This week’s theme: Ella Sings From the Songbook Series. Featured artists include Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman, Billy May, Nelson Riddle, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart, Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, and many more.

Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter, Imperial 9024. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $810.

J. R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was somewhere between VG and VG++, which means the seller said it didn’t look so great but it sounded great. Gotta love those old Blue Notes. The cover was a clear VG. The price as a clear $787.

Betty Blake Sings in a Tender Mood, Bethlehem 6058. This is another one I’ve never seen or heard. How is it? It features Zoot Sims, Roland Alexander and Mal Waldron, among others, so I imagine it is quite interesting. This one was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $735.55

George Wallington, Jazz for the Carriage Trade, Prestige 7032. This is an original New York pressing that looks to be in extremely nice condition. The record is graded M- and the cover is VG++. I haven’t often seen this record witht he front cover looking so clean. This one is priced at about $180 with nearly three more days to go.

Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter, Imperial 9024. This looks to be an original deep groove pressing in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. This is also in the $180 price range with less than a day to go.

This one has yet to meet the seller’s reserve price: Pete La Roca, Basra, Blue Note 4205. This is an original New York USA pressing with the ear and it is listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover, still in its original shrink wrap. This is just in the $100 range at this point and it will be interesting to see if it catches up to the seller’s reserve.

This one doesn’t have any bidders yet: Sonny Rollins, Blue Note 1542. This looks to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the flat edge. It is listed in M- condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. The start price is $499 and there are more than two days to go as I type this. My bet is the record sells.

Not sure if this one will sell, at least perhaps not at the current start price, although you never know these days: Hank Mobley Quartet, Blue Note 5066. This is the original 10-inch LP with the Lexington Avenue address and it is listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Quite a nice piece and the start price reflects that: Approximately $2,000.

I would probably like to keep most of my Ella Fitzgerald records. I enjoy listening to many of the Verves and there’s history in the Deccas and even if I wanted to sell the Pablos or later Verves there’s no real demand for them, anyway, so what would I do, give them away? Hardly. So I counted all of my Ella vinyl just now and I come up with 72 records, not counting duplicates. That is quite a lot of Ella and even if 50 were to survive the countdown, that would still be 5 percent of the overall total. That’s probably not a good idea, is it? But there’s plenty time before I have to make any final decisions and so may records to go before I sleep. So I decided not to worry about that quite yet. Right now the only decision is Ella Sings Cole and, yes, that stays right where it is, on the shelf and on the turntable. A high-end collectible? No. A record worth keeping? Absolutely.