Jackie McLean on Ad Lib 6601

March 1, 2015

Possibly the rarest of all the jazz collectibles out there. One of the rarest of the rare for sure. And a superb record to boot. Jackie McLean's alto playing is very nice, lyrical and tasteful. He's got a nice feeling and approach to his instrument. The other guys on this are Donald Byrd on trumpet, Mal Waldron on piano, Douglas Watkins on double bass and Ronald Tucker, which I haven't heard a lot of, on the drums.

The sound on this superb, original 1st pressing is a joy to behold. One of my best sounding LP's. Rudy Van Gelder of course, who else? The condition of this masterpiece is M- on the vinyl (Label Side 2 has some spindle marks, a small sticker and a little tear), it sounds absolutely phenomenal, like new, zero noise what so ever. Clean, bright and brilliant sound. The jacket is a beautiful NM- with some residue from a sticker removal on the front and some touch up on the back slick, but no splits, sharp corners and no seam wear.

I'm very happy to own this record. It's extremely difficult to find in any condition, and to have this, in this condition is nothing short of magical. The tunes are all superb, with the opening tune on Side 1 "It's You Or No One" and the closing track on Side 2 "Lover Man" hot favorites. Jackie McLean's playing is so lyrical and clean. A lot of beautiful melodies to enjoy. Don Byrd is also great on this and complements McLean nicely. The rhythm section is holding their own as well. Flowing, tasteful double bass and drum work. I love the cover art as well. Very different for sure. There's a little info on the back about the artist who designed it, Parboo Singh.

If you want this in your collection, it takes a nice pile of cash and a lot of luck. I feel fortunate to have found this, and recommend it highly. If you do get an opportunity to aquire it, my tip is to take it off the market before it's maybe gone forever. Even if it's in lesser condition, get it. Nothing beats an original, especially this kind of rarity with such good music on it. It's worth every penny you spend to have it in your collection and to be able to put it on the turntable and enjoy it whenever you feel like it. This is a dose of McLean you would want.

Some news in the new arrivals department: I have just purchased one of my most wanted records and it's a 10" Blue Note. I will post that in due time here on the site. Until next time, have a great Sunday and I'll be back with more jazz rarities soon.

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Lee Morgan Vol. 3 on Blue Note 1557

February 22, 2015

Oh, what can I say about this wonderful album. It makes my top 5 best albums of all time, for sure. It's a beautiful example of hard bop from the classic era. Lee Morgan, as you know, my favorite trumpeter of all time absolutely smokes on the trumpet. The tunes are all composed and arranged by Benny Golson. Which makes me wonder why I haven't got more Golson material in the collection. All tunes are great. My favorite picks from this set is the up-tempo "Domingo", where the spot when Golson comes in, in the beginning of the tune, with his tenor sax and blows is extremely nice, and the wonderful, haunting ballad "I Remember Clifford", dedicated to the superb Clifford Brown. Morgan plays stunningly beautiful on this homage to his fellow trumpeter. And who else could have been better to pay tribute to Clifford than him. Both were masters.

The sound is first class on this, as can be expected. An original 1st pressing, with the NY23 labels, in fantastic condition, makes this one of my most treasured gems. It's very rare, perhaps one of the rarest of the Blue Notes. The 1st pressings comes up very seldom on the market in great condition. This LP boasts an all-star line up, with Morgan on trumpet, Gigi Gryce on alto, Golson on tenor, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and the superb Charlie Persip on drums. I truly dig Persip, a great drummer. When it comes to drums in jazz, he is one of my favorites, up there with Art Taylor, Philly Joe Jones, Elvin Jones, Shelly Manne and so on.

This LP, to me, is a real must to have in any jazz collection. If you're after the 1st pressing it's, of course, very difficult to find but if you do find it, make sure you don't let it slip away. This is a true gem.

Have a nice rest of the weekend and I'll be back soon with more interesting stuff.

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A pleasant Savoy with Hank Jones, MG-12037

February 21, 2015

This is one of those superb LP's from the era which are not that expensive. Well, at least compared to other stuff. Great, tight sound on this. Van Gelder of course. Hank Jones on piano is the leader, and he has some nice personnel around him, with Donald Byrd on trumpet, the obscure trumpet player Matty Dice, whom I've never seen on other records, Eddie Jones, another cat whom I've never had the pleasure to listen to either and the great Kenny Clarke on drums. The set is very enjoyable to say the least, I love this album. I really love the Savoy label as well, but I do not own a lot of them. There are quite a bunch of great albums on Savoy that I need to acquire.

