Tag: Gigi Gryce

Podcast: 1953 — It was a Very Good Year

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This week I indulge myself with a show for my very own birthday. In the past I’ve played tracks recorded on Feb. 4, including Miles Davis Milestones. But two years in, I’ve dipped into that well too often. So this year, the focus is on the year I was born, 1953. As I say on the Podcast, it was a very good year for jazz and boys from Queens. Also a great chance to focus on 10-inch records from the collection. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Percy Heath, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Curley Russell, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Shavers, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Dodge, Ron Crotty, Jay Jay Johnson, Jimmy Heath, Gil Coggins, Tadd Dameron, Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, Gigi Gryce, Charlie Parker, Red Garland, Roy Haynes, Chet Baker, Russ Freeman, Carson Smith, Larry Bunker, Shelly Manne, Art Pepper, Bob Cooper, Jummy Giuffre, Bob Enevoldsen, Marty Paich, Curtis Counce, Phil Woods, Jon Eardley, George Syran, Teddy Kotick, Nick Stabulas.

Podcast: More of the Best of ’26

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Continuing last week’s theme, celebrating the New Year with jazz vinyl featuring the number 26 in the catalog number. Featured artists include Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Tommy Flanagan, George Morrow, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Morello, Eugene Wright, Ella Fitzgerland, Nelson Riddle, Kenny Drew, Lawrence Marable, Curtis Counce, Harold Land, Jack Sheldon, Billie Holiday, Benny Carter, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones, Clifford Brown, Gigi Gryce, Percy Heath, John Lewis, Art Blakey, Buddy Rich, Sweets Edison, Willie Smith, George Wiggins, Bill Evans, Zoot Sims, Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean, Duke Pearson, Doug Watkins, Lex Humphries, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Earl Coleman, and more.

Podcast: The Best of ’26

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This week’s theme: Celebrating the New Year with jazz vinyl featuring the number 26 in the catalog number. Featured artists include Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Jack Sheldon, Herb Geller, Loraine Geller, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Tommy Flanagan, George Morrow, Clifford Brown, Gigi Gryce, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Morello, Eugene Wright, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Drew, Lawrence Marable, Curtis Counce, Harold Land, Jack Sheldon, Billie Holiday, Benny Carter, Sweets Edison, Count Basie, Buddy DeFranco, and more.

 

Podcast: Benny Golson Memorial

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This week’s theme: A tribute to the late Benny Golson. Featured artists include Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Lee Morgan, Harold Mabern, Bobby Timmons, Addison Farmer, Milt Jackson, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Curtis Fuller, Barry Harris, Jamie Merritt, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Abbey Lincoln, Percy Heath, Ray Bryant, Winton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Charlie Persip, Gigi Gryce, Sahib Shihab, James Cleveland, Julius Watkins, Tommy Flanagan, Doug Watkins, Art Taylor, Jimmy Cobb, Grachan Concur III, Roy McCurdy.

Condition is Still Critical . . . Isn’t It?

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Let’s look at some random jazz vinyl we are watching and have been watching on eBay, starting with Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 4140. This looked to be an original pressing, listed in VG or VG+ condition for the record and G+ for the cover with water damage on the bottom. There were 13 bidders for this record and the final price was $439. From the same seller there was Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original West 63rd Street deep-groove pressing, listed in VG+ condition for the record and VG for the cover. The final price was $2,475. Over the years, when people have contacted me for advice about selling their collections, I have always emphasized the importance of condition. While it is still of great import, of course, it seems that there has been a shift in the market and collectors are more willing to pay high prices for records in less than great condition. We’ve all been noticing this for a while, I’m sure, so it probably requires an adjustment for those of us buying or selling records to be aware of this pretty fundamental change in what jazz collectors are looking for these days. As with most trends, you wonder if this one will last and will become kind of a new standard in our little world of jazz collecting. Read more

