy of production more akin to the making of small-batch gourmet chocolate than most shrink-wrapped vinyl.

Its albums, assembled by hand and released in editions of 300 or fewer — at a cost of $400 to $600 for each LP — are made with restored vintage equipment down to glowing vacuum-tube amplifiers, and mono tape systems that have not been used in more than half a century. The goal is to ensure a faithful restoration of what the label’s founder, Pete Hutchison, sees as a lost golden age of record-making. Even its record jackets, printed one by one on letterpress machines, show a fanatical devotion to age-old craft.

Thoughts? Experiences? Hype? Is a reissue of Quiet Kenny so incredibly good that someone (me?) should bid $500 or more?