Whilst on the subject of Lee Morgan, I got this note in my inbox the other day from a reader named Andy:

“Hi there. Just wanted to say hi and I’ve been enjoying your blog for the past year. Been listening to vinyl for a long time but just started getting into collecting older jazz albus recently. As a listener first and collector second I’ve been wondering: How rare are these older Blue Notes? Or how many do you think are in circulation? Say, for instance Lee Morgan’s Candy. Are there 100 in VG+ condition? Any knowledge on this is much appreciated. Thanks.”

My reply:

“Hi, Andy. Thanks for the kind words. There’s no way of really knowing how many original copies of any record have survived in VG+ or better condition. Based on what I’ve seen on eBay over the many years watching, plus my own experience in record stores and with other collectors, I would guess for a really rare record like Candy, there are maybe 300 or so copies in collectors of floating around between collections. It’s a good question and I will ask it of the broader audience when I do a new post. Cheers.”

So there it is. You have my educated guess. What’s yours.

Speaking of rare original Blue Notes, there is Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This is an original deep groove pressing with the New York 23 labels. The record and cover are both graded in VG+ condition, so this copy would fit Andy’s criteria. Do you think there are 300 of these out there? Maybe, maybe not. I know I don’t have an original pressing, and I’ve been collecting jazz for more than 50 years. Anyway, the bidding for this one is in the $600 range with more than four days left on the auction.

Finally, there is this: Sonny Rollins, The Sound of Sonny, Riverside 12-241. This is not an original pressing. An original would have the white label, and this one has the blue label. But it is quite interesting because right on the front cover is Sonny’s signature, with the following note: “To Morrie. Sonny Rollins. Best wishes.” I don’t need Don Lucky to confirm that this is Sonny’s signature because I have other examples, and this is clearly Sonny, no doubt about it. Plus, the seller, who happens to be Morrie, has a great story to go with it, including a ticket from the concert where Sonny signed it, and even a copy of the set list. I know if my name was Morrie I’d be all over this one, even though the start price is $500. I still find it very cool, knowing the story and the details about how, when and where Sonny signed it. It’s funny, all those years of seeing Sonny live, it never occurred to me to ask him for his autograph. I know he would have signed, especially on those nights late in the middle of the week when the clubs were pretty empty and you could just go up and talk with him, which we often did. But asking for an autograph always seemed intrusive to me, or, better yet, it just didn’t seem cool. But, looking back, perhaps I could have been less concerned with seeming cool because I sure wouldn’t mind a copy of Tenor Madness signed “To Al. Sonny Rollins. Best wishes.”