Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz To Come, Atlantic 1317. This pressing has the bulls-eye label. It’s closing soon and is at $73. One of the reasons I’m watching this is because I’ve seen this record often and rarely have I seen it fetch collectible prices. But, even at $73, that’s already evidence that it is becoming more of a collectible, at least the version with this label. 

The Consummate Artistry of Ben Webster, Norgran 1001. This is an original yellow label pressing in very nice condition, up from Euclid Records.  Current price is $31.

Here’s another one that wasn’t always deemed a collectible: John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Impulse A-40. This is an original pressing and is currently at $115. This is great music and I can see why it has become highly sought after all of these years.

Here’s a Trane record that was also widely distributed, but is also highly collectible in its original pressing: John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This is an original black-label pressing in VG+ condition. Price is $105. 

Here’s one I’ve never seen: Thelma Gracen, Wing 60005. Wing was a division of Mercury, and this one looks just like an Emarcy, which was also a division of Mercury. It’s getting some interest from collectors, and is currently at $92.

Finally, here’s a nice Miles going for a very high price, relatively speaking, of course: Miles Davis, Cookin, Prestige 7094. This is an original New York pressing. Current price is $225.

This one had the highest price of all the ones we’re entering: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. Price: $1,524.99

Eddie Costa, House of Blue Lights, Dot 3206. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $355

Red Garland at the Prelude, Prestige 7170. This was an original pressing in M-/M- condition. Price: $79. This sold on another auction for $338.70 recently. 

Lou Donaldson, Sonny Side Up, Blue Note 5036. This was an original pressing with the original cover in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $156.10

Charlie Rouse, Yeah!, Epic 16012. This was in M-/VG++ condition and sold for $416.51.

Jackie McLean, Bluesnik, Blue Note 4067. This was a West 63rd pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $236.06

Sal Salvador Quintet, Blue Note 5035. This was a 10-inch LP in M-/M- condition. Price> $129.62

Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Bag, Blue Note 4051. This was VG++/VG++ and sold for $169.

Charles Mingus, the Complete 1959 CBS Sessions, Mosaic MQ4-143. This was a 4-record boxed set and sold for $133.50

Mal Waldron, Mal-1, Prestige 7090. This was an original New York yellow label in VG++/VG++ condition. Price $455

Elmo Hope, Informal Jazz, Prestige 7043. This was an original pressing in M-/VG++ condition. Price: $997.97

Jerome Richardson, Midnight Oil, New Jazz 8205. This was a purple label original in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $224.50

Lester Young, Le Dernier Message, Barclay 84-009. This was in VG+/VG + condition. Price: $518

Barry Harris at the Jazz Workshop, Riverside 326. This was an original blue label pressing in M-/VG++ condition. Price: $190.50

Thelonious Monk, Monk’s Music, Riverside 242. This was an original white label pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. It sold for $117.50, quite a bit off the $3,000 previous high.

Gigi Gryce, When Farmer Met Gryce, Prestige 7085. This was an original New York yellow label in M-/M- condition. Price: $560

Charlie Parker, With Strings, Mercury 35010. This was a 10-inch LP in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $383

Duke Pearson, Tender Feelin’s, Blue Note 4035. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $610.07

Betty Bennett, Nobody Else But Me, Atlantic 1226. This was a black label in VG++/VG+ condition and it sold for $127.12

Bill Berry, For Duke, RealTime 101. This was M-/VG++. Price: $102.50

Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet, Prestige 7079. This was an original orange cover and New York label in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $260

Frank Rosolino, I Play Trombone, Bethlehem 26. This was an original red label pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $137.50

Pepper Adams Plays the Music of Charles Mingus, Workshop 219. This was a stereo pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $94.89

Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. This was a Lexington Avenue pressing in M-/VG condition. Price: $796

Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. This was an original West 63rd pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. Price: $383

Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Pal, Blue Note 7068. This was an original New York yellow label in VG/VG+ condition. Price: $170.50

Sweets Edison, Sweets, Verve 8097. This had the trumpeter logo and was in M-/M- condition. Price: $44.49

Lester Young, Pres and Sweets, Norgran 1043. This was an original yellow-label pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $230.50

John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123. This was an original New York yellow label with the original cover in M-/VG condition. Price: $372.99

That’s all for now.

Herbie Hancock, Takin’ Off, Blue Note 4109. This is a New York USA pressing in decent, but not great shape, although it’s one of those records that sounds better than it looks. You don’t often find Dexter Gordon as a sideman, but he is on this LP, which also includes the “hit” Watermelon Man. 

