Tag: Sonny Rollins

Sonny Rollins Awarded National Medal of Arts

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Thanks to Don-Lucky for the heads-up that Sonny Rollins is being awarded today with  the National Medal of Arts — the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States Government. I am doubly pleased to see that Sonny is being honored along with James Taylor, one of my all time-favorite artists outside of the jazz sphere. On Sonny’s official Web site, this is what he had to say: “I’m very happy that jazz, the greatest American music, is being recognized through this honor, and I’m grateful to accept this award on behalf of the gods of our music.”

This is the citation read at the ceremony:

“Sonny Rollins for his contributions to American jazz music. Widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians of the post-bebop era, Mr. Rollins’ melodic sensibilities, playing style, and solos have delighted audiences and influenced generations of musicians for over 50 years.”

Here are some details about the honor, as well as past jazz winners: Read more

eBaying With Horace, Lou, Newk & Leo Parker

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Some interesting items on eBay now. Shall we see?

Horace Silver, The Cape Verdean Blues, Blue Note 4220. This looks to be an original mono pressing with the ear and the Van Gelder in the deadwax, although there is no close-up picture of the label to tell. This one is closing soon and is at more than $150 in VG+ or VG++ condition. Anyone out there have an explanation? Not that it’s not an excellent record, but it’s never been one of those that has garnered high prices. Perhaps because it’s a mono pressing?

We’d mentioned this one a couple of weeks ago when it sold for $81 in VG condition: Leo Parker and Bill Jennings, Billy in the Lion’s Den, King 395-527. The record here is VG+ and the cover is VG, but the pictures with the listing are very nice. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and, in this case, they seem to be worth several hundred at least: This one is already more than $325.

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Some Later Blue Note Pressings, Plus a Few More

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Here are some odds and ends of interest for various reasons:

As prices have been rising for original Blue Notes, we’ve also been watching prices rise, although not as drastically for later pressings. We had an eye on this one: Wayne Shorter, Speak No Evil, Blue Note 4194. This was a stereo pressing with the Liberty label. The record as M- and the cover was VG++. It sold for $38. I couple of years ago, these Liberty pressings were selling in the $20 range, so there has been movement, as you would expect. When I first started collecting jazz in 1970 or so, if you went into a local store such as a Sam Goody, these were the pressings you would typically find. If I had been prescient, or if I had the money, I would have bought them all.

This seller was trying to take a shot with a record of similar vintage: Hank Mobley, No Room For Squares, Blue Note 4149. This didn’t have a description of the label, but it did clearly show in the picture that it was a Liberty pressing. He tried with a start price of $100. There were no bidders, and it has now been listed for around $50, with the same pictures. Presumably there will still be no bidders, but you can never tell. This seller’s feedback rating, by the way, is 98.8 percent.

This one is hard to figure:

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Jazz Vinyl Catch-Up: Two For the $2,000 Bin

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Let’s catch up on some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been watching.

As some of you have noted, this one did sell after all: Hank Mobley Quartet, Blue Note 5066. This was the one that had the start price near $2,000 and was in M- condition for the record and cover. So, welcome to the $2,000 bin: It sold for $2,050.

Also in the $2,000 in is this from the Jazz Record Center: Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro  606. This was also in M- condition for the record and the cover and it sold for $2,025.

How about the Sonny Rollins with the cover on the side: Sonny Rollins, Blue Note 1542. This was a Lexington Avenue pressing with the flat edge. We’re assuming that when the seller took the picture, he turned the cover around to show the name clearly and the opening is really by the yellow, where it belongs. We’re also assuming the winning bidder is assuming the same thing, since the price was $766.

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Jazz Vinyl On eBay: What May or May Not Sell

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Here’s some jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay for various and sundry reasons:

George Wallington, Jazz for the Carriage Trade, Prestige 7032. This is an original New York pressing that looks to be in extremely nice condition. The record is graded M- and the cover is VG++. I haven’t often seen this record witht he front cover looking so clean. This one is priced at about $180 with nearly three more days to go.

Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter, Imperial 9024. This looks to be an original deep groove pressing in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. This is also in the $180 price range with less than a day to go.

This one has yet to meet the seller’s reserve price: Pete La Roca, Basra, Blue Note 4205. This is an original New York USA pressing with the ear and it is listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover, still in its original shrink wrap. This is just in the $100 range at this point and it will be interesting to see if it catches up to the seller’s reserve.

