Chet Baker & Crew on Pacific Jazz 1224

March 20, 2016

Chet and his Crew will take you on a cool, smooth ride.

Here's a classic Chet Baker album on the Pacific Jazz label. It's a highly enjoyable album, with Chet in excellent form. He plays cool as usual. You put this on, and dream away to sunny California in the 1950's. Maybe relaxing on a boat like the one with the Crew on the front cover. I truly dig these early Chet albums. He's got a clearer more urgent sound than in his later days. I appreciate his whole career and output though, even his later stuff on small European labels when he was down and out.

I dig Phil Urso on tenor sax. He's got a really nice sound. I had totally forgotten that Bobby Timmons (piano) was on this. I love his playing. He's on some other very nice albums that I have. This album's got a nice feel to it which is great to experience again since it's been quite a long time since I listened to it last. There are a lot of nice tunes. Overall, I think I prefer Side 2. I think this album is quite rare. I haven't seen a bunch of copies each year from what I can remember. You should definitely check it out if you're unfamiliar with it. For any Chet fan it's essential. Have you got any opinion on this album? Please, share.

I actually got some sweet minutes of listening this weekend which was very nice. I listened to this Chet gem and also an exciting, newly purchased Blue Note rarity which I will post here on the site in due time. Next week it's Easter and I will have a few days off. Then I will try and get some more listening done. Have a wonderful day/night and stay tuned for more hot/cool jazz vinyl.

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Afternoon listening: A moment of relaxation with Jackie McLean's rarest effort

February 26, 2016

What an absolute pleasure it is to be able to put this record on the turntable. An outstanding original 1st pressing in beautiful condition. It's a dream to own this. I thought I'd have a listen to this baby on this grey friday afternoon while my son is sleeping. This is one of my favorite albums for sure. I always get positive vibes from the tunes on this rarest of jazz collectibles. The tunes are nice and have a very laid back feeling to them even on the faster ones. Just wanted to check in with one of these posts where I write about some moment where I put a record on the turntable or something else in the daily life. But back to the beauty that is playing on the turntable as I write this. The sound is stunning on this. It plays like new, with zero noise. Clean, crisp and smooth sound.

I'm very grateful that I was able to purchase this album, cause when I follow the market there hasn't been one single copy available in this condition since then. Jackie McLean has a sound of his own, that's for sure. He always plays with a lot of lyricism and smoothness. It's a silky, pleasant sound. The pianist Mal Waldron is a cat that I really like as well, and I need to check him out more. The drummer Ronald Tucker I haven't heard much from or about. He plays very laid back, very unintrusive. he just flows with the music. Simple drummer, with a simple sound that fits perfectly with the make-up of the tunes here. "Lover Man" is the last tune on which McLean plays great and a nice ending to a sweet, rare album. It's a record which I will treasure forever.

I've posted this LP earlier. If you missed that post you'll find it here: http://www.fwrarejazzvinylcollector.com/blog/2015/3/1/jackie-mclean-on-ad-lib-6601

Currently saving up a war chest for buying some albums. You will see which ones I end up buying here on the site. Stay tuned. Have a great Friday and weekend. Have a drink, listen to some jazz and relax. That's my plan anyway. Cheers!

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Steamin' with The Miles Davis Quintet on PRLP 7200

February 21, 2016

A classic Miles album, a pleasurable experience.

The Miles classics on Prestige were among the first records I acquired 1st pressings of. I don't have them all, just a few. It was quite some time ago I listened to them, especially the featured album "Steamin' With The Miles Davis Quintet". It's a very nice album, and I really should listen to these Miles albums more, cause it's truly beautiful music. The copy I have is in superb condition and it sounds accordingly. It's actually one of the few albums I've bought in a real physical record store. I got a very nice price on it and the condition was perfect. Listening as I write to the first side of the album. A very good mix of tunes here, with the laid back opening track "Surrey With The Fringe On Top" paving the way for a medium-tempo, relaxing few minutes, and then that half-sleepy, sweet moment is shattered with a great, high energy take on Dizzy's classic "Salt Peanuts". Then a wonderful, brushy ballad appears named "Something I Dreamed Last Night", on which Miles plays beautifully. A highly satisfying and complete Side 1.