This is another record we like a lot: Charles Mingus, Mingus Oh Yeah!, Atlantic 1377. When you listen to this record, you get a real sense that they were having a blast making it, and that energy is infectious. I think Roland Kirk never really came off as well in records as he did in person, but he certainly plays well on this LP. Definitely worth owning (the one I’m selling is a duplicate, as are most of the records I sell on eBay). If you want to see some of my other items, you can go to Items For Sale on the Web site, or you can just click this item and click View Seller’s Other Items.

These next items are all from other sellers, starting with: Betty Bennett, Nobody Else But Me, Atlantic 1226. I must confess, this is a record I don’t really know, but I’ve seen it sell consistently in the low-$100s. This copy is in nice shape and is currently at $11. 

Here’s a great 10-inch LP featuring Clifford Brown and Lou Donaldson: Art Blakey, A Night at Birdland, Volume 3, Blue Note 5039. This seems to be in nice shape and is currently at $76. 

Here’s a nice one: Duke Pearson, Feelin’s, Blue Note 4035. This is an original pressing in nice condition. 

Another great 10-incher, with a nice cover by David Stone Martin: Charlie Parker with Strings, Mercury 35010. 

Here’s a nice Prestige in nice condition: Art Farmer, When Farmer Met Gryce, Prestige 7085. This is a New York pressing. 

As promised, we spent the past couple of days catching up on eBay, looking ahead and looking back. Here are some of the items we’re watching over the next couple of days:

Curtis Fuller, Volume 3, Blue Note 1583

We take note any time we see an item from the Jazzrecordcenter for two main reasons: (1) They are probably the premier jazz dealer in the world and (2) Because they sell with integrity, knowledge and credibility. In addition to this Curtis Fuller LP, click “View Seller’s Other Items” for some more nice records, including George Wallington, The Prestidigitator, East-West 4004 and Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Bag, Blue Note 4051.

Hank Mobley’s Message, Prestige 7061

This is another dealer who’s been selling some amazing records over the past few weeks. In addition to this LP he has several other rare items for auction over the next couple of days, including Hank Mobley, Roll Call, Blue Note 4058, and Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter, Imperial 9024. The start prices are high, but so are the caliber and condition of the records.

Kenny Dorham, The Jazz Prophets, ABC Paramount, 122

This is yet another dealer with an incredible selection of nice LPs in nice condition. I would love to know where these people find these records. Wouldn’t we all?

Those are some of the nice items coming up. Here are some of the items we were watching yesterday:

 Ted Brown Sextet with Art Pepper and Warne Marsh, Free Wheeling, Vanguard 8515.

This was in M-/VG+ condition and sold for $330. Another one we’ve never seen in 35 years.  The dealer made sure we were aware of the record’s scarcity. He wrote: “This is a really, really hard to find record. Honestly.”

Last week we spoke to Joe Schwab at Euclid Records about a record show coming up in St. Louis in a couple of weeks. We’ll give more details in the next newsletter on Friday. In the meantime, Joe had some pretty nice 10-inch LPs on eBay. The following three were all sold by Euclid Records.

 Chico O’Farrill’s Latino Dance Party, Norgran 28. This is a beautiful looking 10-inch LP in M- condition. Price: $202.50

 Bud Powell, Piano Solos, Clef 502. This 10-inch LP has a great David Stone Martin Cover. Condition was M-/M-. Price: $188

 Urbie Green, Blue Note 5036. This 10-inch LP was in VG++/M- condition. Price:  $165

 Here’s one I don’t get. Within hours there were two copies sold of Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago, Mercury 20449. There were both in nice condition. Here’s the first one.

Here’s the second one.

So, what’s the big difference? Well, the price. The first one sold for $103.50, the second for $26. Am I missing something here? Anyone have any insight on this?

 Here are a couple of high-ticket items:

 Don Rendell and Ian Carr, Dusk Fire, Columbia SX 6064, original U.K pressing in M- condition. Price: $1,140.

 Hank Mobley Sextet, Blue Note 1540, M-/VG++ condition. Price: $1,136.11

 Here’s a nice 10-inch LP with a nice cover: James Moody’s Moods, Prestige 192. This copy was in M- condition and sold for $150.

 Finally, here are two 10-inch Lester Young LPs on Norgran. Each one sold for $510. Here’s Norgran 5 and here’s Norgran 6.

