From The Archives: The Duke As a Hillbilly????

Leave a comment

When I was researching that “trick” quiz question on the first Leonard Feather Blindfold Test, I came upon the Downbeat Special 20th Anniversary Issue from June 30, 1954. In addition to talking about the Blindfold Tests, Feather had some great stories and quotes. Here’s a comment from Jack Teagarden on Duke Ellington: “I never did like anything Ellington ever did. He never had a band all in tune, always has a bad tone and a bad blend. I’d just as soon listen to a hillbilly on a jukebox.”

This is what Feather had to say about the first Mary Lou Williams Blindfold test from 1946:

Read more

Leo Parker LP — And The Winner Is . . .

5 comments

It’s time to announce the winner of the free record, Leo Parker, Rollin’ With Leo, Blue Note BST 84095. This is the 1986 release of this LP, which was the first time it was released with the cover art and catalog number that was originally intended by Blue Note in 1962. What’s more, this is a promo copy, with a promo stamp on the cover. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is M-. The rules of the contest are simple: All you have to do is post a comment on the Jazz Collector site, anywhere on the site. Over the past two weeks, since we’ve been running the contest, we’ve had quite a bit of commenting on the site, but as I looked back, it’s not that many people. There are only six eligible to win the record. They are: Jason, Rudolf, Michel, Bethellodge, Mike M and Erich Schultz. And the winner is . . . . Read more

Another Quiz

5 comments

Doing that quickie quiz earlier today reminded me that when I used to send out a Jazz Collector newsletter back in 2004 and 2005, I used to run a quiz every week. So I looked back in the archives and came up with this one, a little bit tougher than the “Buckshot La Funke.” Here’s the question:

Who was the subject of Leonard Feather’s First Blindfold Test in Downbeat Magazine?

We’ll see who comes up with this one.

Quickie Quiz

2 comments

I posed a question in a post yesterday, but nobody has responded yet. I know you all know the answer, so perhaps you just missed it. But here’s the question I posed yesterday: On the album Here Comes Louis Smith, Blue Note 1584, the alto player is listed as “Buckshot La Funke.” Who is it really? By the way, there’s still time to post a comment on the site and be eligible to win the Leo Parker LP. We’re going to have Mrs. Jazz Collector draw the winning name tonight, and we’ll post the results tomorrow.

Today on EBay: Jordan, Gonsalves, Melle

Leave a comment

Here are some of the items worth watching on eBay today: Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This is an original deep groove mono pressing with the West 63rd Street address. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is VG++. The current price is about $330. 

Paul Gonsalves, Cookin’, Argo 626. This is an original pressing. The record is VG++ and the cover is VG+. The current price is $150. One of the reasons I’m watching this is because I have a copy of the same record in similar condition and I’m thinking of selling it. So, if somebody out there is interested, just let me know by commenting on the site or sending me an email to al(at)jazzcollector.com. 

Read more

Today on eBay: Some Bennie Green on Blue Note

Leave a comment

Fairly quiet day on eBay today, but there’s always something. Here are a couple of nice LPs from the trombonist Bennie Green: Bennie Green, Soul Stirrin’, Blue Note 1599. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record is M- and the cover is VG++. The current price is already $264 and it hasn’t yet reached the seller’s reserve price. We’ll see if it sells. One of the things I like about this album, aside from the music, which is quite good, is that Blue Note lists one of the tenor players simply as “Jug.” Obviously, this was Gene Ammons and he was under contract with Prestige at the time, but by using his real nickname they didn’t really try to hide anything. Another one of these I like on Blue Note is on Here Comes Louis Smith, Blue Note 1584, where the alto player is listed as “Buckshot La Funke.” It’s not hard to figure out who this is, but I will leave it to our readers to supply the answer. Also up on eBay today is

Read more

Monk with Warhol Cover Sells for $843

3 comments

We had expected this record to sell for more than $1,000, but it didn’t: Thelonious Monk, Prestige 7053. This was a promo copy with the Andy Warhol cover and the New York label. The record was in VG+ or VG++ condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $843. A few weeks ago a copy of this record in VG condition sold for more than $2,000. Perhaps, as we mentioned before, things are softening a bit. Is the economy starting to affect the market for high-end jazz collectibles?

More On the 10-Inchers From Dex, JJ and Silver

Leave a comment

We’ve been tracking some of the 10-inch LPs on eBay lately, so here’s a rundown of some of the prices. We tend to think perhaps the market for 10-inch LPs is soft but, actually, everything on eBay seems a little soft these days. We had a bunch of inexpensive records up the past two days and most of them didn’t even get a bid. The records we did sell, went for lower prices than we expected. Anyway, here  are the 10-inch LPs we were watching and their prices. You can make your own judgments.

Horace Silver Quintet, Blue Note 5058. This was in M- condition, both the record and the cover. The price was a very respectable $255, but that was last week.

Dexter Gordon, New Sounds in Modern Music, Savoy 9003. The record was VG+ and

Read more

Today on eBay: Tracking Some 10-Inch LPs

Leave a comment

I was watching the discussion about 10-inch LPs elsewhere on the site (click here) when I started doing my daily perusal of eBay and came upon a nice batch of 10-inch LPs being sold today by Euclid Records. We’ll see what this records eventually sell for but, if current price is any indication, maybe there’s something to the theory that interest in 10-inch LPs is declining. Of course, these things often run in cycles as well. Here are some of the items worth watching today:

Jay Jay Johnson, Blue Note 5028. This is a 10-inch LP featuring Clifford Brown being sold by Euclid Records. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG+. The current price is just $67, which doesn’t mean it won’t sell for a lot more. Also from Euclid on the 10-inch front: Dexter Gordon, New Sounds in Modern Music, Savoy 9003. This is an original pressing. The record is VG+ and the cover is VG++. The current price is about $30. 

Also for sale today is a nice copy of a record we expect to sell for more than $1,000:

Read more

Latest Prices: Lee Morgan on Blue Note, Art Pepper, Bird

Leave a comment

And here are still more items for the Jazz Collector Price Guide:

Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was in VG+ condition and the cover was VG. The price was $565.

Miles Davis, Steamin’, Prestige 7200. This was an original pressing with the New Jersey label. The record and cover were M- and the price was $123.50.

Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowin’ in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This was an original

Read more

1 … 187 188 189 190 191 … 212