So, where were we when we were so rudely interrupted. Ah, yes, we were looking at records that crossed the $1,000 barrier. We just did a quick search of eBay and found a few more for you, just from the past few weeks when Jazz Collector went AWOL. Here are a few to peruse and muse about:

Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This was an original deep groove pressing with the West 63rd Street address. It was in M-/M- condition and sold for $1,248. 

John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This was an original mono pressing with the black label. It was also in M-/M- condition. Price: $1,031.66

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This was an original pressing that was in M-/M- condition. Price: $1,075

Yow, I’m sure most of you saw this one: Charlie Parker, Bird Blows The Blues, Dial LP1. This is a 12-inch LP, issued from the Spring of 1949 with no cover. The dealer listed it as being the first 12-inch jazz LP ever produced, which we’ve never seen disputed. This was in VG+ condition, with a yellow label and purple vinyl. Price: $2,850

George Wallington at the Bohemia, Progressive 1001. This was an original pressing that came directly out of George Wallington’s collection. It was listed by his brother, who listed the vinyl as M- and the cover as VG, but he said there were virtually no flaws. The price was $1,380.50.

That’s it for now. We’ll be back soon. Promise.

I also saw him perform after he had his stroke and was partially paralyzed and, while it was a gallant effort, it was sad to watch. He was a fraction of his old self and, unfortunately, his ideas far exceeded his physical abilities. As mentioned, I never felt his own recordings lived up to either his talents or his energy. In fact, aside from this one side of Volunteered Slavery, my favorite recording of Kirk on vinyl is Charles Mingus, Oh Yeah, Atlantic 1377. And I’ve listened to all of his other records — at least I thought I had until I was browsing on eBay this morning and noticed a Roland Kirk record I had never before seen.

I’ve been collecting jazz records since 1970 (if you want the whole sordid story of how it began, go to Song For My Father)  and it always startles me when I see a record that is new to my eyes or ears — yet it seems to happen fairly often, which is a tribute to the vast number of jazz LPs recorded and reissued in the past 50-plus years, as well as to the power of eBay as a medium to communicate information to collectors.

Anyway, the rare Kirk record of which I speak is this one: Roland Kirk, Third Dimension, Bethlehem 6064. This is an original pressing in M- condition and it is being offered by the most reputable of sellers, Euclid Records. Alas, as much as I would love to own this record, it is already priced at $333 and it will probably go for much more, and that is beyond what I would like to pay these days, particularly as I am more interested in reducing my collection rather than increasing it. 

If anyone out there would like to give us more insight about this record, or would like to share his or her own memories of Roland Kirk, that would be welcome and wonderful.

Just to follow up on some of the records we were watching earlier this week, and some that will be going into the Jazz Collector Price Guide this weekend.  Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in what looked like VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $935. Thelonious Monk, French Swing, 33342. This is a 10-inch LP in near mint condition. Price: $570

Nobody bid more than $15 for this record, and it didn’t sell because it didn’t meet the dealer’s reserve price: Gil Melle, New Faces . . . New Sounds, Blue Note 5020. 

Moondog, Prestige 7042. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG++ condition. Price $89.98

Pepper Adams Plays the Music of Charles Mingus, Workshop 219. This was an original mono pressing in M-/M- condition. Price: $143.50

Miles Davis, Cookin’, Prestige 7094. This was an original New York pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $381

Thelma Gracen, Wing 60005. This was an original pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $192.18

John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This was an original black label pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $175.92

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Impulse A-40. This was an original mono pressing with the orange label in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $154.50

Ben Webster, The Consummate Artistry, Norgran 1001. When we first spotted this, it was at about $30 with just a few hours to go. It sold for $203.51. It was an original pressing in M-/VG++ condition.

Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come, Atlantic 1317. This was with the bulls-eye label in VG++/VG++ condition. It sold for $72.60

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This was a white label promo copy in VG+/VG++ condition. Price: $338

This one didn’t sell: The Three Sounds, Blue Note 1600. It was an original pressing, autographed by each of the members of the band and had a start price of just $45. Odd that no one wanted it, but it confirms our thought that collectors don’t seem to have as much interest in autographed records as one would suspect. If you missed that original article from several years ago, click here.

