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Catching Up, Nov. 24, 2008

November 24, 2008 Al Leave a comment

Here are updates on some of the records on eBay we’ve been watching at Jazz Collector recently. Most of these will be added to the Jazz Collector Price Guide by the end of the week. Take a look, please.

Sahib Shihab, Conversations, Polydor 623257. This was an original pressing in M- condition. Price: $256

Billy Bauer, Let’s Have A Session, Ad Lib 5501. This was an original pressing with the red label. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. It sold for $160. I have two personal Billy Bauer stories. Back in the early 1970s, I had a gig as a rhythm guitarist accompanying my friend Dan Axelrod. My musical talents are, to be generous, modest at best, but Dan taught me enough chords to support him while he soloed. At the time Dan was taking lessons from Billy Bauer and one night Bauer came down to see us with a group of his other students.

A Rare Roland Kirk LP, And Some Fond Memories

November 21, 2008 Al Leave a comment

The other day I was sitting in my room listening to Roland Kirk, Volunteered Slavery, Atlantic 1534 — Side Two, the one that was recorded at the 1968 Newport Jazz Festival. And I was thinking it was a shame that none of his records, other than this one side, ever really captured both his prodigious talents as well as the incredible excitement and amazement he generated with his live performances. I used to see Kirk whenever he would play at the Village Vanguard, and he was a true phenomenon: Three horns strung around his neck to be played in unison; a couple of flutes hanging off his body, including a flute he would play through his nose; various gongs and sirens and alarms and whistles and other noisemakers all aimed at adding various tones and textures to his playing. And his playing — on tenor, on flute, on whatever — was vastly underrated. He could wail and he could swing and he could play ballads and he was just a gifted musician and performer.

Ebay Today, October 7, 2008

October 7, 2008 Al Leave a comment

Another fairly light day on eBay today, as far as high-end collectibles, but there are several worth watching. We also have a few of our own items closing today, so we’ll start with a couple of those:

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. Read more

Remembering Elvin Jones

May 24, 2004 Al Leave a comment

Today we turn things over to some readers. The death of Elvin Jones inspired a couple of people to write: “The loss of Elvin Jones is indeed a blow to the jazz world. I feel lucky to have seen him for the first time in Minneapolis last fall. I was downtown and, to my surprise, The Dakota, formerly a St. Paul jazz club, had opened a club right on Nicollet Mall, just a few blocks from my hotel. I thought they were expanding. As it turned out, they had moved their location. To my surprise, the Grand Opening act was Elvin Jones and The Jazz Machine. Being a swing drummer, Elvin was not at the top of my list of influences, but I knew enough to know that if I ever wanted to see him, this was the time. Read more

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