This week’s theme: Jazz tracks that reference U.S. cities and states. Featured artists include Al Cohn, Barry Harris, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Rouse, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich, Rosemary Clooney, John Oddo, Richie Cole, Bruce Forman, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Nancy LaMott, Freddie Redd and many more.

This week’s theme: It’s summertime, and we are focusing on live recordings made at the Newport Jazz Festival, covering the years 1956 to 1968. Featured artists include Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Rouse, Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Lambert Hendricks and Bevan, Count Basie, Jo Jones, Roland Kirk, Herbie Mann, Chick Correa and many, many more.

This week’s theme: Contrafacts, aka a vocal of the original pop song, such as How High the Moon, followed by a bopified version, such as Ornithology. Other examples: Sweet Georgia Brown/Bright Mississippi; I Got Rhythm/Moose the Mooche; It Could Happen to You/Fried Bananas; Embraceable You/Quasimodo; All the Things You Are/Boston Bernie; Indiana/Donna Lee; Cherokee/Koko. You get the idea. Featured artists include Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O’Day, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Rouse, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Clifford Brown, Max Roach and many, many more.

This week’s theme: Two-tenor LPs. Featured artists include John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette, Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Rouse, Ben Webster, Sonny Stitt, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon, Paul Gonsalves, Hank Mobley.

The Jazz Record Center had another auction a couple of weeks ago that I missed and was mentioned by a commenter on the previous post. I’m actually sorry I missed that one because it was loaded with autographs. Here are a couple of examples, most prominently Billie Holiday At Jazz at the Philharmonic, Clef 169. This is the 10-inch LP with the infamous “Billy” Holiday on the David Stone Martin cover. It is supposedly signed by Billie and, because it is the Jazz Record Center, I would be confident that they would have done their research. The final price was $852.99. To me, if the signature was truly authenticated, I would put the value on this as “priceless” and I would have treasured it forever. Not to mention it is a great album and amazing cover. But, alas, I wasn’t paying attention.

How about a signed Chet Baker EP: Chet Baker Plays the Compositions of Russ Freeman, Pacific Jazz EP4-8. Typically I would have no interest in EPs, although I do own quite a few, but this was potentially signed by Chet. It sold for $330.

Then there was Walter Davis. Jr., Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This was also signed and was an original West 63^rd Street pressing. The listing describes it as having some surface noise, but the indication seemed to be that this may have been common to all or most original pressings of Davis Cup. The cover was probably VG++. The record was signed, “To Jose, Walter Davis piano, ’77.”

When I look at the condition of the record, the reputation of the seller, the provenance — i.e., it is an original pressing – it seems to me that the presence of the signature actually detracted from the value and from the final selling price. Do you agree? Do we have a sense why a rare, Blue Note with the artist’s signature in pen, would actually be worth less than a copy without the autograph?

I will share one bit of personal experience that gives me somewhat of a sense why that may be. A couple of years ago, you may recall, Herbie Hancock was doing a book tour and was right in my neighborhood. I popped by and had him sign my copies of Maiden Voyage and Takin’ Off. As soon as I saw he was signing it in black marker I had immediate regrets. I should have brought a ball point pen, I remember thinking. But it was too late, he had marker in hand and was scribbling away at the top of my precious albums. The results are below. I should have just had him sign the book I had just purchased instead. Normally I would much prefer a personally signed record, but there’s something about that big marker that turns me off. Maybe it’s just me.

Here are a few other highlights from this same auction:

Dexter Gordon, Daddy Plays the Horn, Bethlehem 36. This is an original red label pressing that looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding is in the $200 range. Another great record.

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This is another original pressing that looks to be in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. This one is already priced at more than $900 and will surely break into the $1,000 bin.

Charlie Rouse, Bossa Nova Bacchanal, Blue Note 4119. This looked to be an original pressing with the New York USA label and the Van Gelder and ears. It looked to be in about VG+ condition for the record, and maybe VG++ condition for the cover, although the pictures looked more like VG+ to me. The record sold for $194.41. The listing also triggered a couple of questions, for which I don’t have the answers at my immediate disposal. To my recollection this is the only Charlie Rouse LP as a leader on Blue Note. I was wondering how many other artists only issued one LP as a leader on Blue Note. The two obvious ones that come immediately to mind are John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley. Off the top of my head, I can also think of J. R. Monterose, Sabu, Solomon Ilori, Sonny Red, Howard Vick and, to a degree, Tina Brooks, because only True Blue was originally issued on Blue Note. I’m sure there are more, but I just can’t recall them off hand. The other question is, if this is Charlie Rouse’s only date as a leader on Blue Note, where else does he appear as a sideman? I do recall him playing on Donald Byrd’s Byrd in Hand, but I can’t recall any other sessions. I know he played for a long time with Thelonious Monk, so perhaps that limited his ability to record as a leader or even as a sideman on non-Monk records. All of which, I hope, is food for discussion on Jazz Collector.

Charlie Rouse, Bossa Nova Bacchanal, Blue Note 4119. How often do you get to write the word “bacchanal?” This one is in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It is an original pressing and there are four days left on the auction. Bidding is in the $190 range.

Hank Mobley, Workout, Blue Note 4080. This is an original New York USA pressing listed in Ex condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The auction closes later today and the bidding is in the $350 range.

Cannonball Adderley, Somethin’ Else, Blue Note 1595. This looks to be an original pressing listed in Ex condition. The start price on this is about $400 and there are no bidders with just a day left in the auction. The cover looks a little strange, if you check out the colors on the front. Wonder if the seller did some retouching? He also mentions minor surface noise in quiet parts.

1. Charlie Rouse and Paul Quinichette, The Chase is On, Bethlehem 6021

2. Dexter Gordon, Daddy Plays the Horn, Bethlehem 36

3. Stan Levey, This Time The Drum’s on Me, Bethlehem 37

4. Stan Levey, Grand Stan, Bethlehem 71

5. Zoot Sims, Down Home, Bethlehem 6051

I’m sure I’m missing some great records on this list, particularly the Waldron record, but if I don’t own it I haven’t spent enough time with it to put it on my list. So I will leave it to you all to fill in the blanks.

As for all of other great records on eBay now, they will have to wait for the next post.

Phil Woods, Woodlore, Prestige 7018. As you may recall, this one was sitting at $200 with no bids and I was considering taking the plunge myself. Glad I didn’t. The record wound up selling for $527 — way beyond my comfort level — and, to make it worse, there is now a dispute about the sale, as you can see on the Jazz Collector site under the earlier post. From the same seller was: Charlie Rouse, Yeah!, Epic 16012. If you look at the listing, you’ll have a hard time figuring out the record’s condition. It says both ex+ and ex- and it talks about light scratches that will sound on both sides. Hmm. Someone paid $538 for this record. We’ll see if there’s a dispute about this one as well.

Wow — didn’t expect this record to reach the $1,000 bin: Hank Mobley, Workout, Blue Note 4080. This was an original New York USA pressing, with the RVG and ear in the deadwax. It was in beautiful M- condition for the record and cover and sold for $1,009.99.

This one also entered the $1,000 bin, but not all that suprisingly:

Johnny Griffin, The Congregation, Blue Note 1580. This was an original pressing that was listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. It also, of course, has the cover designed by Andy Warhol. This one sold for $1,025. While we’re on the subject: Introducing Johnny Griffin, Blue Note 1533. This one was in VG++ condition for the record and VG for the cover. It sold for $909, quite a large number, considering the condition of the cover. But, who could resist an original Lexington Avenue Blue Note? Not me. I actually have two copies of this record.