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.

This week’s theme: Clifford Brown, Early Recordings.

Featuring 10-inch Blue Note and Pacific Jazz recordings, originals and Mosaic reissues/newly discovered tracks. Featured artists include Lou Donaldson, J.J. Johnson, Horace Silver, Jimmy Heath, Art Blakey, Zoot Sims, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Percy Heath, John Lewis, and more. Also some discussion of Michael Cuscuna of Mosaic.

This week’s theme: The Riverside Label, Part I

You may have also seen that Jack Sheldon died a few weeks ago. He was a big personality, a funny guy, a good singer and all of that, but he was also a terrific and probably underrated trumpet player. Here, we know him as a jazz guy, but based on his obituaries, I guess he was best known for Schoolhouse Rock! and his stint on the Merv Griffin show, where he was the epitome of cool in an otherwise-less-than-hip environment.

Here’s a new boxed set that caught my eye: The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection by Charlie Parker. It looks like the package includes the artwork from the original covers, as well as the familiar Savoy labels with the red logos. Very cool. As always, I am tempted to contact the record label, in this case Craft Records, for a review copy. The problem is, I get the records but I rarely actually sit down and do the reviews. I’m still sitting on a beautiful Coltrane boxed set. The Bird set is scheduled for a release date of February 28. Hmm, just in time for my birthday.

Speaking of Bird, you can now see his King Super 20 Alto sax at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. This article has been buried in my queue since October and I had forgotten all about it. Too bad, I was in Fairfax, Va., last weekend and had a couple of hours to kill. If I had remembered, I would have made the trip to DC for Bird. Next time.

Hmm, this one doesn’t normally get the Jazz Collector  prices, particularly the stereo version: Jimmy Heath, The Thumper, Riverside 1160. This was the original black label stereo version. The record was in M- condition and the cover was probably VG++. It sold for $163.50 but there were only two bidders, which raises a bit of an alert with me. This one was from the same seller: Cannonball Adderley Quintet at the Lighthouse, Riverside 344. This was an original deep groove mono pressing. The record and cover were in M- condition and, again, there were two bidders. The top bid was $88.

There were still a few more we were watching from the jazz5060/Music Matters auction, including a few that went for quite high prices, compared to what they normally fetch. For example:

Art Farmer, Farmer’s Market, Prestige 8203. I always found this one to be an interesting curiosity because of the number in the 8200 series. This was a short-lived series and I’m not sure what Prestige was thinking at the time. Perhaps one of the Prestige experts out there — hello, Rudolf — has more information. This was a review copy with the original yellow label and it was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for a whopping $707. This one also got a very high price, all things considered: Mal Waldron, The Quest, New Jazz 8269. This record features Eric Dolphy and Booker Ervin, a nice combination indeed, Mingus alumni, and it was in M- condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $630. Our previous high for this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was $170

Also, Miles Davis, Cookin’ Prestige 7094. This was one of those that we

had in duplicate, so we’re selling the copy that’s in lesser condition. Unfortunately both of our copies are New Jersey pressings. We’ve been looking for a nice original New York copy for awhile, but the prices have really skyrocketed in the past couple of years — well into the $200 and $300 range, and even up to $400 and above. Anyway, this New Jersey pressing is in VG+ condition and it is still at the starting price of $49 with no bidders.

This is not one of ours: Charlie Rouse, Yeah!, Epic 17012. This is a promo stereo copy. The record is listed as VG++ and the cover is VG+. The price is around $150 with several hours to go.

We’ve also got a close eye on this one: Ike Quebec, It Might As Well Be Spring, Blue Note 4105. This is in M- condition, both the record and the cover. It is currently priced around $150, which is a bit high for this LP, but the condition is spectacular. This is one of the records that would probably be on the bubble in our own collection — we may decide to sell it if we believe the price is right. So we’ll keep an eye on this and then take a look and listen to the one in our collection and make a decision.