Tag: Dexter Gordon

What Sides Are On Your Turntables?

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What’s everyone listening to in isolation? I can tell you what I’m doing. First off, I’m listening to my records more frequently than I have in a while. I guess being locked down with nowhere to go can be inspirational in that sense. I frequently go to records that I’ve loved but haven’t listened to in a while, or at least records that I haven’t listened to mindfully. Records, versus CDs or streams or anything digital, have sides. l still put on my “go to” sides for a lot of the records, listen to that side, and then move on to another record. Even with the infamous Shades of Redd my temptation was to just listen to Side One, which was my original preference. But, after all of the hoopla I made through the years about finding that record, I would have felt guilty not listening carefully to both sides and was pleased to have done so. Side Two is awesome, the equal of Side One. Read more

Original Blue Notes? $1.57 Each? I’m a Dreamer, Aren’t We All?

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Back on eBay. This seller has a lot of nice records closing today, including: Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This is a West 63rd Street second pressing that looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and probably VG+ for the cover. The bidding is in the $465 range, fairly steep for a non-first pressing. One of the things that caught my eye was the shrink wrap still on the cover. A first pressing wouldn’t have had the shrink, but what struck me was the sticker on the shrink, which said “SPECIAL PRICE $1.57.” Imagine being able to buy this for $1.57. On further examination, the seller has a bunch of other original pressings with the same SPECIAL PRICE $1.57 sticker, including Dexter Gordon. A Swingin’ Affair, Blue Note 4133; Duke Pearson, Wahoo!, Blue Note 4191; and Donald Byrd, A New Perspective, Blue Note 4124, among others. I have a dream where I go back in time and walk into a record store and all of these records are sitting there at $1.57, sealed, and I buy them all, every last one. Read more

Guest Column: (Mis)Adventures in Jazz Hunting, Southern Style: Goats, Garlic, Grief and Gordon

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By Dave S.

As I have promised Al over the years, I will continue to submit for his approval, my journeys into the unknown of crate diggin’ we call the Twilight Zone. This week’s episode takes us to Birmingham. Not Birmingham, England, but Birmingham, Alabama. You might ask why Birmingham, Ala., generally regarded as fertile hunting grounds for Southern Fried Rock such as the Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd, but certainly not for our favorite genre.  I was heading there for a business trip so I thought I would go where no jazzman has gone before (sorry for the weak TV references) and see what I could find.

I put an ad in the Birmingham craigslist website a couple of weeks before my trip and drummed up some potentially promising leads. In previous posts, I have documented my screening techniques. I don’t like to ask too many questions or ask for too many pictures before I see the goods. Just enough information to validate that jazz means something other than Enoch Light or Jackie Gleason, and that some of my favorite labels and/or artists are there. I especially like to ask about the history of the collection and the provenance. That often tells me about the likelihood of finding some hidden gems. With this screening approach, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Read more

Soul Sisters, Smithvilles and Other Vinyl Rarities

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Since I haven’t been posting as frequently as I used to, I find I have a backlog in my watchlist of items I meant to write about, but haven’t had a chance. So let’s go back a few weeks and see what we missed, starting with Horace Silver, Serenade to a Soul Sister, Blue Note 4277. This was an original Liberty Mono pressing and was part of the recent Jazz Record Center auction. I honestly never realized any copy of this record was viewed as highly collectible until I read the JRC’s description of it as “the rare Van Gelder-stamped mono pressing.” Apparently these mono pressings were never sold to the public. I often find I learn something new whenever JRC has an auction. This copy was in M- condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $464. Guess I’ll have to settle for my nice stereo pressing.

