This week’s theme: The Gershwin Songbook, as played by jazz pianists and their groups. Featured artists include: Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Red Garland, Billy Taylor, Bud Powell, Oscar Pettiford, Art Blakey, Paul Motian, Scott LaFaro, Hampton Hawes, Red Mitchell, Chuck Thompson, John Lewis, Percy Heath, Connie Kay, Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen, John Ore, J.C. Moses, Ray Barreto, Arthur Taylor, Paul Chambers, Randy Weston

This week’s theme: All the Things You Are in multiple settings. Featured artists include Art Tatum, Ben Webster, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Eddie Gomez, Tal Farlow, Dan Axelrod, Eddie Costa, Booker Ervin, Tommy Flanagan, Richard Davis, Alan Dawson, Phineas Newborn Jr., Oscar Pettiford, Kenny Clarke, Johnny Griffin, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Art Blakey, Ella Fitzgerald, Horace Silver, Rosemary Clooney, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Carmen McRae, Kenny Dorham, Doug Watkins, Dexter Gordon, Barry Harris, Buster Williams, Tootie Heath.

Songs written by or recorded by Fats Waller. Some modern interpretations as well as a bit of historical slide piano. Featured artists include Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Oscar Pettiford, Anita O’Day, Dinah Washington, James P. Johnson, Willie “The Lion” Smith, Hank Jones, Luther Henderson, Nell Carter, Andre De Shields, Amelia McQueen, Ken Page, Charlaine Woodard, Herman Autry, Gene Sedric, Al Casey.

This week’s theme is a surprise, but it is quite lovely, IMHO. Featured artists include Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Bill Evans, Art Tatum, Chet Baker, Horace Silver, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Betty Carter, and many more.

Today’s theme: Art Tatum. Artists include Art Tatum, Benny Carter, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, Benny Carter, Louis Bellson.

This week’s theme: Highlights from the first year of the Jazz Collector Live radio show and podcast, as well as a look ahead at some of the records and artists to come in year two. Featured artists include John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Clifford Brown, Horace Silver, Sarah Vaughan, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Tatum, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Freddie Redd, Jackie McLean, and many more.

This week’s theme. The best of Jazz Collector Live, Part One. Musical highlights from the first year of the Jazz Collector Live radio show/podcast. Featured artists include John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Clifford Brown, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Betty Carter, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, Ben Webster, Art Tatum, and more

This week’s theme continues the random playlist from the Clef, Norgran and Verve catalogues. Some of the featured artists are Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, Art Tatum, Johnny Hodges, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz and many, many more.

A few weeks ago I got into an interesting email discussion with one of our loyal readers, Dave Sockel, who sent me an article about the plummeting market value of Elvis Presley collectibles, particularly old Elvis vinyl. Dave’s email came with the subject line: “A cautionary tale for all of us?” This was my reply:

“I remember reading something a few years ago — I think I posted on Jazz Collector — about a “50-year-rule” for artists. Basically, 50 years after the peak of the artist’s popularity and/or death, he or she is all but forgotten and the demand for their stuff starts to really erode. We’ve kind of seen it with the beboppers in Jazz, and a guy like Art Tatum. When I started collecting, Tatum records were collectibles. Not any more.

“You see it really clearly with popular artists. At one time Bing Crosby was the No. 1 artist in the country, making more money than any other entertainer. Today’s generation has literally never heard of him and, if they have, it would only be because of “White Christmas.” They would have no knowledge of his popularity. My son had some friends over in their 30s. I asked if they had ever heard of Billy Eckstine, who was a big star. My son was the only one that had ever heard of him, and that’s only because of me.”

Dave’s reply:

“Agreed.  I have been reading the archive online copies of Hentoff’s Jazz Review from 1958-1960.  Probably 2/3s of the record reviews and content is devoted to New Orleans or Dixieland type material with the rest touching on the moderns like Coltrane or Rollins.  You couldn’t give away the trad stuff today even to Goodwill. Good news is that the NY 23 copy of Blue Train should be dropping in value soon, right?”

It’s an interesting topic because, clearly, so many of us here in the Jazz Collector community are heavily invested – literally and figuratively – in artists and music that could easily apply to this 50-year rule. The records that have established themselves as the most “collectible” of the era seem only to be going up in value, with no end in sight.

Will there eventually be a drop off in these records. It’s hard to see, frankly, given that the demand remains high and the supply will always be limited. But it’s hard to generalize because there seem to be exceptions to every rule: Charlie Parker Savoys don’t have the same cachet as they once did, but the 10-inch Dials are still in tremendous demand. Same with artists such as Lester Young, Stan Getz, Johnny Hodges and Coleman Hawkins: While their entire catalogues are perhaps not as prized as they once were, there are certain records that still command top dollar and are continuing to go up in value.

Is the Jazz Collector market more like an art market, where the “50-year rule” does not apply? Or will Hank Mobley 1568 to the way of Elvis or Bing Crosby? I happen to think it’s mostly the former – value will continue to increase for the higher end collectibles. Thoughts?

Anyway, here are a few that either closed earlier or are closing soon, starting with Art Tatum. Benny Carter, Louis Bellson, Clef 55. This was an original pressing with a nice cover by David Stone Martin. There’s really very little interest in Tatum these days, which I will never understand, so I wanted to watch this and see if it would sell. It did, for $42.12 in Ex condition for the record and the cover, VG+ in my language.

These next two surprised me. They are not records I normally watch because they don’t typically fetch collectible prices. They didn’t here, but they also sold for more money than I would have expected:

Sonny Stitt, The Hard Swing, Verve 8306. This was an original pressing with the trumpeter logo. The record was also Ex (same seller as the Tatum record), and the cover was M-. The record sold for $79.89.

Teddy Edwards, Heart and Soul, Contemporary 3606. This was an original yellow label pressing in Ex condition. The seller is in Australia, so shipping isn’t inexpensive. The record sold for $49.

Here are a couple still to be determined:

Horace Silver, The Tokyo Blues, Blue Note 4110. This looks to be an original mono New York USA pressing. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is VG. The start price is $49.99 and there are no bidders. Typically, I would expect this record to sell for more than that, even in this condition, but the seller mentions the dreaded phrase “surface noise,” which is likely scaring buyers off. The hope, I think, when you bid on a VG+ record is that it will play well, even if it doesn’t look perfect.

Dexter Gordon, Gettin’ Around, Blue Note 4204. This is a record in its original seal. The seller, very credible, is sure that it is an original pressing. The bidding is in the $125 range and the auction is closing quite soon. It has not yet reached the seller’s reserve price. Do you think bidders may be wary that it is not an original pressing?