Guest Column, Part 2: “How I Got Over”

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Here’s Part 2 from our friend Lenni Bukowski.

“Without music, life would be a mistake.”  – Friedrich Nietzsche

“Nothing will ever take the place of you.“ Well, if you’re a collector, something has to, correct?! I mean, all this energy/devotion has to go somewhere. I began the first post quoting from Mr. A‘s email to me wherein he touched on an important part of ceasing to collect records: “How to find a place in our lives for the passion we get by collecting, listening and playing jazz.” The realization that I could exist without being a “record boy” was similar to the one depicted by Harvey Pekar in American Splendor #4, “How I Quit Collecting Records and Put Out A Comic Book With The Money I Saved.”

Yet, I had no inclination to produce a comic book. Nor did I wish to follow the example of an acquaintance, Bruno Johnson, who sold his record collection to finance the start of a CD label, Okka Disc. So, I faced a decision; in Gurdjieffian thought, what do I want to be? Now, this time around.

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Vinyl Musings and a Plea to Help Kenny Burrell

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I spent the last three weeks galivanting around Europe. Alas, no record stores or scores on this trip, not even any live jazz. But, I’m back and checking up on some of the things I missed whilst away, including an auction from the Jazz Record Center that featured Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This was an original pressing that looked to be in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The final price was $2,225. The same auction also featured Bill Evans Trio, Portrait in Jazz, Riverside 315. This was an original pressing with the small blue and silver reels logo. The record and cover both looked to be in new, pristine condition. The final price was $1,385. Finally, this is not music I am familiar with, but I’m sure it will be of interest to Clifford and other readers: Maulawi, Strata SRI-104-74. This looks to be an original pressing in M- condition. The final price was $910.

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Guest Column: Dancing in Your Head

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Greetings to all. I’m Lenni Bukowski, whose comments under the moniker of Lennib you may have read, although recent ones may have been anathema as they dealt with dissolution rather than accumulation. I have also been emailing Al on the matter of disposing due to his post of May 3rd, 2015, titled ‘See You in Brooklyn? Not Anymore.’  He suggested  “Why don’t you write a post or two on your experiences…how to find a place in our lives for the passion we get by collecting, listening and playing jazz.”

I believe I have always been a collector of some sort, of something. Baseball cards, books, stamps, coins, toy soldiers. And looking back, I outgrew all of them over time. Being Chicago born, I had always been riding the subway or buses when I was old enough to and on one such journey of exploration in 1963 or ‘64, I walked into the Jazz Record Mart, 7 West Grand, and immediately heard a sound that would stay with me always. I asked the clerk, dig now, a hipster for real, red haired, goatee’d, all in black, beret’d, what was playing over the speakers. The reply came, with hipster hauteur, “That’s Bird, man.” Seeing a look of befuddlement, he took pity on a youngster and said that’s Charlie Parker.

And off I went. Read more

Grails, Holy Grails and Actual Jazz Records

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Nice discussion on the previous post. Here are a bunch of rare jazz records on my eBay watch list as I prepare to take a brief holiday. Let’s start with Donald Byrd, Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill, Transition 17. The seller uses one of our least favorite terms, “Holy Grail,” which wouldn’t apply to this record even if it was suitable language, if you get my drift. Anyway, this looks to be an original pressing with the booklet. The record is listed in Ex condition and the cover looks to be a fairly generous VG. The bidding is in the $1,300 range with more than four days left on the auction, so you could see this in the $2,000 bin when all is said and done. The top price for this record, according to Popsike, has been about $3,840. I was fortunate when I purchased the collection in Baltimore to get a beautiful clean original copy of this record.

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Are You Ready for the $6,000 Bin?

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Got a note from our friend Japhy yesterday pointing me to this: John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was an original pressing with the New York 23 labels and “Review Copy” stamp on the labels. It was listed in Ex+ condition, which I would imagine to be VG++, and the sellers points at that there are some “slightly audible” tics. The cover is listed in M- condition. Not that it matters, but it had a Blue Note inner sleeve with the Tina Brooks album Back to the Tracks, which, to my knowledge, wasn’t released until sometime in the 1980s. In any case, this record sold for $6,343, which is certainly why Japhy would have forwarded it to me. According to Popsike this copy of Blue Train, tics and all, sets a new price record and is the first to surpass $5,000, let alone $6,000.

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Blue Notes and Beyond

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The Jazz Record Center has a veritable Blue Note Jazz Festival on eBay now, with several beauties, including a couple that are already sitting in the $3,000 bin, including: Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 1535. This is an original 12-inch pressing with the Lexington Avenue address, flat rim playing surface and frame cover. This looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The auction closes in a bit more than one day and the bidding is already at $3,015. Then there is the Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This is also an original Lexington Avenue, frame cover pressing, and this one has promo stamps on the labels. The record looks to be in M- condition and the cover is probably M- or, at worse, VG++ for sticklers. The bidding is at $3,000. Read more

Soul Sisters, Smithvilles and Other Vinyl Rarities

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Since I haven’t been posting as frequently as I used to, I find I have a backlog in my watchlist of items I meant to write about, but haven’t had a chance. So let’s go back a few weeks and see what we missed, starting with Horace Silver, Serenade to a Soul Sister, Blue Note 4277. This was an original Liberty Mono pressing and was part of the recent Jazz Record Center auction. I honestly never realized any copy of this record was viewed as highly collectible until I read the JRC’s description of it as “the rare Van Gelder-stamped mono pressing.” Apparently these mono pressings were never sold to the public. I often find I learn something new whenever JRC has an auction. This copy was in M- condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $464. Guess I’ll have to settle for my nice stereo pressing.

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A 10-Inch Potpourri

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Back in business with some more random rare jazz vinyl, focusing today on records in the 10-inch pile, starting with Charlie Parker All Stars, Dial 202. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG+ condition for the record and probably VG or VG+ for the cover. Front cover looks nice; back cover has some writing and stains. This one is closing tomorrow at a start price of about $350 and so far there are no bids. It may seem amazing to most of you but, after all of these years, I still don’t have any of the original 10-inch Birds on Dial. It’s not for lack of interest or lack of trying. I’ve just never seen them at a price/condition I felt comfortable paying. Here’s a record that looks quite nice: Horace Silver Trio, Blue Note 5034. This looks to be an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Not only a rare record, but extra rare to see one in this condition. This auction closes in two days and there is a single bid in the $400 range.

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Random Rarities

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Randomness from an eBay watchlist. John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, Impulse 77. This looks to be an original mono pressing. The record and cover are both graded as M-, although the picture seems to show wear on the cover, unless that is just a reflection from the camera. In any case, there are five days left on the auction and the bidding is already in the $325 range. Out of curiosity, I popped over to Popsike to see if A Love Supreme had ever made it into the $1,000 bin and the answer is that yes, indeed, it has, a few times, maxing out at $1,225. You kind of get the feeling because the album is such an icon, that the value will continue to go up. Is this the highest price we’ve seen for any Impulse? I can’t think of one off the top of my head.  I put it in this post primarily because I wanted to show a picture of the cover, which always puts a smile on my face. Read more

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