This album proves that there are albums out there, 1st pressings in great condition from the era, that are absolutely superb, that you don't have to empty your bank account for to get. This LP means just as much to me as any other of my records, and I hold it in very high regard. I think it's strange that a record of this calibre on this label can be acquired for so little. But that's great. There's still bargains to be had out there. I believe this album is quite rare, it's not like you see it every day in this condition.

A great album which you should have a look at if you haven't already. Nice hard bop that is smooth and relaxing. Favorite tune for me, is probably the last track, the ballad "Don't Blame Me".

Stay tuned for other great jazz pralines.

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Red Rodney on Signal (S 1206)

February 14, 2015

A great, very rare piece of jazz history.

This album is very rare indeed. The superb Red Rodney on the short-lived Signal label. This is an extremely nice album, with amazing sound. The copy I have is nice with a M- vinyl and a VG+ cover. This almost never comes up for sale. I'm very happy to own this record. Red Rodney is, I feel, a quite underrated artist. He, of course, played with Bird, and that is for a reason. He's smokin' on the trumpet. Highly talented, brilliant tone, technique and lyricism. This original 1st pressing is an absolute must in any high-end jazz collection with good taste. I believe this LP is up there with the very rarest of the rare. Very difficult to find in any condition.

The personnel on this are Rodney on trumpet, Ira Sullivan on tenor sax (trumpet on Side B, track 1), Tommy Flanagan on piano, Oscar Pettiford on double bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums on Side A and Elvin Jones on drums on Side B. Very nice ensemble. Nice tunes all the way through. This is the only Rodney album I have, but this is something I have to remedy. I will try and get all the early stuff he did.

If you somehow have missed this amazing piece of jazz history, try and look it up. You won't be disappointed. Of course, the 1st pressing is so rare that you might have to settle for a reissue, but it's the music that matters. And the music on this is very enjoyable. If you do have the opportunity to get a 1st pressing, don't hesitate to add it to your collection.

More pieces of jazz history coming up, stay tuned.

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"Pairing Off" Phil Woods Septet on PRLP 7046

February 8, 2015

A superb septet setting with two altos and two trumpets pairing off. The personnel are a nice bunch, Phil Woods and Gene Quill on alto saxes, Kenny Dorham and Donald Byrd on trumpets, Doug Watkins on double bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The music is wonderful, energetic hard bop. Quite unusual setting, but two altos and two trumpets makes it really interesting, and for me with my love for jazz trumpet, this is great.

Phil Woods is a cat that I haven't come to fully explore yet. He's great I think, so I'm looking forward to buying a lot more stuff with him. Come to think of it, there's a lot of musicians that I haven't had the time to dig into for real. That makes for a very exciting time ahead. There's so many great artists and records to discover and enjoy in jazz. It's hard though, concentrating on one musician and trying to go through their whole catalogue. I'm discovering as I go along and buy the stuff that appeals to me the most. One artist leads to another. One guy that I've gone through quite throughly is Chet Baker. Almost all his work I've tried to explore. Not all albums though. But some from the early years, the middle era stuff and his later work on a lot of european labels. I have far from all the great stuff though. A lot of Pacific Jazz stuff is missing, for example. I bought a lot of the later stuff, before I started to collect the high-end, collectible rarities. I'm thinking of concentrating and dedicating some bucks to buying Coltrane LP's. The Impulse! stuff really appeals.

But back to this great record displayed above. This copy is in extremely nice condition, M-/M-. The cover looks like it just came home to me untouched from a 50's record store. It's a great tip if you like straight forward hard bop music. There's no big surprises, it's just good. The album wets the appetite for looking up more Dorham and Woods stuff for me. All tunes are great, no favorite at the moment, they are all highly enjoyable. I'm listening to the album as I'm writing this, and I realize that I have to put this on more often. If you don't have it, try and get a nice original copy. You don't have to pay thousands of dollars for it.

More nice stuff coming up, hold your breath...

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Sonny Clark's "Cool Struttin'" on BLP 1588

February 1, 2015

How cool is this LP? Very cool. This is one of the most coveted jazz vinyl rarities there is. The music is superb. The personnel are as good as it gets. The rarity of this original 1st pressing in this condition is immense. This is quite simply one of the greatest and rarest jazz LP's you can get your hands on and treasure in your collection. If you can have one of the rarest of the rare, this is it, in my opinion. Favorite tune is "Deep Night". I love the part when the trumpet comes in and the drums slides over to the ride cymbal. Pure magic.

