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: Thelonious Monk Plays Standards. Featured artists include Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Wilbur Ware, Art Blakey, Charles Rouse, Oscar Pettiford, Kenny Clarke, Gerry Mulligan, Shadow Wilson, Butch Warren, Ben Riley.

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.

While we’re on Prestiges, there is:

Kenny Burrell with John Coltrane, Prestige New Jazz 8276. The seller describes this as an original pressing, which raises an interesting question, interesting to me at least. Normally, I would expect a New Jazz pressing of this vintage to have deep grooves. I don’t see deep grooves on this pressing. Furthermore, I’ve owned three different copies of this record over the years and I’ve never had one with deep grooves. So, the question, dear Jazz Collector readers, does anyone out there have a copy of this record with deep grooves? If so, that would settle the question for good. If not, then perhaps it doesn’t exist.

Here’s a record I’ve always been very fond of: Charles Rouse and Paul Quinichette, The Chase is On, Bethlehem 6021. This looks to be an original pressing with the red labels. The seller grades the vinyl as Ex and the cover as G+, although based on the description, the cover is probably closer to VG+, although there is a former owner’s name writ large on the back, so maybe VG. Anyway, this one has a single bid of $120 and is closing in about three days. Great record if you’re willing to take a chance on the condition.

Now we go to a conundrum we have mentioned before: How do you value a sealed record without knowing its provenance and then, once you have it, what do you do with it? In this case the record is: Donald Byrd, Off the the Races, Blue Note 4007. This is a mono pressing and the factory seal is still on it. There is no indication of Liberty on the back cover — it looks like an original back cover. The seller, Euclid Records, one of the most credible in our community, makes no claims about the record’s originality and offers no hype. We’ve seen records like this and they’ve been originals, we’ve seen records like this and they’ve been later pressings, New York USA or Liberty. So what would you bid on this record? And, I assume you would open it as soon as you got it, so is there a huge value in purchasing it sealed? This one is priced at more than $150 and there are still three days to go.

Here are two records we mentioned yesterday, different copies, and so far neither one of them has received a bid: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This one is described as an original although the seller, who we know and respect, would be wise to include a picture of the labels and back cover in order to get top dollar, which he is seeking. The record is in M- condition and the cover looks like VG++. The start price is $749.99 and so far there are no bidders with about a day left. The copy that we mentioned yesterday was M-/VG+ and sold for about $720. From the same seller is Kenny Dorham, Round Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia, Blue Note 1524. This one includes pictures of both labels, which clearly show the Lexington Avenue address on both sides. The record is described as VG++/Mint minus condition and the cover looks to be VG+. The start price is also $749.99 and there are also no bidders. The one we mentioned yesterday was around VG++ for the record and cover and it sold for more than $1,250.

Let’s start with a couple from the Bethlehem label, which doesn’t always get a lot of attention here: Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This is an original pressing. The vinyl is VG++ and the cover is only VG. The current price is a little over $300 and there are still 10 hours to go on the auction. This next one is a little tough to figure: Charles Rouse and Paul Quinichette, the Chase is On, Bethlehem 6021. I love this record, but this is a stereo pressing with a blue label. Can’t imagine this was issued the same time as the mono pressing, so it much be a later pressing, right, even if it is the first stereo issue?  In any case this stereo pressing is listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It’s closing later today and is in the $150 price range so far.

Here’s a Stanley Turrentine Blue Note doing quite well:

Stanley Turrentine, Up at Minton’s Volume 1, Blue Note 4069. This seems to be an original pressing. It has the ear in the deadwax and it has the West 63rd address, but those do not look like deep grooves on the label. I don’t have Fred Cohen’s Blue Note book here: Should this be deep groove, or is it past the point of deep groove? The price on this one is nearly $180 already.

And once again here is Conte Candoli, Cool Gabriels, Groove 1003. I went decades having never seen this record and now there seems to be at least one a week on eBay. This one is in nice condition and the price is still low: The record and cover are at least VG++, perhaps nicer, and the price is just in the $225 range for now. By contrast, Rudolf’s copy last week finally sold for $1,724. This one, of course, has the cover by Andy Warhol which is the reason it is of such high value.