Going in the opposite direction, I received an email with the subject line: NJ RECORD BASH SIGNOFF. This was a long-time event, nearly 50 years, according to the email. It was usually held in June at a motel or hotel in New Jersey. This is another one I used to attend regularly, back in the 1980s and 1990s. I remember one time getting there early and setting up a table and the guy next to me was setting up and he had a pile of original Prestige Swingville records in mint condition and I bought the entire pile for about $5 each. I still have those records. Sorry to see the Bash go, but the financial model must be a challenge these days, what with eBay and social media and people no longer getting together to socialize as they used to.

I’m on the mailing list for the labels doing reissues, such as Craft and Blue Note, but unfortunately I’m not on their promo lists for review copies. In any case, the email in box had a promo for new issues from the Original Jazz Classics series from Craft, including Introducing Lee Morgan, The Young Lions from VeeJay, and This Here is Bobby Timmons from Riverside. Blue Note is taking orders for a three-LP Tone Poet set of The Complete ‘Round About Midnight at the Café Bohemia from Kenny Dorham. This would comprise the original Blue Note 1524, plus the two Japanese LPs issued in the 1980s.

This week’s theme: Jazz Vocals featuring horn player accompaniment. Featured artists include Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dave Lambert, Joe Williams, Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, Abby Lincoln, Kenny Durham, Sonny Rollins, Dinah Washington, Clark Terry, Paul Quinichette, Lockjaw Davis, Annie Ross, Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Helen Humes, Teddy Edwards, Ray Charles, Betty Carter, Billie Holiday, Lester Young, and many more.

Just to show that Groovin’ High was no fluke, there were also these from the JRC auction: Booker Ervin, The Freedom Book, Prestige 7295. This was an original yellow label mono pressing that also looked to be in M- condition. The final price was $392. This was not a new high for The Freedom Book, which has sold for more than $800 on one occasion. And Booker Ervin, The Space Book, Prestige 7386. This was an original blue label mono pressing. The record looked to be M- and the cover was probably VG++. The final price was $289.99.

Whilst on the JRC auction, let’s fill in the gaps of some of the records mentioned in the previous post and assorted comments. There was Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225, with the drill hole through the center of the cover and the label. This one sold for $3,023.  There was Bill Evans, Explorations, Riverside 351, with the misprinted cover. This one sold for $539. There was Teddy Edwards, Good Gravy!, Contemporary 3592. This was an original deep-groove mono pressing that was in M- condition for the record and probably VG+ or VG++ for the cover. This one sold for $133.50.

Of course, we were also watching other auctions. Here is one that caught our eye. Sonny Rollins and the Modern Jazz Quartet, Barclay 84057. This looked to be an original French pressing of the early Rollins Prestige 12-inch compilation. I had never this version and the cover is quite cool. Both record and cover were in M- condition and the start price was about $200. There were no bidders, so I would expect to see this back soon, perhaps at a lower price. I was listening to a playlist I had compiled a while ago and “Slow Boat to China” came on. Sonny was just 21 or 22 and, man, could he play. I am currently reading (and thoroughly enjoying) the new biography Saxophone Colossus: The Life of Sonny Rollins by Aidan Levy. Definitely a must-read for Sonny fans, which means it is a must-read for Jazz Collector readers, because it is impossible to imagine that anyone reading this far into this post is not a Sonny fan, right?