Outward Bound, I Wish I Was
Here’s one of my favorite covers: Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, New Jazz 8236. This is an original pressing with the deep grooves and the purple label. The record and cover both look to be in about VG++ condition. The seller has placed a high opening price of more than $700 and so far there are no bidders. We’ll see. I don’t recall this record ever selling for more than $500. I tried doing a Google search for information about the cover, but there was scant detail. Anyone? At the same time, there is also this for sale on eBay: Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, Esquire 32-123. This is a first press from the U.K. The condition is not nearly so good as the American original, I would guess VG for both the record and the cover, based on the seller’s description. There are three days left on the auction and there is a single bid at about $66.
Here’s another nice Prestige:
Phil Woods, Sahib Shihab, Gene Quill and Hal Stein, Four Altos, Prestige 7116. This is an original New York yellow label pressing with the deep grooves. The record and cover are both listed in VG++ condition. The bidding is in the $120 range with five days left.
And one more: Jack Sheldon, The Quartet and the Quintet, Jazz West 6. I would love to have an original pressing of this record, but not in this condition. The record and the cover are both listed as VG-. And the start price is $200. Given the condition, methinks the seller is being quite optimistic, but we shall see. We’ve seen many Blue Notes in worse condition sell for higher prices, but those are Blue Notes and this is not.
Richard ” Prophet” Jennings. I don’t know too much about him but here’s a picture.
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://aussie.homestead.com/prophet_66.jpg&imgrefurl=http://aussie.homestead.com/&h=151&w=96&tbnid=bcdMNYHR3vR_1M:&docid=oCxZaFBD2kFyRM&ei=aX95Vp2oE4yEjwPlm7_wDQ&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwjdgJPD9u_JAhUMwmMKHeXND94QMwgcKAAwAA
Also a tune called Prophet Jennings by Freddie Hubbard on Hub Tones.
Here’s a nice link from something called the audiophile life.
Richard “Prophet” Jennings might not be a household name, but he was a highly regarded artist in his time. He was painter, writer, filmmaker, and a philosopher, among many other things.
He designed 2 album covers for Eric Dolphy; Out There and Outward Bound. Dolphy wrote a song in his honor called The Prophet. Listen to it here and here.
For more on Prophet, I recommend the documentary Prophet Speaks. He was an interesting man.
this is also on the internet –
from Ken Goldstein, director of the film, “Prophet Speaks”: PROPHET SPEAKS tells the story of writer, painter, filmmaker, and philosopher, Richard Jennings, and of his importance to the world of black entertainers, mainstream music, and comedy. Among those who gravitated towards him were the artists who are now considered legends: John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Aretha Franklin, Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, Sonny Rollins, and Max Roach, just to name a few.
The ‘Prophet’, as Richard is known, began his life as an entertainer dancing around the steel mills of Youngstown, Ohio, in the early 30s. But he soon became a pioneering journalist covering the music scene in Detroit. Despite bouts of illness and personal tragedy, Prophet took up painting and filmmaking while maintaining a lifestyle in the hub of the jazz world for the last half of the 20th Century.
Some interesting info on jazz cover art (including a bit of info on Richard ” Prophet” Jennings).
http://www.printmag.com/design-culture-2/american-jazz-album-covers-in-the-1950s-and-1960s/
i had a bunch of problems with the seller of the dolphy lp. he was buying a rare 50th prestige press and after the auction he made all kinds of demands about customs forms and the cost of shipping and insurance. it was so bad i just canceled the auction. not worth the frustration, at least from my point of view.
One of my favorite album covers, made by Richard The Prophet Jennings as the first commenters mentioned. Also a good Dolphy album although not near the ecstasy of Out To Lunch. Two reasons that price has risen: 1. He is getting more and more attention from the jazz heads of a few generations (old and young I find his name is coming up more) and 2. this album and also Out There are hard to find with their original covers and everything in good shape. But for all that said $700 is too much money.
I’m totally fine with my Japanese shm cd of “outward bound”; maybe I’ll buy the forthcoming analogue productions vinyl reissue too when that comes out. I had the opportunity years ago to buy an original at $400 but passed because despite the vinyl being visually nm there were audible clicks and pops. I’ve heard from a few people that these new jazz pressings were not the best..so why fork out dough for a record that has noise?
I have an early pressing of Out There which is in amazing shape and sounds great but still on the hunt for an early copy of Outward Bound that’s in good shape and reasonably priced. I have a later pressing of that (black & silver label) which sounds really good. At these prices I’ll be more than happy to stick with that. Those Dolphy recordings are some of my all-time favorites!
I think that seller in Thaliand has some nice stuff but his prices seem very high, especially when you add in 20 bucks for shipping.
Very informative comments,guys..thanks! I’ll have to look up that film on Jennings-looks interesting,for sure.