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Blue Notes or Bust

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What jazz collection would be complete without a copy of The Swinging Fats Sadi, Blue Note  5061? I say this in jest because mine is one of those collections that does not have a copy of this 10-inch Blue Note, nor have I ever seen a copy in the real world nor heard a note from the recording. Still, it is an original 10-inch Blue Note, sort of, in the sense that it wasn’t actually recorded for Blue Note but was originally issued on French Vogue, just like the Clifford Brown/Gigi Gryce Paris Sessions and Wade Legge Blue Notes (thanks, again, Rudolf, for spelling that out for us several times in the past). So, if you are looking to fill in this particular blank in your Blue Note collection (I’m not), there is a copy if this record for sale on eBay now. The record is listed as M- and the cover seems close to that and the start price is $350. So far there are no bidders. For the record (pun intended), three copies of this record have previously sold for more than $500, according to Popsike. We’ll see what happens with this one. It is a pretty cool cover. Then again, can you think of a 10-inch Blue Note that doesn’t have a pretty cool cover? Or a 12-inch Blue Note?

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Guest Column: Another Misadventure

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I said I have more stories this week. Here’s another. But it’s not mine. This one comes courtesy of one of our loyal readers, who wants to be known, simply, as JazzBo Dave. This is his story:

I got tipped to a smaller collection that might be for sale down here in the Southeast.  I had a couple of pleasant phone calls with seller James. He was in his 80s, had lived all over the U.S. and had been collecting since the ‘50s when he was in college.  Immediately, the pre-screening light bulbs started to go off in my head.  There might actually be something there.  Read more

Tales from the Inbox and From the Turntable

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Clearing out some old emails and watch list and found this link and note from our friend Clifford: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. The note reads as follows: “Watching this one because it is apparently quite unplayable.” And that it was. The vinyl was listed in G condition, with the caution that it would not play without skipping. The cover was VG- with edge wear and seam splits. I think Clifford sent me the listing when the price was about $150. It would up selling for $810 with 16 bidders. Quite a lot, IMHO, for a record that I wouldn’t put on my turntable, but perhaps the new owner will like to frame it, or have it for investment purposes, figuring that these things are only going up in value, no matter what the condition. Trying not to pass judgment, because collecting is very personal and we all have our passions and idiosyncrasies.

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On the Menu: Classic Blue Notes and Prestiges

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We’ll start today with a few from the Prestige label, opening with Zoot Sims Quartets, Prestige 7026. This is an original New York pressing that looks to be in about VG+ condition for the record and similar for the cover. It’s not a record that we’ve written about much. We don’t see it on eBay that often and it doesn’t typically command high collectible prices, compared to other original pressings from the era. This one has a start price of $200 and so far there are no bids, with the auction closing in two days. I happen to own a copy of this record, but haven’t listened to it in like 30 years. Maybe I’ll try it later. Zoot is always worth a listen, IMHO. Read more

Back to Blue Note

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If yesterday was a Prestige day, let’s make today a Blue Noter, starting with Here Comes Louis Smith, Blue Note 1584. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The bidding is in the $175 range with about four days to go. We were watching a different copy of the same record a few days ago and that one was in just VG condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It wound up selling for $561, so I would expect this one to fetch a higher price. Will it enter the $1,000 bin? Could be. According to Popsike, the highest recorded price for this record is $1,514. Not owning an original copy of this record myself, I haven’t listened to it in a long time. When I put a record on the turntable, I usually prefer an original pressing. But perhaps I will make an exception. After all, the personnel includes one of my all-time favorite alto players, none other than the infamous “Buckshot La Funke.”

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Sonny Clark, Dexter and an Over/Under Betting Proposition for Mobley’s Blue Note 1568

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Sorry for the long unexpected hiatus between posts. Been very busy with work and time just slipped away. Glad to see no one was worried about me. 🙂 Anyway, let’s look at where we left off with our eBay watch list, starting with: Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091. This was an original New York USA mono pressing. It was listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $908.76. We don’t recall ever seeing this record sell for more, but Popiske has a record of a copy selling for $1,144 in 2014. Wow. I guess it won’t be long before copies of this record will eventually be regulars in the $1,000 bin. First the ones in M- condition, then, over time, those in not-so-mint condition, if past patterns continue to hold forth in the future.

Perhaps this next one is also destined for the $1,000 bin. It keeps getting closer:

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