Sonny Rollins: “Jazz is a Meritocracy”

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Somebody sent me this interview of Sonny Rollins by Dave Pehling that came out today in SF Weekly. I will skip the intro, figuring anyone here knows enough about Sonny’s history, and go straight to the interview, in which Sonny is quite open and thoughtful

Q: You initially played piano and alto saxophone before settling on tenor, but from what I gather, that was because an alto horn just ended up in your household?

Sonny: No, my mother bought me an alto. I was an aficionado of the rhythm and blues band of Louis Jordan, and he played alto. He played tenor too, but mainly he played alto. So at that time I just wanted a saxophone, and it didn’t really matter until a few years later when Coleman Hawkins’s “Body and Soul” was the big sensation. Then I wanted to play like Coleman Hawkins. I wanted to get that tenor sound.

Q: Had you played piano much before you got your first horn?

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A Fresh Take on Blue Notes

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I was thinking about what to post this evening and someone sent me a bunch of pictures of Blue Note covers. Slightly altered. Have you seen these? Some jazz fan was having fun with photo shop. Regular readers of this site should have no trouble identifying the real covers, right? I just don’t want to see any Mitt Romney covers of Stan Getz, Zoot Sims or Bill Evans records, please.

Tracking Some Lovely, Rare and Expensive LPs

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Here are a few of the more expensive jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching:

Art Pepper Quartet, Modern Art, Intro 606. This one was rated in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. I have to give the seller and/or Photoshop credit — that is a fine looking picture of the cover and it certainly looks a lot more appealing than VG+. I have a feeling some of the bidders felt the same way: This one sold for $1,580 with 20 bids and about half as many bidders. Love the simplicity of the cover of this one. Anyone know who did it? Intro is not a label that gets noticed too often.

J. R. Monterose, The Message, Jaro 5004. This looked to be an original mono pressing in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $888.78.

Beverly Kenney, Like Yesterday, Decca 8994. This was an original deep-groove pressing with the pink promo label. It looked to be in quite gorgeous condition and was graded M- for both the record and the cover. Quite a nice find, which was reflected in the final price, which was $790, the highest we’ve ever seen for this record.

 

 

A Tale of Five Blue Notes

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Another day, another batch of rare jazz vinyl to watch on eBay.

Miles Davis Volume 1, Blue Note 1501. This looks to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing, the first of the 1500 series. It is listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The start price is around $200 and so far there are no bidders with just a couple of days to go. This seller has a bunch of nice items up for sale this week, including: Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 1502. This also looks to be an original pressing in similar condition to Volume 1, M- for the record and VG++ for the cover. This one also has a start price of around $200 and has one bidder, so far. One more Blue Note: Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The bidding is in the $250 so far for this LP.

May as well stick with Blue Notes this morning:

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In Search of a Score

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Here are a couple of  jazz vinyl auctions we’re watching now on eBay.

One of these days, we’re going to spring for an original pressing of Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. A nice looking copy overall. The bidding closes in four days and the price is nearly $300. Will this be the one for me? Doubt it. I’ll still be hunting for a copy that I’ll consider to be a score, i.e., at a price below market value. That’s part of the fun for me.

Case in point: Dizzy Reece, Soundin’ Off, Blue Note 4033. This is an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It is closing later today and is also in the $300 range. This is one I waited and waited for, hoping to get for a bargain. And, recently, I did. Bought this as part of a larger group of Blue Notes and paid the equivalent of about $40 for it. That’s what I consider to be a score.

 

Catching Up With Some Jazz Vinyl Auctions

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Let’s catch up on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay:

Bud Powell, Jazz Giant, Norgran  1063. This was an original yellow-label deep-groove pressing with the cover illustration by David Stone Martin. The record was listed in probably VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover, although you have to read the descriptions carefully to reach those conclusions. This one sold for $260.99, which is quite a nice price for a Norgran these days. I have a duplicate of this record, but it’s not in quite as nice condition.

