This week’s theme: John Coltrane as a sideman on the Prestige label, Part 2. This one features all of the Coltrane solos on alto sax with Gene Ammons, as well as tracks from The Cats, Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane, and other records from the early Prestige catalog.

This week’s theme: John Coltrane as a sideman on the Prestige label. Part one of perhaps four? Featured artists include, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Philly Joe Jones, Gene Ammons, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Burrell and many more.

This week’s theme: Jackie McLean on Prestige, Volume 2. Featured musicians include Gene Ammons, Art Taylor, Donald Byrd, Bill Hartman, Mal Waldron, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Red Garland, Arthur Phipps, Wade Legge, Doug Watkins.

This week’s theme: Jackie McLean on Prestige. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Art Taylor, Donald Byrd, Bill Hartman, Mal Waldron, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Red Garland, Arthur Phipps, Wade Legge, Doug Watkins.

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.

Let’s sweeten the pot with Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This looks to be an original West 63^rd Street pressing from the seller Carolina Soul. The record is listed in VG++ or VG+ condition and the cover is VG+. The bidding is nearly $800 and there are about six days left on the auction.  From the same seller is Bennie Green, Soul Stirrin’, Blue Note 1599, with the infamous Jug on tenor sax, not to mention Sonny Clark on piano and Elvin Jones on drums. This looks to be an original West 63^rd Street pressing, listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding is in the $130 range with five days left on the auction.

And let’s end today’s post with a little Bird: Charlie Parker Sextet, Dial 203. This is an original 10-inch pressing listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding is in the $275 range, with the auction closing within a couple of hours from whence this post goes live. It’s amazing to me that in all of these years of collecting, I still don’t own a copy of any of the Bird 10-inch LPs on Dial. I’ve had a chance to get them in the past, but either the price orcondition, or the price and condition prevented me from pulling the trigger. One of these days, perhaps, the stars will align.

Here’s another Blue Note from the same time period, courtesy of the Jazz Record Center: Dexter Gordon, A Swingin’ Affair, Blue Note 4133. This is an original mono pressing with the New York labels, ear and Van Gelder stamp. The condition is M- and, in fact, it sounds like it is in absolutely pristine condition. The bidding has already surpassed $600 with two days left on the auction. From the same auction there is Phil Woods, Pairing Off, Prestige 7046. This is an original New York yellow label and it also looks to be in M- condition. The bidding is at $300.

Gene Ammons, huh?  Here we go: Jammin’ With Gene, Hi-Fi Jam Session, Prestige 7060. Final price: $1,425. Gene Ammons, Funky, Prestige 7083. Final price: $1,175. Gene Ammons, Jammin’ in Hi Fi, Prestige 7110. Final Price: $1,009. It’s nice to see that condition still counts, I guess. Just did a quick search on Popsike, and these would be the first Ammons records to make it into the $1,000. A new standard, or an aberration because of the immaculate condition? I would imagine this was a pleasant surprise for the seller, oui?

Speaking of buying new records from the 1950s in a record store, did anybody take the time to watch that movie I mentioned a few weeks ago, Sylvie’s Love, the one that takes place in a jazz record store in Harlem in 1957? I didn’t see any mention of it in the comments and I was curious about reactions just to the records that they showed and discussed in the store, including Monk’s Brilliant Corners, Newk’s Way Out West and a bunch of others.

I’m sure several of you are watching this auction: Collection of 29x Blue Note Vinyl Jazz Records. These are really 29 original or almost original Blue Notes, including some awesome titles such as Lou Donaldson Quartet, Quintet Sextet; Hank Mobley and his All Stars; Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Bag. You get the picture. The catch is that all of the records seem to be in poor or fair condition. The seller is very clear that this is a filler lot only.  I have to say a lot such as this  appeals to the gambler in me: Maybe one of the records isn’t so bad, or maybe there’s a nice cover that could replace a cover in lesser condition in my collection. It’s so tempting, yet why would the seller be doing this and making clear that all of these records should just be considered filler? The bidding is more than $500 with nearly five days left. I am very curious to see what this lot sells for. It has all the makings of buyer beware, but I have a feeling it will sell for a fairly hefty sum. Agree?

He has always had a decent stock of  jazz records at fair prices, so I was curious what might strike my eye. I have also recently set my sights on upgrading my Beatles collection. A couple of years ago, I purchased reissues of some of the U.K. Parlophone records, which I did not own growing up in Bayside, NY. Some of the later pressings were issued as “audiophile” issues and they sound fine, but the reissues of the earlier Parlophones sound like crap and I have decided I want to have original pressings. I know I diverge from the theme at Jazz Collector and, for those of you who didn’t realize that I am also an avid Beatles fan, now you know. Also, for the record, James Taylor.

Anyway, Spike and I were both wearing masks, although Gordon, being a canine, was spared. No original Beatles Parlophones in Catskill, NY, but I found a vinyl copy of the Beatles Anthology 3, which I don’t own, so that made the pile. In jazz, I pulled out a VG++ copy of Cannonball Adderley and the Poll Winners to upgrade the condition of my record, but somehow I left it behind. I did take a few jazz records, including an original Buddy Rich on Norgran because the copy was really clean, the personnel was strong including Sonny Criss and Ben Webster, and, frankly, the sight of the yellow label Norgran was just too compelling to pass up for $15. I also grabbed a couple of Riversides, Paul Serrano and Don Friedman, because the condition was strong and the price was right and I don’t own these records and because, fundamentally I like buying records and I want to support stores I like. Will I ever listen to the Buddy Rich, Don Friedman or Paul Serrano records? I am going to make a concerted effort to do so.

I did pass up some decent collectibles, mostly because I already own them and I already have more duplicates than I would like. There was a Gene Ammons on Prestige, as well as one of the early James Moody yellow label Prestiges. There was Jimmy Smith House Party, a couple of nice Monk records, a couple by Roland Kirk. There were more, but they all didn’t register because I didn’t buy them. And, of course, Cannonball Adderley and the Poll Winners, which I expected to see in my pile when I got home but somehow had left behind in the store. I want to blame Gordon the dog, but he insists he had no role and was locked in a traveling bag the whole time. I guess it means I’ll have to make a return appearance to visit Spike in the near future.