This week’s theme: Celebrating the New Year with jazz vinyl featuring the number 26 in the catalog number. Featured artists include Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Jack Sheldon, Herb Geller, Loraine Geller, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Tommy Flanagan, George Morrow, Clifford Brown, Gigi Gryce, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Morello, Eugene Wright, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Drew, Lawrence Marable, Curtis Counce, Harold Land, Jack Sheldon, Billie Holiday, Benny Carter, Sweets Edison, Count Basie, Buddy DeFranco, and more.

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

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?

Benny Carter, Cosmopolite, Norgran 1070. This was an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $111.50.

Bud Powell, Jazz Giant, Norgran 1063. This was an original pressing that was

also in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $400.50.

Count Basie, Basie, Clef 666. This was an original pressing that looked to be in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $89. You don’t often see Count Basie in Jazz Collector, but we have a feeling this one sold for a decent price specifically for the great David Stone Martin cover.

I went away for the long Memorial Day weekend and didn’t look at eBay for three days. Here are some of the things I missed:

Howard McGhee, Music From The Connection, Felsted 7512. This was in nice condition and sold for more than $1,000.

Benny Carter, Cosmopolite, Norgran 1070. This was an original yellow label copy, autographed by Carter and, according to the dealer, directly from Carter’s own collection. A nice collectible, indeed.

The Jazz Message of Donald Byrd and Hank Mobley, Savoy 12064. This was in nice condition and sold for $255. You don’t see too many of the Savoy records fetching high prices like this, but this is a rare item with excellent artists and a great cover.

John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was a nice copy, not mint, that sold for $383.

Tubby Hayes, Mexican Green, Fontana 911. This was also in nice condition. Price: $228.07

Pepper Adams, Critics’ Choice, World Pacific 407. This was in M-/VG++ condition. Price: $224.50.

Teddy Charles, Vibe-Rant, Elektra 136. You don’t see too many jazz LPs from the Elektra label. This one sold for $236.16

Fred Jackson, Hootin’ and Tootin’, Blue Note 4094. This was one of two copies of this record for sale on eBay this weekend. This was the one in better condition and sold for $346. The other copy, in VG/VG+ condition, sold for $98.77.

Curtis Fuller, Slidin’ Easy, United Artists 4041. I always love finding records I’ve never seen in a store. I’m not a dealer, but I’ve been collecting nearly 35 years, and I still get surprised every once in a while. This is a nice looking LP with a great group: Fuller plus Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers and Elvin Jones. Not bad. This was in M-/M- condition and sold for $338.

The Interpretations of Tal Farlow, Norgran 1027. A couple of weeks ago we saw a copy of this sell for more than $600 and we remarked that it was the highest price we’d seen for a Farlow record. Well, this copy is the new high: $710. It looks to be in beautiful condition.

The Consummate Artistry of Ben Webster, Norgran 1001. This also looks to be in beautiful condition. The price was $393.

Presenting Ernie Henry, Riverside 222. This was an original white label in great condition. Price: $360.

Finally, there’s this item: Elmo Hope Quintet, Blue Note 5044, 10-inch LP.  This was in VG+ condition and sold for $342. About 15 years ago I sold a similar copy for $400. With prices having escalated as much as they have, I probably made a good deal at the time. Even so, I’d rather have the record.

Now that I’ve gotten caught up on what happened over the past few days, I’m clicking to eBay to take a look at what’s ahead the next few days. I’ll give you my report at Jazzcollector.com tomorrow. See you then. — Al