Art Farmer, in my top 5 trumpeters of all time makes this LP a real treat. The other cats on this are the brilliant Jackie McLean on alto sax, the legendary Paul Chambers on double bass and perhaps the greatest hard bop drummer of all time, Philly Joe Jones. Perfect album all the way through. My kind of jazz. I need to acquire all of the material Sonny Clark recorded for Blue Note. It's all fabulous stuff, and very desirable among collectors and jazz lovers all over the world.

Oh, the cover... well, oozes coolness. It's an iconic image. An iconic album. If you don't have it, get it as soon as possible.

As always, stay tuned. Feel free to leave comments. Have a nice Sunday and I'll be back with more mouthwatering stuff soon.

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Gunslinger jazz, "Way out West" by Sonny Rollins

January 24, 2015

Very cool cover, according to this collector.

Sonny Rollins, the reason I really got into jazz. After seeing his trio with Henry Grimes (bass) and Joe Harris (drums) playing live in 1959, at Södra Teatern in Stockholm, Sweden, on television. I have some of his work, but there's a lot left still to discover. A lot. This album is quite special. With some outstanding tunes. Some of them have that Old West touch, like the opening tunes on each side "I'm An Old Cowhand" and "Wagon Wheels". I like this trio setting. Sonny, together with Ray Brown on double bass and the brilliant Shelly Manne on drums. I dig Shelly. Great drummer. He has recorded lots of stuff that I need to look into more.

The tenor sax really thrives in this stripped down setting. In fact, the double bass and drums both get a lot of focus as well. It's just beautifully recorded. A favorite album of mine. This copy is in very nice condition. An original 1st pressing, with the 2 color back. I love the old yellow Contemporary labels with the deep grooves. I've only got a couple of LP's on the Contemporary label, but I intend to explore the label further and see what I can find.

Please enjoy the images and I'll be back soon with more nice, rare records from the collection.

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A new heavy hitter, Dizzy Reece "Star Bright" BLP 4023

January 18, 2015

I thought I'd throw in a new addition to the collection. Dizzy Reece is truly great. He has a blistering tone that makes you a believer straight away. He's on my top 10 list of favorite trumpeters, maybe even top 5. I have a couple of albums by him now, and I'd like to collect all his early stuff. He made some albums in the Blue Note 4000 series, and this is one of them. "Star Bright" it's called, BLP 4023. This is my kind of stuff. A fantastic hard bop album with some of the greatest players I know, namely Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and the delightful Art Taylor with the sticks in his hands. I haven't decided yet which tunes are my favorites, they are all superb, but the sweet and smooth "I'll Close My Eyes" is a highlight. The original 1st pressing that I have is in very nice condition and I enjoy it very much.

Dizzy Reece was born in Jamaica but then moved to London and worked in Europe during the 50's. His Blue Note stuff I'm thinking of focusing on first before I try and get some of the other stuff, which is maybe two records. I have to check out more in-depth what's worth looking up, but I know there is at least one non-Blue Note I would like to own.

If you haven't got any Dizzy Reece albums or haven't heard a lot of his work, then check him out. He's amazing. His albums on Blue Note are highly collectible, so an original 1st pressing in nice condition will cost a bit, but believe me, it's worth every penny spent.

Have you got any Dizzy Reece albums? Do you have a favorite? Please share.

More vintage jazz collectibles coming up...

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Art Pepper's "Modern Art" on Intro ILP 606

January 17, 2015

"Modern Art"... one of Pepper's best albums.

Art Pepper, one of my favorite jazz artists. My favorite alto sax player after Bird. Bird is of course in a class of his own to begin with. Art Pepper's style is very lyrical I think. He has a special sound and tone that I really like and he plays with a lot of feeling. He has recorded some very nice stuff. Some of his albums though, are recorded, I believe, on not that great equipment. Or maybe it is also the recording engineers fault, or maybe the inferior vinyl that some labels used for their records. I'm talking about the Intro, Jazz:West, Discovery and Tampa labels. Those recordings, those pressings seems to be of lesser quality in a lot of ways compared to, for example Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside or Contemporary.

Anyone who has the same thoughts , or different for that matter, about this topic?

