Hawes, Hipp, Trane and More

Some random stuff from eBay and email. I hadn’t particularly though of this record as a collectible: Hampton Hawes, For Real, Contemporary 7589. This was a stereo pressing with the yellow label and I couldn’t tell from the listing if it was a deep groove and/or original. It was in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $113.50, which is not Blue Note pricing, but still in the range of what I would view as a collectible. Just took a look at Popsike and, lo and behold, this record does have a particular cachet, with many copies selling for more than $100 and a top price of more than $300 for a mono pressing. I’m sure it’s a great record, with Harold Land on tenor, and I’m also sure that the presence of Scott La Faro on bass for one of his last albums adds to the interest and thus the value. Not being on eBay all of the time, and not doing any buying or selling myself, it sometimes happens that nice records slip through the cracks of my awareness. Here’s another one to put on my want list because, alas, I no longer have a copy.

Booker Ervin Quintet, Cookin’, Savoy 12154. This was listed as an original pressing with the dark red labels. They looked somewhat maroonish to me, but that could just be my screen and the light in the room. The seller is highly reliable and experienced, so we’ll assume the issue is at my end and the record is, indeed an original. It was listed in VG++ condition for the record and Ex for the cover and sold for $209.51

Here’s an email exchange between a reader and myself:

Subject: An Overpriced Record
“Just in case you had not seen, there is a copy of Work by Monk With Sonny Rollins on eBay. The seller has it listed at over $100. Love our web site and read it often.”

My reply: Thanks for the heads up. I typically don’t write about over-priced records on eBay. If I did, I wouldn’t have space to write about anything else. 🙂

Here’s another:

“Just discovered your site, while I was googling Jutta Hipp Vol. 2. I guess I’ve had this record for 15 years, but never paid any attention to it, because I never heard of this artist.  Recently, I was flipping through my boxes looking for classical stuff, and came across it. This time it dawned on me that this was a valuable record.

My copy has a really nice cover, but the vinyl is just so-so.  But it sounds great—nothing beats the Blue Note jazz sound.  I would never sell it, but it’s fun to look up what it’s  going for.  Just finished listening to the whole thing for the first time—it ends much too soon.  Guess I’ll have to pick up reissues of the other Jutta albums.

I got this at a tag sale in Westchester, where I got all of my good jazz records.  I started collecting very late in the game, 1993.  But if you were really persistent and creative you could find things. It’s also pretty cool that I used to live in Queens in the 1970’s, probably in a neighborhood much like where Jutta lived.  I can just hear her say “Mein Gott” when she was told that she had $35,000 in royalties waiting for her at Blue Note.  My God, I’m sure she really could have used that money many times in the last 40 years of her life.

As to my background, I was a classical saxophone major at Juilliard, and had Hall Overton as my music theory teacher one year.  During that year, Lee Konitz sat in on the class—he never went to college and wanted to catch up.  He helped to start a little student jazz group—this was way before Juilliard started its Jazz program—this was 1972. One thing Lee had us do was play Parker transcriptions in unison. Anyway, I’m really excited to have found this site.”

I read this note and had no idea what he was talking about with the Mein Gott and $35,000 in royalties. So, back to Google and there was this: The Brief Career and Self-Imposed Exile of Jutta Hipp, Jazz Pianist. Thanks to Aaron Gilbreath for the great article, and thanks to our new reader for the reference.

Here’s another email:

“I’ve been looking for an album called archipelago on and off since the 70s when I heard it. A great jazz fusion disc, very colorful cover. Ever heard or heard of it? Please email when you have time. Thanks!”

The answer is I don’t know the record, or the cover, but rather than sending an email, here’s the question in a post, where it is very, very likely to get an intelligent factual answer.

And another:

Subject: Blue Train US Blue Note 1577 63^rd

“It would be very kind if you could help me with some information of what makes this record 1st or 2nd edition. I have read a lot of speculative or unclear information on different pages and I would love to just have the facts. Thank you soooo much.”

My reply:

Here’s a post from a few years ago: Blue Train: Honing in on the Original Labels

My understanding is that collectors view the New York 23 label on one side as the original first pressing, and the West 63rd Street on both sides as the second pressing. When you look at the prices in auctions, the New York 23 on one side seems to hold more interest for the hardcore collectors.