Thelonious, Duke, Phil and Buckshot
Let’s get back to the mundane business of watching prices of rare jazz vinyl soar on eBay, shall we. Let’s start with Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington, Riverside 12-201. This is the original pressing of the first record in the 200 series of Riverside. It is an original white label pressing with the original cover, featuring photos of Monk, Oscar Pettiford and Kenny Clarke. The record looks to be in nice condition, although the description is pretty vague for a seller who does not offer returns. Cover also looks pretty nice, based on the pictures. The bidding starts at about $750 and so far there is no action, with the auction closing in about two days. I would love to own an original copy of this record and I came close about 20 years ago for what at the time was a reasonable price. I was at the Jazz Record Center in New York and had a copy in my hand in very nice condition and the price was $100. I thought long and hard, asked Fred what he thought and he said it was a bargain at that price, but I guess I didn’t have the money, or the balls, at the time, so I left it behind. Came back a few days later to get it, but it was gone.
Phil Woods, Warm Woods, Epic 3436. This looks to be an original yellow label pressing. It is in shrink wrap, but that might indicate this particular copy may have hit the selves after the initial run. Not sure when the industry shifted from loose plastic to shrink wrap, but I think it was in this time frame, late 1950s or early 1960s. Anyone with a better idea? Rudolf? This is another seller who doesn’t deal in returns or refunds. He said he played the album and there are no skips, but some crackling. Start price is $200 with three days to go and so far there are no bidders and only seven watchers.
Could I do a complete post without mentioning a Blue Note. I could, but I choose not to. So how about Here Comes Louis Smith, Blue Note 1584. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record is listed in VG+ condition and the cover is Ex+. The bidding is at $500 with four days left. This one will end up in the $1,000 bin, don’t you think?
I have another question about this record. It features the alto saxophonist “buckshot la funke,” who is, of course, Cannonball Adderley. But a few numbers later in the Blue Note catalogue comes Somethin’ Else, the only Blue Note under Cannonball’s leadership and a record that seems more of a Miles-driven session versus a Cannonball session. Does anyone know what was going on with contractual rights in those days – why Cannon could not appear under his own name for Louis Smith, but then has an album under his own name in the same time period? I know that the Louis Smith record was originally a Transition, but that doesn’t explain the contractual issues with Blue Note. And, if Cannonball had a contract with Blue Note before he moved to Riverside, why was it only for a single record?
Some nice records listed here! I believe Louis Smith will end up in the $2,000 bin, maybe even the $3,000 bin, although the seller does mention a few tics. But auction outcomes on clean original Blue Notes these days are anyone’s guess it seems.
Monk Plays Ellington, although in beautiful shape and quite original is not a first pressing. A true first pressing would have white labels with light grey reel & tape logo and microphone on the Riverside logo on the front cover, that looks like this:
https://www.discogs.com/Thelonious-Monk-Thelonious-Monk-Plays-The-Music-Of-Duke-Ellington/master/120749
Not that this has much of an impact on collector desirability.
In regards to why Cannonball was credited as Buckshot La Funke on the Louis Smith album while appearing under his real artist name on Somethin’ Else … it’s all speculation, but it’s possible that it was simply a joke. Cannonball was in between contracts when he recorded his Blue Note album, he was leaving Mercury and was in the process of signing with Riverside. The Louis Smith session was recorded just weeks before Somethin’ Else, plus he also appeared as a sideman at other sessions recorded around the same time where he was fully credited (such as New Bottle Old Wine by Gil Evans). So I don’t think choosing the Buckshot moniker was for contractual purposes. It might have been just an inside joke, but we’ll probably never know for sure.
This Phil Woods will probably not generate any hypesteria ; its a great record anyway…and much harder to find than any other record discussed here.
The Louis Smith / Buckshot seller also has a beat to death “Tenorman” copy. Nice copies of Jazz West albums are very hard to come by…what a great album anyway….