Horace Silver, with Art Blakey and Sabu, Blue Note 1520. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing in VG+/VG++ condition. This was the one from the collection of Donald Byrd. Price: $272

John Coltrane and Tadd Dameron, Mating Call, Prestige 7070. This was an original New York pressing in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $272

Steve Lacy, Soprano Sax, Prestige 7125. This was an original New York pressing in VG+/M- condition. Price: $202.50 

Here’s another one that did not sell: Bennie Green, Soul Stirrin’, Blue Note 1599. The top bid was $154 and that did not meet the seller’s reserve price.

I said I liked the original Verves and I like the prices. Here are two nice examples, of great records for reasonable prices: Dizzy Gillespie with Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt, Sonny Side Up, Verve 8262. This was in M-/VG++ condition and sold for $77. Stan Getz, Award Winner, Verve 8296. This was in M-/V++ condition and sold for $48.95. Both records were original pressings with the trumpeter logo.

Red Garland, All Morning Long, Prestige 7130. This was an original pressing with the original cover in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $308.

This one had the highest price of all the ones we’re entering: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. Price: $1,524.99

Eddie Costa, House of Blue Lights, Dot 3206. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $355

Red Garland at the Prelude, Prestige 7170. This was an original pressing in M-/M- condition. Price: $79. This sold on another auction for $338.70 recently. 

Lou Donaldson, Sonny Side Up, Blue Note 5036. This was an original pressing with the original cover in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $156.10

Charlie Rouse, Yeah!, Epic 16012. This was in M-/VG++ condition and sold for $416.51.

Jackie McLean, Bluesnik, Blue Note 4067. This was a West 63rd pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $236.06

Sal Salvador Quintet, Blue Note 5035. This was a 10-inch LP in M-/M- condition. Price> $129.62

Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Bag, Blue Note 4051. This was VG++/VG++ and sold for $169.

Charles Mingus, the Complete 1959 CBS Sessions, Mosaic MQ4-143. This was a 4-record boxed set and sold for $133.50

Mal Waldron, Mal-1, Prestige 7090. This was an original New York yellow label in VG++/VG++ condition. Price $455

Elmo Hope, Informal Jazz, Prestige 7043. This was an original pressing in M-/VG++ condition. Price: $997.97

Jerome Richardson, Midnight Oil, New Jazz 8205. This was a purple label original in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $224.50

Lester Young, Le Dernier Message, Barclay 84-009. This was in VG+/VG + condition. Price: $518

Barry Harris at the Jazz Workshop, Riverside 326. This was an original blue label pressing in M-/VG++ condition. Price: $190.50

Thelonious Monk, Monk’s Music, Riverside 242. This was an original white label pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. It sold for $117.50, quite a bit off the $3,000 previous high.

Gigi Gryce, When Farmer Met Gryce, Prestige 7085. This was an original New York yellow label in M-/M- condition. Price: $560

Charlie Parker, With Strings, Mercury 35010. This was a 10-inch LP in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $383

Duke Pearson, Tender Feelin’s, Blue Note 4035. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $610.07

Betty Bennett, Nobody Else But Me, Atlantic 1226. This was a black label in VG++/VG+ condition and it sold for $127.12

Bill Berry, For Duke, RealTime 101. This was M-/VG++. Price: $102.50

Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet, Prestige 7079. This was an original orange cover and New York label in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $260

Frank Rosolino, I Play Trombone, Bethlehem 26. This was an original red label pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $137.50

Pepper Adams Plays the Music of Charles Mingus, Workshop 219. This was a stereo pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $94.89

Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. This was a Lexington Avenue pressing in M-/VG condition. Price: $796

Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. This was an original West 63rd pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. Price: $383

Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Pal, Blue Note 7068. This was an original New York yellow label in VG/VG+ condition. Price: $170.50

Sweets Edison, Sweets, Verve 8097. This had the trumpeter logo and was in M-/M- condition. Price: $44.49

Lester Young, Pres and Sweets, Norgran 1043. This was an original yellow-label pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $230.50

John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123. This was an original New York yellow label with the original cover in M-/VG condition. Price: $372.99

That’s all for now.

