This week’s theme: Celebrating the New Year with jazz vinyl featuring the number 26 in the catalog number. Featured artists include Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Jack Sheldon, Herb Geller, Loraine Geller, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Tommy Flanagan, George Morrow, Clifford Brown, Gigi Gryce, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Morello, Eugene Wright, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Drew, Lawrence Marable, Curtis Counce, Harold Land, Jack Sheldon, Billie Holiday, Benny Carter, Sweets Edison, Count Basie, Buddy DeFranco, and more.

This week’s theme: Part two of our exploration of jazz tracks that have the name of a woman in the title. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Bill Evans, Eddie Costa, Ray Charles, Paul Desmond, Jim Hall, Art Blakey, Eddie Jefferson, Lee Morgan, Bobby Timmons, Benny Golson, Billy Taylor, Stan Getz, Al Haig, Jimmy Raney, Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes, Barry Harris, Jimmy Rushing, Coleman Hawkins, Jackie McLean, Freddie Redd, Tina Brooks, Nat King Cole, Sweets Edison, and more.

This week we do the first in a new Unsung Artists Series, focusing on the Vice President, tenor saxophonist Paul Quinichette. Featured artists include John Coltrane, Charles Rouse, Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, Herbie Mann, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Brooks Kerr, Gene Ramey, Sam Woodyard,Jimmy Jones, Joe Benjamin, Roy Haynes, Webster Young, Mal Waldron, Joe Puma, Earl May, Ed Thigpen, Count Basie, Buck Clayton, Dickie Wells, Gus Johnson, Al McKibbon, Walter Page, Freddie Green, Sonny Payne, Thad Jones, Nat Pierce, Joe Newman, Paul Chambers, Wynton Kelly, Charlie Shavers, Clark Terry, Jimmy Cleveland, Jimmy Cobb, Barry Galbraith, Cecil Payne, Hank Jones, Jo Jones, Sweets Edison, Snooky Young, and more.

This one made the $1,000 bin with plenty to spare: Conte Candoli, Cool Gabriels, Groove 1003. This was an original pressing and, of course, the main feature is the cover illustration by Andy Warhol. The record was VG-, the cover had splits on the top and the bottom, yet it still sold for $1,825. The Warhol market is driving these prices quite high, but this one seems to do even better than the Blue Notes in better condition. It must be harder to find? Or perhaps the Warhol collectors are more enamored with the artwork?

This one was not an original pressing, at least not in the way we think of originals as “first” pressings: Sonny Rollins Volume 1, Blue Note 1542. This one had the West 63rd Street address, plus the deep grooves and ear and all the other markings of an early pressing: But a first pressing would have had the Lexington Avenue address. This one was in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $334. Quick question: I know most collectors prefer Blue Notes over Prestiges in general but, musically, to me the Sonny’s on Prestige are far more preferable and inventive than the Blue Notes. How do other collectibles feel about this?

Here’s a nice black-label copy of John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This was in M- condition for both the record and the cover, at least as described by the seller. It sold for $621.

This one did all right for a Norgran, but it came from the bobjdukic batch so it’s hard to tell if the price is indicative of real interest or if it is just how this record would be priced in the alternate universe: Lester Young, Pres and Sweets, Norgran 1043. This was an original yellow label pressing and it has the nice David Stone Martin cover. The record was M- and the cover was VG+ and it sold for $157.50. I like to think that would be around market value for this record in this condition.

Jay Jay Johnson, Blue Note 5028. This is a 10-inch LP featuring Clifford Brown being sold by Euclid Records. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG+. The current price is just $67, which doesn’t mean it won’t sell for a lot more. Also from Euclid on the 10-inch front: Dexter Gordon, New Sounds in Modern Music, Savoy 9003. This is an original pressing. The record is VG+ and the cover is VG++. The current price is about $30. 

Also for sale today is a nice copy of a record we expect to sell for more than $1,000:

Thelonious Monk, Monk, Prestige 7053. This is a New York pressing with the Andy Warhol cover. The record is in VG+/VG++ condition and the cover is listed as VG++. The current price is about $750. 

Here’s an original Norgran with a David Stone Martin cover: Lester Young, Pres and Sweets, Norgran 1043. The record looks to be VG++ and the cover VG. The current price is about $50.

