This week’s theme: Quintessential Quintets. Highlights from some of the quintessential jazz quintets from the 1950s and 1960s. Think Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Clifford Brown/Max Roach and a few others. Interesting insight during the show related to my father. If you’ve never read it, would recommend the article Song for My Father here at JazzCollector.com. Hard to believe I wrote that nearly 20 years ago. Featured artists on this podcast include Art Blakey, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, George Morrow, Richie Powell, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, Bobby Timmons, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes, Johnny Griffin, Lockjaw Davis, Junior Mance, Larry Gales, Ben Riley, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Horace Silver, Junior Cook, Blue Mitchell, Gene Taylor, Roy Brooks, Lee Morgan, Jymie Merrott, Harold Land, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, Charlie Parker, Duke Jordan, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw

This week’s theme: Jazz versions of songs that celebrate the autumn season, inspired by the beauty of the leaves changing here in lovely Berkshire County, Ma. Featured artists include Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Hank Jones, Sam Jones, Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Johnny Hartman, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Anita O’Day, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Phil Woods, Billie Holiday, Flip Phillips, Oscar Peterson, Barney Kessell, Ray Brown, Isaiah J. Thompson, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Sarah Vaughan, Roy Haynes, Rosemary Clooney, Scott Hamilton, Nancy Lamott, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Karrin Allyson, Tal Farlow and many more.

This week’s theme: Sonny Rollins as a sideman, starting with his first recordings as an 18-year-old. Featured artists include Sonny Rollins, JJ Johnson, Kenny Dorham, Clifford Brown, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Philly Joe Jones, Babs Gonzalez, Thelonious Monk, Julius Watkins, Percy Heath, Willie Jones, Bennie Green, John Lewis, Roy Haynes.

This week’s theme: Happy Third Anniversary to the Jazz Collector Live radio show and podcast, featuring the best of something. Featured artists include John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Miles Davis, Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Cobb, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Percy Heath, Connie Kay, Stan Getz, Duke Jordan, Jimmy Raney, Zoot Sims, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Rosemary Clooney, Warren Vache, Scott Hamilton, Cal Collins, Charlie Parker, Joao Gilberto, Maxine Sullivan, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Roland Kirk, Charles Mingus, John Handy, Clifford Brown, Max Roach, Harold Land, Richie Powell, Charlie Parker, LaVern Baker, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton and more.

This week’s theme: The four albums (plus) recorded for Prestige on May 11 and Oct. 26, 1956. Artists are Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. For Jazz Collector Live, part of the centennial celebration of Miles and Trane.

This week’s theme: Jazz versions of Rodgers and Hart compositions. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Paul Desmond, Jim Hall, Art Tatum, Ben Webster, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Sheila Jordan, Chet Baker, Sonny Stitt, Anita O’Day, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, John Coltrane, Johnny Hartman, Lee Wiley.

This week’s theme: Miles Davis centennial celebration continues with Miles and Bird, 1947 and 1948. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, JJ Johnson, Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter, Max Roach, John Lewis, Curly Russell.

This week’s theme: Sonny Rollins. Featured artists include Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Richie Powell, George Morrow, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Percy Heath, Kenny Clarke, George Cables, Bob Cranshaw, David Lee, Ray Brown, Shelley Manne, Barney Kessel, Hampton Hawes, Leroy Vinnegar, Ben Riley, Jim Hall, Ray Bryant, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, Wade Legge, Kenny Dorham, Tommy Flanagan.

In addition to this podcast featuring Sonny Rollins, I’ve also done several Sonny-themed podcasts in the past. Here’s a list:

April 21, 2025, Sonny and Trane, Trane and Sonny

Nov. 11, 2024, Rollins Plays Rollins

May 27, 2024, Sonny Rollins, European Tour, 1959

Jan. 29, 2024, Random Rollins

June 26, 2023, Sonny Rollins, Prestige

The one from June 26, 2023, was  the third show I ever did and the first themed show after two introductory shows.

Of course. The same invitation is open to anyone. Stuart reminded me that it is almost 10 years to the day since we published an earlier article – Adventures in Jazz Collecting, Tokyo Style. Couldn’t help but notice that there were 54 comments on that article. Bravo to Stuart and all of the commenters. Ah, the good old days.

Anyway, the article arrived the other day, along with the title Stuart suggested title, so, without further ado, may we present:

The Records (But Not the Music) Are Over

By Stuart Levine

Well, I did it. I sold my jazz record collection. Now approaching 70, I’m trying to downsize and just not finding the opportunity to listen to my LPs. You see, for years I’ve been living in Japan with my wife and two daughters, while all this time storing my records and audio equipment back on the West Coast. The irony is that I’m in the land (or rather, on the island) whose people love our American art form of Jazz, yet I, myself, can’t listen to my own records. I don’t want to bore anyone with details as to why not, but suffice it to say that living quarters are tight there and sound travels easily.

I’ll miss visiting the record stores – the crate digging and conversations with fellow vinyl enthusiasts. It had all started during my college days with CTI and fusion. But later, I discovered Hard Bop and “watch out” – I was hooked! Good thing I started making some decent money because as you know, those Blue Notes are expensive. So gone are roughly 400 LPs; however, I did keep a few. They are Somethin’ Else, Maiden Voyage and Kind of Blue.  All are first pressings. My copy of Kind of Blue is very early.  Just couldn’t part with these three.

As far as sales went, I did pretty well with my treasured vinyl. A VG++ Cool Struttin’ came in at a cool $4,283. A near mint Wahoo did a whopping $1,725 and even a VG+ Juju sold for $900, netting me $630. Yep, further evidence of Blue Notes’ cachet. On the other hand, Impulse didn’t do so well. My pristine mono copy of Blues and the Abstract Truth disappointed at 75 bucks. Gosh, darn it … wish I could have that one back as well as other gems in my collection such as Saxophone Colossus and A Love Supreme. Oh, stop it, Stuart! You’re done! There are always cds.

But before I close, I’d like to give shout outs to Charles Pearlman of Strictly Headies and Jason Perlmutter of Carolina Soul (thanks to Al for recommending Jason). They did such a professional job of listing my records on their eBay sites. With Charlie, who sold most of my jazz records, I got to visit Portland, Oregon, enjoying the greenery I don’t get in the Las Vegas desert where my parents live. And for the first time, I flew to Durham, North Carolina to meet Jason with a few jazz LPs and a good number of rock records. So, thanks guys … you represented my collection well, and I’m sure my records are spinning right now on worthy turntables. As for me, I think I’ll give a listen to “Stolen Moments” from my laptop computer.

This week’s theme: The first recordings of Miles Davis and John Coltrane together. Featured artists are Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.