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165027154964hash=item266c628c14:g:e0MAAOSwaeFhHsqe
Michel : the link you post leads to a empty page
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165027154964?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20180105095858%26meid%3D126a5dabe14a42bd9c17b8caa9c602c3%26pid%3D100904%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D20%26sd%3D165027154964%26itm%3D165027154964%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2332490&_trksid=p2332490.c100904.m5276
Fixed i hope !! 🙂
Michel : Fixxed !!! I never got the cover of this record, why is Marable in the back ground on his own record, and Clay is front and center? anyway great record, almost impossible to find in Nm condition, i have seen many copies and they all been in really bad condition,be interesting to see what this goes for
The shrink wrap appeared only in the mid sixties. Retail shops would apply them too.
The baggy, loose plastic seal was a specialty of Contemporary Records. Atlantic would have them too before switching to shrink early sixties.
Columbia had an interesting way of sealing. The record was sealed in the plastic inner, the sleeve was without seal.
Major jazz labels in the fifties were always without seals, Pacific Jazz, Prestige, Blue Note etc. I have seen baggy sealed Norgran albums though, with a quality coupon inside.
Michel: I am not sure I got the distinction of white Riverside labels with grey or light blue text. Would one particular catalogue number come in two versions, or is it depending on the catalogue number. I noticed on the album now for sale the broad spine with a printed text. Wouldn’t an early pressing be rather without print on the spine ?
Rudolf. What about inner sleeves? I know that Prestige and Riverside used the rice paper inner sleeves in the 1950s. Did Blue Note? I don’t recall ever seeing a Blue Note with a rice paper sleeve and I’m wondering if they used any sleeves at all in the mid-1950s. One of these days, when people don’t want to hire me to do my real work anymore, I will go through the entire Jazz Collector site and compile all of this information in a book. One of these days.
Al: that will be an important book to be written.
Re Blue Note inners, the 10″ albums had none. The original 12″ were blank, almost transparent, later slightly thicker. The printed thumbnails only appeared in 1961.
You will not be surprised to learn that there is a market for original blank Blue Note inners, which have become very scarce.
Yeah the first press of the Monk has a different address on the back of the cover as well. Tough score. Got the first UK press in nice enough shape for relative peanuts which I guess will have to do – at least it has the same cover art.
Rudolf – early Riversides can often be found with original pale blue and represses with darker blue printing on the white labels. The Monk record for auction also has catalog numbers going all the way up to 12-227 listed on the back while the “first” pressing (non-laminated cover I think, not 100% sure) only lists catalog numbers up to 12-204.
Finally we’re back to a whole thread filled with the arcane discourse that keeps me coming back to jazzcollector.com.
Here is another gem looks like.
Horace Silver.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LP-Horace-Silver-6-Pieces-Of-Silver-MONO-Blue-Note-1539-West-63rd-RVG-Deep-G-/165015768966?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0
@Aaron @Thomas: agreed, the very first pressings of the early Riverside titles have pale greyish printing on white background, instead of the more blueish printing on the slightly later ones. I actually have a first press of the Monk and indeed, the cover is not laminated. I think the first 24 titles have non-laminated covers. I also believe those early Riversides came without inner sleeves.
@Peter A I have a Rousseau cover pressing with white label and the Riverside box in pale gray. Maybe this was just a case of some found old labels, or the blue/gray distinction is simply two different label printers.
Rudolf – Is there an easy way to distinguish original blank Blue Note inners from other blank inners?
@somethin’ else: the idea that miles did a favor to cannonball and that it is miles who “made ‘ the album great , and that cannonball should be lucky.. i don’t agree. Where talkin’ about “autumn leaves”, cause that IS the album: Of course miles plays exactly the right notes to give it its atmosphere , but it is Cannonball’s solo that is Perfect. It lifts the song up to what it is, it’s joy, it’s perfect in it’s restrain and
abundance.. it has the same perfection as the Body and soul solo by Hawkins .. yes, shorter, sam rivers , coltrane etc could blow more and difficult notes, but cannonball’s solo is undone of all the notes that are not necessary..
the second hero of the song is Hank Jones… his outro is sublime… the third hero is art Blakey , who, contrary to what people always think that he is loud and egocentric, plays perfect what is needed with restrain.. there are 3 albums that helped people to get ‘into’ jazz music: Kind of blue, Blue train and Somethin’ else. Besides that, Autumn Leaves is THE song if you want to test your HIFI gear… it’s perfectly recorded.