 Just goes to show the importance of condition. 

Anyway, that’s it for today. See you at Jazzcollector.com tomorrow and with the newsletter on Friday. – Al

As we go through records preparing to sell them on eBay, we always seem to find a few that fail to list the accompanying musicians. When this happens, we go through our source material to try to fill in the blanks. Among the resources we use most often are The Jazz Discography by Tom Lord, which we have on CD-ROM; various Internet sites, such as The All Music Guide; plus several discographies we have in our collection, including those for Blue Note, Savoy, Prestige, Verve, Clef and Norgran.

Whenever we find this information we will post it on the Website. So here are some of our recent findings:

Billie Holiday, Songs for Distingue Lovers, Verve 8257

Sweets Edison, Ben Webster, Jimmy Rowles, Barney Kessel, Red Mitchell, Alvin Stoller

 Georgie Auld in the Land of Hi Fi, Emarcy 36060

The trumpet players are Maynard Ferguson, Conrad Gozzo, Mannie Klein and Ray Linn; the sax players are Willie Schwartz, Ted Nash, Babe Russin and Chuck Genry; the trombone players are Tommy Pederson, Frank Rosolino and Si Zentner; the pianist is Arnold Ross; the guitarists are Al Hendrickson and Barney Kessel; the bassists are Joe Mondragon and JoeComfort; the drummer is Alvin Stoller. The source of this information is The Jazz Discography by Tom Lord, Version 3.3. If you’re a serious collector, the CD-ROM version is definitely a worthwhile tool.

 Taft Jordan, The Moods of Taft Jordan, Mercury MG 20429

The album consists of Jordan backed by a quartet as well as an orchestra. The names of the orchestra members are probably lost forever. The quartet consisted of Everett Barksdale on guitar; Dave Martin on piano; Joe Benjamin on bass; and Chink Martin on drums. The session was recorded in 1958 and at this point is not available on CD.

Tony Scott, The Touch of Tony Scott, RCA 1353

The album was recorded by three different bands on three dates in 1956. First was the orchestra on July 3. It consisted of Jimmy Maxwell, Jimmy Nottingham, Idrees Sulieman and Joe Wilder on trumpets; Jimmy Cleveland, Urbie Green, Rex Peer and Bart Varsala on trombones; Gigi Gryce, Sam Marowitz, Seldon Powell, Zoot Sims and Danny Bank on reeds; Bill Evans on piano; Mundell Lowe on guitar; Milt Hinton on bass and Osie Johnson on drums. Scott played clarinet. The tentette was recorded on July 5, 1956 (they took a holiday on July 4). It consisted of John Carisi and Joe Wilder on trumpets; Cleveland and Green on trombones; Bank on sax; Evans on piano; Barry Galbraith on guitar; Hinton and Johnson. The quartet was recorded July 6, 1956. It consisted of Scott on clarinet; Evans on piano; Les Grinage on bass and Lennie McBrowne on drums.

 That’s it for today. We’ll be back on the Web tomorrow and with our next newsletter on Friday. See you then. — Al

Riffs

            Went to my favorite local record store the other day, Infinity Records on Long Island, and walked away with some nice things. Joey, the owner, always seems to be able to find nice jazz and he’s usually fair and reasonable with the prices. He also knows what he’s doing, unlike some dealers who rely on outmoded and outdated price guides and wind up dramatically overpricing records. Anyway, I hadn’t been to the store in a few weeks, so there was a lot of new stuff to choose from. Here are some of the morsels I bought:

            Kenny Drew and his Progressive Piano, Norgran MG N-1066.  This is an original yellow label. It was only $8 due to the condition. The cover has some wear and a poor tape job on the top and the LP has a lot of light marks. I was hoping it would play to a VG+.  My hopes came half true: Side 1 plays to a VG, with a lot of surface noise, but side 2 sounds pretty good, very listenable. Plus, it’s an original Norgran, which always turns me on, and it’s got a great cover, even if slightly damaged. I’ve been scouring record stores for 35 years and I’d never even seen a copy of this before, in any condition. Just listening to one side will be a pleasure. Click here to see this copy.

            Cannonball Adderley, Cannonball’s Sharpshooters, Mercury 20531. This is an original pressing in near mint condition. I was happy to get it for $20. Of course, I already have a copy, but this was a condition upgrade for me. Be on the lookout for a copy of this great LP in an upcoming newsletter.

