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.
This week we do the first in a new Unsung Artists Series, focusing on the Vice President, tenor saxophonist Paul Quinichette. Featured artists include John Coltrane, Charles Rouse, Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, Herbie Mann, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Brooks Kerr, Gene Ramey, Sam Woodyard,Jimmy Jones, Joe Benjamin, Roy Haynes, Webster Young, Mal Waldron, Joe Puma, Earl May, Ed Thigpen, Count Basie, Buck Clayton, Dickie Wells, Gus Johnson, Al McKibbon, Walter Page, Freddie Green, Sonny Payne, Thad Jones, Nat Pierce, Joe Newman, Paul Chambers, Wynton Kelly, Charlie Shavers, Clark Terry, Jimmy Cleveland, Jimmy Cobb, Barry Galbraith, Cecil Payne, Hank Jones, Jo Jones, Sweets Edison, Snooky Young, and more.
This week’s theme. Various jazz vocals on vinyl. Artists include Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Quincy Jones, Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Ben Webster, Helen Humes, Carmen McRae, Duke Ellington, Annie Ross, Gerry Mulligan, Billie Holiday, Rosemary Clooney, Maxine Sullivan, Cannonball Adderley, Helen Merrill, Clifford Brown.
This week’s theme: Jazz records recorded on Feb. 4. Featured artists include Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Billy Taylor, Hal McKusick, Art Farmer, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Phil Woods, Jon Eardley, Paul Chambers, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, Louis Smith.
This week’s theme is blues-influenced jazz and jazz-influenced blues. Artists include Lavern Baker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver, Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Count Basie, Lambert Hendricks and Ross, Joe Williams.
This week’s theme: The Billie Holiday Songbook
Time to clean out my watch list in time for the holiday weekend. Some of this stuff goes back a few weeks (or more) but I kept them in the queue thinking that someday I would do exactly what I am doing now. Here goes, starting backwards, from May there was Howard McGhee, Dusty Blue, Bethlehem 6055. This was an original mono pressing that was listed in VG condition for the record and G for the cover. It was in pretty bad shape, yet it sold for nearly $500. I don’t understand what it is about the record or condition that warranted that kind of price, with a bidding war to boot, so perhaps someone here can elucidate me. Read more
Here are some of the items in our eBay watch list, starting with Gil Melle, Patterns in Jazz, Blue Note 1517. This looked to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing in M- condition for the records and VG++ for the cover. The final price was $2,716. That is the highest price ever recorded for this album, according to Popsike. I own a Japanese pressing of this LP and, frankly, I’ve never listened to it, but somehow I get the sense that it is the label and not the music or the artists that makes this record so coveted among collectors. Maybe next time I get a chance, I’ll put it on the turntable. FYI, the highest price for any of the Melle Prestige records was $544 – and that wasn’t even the one with Kenny Dorham, Gil’s Guests. That one has had a top price of $381. Read more
Going deep into my watch list on eBay to clear out some of the older items that have been sitting there. Let’s start with Ben Webster, Soulville, Verve 8274. This was an original trumpeter logo that was in M- condition for the record and VG for the cover. The final price was $207.50, which presents a question for me to pose here. I’ve noticed that among the Verve/Clef/Norgran records, Webster seems to be just below Lester Young in terms of value, more than Stan Getz, Johnny Hodges, Sonny Stitt, Buddy DeFranco and some of the other Verve regulars, who were either contemporaries or of the next generation. That’s not even counting Ella, Basie, Hampton or Tatum, whose records seem to have fallen off the value charts completely. Anyone care to proffer any theories for the elevation of Webster in the eyes of collectors, assuming you agree with my observation?
I was watching a recent auction on eBay from the Jazz Record Center focused on books, magazines, programs and other ephemera. I was curious because I have amassed a large collection of this type of stuff over the years, including duplicates, and I’m thinking about scaling back what I have, including the idea of adding a storefront to the Jazz Collector site. Just thinking about it at this stage, and I am not always the best at turning thoughts into action, so don’t anyone get too excited. Anyway, one of the items that caught my eye was this book: Four Lives in the BeBop Business, by A.B. Spellman. This was a first edition and the Jazz Record Center put a start price of $65 on it. And I was thinking, I have a copy of this and if someone offered me $65 I’m pretty sure I would sell it. But there were no bids on this item, so I have no idea at this point what the real market value would be.
