Did you know that Booker Erwin is the tenor sax player on the album Mingus Ah Um? Or that it is the tenor saxophone that Sonny Stitt plays on the album Saxophone Supremacy? Or that John Coltrane wrote the song Afro Blue on the Impulse album Live at Birdland? I didn’t know any of this because none of it is true. Except that’s what it says in the liner notes or on the labels. In the process of doing my weekly two-hour radio show/podcast I’m discovering a surprisingly large number of typos and misinformation on liner notes. I was playing the Verve Dizzy Gillespie album Sonny Side Up with Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt. I looked at the liner notes for On the Sunny Side of the Street. It said quite clearly that Rollins has the opening solo and then Stitt has the solo after Dizzy. Listen to the record. Read more
Tag: Sonny Rollins
Jazz Vinyl: Where’s the Action?
Things have been hectic around here, to say the least. My wife, known to many of you as The Lovely Mrs. JC, had a retinal detachment in August and has since been through three surgeries and two laser procedures. We’ve been driving back and forth between New York and The Berkshires almost every week. Fingers crossed that the third surgery was the charm. In the meantime, I’m thankful I’ve been able to continue doing my radio show on WTBR-FM Pittsfield, which are also the podcasts that appear on the Jazz Collector web site. I have never done anything like this before and it’s giving me a lot of enjoyment. Plus it’s getting me back into the music, even more than the records, which, IMHO, is always a good thing. But there are still records out there and, I assume eBay is still in business, so I will swing over there now and do my first search in well over a month. And what do I find? Read more
Podcast: The Blue Note Playlist, Volume 1
This week’s theme is a random playlist from the Blue Note label. Featured artists include Art Blakey, Art Taylor, John Coltrane, Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins, Sheila Jordan, Hank Mobley, Louis Smith, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Donald Byrd and, of course, many, many more.
Podcast: Riverside Records, Part II
This week’s theme: Riverside Records, Part II
Podcast: Riverside Records, Part I
This week’s theme: The Riverside Label, Part I
Jazz Vinyl Gems, Some With a Little Tarnish
Finally, back on eBay. Contrary to my last experience a few weeks ago when I asked the question Where’s The Action?, I’m actually seeing quite a bit of activity this week, from buyers and well as sellers. Let’s start with Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065.This is an original 10-inch pressing listed in VG+ condition for the record and VG for the cover, although the picture of the back cover might call that grade into question for discerning buyers. But the seller stands by his listings, and any bidder can see the picture and judge for himself. There are seven bidders and the price is in the $160 range with a little more than a day left on the auction. Read more
Coming to You Live (Sort of): Jazz Collector Radio and Podcasts
I just got back from taping my seventh Jazz Collector Live radio show in the studio of WTBR-FM in Pittsfield. I’ve really enjoyed doing the show, but I have to admit that it has taken away time that might otherwise have been devoted to posting here at the Jazz Collector web site. Hopefully, I will soon be able to strike a better balance, especially because doing the radio show is getting me more involved with my collection and listening much more attentively. For example, today’s show was devoted to John Coltrane, as a leader, playing standards, on the Prestige label. Soultrane, Settin’ the Pace, Lush Life, et al. Great stuff. Last week, I did Bill Evans as a sideman, and the week before the show was devoted to Thelonious Monk. Sound interesting? Well, the shows are now available to be downloaded as podcasts. Go to this site: WTBRFM.COM. There’s a tab for shows, and under the tab for podcasts you will find the familiar Jazz Collector logo at the very bottom. Read more
Jazz Vinyl: Where’s the Action?
Haven’t been on eBay in a while. Have I missed anything? I meant that as a joke, but now that I’m looking I feel like perhaps I have missed something. I’m seeing a lot of records that would have gotten a lot of action, not getting much action at all. I know things always change as auctions get near closing time, but having been off eBay for a few weeks I have to say I am a little taken aback by the lack of activity. Has anyone else noticed this? In any case, there are many records that are getting bids, so let’s look at a few of those, starting with Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This is an original mono promo copy with the white labels. The record is listed in VG condition, and the cover is also VG, with some writing on the back and a partial seam split. Certainly not the best copy you will find, but there are already 16 bids from 10 bidders and the price is up to $300, so clearly the demand for this one remains pretty high despite the condition. Read more
A New Adventure in Jazz Collecting, Part 6
I was going to milk the suspense for a couple more days, but I changed my mind. I’ll cut right to the chase. I was prepared to sell Jason from Carolina Soul Records about 5,500 records. My strong preference was an outright purchase and not a consignment. Jason was prepared to buy 5,500 records from me and had the wherewithal to make the outright purchase based on the amount I told him I was looking for. He and his colleague Nate came up to my home in The Berkshires and spent the better part of a day and evening poring through the 5,500-or-so records I had put aside. The opportunity for a big deal was in place . . . . Read more
A New Adventure in Jazz Collecting, Part 5
On Feb. 4, 2023 I turned 70 years of age.
Yada, yada, yada . . . on Feb. 7, 2023 I sent an email to Carolina Soul Records to see if they would be interested in buying a portion of my collection. So, yeah, you could say turning 70 was a bit of a tipping point for me. Why did I reach out to Carolina Soul as my first choice? We’ve all been watching over the past few years as they have come out of nowhere to be one of the premier sellers of jazz vinyl on eBay. They seem to grade the records fairly, they must have a strong coterie of loyal customers, they get good prices, and they keep getting these pretty amazing collections of jazz records. I also figured, with the money they’ve collected in some of these auctions, they might have the wherewithal to actually pay cash up-front for the records. Plus, there were a few comments on the Jazz Collector site that pointed me in their direction, alluding to their reputation for being “very favorable” on consignment payouts, as Clifford mentioned the other day a comment on the first article in this New Adventure in Jazz Collecting. Read more
April is Jazz Month