Now, let's flip the disc. First tune, "Diane", it's unmistakable Miles. His tight, yet lush muted trumpet work is a pleasure to experience, especially when my system makes it feel like he's in the room with me. Coltrane then comes in and takes a solo which only he can. A perfect start to Side 2. Next tune is Monk's standard "Well, You Needn't", a nice tune, which is highlighted by Miles' unmuted trumpet playing, no point in denying it, while muted trumpet is quite nice sometimes, the unmuted instrument is more appealing to me. But if someone can make a muted trumpet sound absolutely beautiful and interesting, it's the leader of this album. And, the last tune "When I Fall In Love" is a testament to that, another sweet ballad with the trumpet muted. It's all good, cause it's Miles Davis.

I'll try and post more frequently, but I've found free time hard to come by in the last few months. I'm currently in the process of saving up a sizeable budget to buy more albums. I've already acquired an original copy of "True Blue" earlier this year, so the 2016 collecting year went off with a bang. Now it's time to get to work on getting some other nice stuff as soon as possible.

Have a nice Sunday, stay tuned for more great LP's from my personal collection and I'll concentrate on getting over the cold I've been stuck with for over a week.

Cheers!

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Tina Brooks - "True Blue" on Blue Note 4041

January 17, 2016

Splendid album here with the highly underrated tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks. This is, I guess, considered a "holy grail". Which to me means it has to be musical-wise outstanding, very rare, highly priced and very sought after. This record has all of those attributes. All the tunes are a pleasure to listen to, and the album has a good mix of tunes which makes it interesting. An absolutely outstanding ensemble work their magic on this, and they consist of Tina Brooks on tenor sax, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Duke Jordan on piano, Sam Jones on double bass and Art Taylor on drums. Very difficult to pick favorite tunes, as they are all so good, but my picks for the moment are "Good Old Soul" and "Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You".

Tina Brooks was a very gifted musician who made a few very nice recordings during a far too brief career, which was cut short by heroin dependency, gradually deteriorating health and ultimately death, caused by liver failure at age 42. I'm just starting to get into this magnificent artists work, and "True Blue" is a nice way to start. Freddie Hubbard is another artist which I'm really getting into at the moment, though I have listened to him before. But now, I hold him in very high regard and I'm planning to buy a lot more stuff with him. What a trumpeter. A virtuoso. Clean, brilliant sound and a lot of amazing technical abilities. The other cats are top notch as well.

There are a lot of albums in the early Blue Note 4000 series which are very, very good and superbly recorded. The sound quality is outstanding. The copy I have is very nice, with a VG++ cover and a NM record. It's the first catch of 2016, and a pretty sweet way to start another year full of collecting rare jazz vinyl. I'm extremely happy to have been able to add this masterpiece to the collection. I'm aiming to secure some more pieces from the 4000 series very soon.

If you have the chance to buy an original pressing of this baby, don't hesitate for one second. It'll be worth every penny spent and a joy to slide off the shelf and put on the turntable and listen to. If you don't have it and if you're not able to purchase a 1st pressing, buy another version as soon as possible. This album should be on the shelf of every jazz lover.

It's cold and frosty here in Stockholm tonight, about -10°C. But the warmth of playing a few jazz tunes and looking at the collection makes it quite cozy.

I'll be back soon with another post, so stay tuned and have a good day/night. Cheers!

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"Byrd's Word" by Donald Byrd on Savoy MG 12032

December 12, 2015

Great, early Donald Byrd LP on the Savoy label. Very nice tunes and ensemble consisting of Byrd on trumpet, Frank Foster on tenor sax, Hank Jones on piano, Paul Chambers (oddly credited as Dave Chambers) on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. A little too much reverb in some parts on the horns, but a very enjoyable session. I tend to like a more dry sound than what you have on this particular LP. But it's still a great soundin' album. Superb creamy and black cover as well with a young Donald Byrd and Paul Chambers on there. I have far too few Savoy's in the collection to date. I will look into getting some more. One for example, that is quite desirable to me is "Introducing Lee Morgan" which I will try and acquire. For many reasons I really dig these old Savoy LP's a lot. A cool, classic label. The ones I've heard are great music-wise, not over-the-top expensive, in other words a solid investment. Do any of you guys have any old Savoy favorites?