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Five For the $1,000 Bin

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Haven’t updated the $1,000 bin lately, so here goes:

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This was an original pressing in M- condition, sold by our friend Steve at Round Again Records in Providence, RI. The price was $1,978. And if you happen to be in Providence, check out A Christmas Carol at Trinity Rep, directed by Young JC, otherwise known as my son Michael.

Lorraine Geller at the Piano, Dot 3174. This looked to be in M- condition and sold for $1,580. I haven’t seen this record, but I had no idea it was such a valuable collectible. Is it any good, or is it just rare?

The next one is good and it’s rare, although it does seem to pop on eBay quite often for an extremely rare record, wouldn’t you say:

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On eBay: A Rare Rollins Prestige Plus Two

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If you think the Monk Prestige cover was great, check out this one: Sonny Rollins Quintet, Prestige 186. This is an original 10-inch pressing. I’m a huge Rollins fan and I’ve been collecting for more than 40 years and not only do I not own a copy of this record, I’ve never seen it. It must be quite rare. I would love to have it, yet the price is already more than $400 and I can’t bring myself to spend what it would take to win this. It’s more the principle than the money: Too many years of hunting for bargains, I guess. Anyway, I will be jealous of the winner at whatever price.

There’s a bunch of other interesting jazz vinyl on eBay now as well, including: Rocky Boyd, Ease It, Jazztime JT001. This is a among a nice collection listed by Round Again Records up in Providence, which I have mentioned here before as

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More Jazz Vinyl: Monk 10-Inch & A Few Bargains?

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Here’s some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

Look at the great cover on this one: Thelonious Monk Plays, Prestige 189. This is a 10-inch pressing that was listed in M- condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It was part of a nice crop of 10-inch Prestiges offered by the Philadelphia Record Exchange and it sold for $295. You may recall that I bid on the James Moody 10-inchers from this auction. I wound up winning all three for about $150 total, about $50 each. To me that’s a fine deal, great music, even though, perhaps, the resale market for these records won’t be so great. Won’t matter though, since I’ll have thousands of records to sell before I get to these.

Some interesting, lower, prices than usual: Sonny Rollins, Tenor Madness Prestige 7047. This was an original New York pressing in VG condition for both the record and cover. This is quite a classic, of course, yet it sold for less than $60. The dealer mentioned something about the cover being “professionally” repaired, whatever that means, so that could have impacted the price. Still, even in VG condition, you’d expect more, based on the prices we’ve seen lately for original Blue Notes and Prestiges. Here’s another:

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Back on eBay: Lee, Bird, Newk and Mr. PC

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It’s been days since we caught up on eBay, so let’s take a look and see what’s been going on:

There was this one that came close to the $1,000 bin: Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $919.

We were also watching a bunch of records from the seller bobjdukic, which is always an interesting pastime. In a way you have to admire his ability to promote a 1978 Savoy reissue of Charlie Parker as an original and get someone to pay a fairly decent collectible price. Case in point: Charlie Parker, The Complete Savoy Studio Sessions, a boxed set issued in 1978 by Arista Records. This sold for $112.50. This one seemed to get a fair price: Sonny Rollins With the Modern Jazz Quartet, Prestige 7029. This was a New York pressing with the yellow cover. An original first press would have the orange cover and the kakubshi cover. This one seems to

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Tracking Blue Note Jazz on 78-RPM

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I bought that collection and I found that it had a bunch of 12-inch Blue Note 78s so I did a search this morning on eBay for Blue Note 78s, since it is not something I have tried to collect in the past. It turns out the records I acquired — the Sidney Bechets and Albert Ammons and Art Hodes — don’t seem to have much cachet as collectibles. If you look at closed items, they generally sell in the range of $10 and less. However, in doing the search I found a few interesting bop 78s that sold for higher prices, including:

Bud Powell’s Modernists with Sonny Rollins, Blue Note 1568. This 78 includes Dance of the Infidels and 52nd Street Theme and it was described as being in better than VG+ condition, but not quite M-. This sold for $89.88.

Max Roach Quintet, Blue Note 1569. This contains Prince Albert Part 1 and 2, with Kenny Dorham and James Moody. Let’s see how well my memory is working: Prince Albert is a head based on All the Things You Are, if I recall properly, and this version, in addition to being issued on 78, was issued

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