This week’s theme: A cornucopia of alto sax recordings. Featured artists include Charlie Parker, Art Pepper, Sonny Stitt, Cannonball Adderley, Phil Woods, Gene Quill, Marshall Royal, Johnny Hodges, Charles McPherson, Jackie McLean, Herb Geller, Eric Dolphy, Lou Donaldson, John Handy, Hal McKusick, Paul Desmond and many more.

This week I indulge myself with a show for my very own birthday. In the past I’ve played tracks recorded on Feb. 4, including Miles Davis Milestones. But two years in, I’ve dipped into that well too often. So this year, the focus is on the year I was born, 1953. As I say on the Podcast, it was a very good year for jazz and boys from Queens. Also a great chance to focus on 10-inch records from the collection. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Percy Heath, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Curley Russell, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Shavers, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Dodge, Ron Crotty, Jay Jay Johnson, Jimmy Heath, Gil Coggins, Tadd Dameron, Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, Gigi Gryce, Charlie Parker, Red Garland, Roy Haynes, Chet Baker, Russ Freeman, Carson Smith, Larry Bunker, Shelly Manne, Art Pepper, Bob Cooper, Jummy Giuffre, Bob Enevoldsen, Marty Paich, Curtis Counce, Phil Woods, Jon Eardley, George Syran, Teddy Kotick, Nick Stabulas.

This week’s theme: Duets. Featured artists include John Cotrane, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Philly Joe Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Art Pepper, George Cables, Al Cohn, Jimmy Rowles, Tal Farlow, Dan Axelrod, Stephane Grappelli, Marc Fosset, Zoot Sims, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Lewis, Hank Jones, George Shearing, Carmen McRae, Rosemary Clooeny, Ed Bickert, Nancy Lamott, Christopher Marlowe, Ken Sebesky.

A few weeks ago, on the radio show I was playing tracks from the album John Coltrane Ballads, Impulse 32. I brought the vinyl into the studio, but I wanted to have backup, so I also brought in the Deluxe edition CD set. As I was doing the show, I noticed that the CD set has a previously unreleased duet version of They Say It’s Wonderful, the Irving Berlin song, featuring just a duet by Trane and McCoy Tyner. It’s a wonderful track and amazing that it was sitting in a vault for 40 years. I provided a link to it on YouTube.

Anyway, it gave me an idea to do a whole show on duets, starting with that track. The next one I thought of was Sonny Rollins and Philly Joe Jones, Surrey With the Fringe on Top from New’s Time, Blue Note 4001. Then I did what I normally do to prepare a show, I started going through my records. I have my records loosely organized in three categories: Instrumentals pre-1970s, instrumentals 1970 and later, vocals. There are various sub-categories because, like many of you I’m sure, I love to organize and reorganize, probably a little too obsessively.

Anyway, I started going through the 1970s and later records and I pulled out more than 30 records of various types: The five duet albums Oscar Peterson did with trumpet players, Zoot and Bucky, George Shearing and Hank Jones, Art Pepper and George Cables. You get the drift. At that point, I knew I had several shows and I never even bothered to go through the more collectible records from pre-1970. But based on this strictly anecdotal research, it seems to me that duet albums and tracks become more of a thing later on in the jazz vinyl era.

So here’s the thing: If you can think of any good duet albums or tracks, please comment here. If I have them in my collection, I’ll see if I can use them on the show. As I said, I’ve already pulled out more than 30 records, so I’m sure we’ll have some duplication. But I thought it would be a fun project to share here at Jazz Collector if any of my former regular readers and commenters are still around. In any case, I’ll try to be doing more regular posts for a while, so perhaps we’ll build up a regular following once again.

Theme: Jazz instrumental and vocal versions of songs written by Frank Loesser. Featured artists include Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, Bill Evans, Eddie Costa, Charles Rouse, Julius Watkins, Gildo Mahones, Teddy Charles, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, Zoot Sims, Herb Geller, Gene Quill, Hal McKusick, Al Cohn, Ray Charles, Betty Carter, Sammy Davis Jr., Carmen McRae, Hoagy Carmichael, Art Pepper, Rosemary Clooney, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, and many more.

This week’s theme. Jazz vocals and instrumentals from the Great American Songbook. Featured artists include Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Red Garland, Jackie McLean, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Rosemary Clooney, Scott Hamilton, Art Pepper, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Dizzy Reece, Stan Getz, and many more.

This week’s theme: Welcoming in 2025, Part 2. Featured artists include John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Ornette Coleman, Ella Fitzgerald, Oliver Nelson, Stan Getz, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Shorty Rogers, Art Pepper, Miles Davis, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims and many more.

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This looked to be an original pressing in M- condition, the cleanest copy I’ve seen online. This one had 43 bids and wound up selling for $3,926.

Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, New Jazz 8236. This was an original deep-groove purple label pressing, also in M- condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $1,079.99.

Charlie Parker With Strings, Clef 675. This was an original pressing, also in M- condition. Final price was $1,525.

The Magnificent Charlie Parker, Clef 646. This was an original in M- condition. Price: $1,525.

Charlie Parker, Alternate Masters Volume 1, Dial 904. Another original in M- condition, Price: $787.

I guess reports of the demise of the collectible jazz vinyl record market have been greatly exaggerated.

Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section, Contemporary 3532. This was an original deep groove promo copy. The listing talks about a rare original reverse-frame cover and I’m not sure what that exactly means, but I think I have the same cover, so whatever it is I’m OK with it. This one looked to be in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The final vinyl was $765.

Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 2, Blue Note 1552. This was an original deep groove pressing with the New York 23 label. The record and cover both looked to be in M- condition. The final price was $744, which is up there for a Jimmy Smith date session. Also, Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 1, Blue Note 1551. This is a deep groove pressing with the West 63^rd Street labels. It also looked to be in M- condition for the record and cover. The final price was $180.39. I guess there must be some extra value in that New York 23 label. Amazing, isn’t it, for basically the same music, the premium that the label has in our collector’s world?

Clark Terry, Serenade to a Bus Seat, Riverside 237. This was an original white label pressing, in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $261. Speaking of Riverside, I have two Riverside podcasts on the Jazz Collector site now,  Riverside Part 1 and Riverside Part 2. If you get a chance to listen, please let me know whaat you think. This coming week’s show, live on WTBR-FM Pittsfield on Sunday at 8, features John Coltrane on the Impulse label.