            Lionel Hampton, Flying Home, Clef MGC 735, and Airmail Special, Clef MGC-727. Both are original pressings in pretty nice condition. One has some cover damage and was just $4. The other is pretty close to mint and was just $8. I know that Hamp is not the most collectible of artists, but anytime I can get original Clefs in nice condition at those prices, I’m a happy guy.

            I bought a couple of other things, nothing special, but I also left some nice items behind – I’m trying not to buy as much these days since I ran out of space in my house. Anyway, if you’re in the New York metro area, you should definitely pay a visit to Infinity. It’s in Massapequa Park, probably an hour and 10 minutes from Manhattan. The phone number is (516) 221-0634 if you need directions.

Daily Spin

            When I got home from Joey’s I had to listen to the copy I already had of Cannonball’s Sharpshooters as well as the new one to determine which one to keep and which one to get rid of. To be honest, I’ve always preferred the Cannonball LPs on Riverside to the ones on Mercury. I just felt the band was more mature and Cannonball’s playing was more self-assured by the time he got to Riverside. So, while I’ve listed to this record, it’s never been one of the ones I turn to first when I want to listen to Cannonball.

            That’s too bad because it’s a great record, well recorded with burning solos by Cannonball. They do “If I Love Again” at a nice swift tempo with an introduction out of “It’s Only a Paper Moon” and Cannonball swings, very creatively, very distinctively. Click here to enjoy a clip. If this doesn’t get your juices going, you might want to call a doctor.

eBaying

            I still haven’t gotten that Sniper software and it’s costing me some good records. I have to admit I’m still a technophobe at heart, even though I was in the technology publishing business for 25 years and started the first Internet newspaper in the country. Getting new software and learning how to use it are still traumatic experiences. So, here’s what I missed the past few days:

            Cecil Payne, Patterns on Savoy with Kenny Dorham. This was another record I’ve never seen. It was an original pressing in excellent condition, with some slight mars on the cover. It went for $44. I would have paid more if I’d kept track of when it was closing. I love those old Savoy’s with the heavy vinyl.

            Fats Navarro, Volume 2, Blue Note 1532. This was an original Lexington Ave. pressing in VG++ condition. It went for $112.50. Considering that one of my heroes, Sonny Rollins, is on here and I don’t have an original copy of this I probably would have gone for more. Maybe next time.

            Freddie Redd, The Connection, Blue Note 4027. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition. It sold for $90. Seems like a bargain if the condition was accurately graded.

Item For Sale

            Lou Donaldson, The Natural Soul, Blue Note 4108.

            This is a deep groove mono pressing with the New York USA label and the ear in the dead wax.  If it was truly original it would have the 47 West 63^rd address on the label, but it is still an early pressing and it has the great rich sound of being on thick vinyl. Personnel includes Tommy Turrentine, Grant Green, John Patton and Ben Dixon.

            Most of the music here is what would have been called funk-jazz at the time, although there are a couple of standards: “Love Walked In” and a nice ballad version of “That’s All.” Some nice playing by everyone on this LP, which received four stars from the All Music Guide. Click here for their review.

            This copy of the record is in VG condition, although like many of the Blue Notes it looks worse than it plays. There’s some minor surface noise in spots, but it plays mostly fine with no scratches or skips. Cover is VG/VG+, with a little bit of wear around the seams.  Record is fairly priced at $20 plus shipping. We have just the one copy so if you want it send a note to rhett@jazzcollector.com and we’ll conduct a drawing to determine who will be able to purchase it. Shipping is $3.50 in the U.S.; $12 to Europe and $15 to Asia. This record is available to subscribers only.

Question of the Day

Q. How did Milt Jackson get the nickname Bags?

            Answer tomorrow.

            Answer to yesterday’s question:

Q: Which Duke Ellington classic made its debut under the title “Subtle Slough.”

A. Just Squeeze Me. It was first used as a showcase for cornet player Rex Stewart and made its debut on record in 1941.

Source: Liner notes to The Three Sounds LP Here We Come, Blue Note 84088.

Last Chorus

That’s all for today, folks. We do this five days a week, offering new items for sale every single day exclusively to subscribers. For more information about what we do and how to subscribe, please come to Jazzcollector.com or send me a note at al@jazzcollector.com. Also, please remember that, like you, we are fans and collectors. We don’t purport to own all the knowledge and expertise about jazz and jazz collecting, so if you see mistakes, have suggestions or would like to contribute to our efforts, please let us know. Email is always the best way to stay in touch. See you tomorrow. — al