Four Listings: Two That Are New To Us, One On Our Want List and One That Doesn’t Make a Lot of Sense
We’ve got some interesting jazz vinyl in the Jazz Collector watch list on eBay, including a couple we’ve never seen before. Let’s start with one we’ve seen many times, but still don’t own: Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This is an interesting listing because the seller was able to post really clear pictures of the record and the label. It also raises an interesting question for the Blue Note diehards out there: One side of this record has the New York 23 address, the other just has West 63rd. Is it an original pressing. In my book it would be, but I didn’t write the book on Blue Notes. In any case, this one is listed in VG+ or VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG for the cover and the price is in the $225 range. The auction closes later today and the bidding has not yet reached the seller’s reserve.
Now for the two that are new to us:
Annie Ross, Annie by Candlelight, Nixa 504. This looks to be an original Canadian 10-inch pressing. Not only have I never seen this record, I’ve never heard of the Nixa label. Anyone want to help us out with some info? This record is listed in excellent condition and the cover is described as very good. The start price is about $220 and so far there are no bidders.
This is a French pressing we’ve never seen: Rene Thomas, Meeting Mister Thomas, Barclay 84091. This looks to be an original pressing from 1963. The record is listed in Ex minus condition and the cover looks to be excellent. The bidding is in the $130 range but it has not yet reached the seller’s reserve price.
Here’s a listing lacking in either knowledge or integrity: Hank Mobley, No Room For Squares, Blue Note 4149. This is listed as a “Blue Note Jazz LP Original Pressing,” while the listing clearly shows that this is a mere Liberty pressing. The seller has a start price of about $150 and so far there are no bids. We assume it will stay that way, but you never know. Look at the bidding on that Hank Mobley Blue Note 1568 reissue that got out of hand before the seller graciously decided to pull the listing. Not sure if he did that because he was expecting problems, or because he realized something wacky was going on. But, the listing did clearly state it was a reissue, so he didn’t need to do that. Or did he?
The Jordan and Gilmore should have the 47 West 63rd, New York 23 on both sides. It’s not that I’m really following the auctions of those unaffordable gems, but I can’t remember if I’ve seen copies with the New York 23 address on one side only. Anyway, the fact that it has the New York 23 address on one side, means that this definitely is a later pressing and not a first.
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And the Room For Squares, which indeed is a Liberty, says “original pressing”. It’s true, depending on how you look at it: from the Liberty era it’s an original pressing. A Liberty pressing 😀
I am interested to see what “‘EAR’ MARKING ON THE DEADWAX” the seller was referring to in the Mobley listing.
For the Jordan it should technically be a flat edge as well and the seller said it is not.
The Nixa label is of UK origin (Pye Group). They have featured excellent UK artists like Don Rendell. They also issued on 12″ LP the unforgettable Stockholm recordings on Metronome, issued in Sweden on 45 rpm only, of the likes of Tommy Potter, Duke Jordan, Cecil Payne and Rolf Ericson. I did not know that Nixa were also pressed in Canada, but nothing surprising at that view the Commonwealth ties.
René THomas was a brilliant belgian guitarist. All his output is fine and is worth searching for. He made his first sessions for Barclay in France and in Italy with Bobby Jaspar. He recorded an excellent album for Jazzland in the US (with JR MOnterose), played also with Lou Bennett for RCA (on the fantastic “Enfin”). You can also hear him playing with top american jazzmen in Europe like Sonny Criss, Chet Baker, Lucky Thompson, and Stan Getz on the unforgettable “Dynasty” in the beginning of the 70’s. He untimely died in 1975.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWcRtztr35A
I concur with Michel. Listening to Rene Thomas “Guitar Groove” on Jazzland as I write this. This is a wonderful album that I was lucky enough to get in unplayed pristine shape. It features JR Monterose and truthfully, I have a hard time removing it from the turntable!
only have Thomas’ Jazzland and his final recording, TPL with Jacques Pelzer and Han Bennink (Vogel, Belgium) and both are excellent.
Have encountered a few things on Nixa in the past but not that Annie Ross; she did a few interesting LPs in the 60s for UK labels like Pye and Transatlantic as well.
Thomas was also held in high esteem by Sonny Rollins and contributed short solos to the Rollins Big Brass session on MGM, reissued on Verve. I had the chance to see Thomas being invited on stage by Rollins at a festival in Belgium in 1973.
Cool. I don’t think I’ve ever spent time with that Big Brass record either….
Matty, I wouldn’t personally go as far as saying an NY23/W63 is *definitely* not from the same pressing as the copies with NY23 on both sides. I know we’ve been through this several times before but my understanding is that there is no ‘hard evidence’ indicating in these instances that same-label copies are from an earlier pressing run than the mixed label copies, or vice versa, meaning the mixed label copies could have technically been pressed at the end of the first run, or randomly throughout for all we know I guess.
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Al, a visitor named Dane had correspondence with the seller of that copy of 1568 and commented about it here: https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/a-stroll-down-miles-davis-way-and-more/#comment-364607
W63 labels first surfaced on BLP 1560. BLP 1549 should have NY23 labels on both sides to be an original pressing. If a copy has W63 on one side it’s maybe a second pressing.
Good call, Fredrik. That does indeed prove that mixed label copies of 1549 aren’t originals, for me anyway. I stand corrected, sorry Matty!
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However, I feel release date is a stronger indicator of order with these types of things, and technically, according to the back of Cohen’s guide BLP 1567, Curtis Fuller’s Opener was released two months before 1560 in August ’57 with W63 on both sides…though this doesn’t seem to change anything about 1549 since it apparently came out in May of that year with NY23 on both sides.
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BTW: I’ve grown to love 1549, especially the version of the Gigi Gryce composition Blue Lights on there.