Joe Henderson, Mode For Joe, Blue Note 4227. This was an interesting one: It was a factory-sealed pressing. It has all the makings of an original pressing, with the mono cover, the lack of anything remotely Liberty, the right address. But is it an original? Only the buyer will know for sure, presuming he eventually opens the LP to listen to it. This one sold for $215.63. Question to think about: Would it have sold for more money if it had been opened and the seller could guarantee that it was an original pressing?

Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was the one we mentioned the other day:

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A Nice Batch of Jazz Vinyl For Today

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Here’s a nice list of jazz vinyl now on eBay that would be a fine addition to any jazz collection:

Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This is an original Lexington Avenue deep groove pressing. The record is listed in near mint condition and the cover is VG. The bidding is in the $200 range, there are two days left and it has yet to reach the seller’s reserve price. While we’re on the subject: Jutta Hipp, New Sounds From Germany, Blue Note 5056. This is an original 10-inch record. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is listed as M-. There are five days left on this one and the bidding is now in the $140 range. It will go quite higher.

Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This is an original New York yellow label in what is described as M- condition for both the record and the cover. The seller does mention “three tiny clicks, barely audible,” which is honest of him to mention and perhaps doesn’t diminish from the M- grade. Can you listen to almost any record without three tiny clicks somewhere? This one is now in the $335 range and has not yet met the seller’s reserve price.

Here’s a nice jazz vocal LP I wouldn’t mind owning:

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Various Vinyl Odds and Ends

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Haven’t been on eBay in a few days. Here are the results of some of the jazz vinyl auctions we missed:

John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This was an original black label pressing. It was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $510. It’s nice posting Giant Steps every once in a while so I can put a picture with the post and just take a look at it again — inspiring me to put the record on the turntable.

Perhaps I owe CeeDee an apology for this one: Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams, Out of this World, Warwick 2041. This was an original pressing in what looked to be VG+ condition for the vinyl and probably VG+ or VG++ for the cover. It sold for $159.99, higher than I would have expected. CeeDee and I made a trade involving this record and Dexter Calling a few months ago and at some point I may have made some kind of disparaging remark about the Byrd/Adams record. No doubt, it had more to do with the quality of the recording than the quality of the music. My copy just sounded very dull and flat, particularly compared to a Blue Note pressing from the same era.

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Granz, Farlow & The American Recording Society

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Here’s a little tidbit that comes courtesy of my friend Dan Axelrod. Dan, as faithful readers of Jazz Collector know, was a great friend and protege of the guitar legend Tal Farlow. Dan sent me a note last week asking the following question: Why did Norman Granz farm out the first issue of The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow out to a record club? My first response was surprise. He did? I didn’t know that. Turns out the first issue of this record — my favorite of all the Farlows — was issued under the auspices of American Recording Society. I’ve had a few records issued by ARS over the years and, if I recall properly, they didn’t have hard covers. The ones I recall owning were Billie Holiday records, but I didn’t keep them because I had the original Verves. I, of course, suggested to Dan that we post the question here at Jazz Collector, but before either of us got around to posting, he did some research and came up with the answer. Here it is:

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A Convention of Jazz Record Collectors. Really.

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I saw a note that the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors is meeting this weekend in New Orleans. Sounds like it may be fun, with classic films, live jazz and, of course, dealers selling records. I’m not a member of the organization and I don’t know anyone who is. Seems kind of funny, I guess, that I do this site called Jazz Collector and there’s an association of jazz record collectors and I don’t know anything about it. The explanation, I think, has to do with the way I’ve always approached this lovely hobby and the way most of you in the Jazz Collector community seem to approach it as well, and that is: We seem to enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and the hunt tends to be a relatively solitary endeavor. I remember when I used to go recording hunting with my friend Dan and there was always a battle for the best records: Who saw it first, who wanted it most, who just had to have it, who would be willing to pay more. At some point I  realized it was more fun to go hunting by myself and then tell him about the scores after the records were safely ensconced on my shelves. The idea of joining an association of collectors never had that much appeal. Here at Jazz Collector we can share

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