This week’s theme: A cornucopia of alto sax recordings. Featured artists include Charlie Parker, Art Pepper, Sonny Stitt, Cannonball Adderley, Phil Woods, Gene Quill, Marshall Royal, Johnny Hodges, Charles McPherson, Jackie McLean, Herb Geller, Eric Dolphy, Lou Donaldson, John Handy, Hal McKusick, Paul Desmond and many more.

This week’s theme: Various artists playing songs from the Ellington catalogue. Featured artists include Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, John Coltrane, Ben Webster, Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Lawrence Brown, Quentin Jackson, Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Harry Carney, Tyree Glen, Clark Terry, Sonny Greer, Sam Woodyard, Cat Anderson, Ray Nance, and many more.

This week’s theme. More ballads. Featured artists include Jackie McLean, Paul Desmond, Jim Hall, Sarah Vaughan, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Johnny Hodges, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Ben Webster, Nancy Lamont.

This week’s theme continues the random playlist from the Clef, Norgran and Verve catalogues. Some of the featured artists are Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, Art Tatum, Johnny Hodges, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz and many, many more.

Ella and Louis, Verve 4003.

From the same seller: The Immortal Charlie Parker, Savoy 12001. This was an original deep groove pressing with the blood red label. The record was listed in VG condition and the cover was VG+. The final price was $247.50. I had thought the market for Bird on Savoy had peaked years ago. A resurgence, or is the high tide lifting all boats, including the one with Ella and Louis? And the one where Gerry Mulligan Meets Johnny Hodges, Verve 8367. This was an original trumpeter label in M- condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $247.50. And one more: The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 2, Blue Note 1504. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing, listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Based on the pictures, the cover looked to be in great shape. The final price was $1,500.

Another auction closed from one of the regular sellers on eBay, Vinyl-House-UK, including Donald Byrd, Byrd in Flight, Blue Note 4048. This was on original deep groove West 63^rd Street pressing. The record was listed in EX+ condition and the cover in EX condition. The final price was $1,127. Also, Jackie McLean, Bluesnik, Blue Note 4067. This was also an original deep groove, West 63^rd Street pressing, also in EX+/EX condition. The final price was $1,155.

Ella Fitzgerald, Sunshine of Your Love, Prestige 7685. Sealed, $274.

Illinois Jacquet, Birthday Party, JRC-11434. Sealed, promo, $251.50.

Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Fantasy 5019. Promo, $232.50.

Duke Ellington, Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Money Jungle, Solid State 18022. Reissue, promo, $231.

There are so many more, it’s hard to fathom: Sergio Mendes for more than $200; Getz-Gilberto for more than $200; JJ. Johnson, Proof Positive on Impulse for more than $200; Ella Fitzgerald on Pablo (with a cutout clip to boot) for $184.

I could go on all day. Look for yourself. I think we have ventured into a new paradigm. Perhaps the emergence of the celebrity collector. Or a world in which sealed records and shrink wrap, no matter what the record, are a thing. Beats the hell out of me.

Dexter Gordon, Getting’ Around, Blue Note 4204. I only did side one with Manha De Carnaval and Who Can I Turn To. Another great choice. This is also a superbly recorded LP, and I can see why its value keeps rising in the collectibles market. From there I went to an old standby, Getz-Gilberto on Verve and closed the set with Paul Desmond and Jim Hall, First Place Again on Warner Brothers. All and all it was a successful play list. I was listening quite intently and was quite pleased. The Lovely Mrs. JC was listening as background music and she was pleased as well. So there it is, a mellow playlist for you all. Anyone have any suggestions for the next time around?

Gerry Mulligan Meets Johnny Hodges, Verve 8367. This was an original pressing with the trumpeter logo and it was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. I was surprised to see this one sell for $148.37. Neither Hodges nor Mulligan is typically all that collectible, and this is one of the later Verves among those with the trumpeter logo. Any theories as to why this would sell for nearly $150? Is the market shifting back to Verves a little?

I’ve never seen this one before: Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, A Nite at Carnegie Hall, Black Deuce. This was the full set of 78s capturing the historic September 29, 1947 concert. As noted in the listing, this was a pirated record release, but it was the first of the issues in any form. The set looked to be in excellent, near mint condition. They sold for $688.

This one almost made it into the $2,000 bin:

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York yellow label pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $1,913.

Another Prestige favorite: Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. This was also an original New York yellow label pressing in M- condition. This one sold for $676.

This is one of the great post-bop records of the era. Is it really only a $40 record these days: Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street, Emarcy 36070. This was an original pressing with the drummer label. It looked to be in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. It had just one bid and sold for $40. Put the same music on Blue Note and what do you have?

Dexter Gordon, Doin’ Allright, Blue Note 4077. This was an original New York pressing. The seller listed it in VG+/VG++ condition for the record and the cover. In the description, he mentioned tape on the cover. To me this immediately marks the condition down to VG+, not VG++. So I would also question the condition of the vinyl, but that’s just me. This one sold for $222.50, which is what I would expect for a VG+ pressing of this record, so I guess others may have had the same sense on the grading.

Here’s one featuring a Johnny Hodges autograph:

Johnny Hodges, Collates #2, Clef 128. This was an original 10-inch pressing with the autograph on the back cover. You can see if clearly if you zoom in on it. The record and cover are both listed in Ex condition, which sounds like VG+ based on the seller’s description. Bidding is in the $90 range with a few hours left. Sometimes the autograph diminishes the value of the record in the eyes of some collectors, which I will never understand. In this case, it seems to be enhancing the value.

First there was that copy of Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants, Prestige 7150, that was autographed by Miles, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. It was offered by the Jazz Record Center so there was some level of credibility attached to the autographs, although the listing didn’t say anything about independent verification. The price for this was $4,305. It’s certainly a one-of-a-kind item, so there is probably no price too high to have surprised us. This seems pretty reasonable for such a rare item. Here are a couple more from the same auction: Art Pepper, Intensity, Contemporary 3607. This was not only signed by Art Pepper, he also put the date and his home address with the signature. The record and cover both looked to be in M- condition. This one sold for $150.27. This one was not signed: Johnny Hodges, In a Tender Mood, Norgran 1059. This was an original yellow label pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $161.50. I was watching this because I like to keep an eye on the original Norgrans, just to see that there is still a collector’s market for them, since they really reflect artists mostly from the pre-bop era, with a few exceptions, of course. This one also has that weird kind of cover from the era, with a picture of a white woman as the sole image on the picture of an album by a black male artists. Is it really possible that

these records with the white women on the cover — this one has a certain Marilyn Monroe vibe, wouldn’t you say — sold better than the records with the artist’s picture, or with a beautiful drawing by David Stone Martin. As a collector, a record such as this has less appeal to me because of the cover, compared to some of the other Norgrans. What do you think?

Here are three for the $1,000 bin:

George Wallington Quintet at the Bohemia,Progressive 1001. This was an original pressing offered by Euclid Records, another of the most credible dealers, and it was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover.  It also had a promo stamp. It sold for $1,213.89.

Hank Mobley, Roll Call, Blue Note 4058. This was an original pressing with the West. 63rd Street address. It was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,081.

Finally, there was Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. This was an original pressing also in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $1036.