Old Jazz Vinyl and a Young Jazz Singer

Catching up on eBay, starting with Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This looks to be an original West 63^rd Street pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding is in the $250 range with three days left on the auction. How about Art Taylor, Tailor’s Wailers, Prestige 7117. This is an original yellow label with the New York address. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition, although the seller does mention “minimal noise,” which is better than lots of noise, but you do have concerns when there is mention of any noise at all. To be fair, I guess minimal noise does relate to some VG+ records, since VG+ is somewhat of a catchall description. Anyway, the start price for this record is $250 and so far there are no bidders.

Then there is this “Preview Copy” of Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This looks to be an original purple label deep-groove pressing listed in M- condition for the record and the cover. The bidding is in the $100 range with nearly six days left. I would expect this record to be more in the $2,000 range when all is said and bid. Finally, there is Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners, Riverside 226. This is an original white label pressing and, believe me, after years of searching, you don’t find too many of these around, in any condition. This one is graded as VG+ for both the cover and the record. The bidding is in the $125 range with a bit more than a day left, but I would expect it to go for quite a bit more.

Catching up on some other items, I never did bid on that signed copy of Max Roach, Jazz in ¾ Time, Mercury 80002. It wound up selling for $152.50, which would have probably been under my offer, if I had been paying attention, which, obviously, I wasn’t. From that same auction was another copy of Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York yellow label that looked to be in VG++ condition for the record and probably the same for the cover. The final price was $1,453.87. Given the condition and the fact that the seller was the Jazz Record Center, I would have expected a higher price tag.

There was also Anita O’Day Sings Jazz, Norgran 1049. This was a black-label pressing with the David Stone Martin cover. The record was in M- condition and the cover was excellent. The final price was $130.37. I mention this record because I saw a terrific jazz concert the other night up here in The Berkshires, featuring a young singer named Veronica Swift. She is the daughter of the late pianist Hod O’Brien and the singer Stephanie Nakasian, who joined Swift as the headliner of the concert on Saturday. Both of these women can really sing and swing, and Swift also showed she can handle a ballad with a beautiful version of “Darn That Dream” in tribute to her father. Anyway, she mentioned Anita O’Day as her favorite jazz singer, then launched into a couple of great Anita showcases, “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “Tea For Two,” definitely as an homage and also with her own very musical interpretation. Anyway, she is a singer we will all be hearing more about in the years ahead, so if you get a chance to see her, check her out. Here’s a clip of Veronica Swift that was used to promote the concert. Not a bad backup band, either.