The other day we pointed out the Phil Woods 10-inch LP on New Jazz. This is a tough one: Altogether, how many 10-inch LPs were issued on the New Jazz label? For extra credit, you can name as many as possible. If you get desperate, the answer can be found somewhere on the Jazz Collector site.
Time to do the drawing for the winner of the great LP, John Coltrane, My Favorite Things, Atantic 1361. This is a near mint stereo pressing, not an original, but it sounds great and it’s one of the classics, despite the surprising criticisms from some of our favorite commentators. For me, this is a real favorite and one of the first records I fell in love with when I fell in love with jazz. I find the title track powerful and innovative and am a huge fan of the way Trane does “But Not For Me,” with an echo of his Prestige years, but the clear growth he had shown in Giant Steps. And then there is Everytime We Say Goodbye, which Mrs JC and I took for our wedding song. Speaking of Mrs. JC, here she is to select this week’s winner. As most of you know by now, the rules for our contests are simple: All you have to do to be eligible to win
This is a busy day here at Jazz Collector, with a particular emphasis on John Coltrane collectibles. Some of the heavy-ticket items we’ve been watching are closing today, including that copy of Giant Steps, which is now more than $200; later today we will be announcing the winner of our contest to win a copy of My Favorite Things; and we are closing our last auctions for a couple of weeks, as we head off for a brief holiday. Have no fear, during the holiday we will still be doing our daily posts, and more, on Jazz Collector. Meanwhile, some of the items closing today.
Art Taylor, Taylor’s Wailers, Prestige 7117. This is an original pressing and the record features an all star lineup of John Coltrane, Jackie McLean and Charlie Rouse, among others. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG++. The price is now about $450. This is one of those records in the batch being sold by Bobdjukic, which also includes the Giant Steps LP. What I find incredible is
I have a friend who is a big fan of 10-inch LPs and a big fan of 1950s Phil Woods. I was looking at eBay today and sent him this photo and this listing: Phil Woods New Jazz Quintet, Prestige New Jazz 1104. This one is only in VG condition, but I knew he would love it. Sure enough he wrote a reply: “You know me too well.” I love this one too, particularly the red and white New Jazz label, which you don’t see too often and, if I recall, doesn’t appear on 12-inch LPs at all. It is now in the $50 price range. So I’m picturing my friend now sitting at home pondering: To bid, or not to bid. The essential existential e-Bay question on a sultry summer day in New York. My bet on the answer? To bid.
I was perusing eBay early this morning and came across this beautiful item: Miles, The New Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7014. I’ve always loved this LP, not just for the music and the great cover, but for the historic value as well: The introduction of the great Miles Quintet of the ’50s and, in particular, the introduction of John Coltrane. So, I put this item on my watch list and took a further look and it turns out to be a listing from Rudolf, our faithful friend and commentator. So we are happy to help Rudolf publicize this listing on the Jazz Collector site, but we also noticed a nice teaser in the listing, which notes that they album will be offered with a copy of Metronome’s July 1956 review of the album. Furthermore, the listing notes that the Metronome review is
We casually mentioned the Lexington Avenue version of Sonny Rollins Volume One, Blue Note 1542 and there, lo and behold, is a beautiful M- copy that is ready for the $1,000 bin. This one sold for $1,225.
Also entering the $1,000 bin is Dizzy Reece, Blues in Trinity, Blue Note 4006. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing that was in M- condition, both record and cover. It sold for $1,595.
John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. This was an original pressing n VG+ condition with a light scratch. The cover was listed as excellent-minus, which is, what, VG+ at best? It too is in the $1,000 bin, fetching
The real reason I was looking at the listings of bobdjukic was the copy he is selling of John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This is a mono pressing with the bulls-eye label. Here’s what he says about the record: “Believed by many to be of the same vintage as the black Atlantic stereo label — in other words, as strangely as it sounds, one of two ‘co-equal’ first pressings.” This depiction is a new one for me, and I’m quite skeptical of its accuracy. A few years ago, I was scolded on this very site for purchasing a bulls-eye stereo copy of Giant Steps, even though I only paid $50. That’s my copy in the picture. The value has subsequently gone up. But this is the first time I’m hearing that anyone believes the bulls-eye and black labels are
If you’ve been on eBay this week, you’ve probably noticed the listings of the seller bobdjukic, who has a few hundred records listed, not all jazz. He’s a seller who often puts up nice stuff. I’ve never bought from him, so I don’t know his reputation. One thing I do know: His listings get noticed. I was glancing at the listing for Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This seems to be an original pressing in less than VG condition with a cover that’s just in G or G+ condition. Not great by any means. I was not surprised at the $100 price tag — nothing about Blue Note prices surprises me anymore — but by the number of page views the item received: It has a staggering total of 1,579 views and there are still four days to go. In all the years I’ve been listing on e-Bay, I’ve never had a single record receive that kind of viewership. I’m not sure what this guy does to attract eyeballs, but whatever it is, it is working.
Jazz Collector is certainly expanding my horizons. Today I spoke to a bass player in Rochester who was friends with J.R. Monterose and, in fact, produced a CD that is probably J.R.’s last recording. He’s sending me a copy and I’ll let you know about it when it arrives. Quite possibly we could end up as a repository of the first and last known recordings of J.R. Monterose. Pretty cool. Also, I had a long conversation with Ron Rambach, who has a company called Music Matters, which reissuing of a good portion of the Blue Note catalogue as