Herbie Hancock, Takin’ Off, Blue Note 4109. This is a New York USA pressing in decent, but not great shape, although it’s one of those records that sounds better than it looks. You don’t often find Dexter Gordon as a sideman, but he is on this LP, which also includes the “hit” Watermelon Man. 

This is another record we like a lot: Charles Mingus, Mingus Oh Yeah!, Atlantic 1377. When you listen to this record, you get a real sense that they were having a blast making it, and that energy is infectious. I think Roland Kirk never really came off as well in records as he did in person, but he certainly plays well on this LP. Definitely worth owning (the one I’m selling is a duplicate, as are most of the records I sell on eBay). If you want to see some of my other items, you can go to Items For Sale on the Web site, or you can just click this item and click View Seller’s Other Items.

These next items are all from other sellers, starting with: Betty Bennett, Nobody Else But Me, Atlantic 1226. I must confess, this is a record I don’t really know, but I’ve seen it sell consistently in the low-$100s. This copy is in nice shape and is currently at $11. 

Here’s a great 10-inch LP featuring Clifford Brown and Lou Donaldson: Art Blakey, A Night at Birdland, Volume 3, Blue Note 5039. This seems to be in nice shape and is currently at $76. 

Here’s a nice one: Duke Pearson, Feelin’s, Blue Note 4035. This is an original pressing in nice condition. 

Another great 10-incher, with a nice cover by David Stone Martin: Charlie Parker with Strings, Mercury 35010. 

Here’s a nice Prestige in nice condition: Art Farmer, When Farmer Met Gryce, Prestige 7085. This is a New York pressing. 

Herbie Nichols Trio, Blue Note 1519. This is an original pressing being sold by a dealer in France who has some other very nice items this weekend. Another one from this seller is the Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This record is already at more than $340 with a couple more days to go. We expect it could sell for more than $1,000. It’s interesting because the dealer claims these records are unplayed: The original owner would buy two copies of each record — one to play and one to keep, preserved like a museum piece. Oh, if only I had been that wise. 

Here’s another one from a European dealer who has some nice items up this weekend: John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This is an original mono pressing with the black label, and also seems to be in nice condition.  Among the other items from this seller is Sonny Rollins, Way Out West, Contemporary 3530. This is also in nice condition and, of course, has that great cover. 

One other item for now: Art Blakey, A Night at Birdland, Volume 3, Blue Note 5039. This is a 10-inch LP in nice condition. This dealer also has some other nice records. At some point this weekend I’m planning to post the entire Blue Note 10-inch catalog as I keep adding content to the jazz blog. So keep on coming.

Quote of the Day:

      “What is soul in jazz? It’s what comes from within: It’s what happens when the inner part of you comes out. It’s the part of playing you can’t get out of the books and studies.  In my case, I believe that what I heard and felt in the music of my church was the most powerful influence on my musical career. Everyone wants to know where I got that funky style. Well, it came from the church. The music I heard there was open, relaxed, impromptu – soul music.” — Milt Jackson, from the liner notes to the LP Plenty, Plenty Soul, Atlantic 1269, liner notes by Nat Hentoff.

One of the criticisms of the Modern Jazz Quartet was that the structure of the band held back the playing of the brilliant vibist Milt Jackson. This was Jackson’s response when he was asked if, indeed, being in the MJQ held him down:

            “No, not actually. It may not sound or look like it when you’re listening out front because it’s all so well planned, but I still get to play more or less what I want to play. I’m relaxed. I’ve always been able to adjust myself to a situation. When I first joined the MIQ, there were times when I looked at the planning as a handicap, but now I’ve come to look on it as an asset. In terms of the business, and musically too. Discipline can be a good thing and having been under discipline can be a help when you do let loose.” — Source: Liner notes to the LP Milt Jackson, Plenty, Plenty Soul, Atlantic 1269. Liner notes by Nat Hentoff.

 “Lester was a one or two take man. He’d say, ‘I can’t do anything better than that,’ and usually that was it. His statements were emotional ones and when they were done, they were done.”

            Norman Granz on Lester Young. Liner notes from the album The Lester Young Story, Verve MG V-8308, 1960. Liner notes by Nat Hentoff.