More Jazz Vinyl From Europe

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Let’s look at a few more original European pressings, starting with Zoot Sims in Hollywood, Esquire 20-040. This is an original 10-inch version of an original 10-inch U.S. Prestige. The record looks to be in M- condition and the cover looks to be VG++. The bidding starts at about $115 and so far there are no bids. I have to admit – I’ve never seen a copy of this record before, either in person or even on eBay. Can’t beat the cover on this one: Gigi Gryce-Clifford Brown Sextet, Jazz Time Paris, Volume 2, Vogue L.D.E. 048. This is an original French pressing. It takes a while to interpret the seller’s description, but I would say this looks to be in VG- condition for the record and VG for the cover. The start price is $100 and so far there are no bidders. The auction closes tomorrow. Read more

Another Pretty Nice Batch of Sides

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As I’ve been perusing eBay since my return from vacation, I’ve been randomly filling my watch list with items to write about for Jazz Collector. And as I’ve been doing that, I am finding that most of the records I’m saving this week have a common seller, which would be Carolina Soul.  I’m a little bit in awe, and a little bit in envy, of the huge collection of Blue Notes, Prestiges and others they have up for auction this week. Not sure if the awe/envy is about the money that will be coming their way in just one week’s worth of auctions, or if it’s the fact that they seem to have a virtually endless supply of interesting/collectible jazz records. Anyway, here are some of the items in my queue, starting with Thad Jones, After Hours With the Prestige All-Stars, Prestige 7118. This one caught my eye because of the cover: I have a copy of this record with the New York yellow label and a different cover. My cover has a generic picture of a city nightscape. This cover, as you see, has a picture of Thad and (I think) Frank Wess. With Prestige it’s challenging to figure out which cover came out first and why they would change it so quickly after the initial release of the record. If I were to guess, I would say the cover I have would be the first cover, but that is just a guess. The reason is that the orange cover has The Prestige All-Starts underlined and that strikes me as an idea that a marketing person would come up with as a way to boost sales by making a slight adjustment to an existing product. In my real job, I spend way too much time talking to marketing people, so I could be completely wrong. Rudolf will know for sure which was first, as will others out there in Jazz Collector World. Anyway, this copy is probably in VG condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. Bidding is in the $125 range, with four days left on the auction. Read more

Another Jazz Vinyl Potpourri

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Time once again to clean out many of the older items sitting in my watch list. Let’s start with this nice 10-inch French Vogue LP: Henri Renaud Quintet with Gigi Gryce and Bobby Jaspar, Vogue 174. This was an original pressing in Ex condition for the record and near mint for the cover was sold by the seller fiftiesjazz, better known among Jazz Collector aficionados as Rudolf, who is an expert on the French Vogue label, as evidenced by this article from our archives of about 10 years ago, “A Comprehensive Guide to French Vogue.” This copy sold for about $202. From the same auction was Thad Jones, Mad Thad, Period 1208. This was an original pressing listed in M- condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $1,569.44. One more: I have to admit, I have never seen this record: Bill Hardman Quintet, Saying Something, Savoy 12170. This was an original pressing with the blood red label. This copy looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $362. Read more

For Lady (and Everyone Else)

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Time to get back to eBay, starting with Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. This is an original New York yellow label pressing listed in Ex condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. I’ve always had a soft spot for this record because it was one of the first yellow label Prestige originals I ever owned and because it was, and is, quite a lovely record. It was, I presume, also my introduction to Webster Young and Paul Quinichette, two very fine, very underrated players, IMHO. Writing this post, I just talked myself into putting this on the turntable next time I have time to listen mindfully. The bidding for this one closes in more than for days from this writing, with a top bid now of about $245. Read more

More Adventures, More Obsessions

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Sorry, I need to complete the story. Given that it was an online auction and many of the bidders probably never saw the condition of the records, I was pretty surprised at some of the prices. For example, Waltz for Debby sold for more than $1,000. Bill Evans Trio Sunday at the Village Vanguard seemed to sell for more than $500, if I recall. Kenny Drew 10-inch Blue Note was more than $300. When I went to pick up my records I asked Kendra, the woman responsible for the auction, if the buyers for those records had visited  the house and seen them on site. Nope, she said. They were bidding based just on the pictures from the auction. Very brave, I thought, but having seen the records myself, I figured the buyers would be pleased. The one record I would thought I could steal, the Art Farmer Quintet Featuring Gigi Gryce, Prestige 7017, just eluded me. Read more

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