Anyway, this record is very rare in any condition. My copy is nice, but the cover has some stains and is a bit worn. The tunes are good with my favorites being the ballad "Bewitched", the two alto sax/double bass pieces "Blues In" and "Blues Out" and "What Is This Thing Called Love". The musicians backing up Pepper on this are Russ Freeman on piano, Chuck Flores on drums and Ben Tucker on double bass. Russ Freeman I know very well, he's awesome, but the other two cats I haven't heard that much apart from on this record. They are very competent, and I'd like to explore their other work as well.

This is Art Pepper at his best. If you dig Art Pepper, then this LP is a must. An original is quite hard to get, but as always, I recommend trying to find one. In any condition. I have some other original Pepper LP's which I'm going to post here, and I intend to get all the nice stuff he has recorded.

I hope you enjoy the post and the images, and stay tuned for more jazz rarities.

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"Saxophone Colossus" PRLP 7079 by Sonny Rollins

January 10, 2015

Here's a desert island choice for sure. A great album by a great artist who is still among us. I've never seen Sonny Rollins live, but I hope it's not too late and that he comes to Sweden one more time, or anywhere else for that matter. I love Sonny Rollins, and this album is truly great. The sweet, caribbean calypso mood that the opening tune "St. Thomas" offers make you just wanna dream yourself away to a tropical island and have a cuba libre in your hand and the bare feet in the white powder sand. Perfect listening right now when it's cold and snowing in Stockholm. Personal favorites have to be, except for "St. Thomas", the ballad "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Moritat". Wonderful album all the way through.

The copy I have is an original 1st pressing in very nice condition, with a VG++ cover and a M- vinyl. I just realized that I've ripped off a piece of the paper back slick on the bottom left. I don't know how that happened. It was not like that when I bought it. A pretty ugly discovery, but that just shows you that even if you always try to be very careful, handling your records, something like this can happen anyway. You can always drop a needle or drop the record or rip off a piece of paper or lamination from the cover when you're putting it back in the outer sleeve or some other accident. I just have to live with it I guess. I also play my 1st pressings, of course, not just letting them sit on a shelf. So, in 10, 20, 30 years from now maybe the condition of the vinyl will have deteriorated. But on the other hand, the whole point to my collecting is not to have perfect jackets and vinyl forever, but to enjoy the music on these rarities. That's what is important.

This is a must have, of course, in any jazz collection. And if you can get your hands on an original pressing in decent condition, don't hesitate to purchase it. I have lots of Sonny Rollins LP's left to collect and enjoy. Looking forward to that.

Right now, I'm listening to a newly purchased album. I got that together with another album a few days ago. Good stuff. Will post them here eventually.

Stay tuned for more beautiful collectibles from a dark, cold and snowy Stockholm.

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John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" on Atlantic

January 6, 2015

John Coltrane's masterpiece "Giant Steps" on Atlantic 1311

This is the original 1st pressing of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" on the deep groove black labels of Atlantic 1311. Wonderful condition on both vinyl and cover, with both being M-. What can you say about this album, other than it's a masterpiece. John Coltrane's playing is nothing short of superb on this beautifully recorded album from 1960. It's his debut album for the Atlantic label and was his breakthrough album as a leader.

It's just a phenomenal example of Coltrane's brilliance on the tenor saxophone. And a brilliant example of his ability to write superb original compositions. My favorite picks are the medium tempo effort "Spiral" and the title track. Great jazz by a master of his craft. The stellar ensemble that backs him up on this are; Tommy Flanagan on piano, Wynton Kelly piano on "Naima", Paul Chambers on double bass, Art Taylor on drums, Jimmy Cobb drums on "Naima".

I have quite a lot to catch up on when it comes to Coltrane. There's a lot of albums I don't have, both early ones and the later stuff on Impulse! records. That's something I'll need to remedy sooner rather than later. I dig him a lot. So, a lot of Coltrane on the wants list for sure. I'm really looking forward to exploring his works more. Can't wait. Most jazz lovers probably have this album in their collection, but if you don't, get it posthaste.

Which Coltrane album is your favorite?

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BLP 1575 with the elusive NY23 label

January 5, 2015

"City Lights" Blue Note 1575 by Lee Morgan

Some LP's in the high-end jazz vinyl collector world are considered "the rarest of the rare". For example BLP 1568, Jackie McLean on Ad Lib, Cool Struttin' BLP 1588, Jutta Hipp w. Zoot Sims on BLP 1530, Overseas by Tommy Flanagan on PRLP 7134 and so on. But one that is often not mentioned among the really rare ones are "City Lights" by Lee Morgan on BLP 1575, with a NY23 label on one side. Yes, that's right. A NY23 label has to be present to be considered a true 1st pressing. At least according to the owner of Jazz Record Center in NYC, Fred Cohen's book, titled "Blue Note Records - a guide for identifying original pressings". In that book it also says that a copy of BLP 1577, John Coltrane's "Blue Train" should also have a one side NY23 to be a true 1st pressing. As well, the BLP 1568 should have a NY23 label on side 2.

