Rare Jazz Vinyl, Some With Autographs
Sorry for taking such a long break over the Memorial Day weekend. But we are back to our post at Jazz Collector and ready to begin posting regularly again, starting with a catch-up of items we were watching last week on eBay.
First there was that copy of Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants, Prestige 7150, that was autographed by Miles, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. It was offered by the Jazz Record Center so there was some level of credibility attached to the autographs, although the listing didn’t say anything about independent verification. The price for this was $4,305. It’s certainly a one-of-a-kind item, so there is probably no price too high to have surprised us. This seems pretty reasonable for such a rare item. Here are a couple more from the same auction: Art Pepper, Intensity, Contemporary 3607. This was not only signed by Art Pepper, he also put the date and his home address with the signature. The record and cover both looked to be in M- condition. This one sold for $150.27. This one was not signed: Johnny Hodges, In a Tender Mood, Norgran 1059. This was an original yellow label pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $161.50. I was watching this because I like to keep an eye on the original Norgrans, just to see that there is still a collector’s market for them, since they really reflect artists mostly from the pre-bop era, with a few exceptions, of course. This one also has that weird kind of cover from the era, with a picture of a white woman as the sole image on the picture of an album by a black male artists. Is it really possible that
these records with the white women on the cover — this one has a certain Marilyn Monroe vibe, wouldn’t you say — sold better than the records with the artist’s picture, or with a beautiful drawing by David Stone Martin. As a collector, a record such as this has less appeal to me because of the cover, compared to some of the other Norgrans. What do you think?
Here are three for the $1,000 bin:
George Wallington Quintet at the Bohemia,Progressive 1001. This was an original pressing offered by Euclid Records, another of the most credible dealers, and it was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It also had a promo stamp. It sold for $1,213.89.
Hank Mobley, Roll Call, Blue Note 4058. This was an original pressing with the West. 63rd Street address. It was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,081.
Finally, there was Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. This was an original pressing also in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $1036.
Al: there is so much valuable Norgran/Clef stuff. I share your appreciation of the various commercial presentations. The absolute top for me is, of course, any DSM cover, followed by one of the gorgeous Herman Leonard or Phil Stern picture covers, sometimes covering the whole front, without any text. The very last choice is the stereotyped blonde, who at the time, even could not be ssen with the performing artists, at the risk of serious problems for both. So the “blonde approach” was a perfidious sales ploy of MR Granz.
The Johnny Hodges LP above definitely seems reminiscent of the Marilyn-esque style cover photos so prevalent on the albums of this era. Even the Blossom Dearie catalogue seems to play up on this theme, but at least it was Blossom herself on them ! Personally, I think Norman Granz had a thing for blondes… He always looked a bit creepy looming behind Blossom in those classic Verve session photos…
Ha, wasn’t it Miles Davis who once said that people used to think that he was a white chick, as that was what they put on his album covers?
Lander: I can only name one, Miles Ahead on Columbia, pretty soon to be replaced by a picture of Miles himself.
I picked out at random some more examples of this strange habit of female pictures totally dissociated from the music.
-Clef MGC 690 Billie Holiday “Solitude”. A De Paoloa picture of a brunette hanging against a curtain and -Ventura’s “In a jazz mood” with a blonde, again by de Paola.
Absolutely dated stuff, but the music is good.
(and, I always loved the yellow/black Norgran labels, super cool)
Here’s a direct quote on the subject from Miles Davis himself in his infamous Playboy interview from September 1962:
“…Look, man, right in music you got the same thing happening. I got this album, “Someday My Prince Will Come,” and you know who’s on the jacket cover? My wife — Frances. I just got to thinking that as many record albums as Negroes buy, I hadn’t ever seen a Negro girl on a major album cover unless she was the artist. There wasn’t any harm meant — they just automatically thought about a white model and ordered one. It was my album and I’m Frances’ prince, so I suggested they use her for a model, and they did it.”
Plus, Frances was super cute. “Someday…” is a great cover, and so is “E.S.P.”!
There was a time when having a black artist on the cover was very socially controversial at the time. Blue Note was one the few exceptions for a while.
The label’s goal was to appeal to the broadest commercial market possible. Case in point, The Chantels. When their hit “Maybe” went national the label took the group of four black women off the cover and replaced them with white teenagers.
My wife had an interesting view on the Johnny Hodges cover, as she thinks it could easily be seen as a, quote,“chauvinist setting of the proverbial blonde Marilyn Monroe style woman obviously on her knees, with a male hand on the back of her head, urging her towards his zipper and, inherently, ding dong.”
Never thought of that, really, but I have to say it’s an interesting idea 😉
Mattyman — your wife sounds cool, and perceptive. I agree with her point of view.
Thanks. And I, too, have to agree. I don’t think it’s a bad cover at all, but she has a point. I think it’s only a matter of time before someone spoofs the Hodges cover with photoshop into something for adults only.
Last but not least: given the $1,000 bin status of the Open Sesame, I guess I have to hold on to my Japanese pressing a bit longer 😉