This one had the highest price of all the ones we’re entering: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. Price: $1,524.99

Eddie Costa, House of Blue Lights, Dot 3206. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $355

Red Garland at the Prelude, Prestige 7170. This was an original pressing in M-/M- condition. Price: $79. This sold on another auction for $338.70 recently. 

Lou Donaldson, Sonny Side Up, Blue Note 5036. This was an original pressing with the original cover in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $156.10

Charlie Rouse, Yeah!, Epic 16012. This was in M-/VG++ condition and sold for $416.51.

Jackie McLean, Bluesnik, Blue Note 4067. This was a West 63rd pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $236.06

Sal Salvador Quintet, Blue Note 5035. This was a 10-inch LP in M-/M- condition. Price> $129.62

Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Bag, Blue Note 4051. This was VG++/VG++ and sold for $169.

Charles Mingus, the Complete 1959 CBS Sessions, Mosaic MQ4-143. This was a 4-record boxed set and sold for $133.50

Mal Waldron, Mal-1, Prestige 7090. This was an original New York yellow label in VG++/VG++ condition. Price $455

Elmo Hope, Informal Jazz, Prestige 7043. This was an original pressing in M-/VG++ condition. Price: $997.97

Jerome Richardson, Midnight Oil, New Jazz 8205. This was a purple label original in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $224.50

Lester Young, Le Dernier Message, Barclay 84-009. This was in VG+/VG + condition. Price: $518

Barry Harris at the Jazz Workshop, Riverside 326. This was an original blue label pressing in M-/VG++ condition. Price: $190.50

Thelonious Monk, Monk’s Music, Riverside 242. This was an original white label pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. It sold for $117.50, quite a bit off the $3,000 previous high.

Gigi Gryce, When Farmer Met Gryce, Prestige 7085. This was an original New York yellow label in M-/M- condition. Price: $560

Charlie Parker, With Strings, Mercury 35010. This was a 10-inch LP in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $383

Duke Pearson, Tender Feelin’s, Blue Note 4035. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $610.07

Betty Bennett, Nobody Else But Me, Atlantic 1226. This was a black label in VG++/VG+ condition and it sold for $127.12

Bill Berry, For Duke, RealTime 101. This was M-/VG++. Price: $102.50

Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet, Prestige 7079. This was an original orange cover and New York label in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $260

Frank Rosolino, I Play Trombone, Bethlehem 26. This was an original red label pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $137.50

Pepper Adams Plays the Music of Charles Mingus, Workshop 219. This was a stereo pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $94.89

Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. This was a Lexington Avenue pressing in M-/VG condition. Price: $796

Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. This was an original West 63rd pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. Price: $383

Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Pal, Blue Note 7068. This was an original New York yellow label in VG/VG+ condition. Price: $170.50

Sweets Edison, Sweets, Verve 8097. This had the trumpeter logo and was in M-/M- condition. Price: $44.49

Lester Young, Pres and Sweets, Norgran 1043. This was an original yellow-label pressing in M-/VG+ condition. Price: $230.50

John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123. This was an original New York yellow label with the original cover in M-/VG condition. Price: $372.99

That’s all for now.

Yesterday there were a couple of comments on the Norgran label. Here’s one for sale today: Lester Young, Pres and Sweets, Norgran 1043. Not my favorite of the Pres records, but it has a great cover by David Stone Martin. And if you like Sweets, try this: Sweets, Verve 8097. 

Here’s a heavyweight: Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. If you take a look at our Price Guide, you can see that it’s sold for as much as $1,600 on our watch. We’ll see how it goes here. This one is an original in very nice condition, but not mint.

Here’s a nice Prestige: John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123. This is an original pressing with the original cover and New York label. It’s in very nice condition. The price, as we write this, is $41. It won’t stay there very long. 

Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Pal, Prestige 7068. This one’s not in great shape, but another with a great cover. I had a mint copy of this and few years ago and sold it. This could be a fill-in replacement. You never know. Right now it’s at $9 with one bidder.

Here’s another Jackie in better shape (and for more money): Jackie McLean & Co., Prestige 7087. This is an original NY pressing and is in the $150 price range as of now.

Atomic Records also has this sealed copy of Andrew Hill, Point of Departure, Blue Note 4167. What do you do with sealed records? Once you open them, do they lose value?