This means that, either you follow the directions of this book, to sort out what is a 1st pressing, or you go by some other notion, that they used labels randomly at the pressing plant and that a BLP 1575 copy with both sides W63 could be a true 1st also. That they were pressed in the same run.

I tend to be conservative and take no risks, and therefore consider the versions with the NY23 to be the true 1st pressings. Either way, it's probably more difficult to find BLP 1575, BLP 1577 or BLP 1568 with a NY23 label, and therefore makes those copies rarer. And therefore more expensive. So, my copy of "City Lights" have a NY23 label on one side. It's in M-/M- condition. Absolutely beautiful in every way. Almost impossible to find this nice with a NY23 I believe. How many copies of 1575 have you seen with a NY23 label in top condition? Not many I suspect.

I truly believe that a great copy of this record or "Blue Train" with NY23 is just as rare as a 1568 with NY23. You never see a 1575 with a NY23 label in top condition. Ever. At least not me, and I always keep a look out for rare records. So that said, I'm extremely proud and happy, to be the owner of an amazing true 1st pressing of this superb album.

Lee Morgan on trumpet, together with Curtis Fuller on trombone, George Coleman on tenor and alto sax, Ray Bryant on piano, Paul Chambers (of course) on double bass and Art Taylor on the drums. This is a fine session with some nice tunes. I particulary love the ballad "You're Mine You" and Benny Golson's "Tempo de Waltz". Lee Morgan's trumpet playing is outstanding as usual. Great sounding LP. A great Morgan which should be on the shelf in every jazz lovers' home.

Stay tuned for more superb jazz rarities.

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The Magnificent Thad Jones on BLP 1527

January 4, 2015

The Magnificent Thad Jones on Blue Note 1527

This album is very enjoyable. The cover art oozes jazz to me. Thad Jones trumpet playing is smooth and his sound is quite pleasant. I like it. The formidable Max Roach plays drums on this. He always delivers high quality drum parts, and he doesn't disappoint here. He plays somewhat laid back on the majority of tunes here though and just provides some nice selected drum work to complement the quite smooth, flowing music.

The other personnel are Billy Mitchell on tenor saxophone, Barry Harris on piano and Percy Heath on double bass. The condition of this rare original 1st pressing is superb, both cover and vinyl. Favorite pick from this will have to be the opening tune "April In Paris". It sets a mellow mood. A pleasant album. A nice addition to any collection.

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Quiet Kenny by Kenny Dorham

January 3, 2015

Another trumpeter, another amazing gem. An original 1st pressing of course. An album which is fantastic. The music is outstanding. Favorite pick is "Alone Together", where Flanagans piano is beautiful in the background. Condition-wise it's great. And very rare. Kenny Dorham is a truly great trumpeter. He has a personal style and sound which I love. He is joined here by Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and Art Taylor on drums. An all star lineup for sure.

I'm pretty happy with this new site, and the option that's available to leave comments on posts for visitors, which was not available on the previous site. That's one of the reasons I changed platforms. Plus, here I can display the images better, more hi-res and the layout is simpler, with a fully responsive design which will work on all devices. Also, there's a lot of options to put up stuff, galleries, movies, sounds and so on. I hope you enjoy the site, and have a good time visiting. I will try to post more superb original 1st pressings regulary, mixed with other stuff as well. Enjoy!

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Lee Morgan's Candy BLP 1590

January 3, 2015

"Candy" by Lee Morgan on Blue Note 1590.

This is one of my favorite albums of all time. By one of my absolute most beloved artists, Lee Morgan. I'm into jazz trumpeters big time. Of all the instruments in jazz, trumpet is my favorite. And Lee Morgan is a master of the trumpet. He has both the melodic, lyrical style as well as the technical brilliance. This original 1st pressing is in superb condition, with the cover VG++/NM and the vinyl M-. Wonderful session with the other cats being Sonny Clark on piano, Doug Watkins on double bass and the amazing Art Taylor on drums. I love the ballad "All The Way", where Morgan plays beautifully. If you don't have this gem, check it out. But the 1st pressing won't come cheap...

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