Favorite tune on the featured LP is probably "Long Green", the first track on Side 2. This album is smooth, loose and perfect to put on the turntable on a dark, cold and damp December afternoon like this. Donald Byrd is not my favorite trumpeter, but he always delivers an enjoyable experience, like on this effort. I would recommend this album to anyone. It's smooth hard bop with some cool cats and you can't go wrong with that.

Next year promises some exciting stuff, for example in the end of January, when I will purchase a great, rare album. A "holy grail" if you like. Looking forward to that. I have some other nice stuff lined up as well, so I'm starting off 2016 in high gear.

As I write this it's 4 P.M. here in Stockholm and it's pitch black outside. I will go on a family vacation on Wednesday to Jamaica. That will provide some much needed light, warmth and sunshine. I'm thrilled to be going there. Can't wait to sip on a cool one on the beach and take a dip in the Caribbean Sea. I won't be back until New Year's Eve. If I don't post while on vacation I would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Also, have a nice weekend and please, leave a comment if you like.

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"Sonny's Crib" by Sonny Clark on Blue Note 1576

November 29, 2015

A classic, original Blue Note feat. Coltrane.

This LP was recorded in 1957 and released in 1958. What a fantastic record. To have this original, vintage jazz 1st pressing in my collection is a great pleasure. Especially as it's a true 1st pressing with the NY23 label on both sides. The vinyl sounds great. The jacket has some stains and an old sticker with a previous owners name and address, but that doesn't bother me too much. It's part of the charm. To know that this was once owned by someone from Georgia is quite cool, and it makes the mind wander a bit. That this piece has found it's way to my collection through the years, from at least one confirmed place, the deep south. I'm very happy to have been able to add this masterpiece to the collection in it's original form. It seems like a 1st pressing of this title is quite hard to find, you almost never see it with the NY23 on both sides. How many copies have you seen with the NY23 on both sides in the last 5 years? Only a handful I suspect.

The presence of John Coltrane makes this a rare Blue Note in itself. He was only present on a few Blue Note records. The tunes are all top notch. Superbly executed. My favorites being maybe the opening track "With A Song In My Heart" and "Speak Low". A great, classic LP from Blue Note's golden era. The personnel are: Donald Byrd on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, John Coltrane on tenor sax, Sonny Clark on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums. I really dig Curtis Fuller's contribution on this LP. I have a few records on which he is present as a sideman, but I should really check out his sessions as a leader more in depth. There's a few on Blue Note which are quite desirable. He is great on all the recordings I have with him. As you'd expect, Coltrane is smokin' on this recording. I still prefer his earlier work over the later stuff. I'm getting more and more into the later stuff though. But at heart, I think I will always be a 50's hard bop fan, with Coltrane playing beautiful and fiery. Donald Byrd is a player which I enjoy. He always delivers a smooth, swinging touch to any record. Maybe not a superb virtuoso, like Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard, but a reliable trumpeter with great qualities and is featured on so many outstanding recordings. Sonny Clark is of course a great pianist. I enjoy his stuff and the amount of extremely desirable recordings he's on is second to none. I'm getting more and more into the piano as a instrument in jazz. I truly enjoy piano trios for example. I'm still more into the different horns and the drums in jazz but the piano is getting quite a bit more interesting and important to me with every year that passes. I'm delving into Bill Evans work. I've touched a little early Monk as well.

Sonny's Crib is a great addition to any jazz collection, and to have an original 1st pressing, NY23 both labels copy is a blessing. If you haven't checked this LP out before, now's the time. It's a joy to put this on the turntable.

In the end of January I will buy a superb, highly desirable, very rare LP. I'm looking forward to that one. I will post it here as soon as I've listened through it. Stay tuned for that. In the mean time I will post some nice records from my collection. Enjoy the images, and be sure to click on "Post History" in the top menu, to browse through older posts with a lot of great records from my collection, if you have missed those. Have a great Sunday!

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"Blues in Trinity" by Dizzy Reece on Blue Note 4006

November 1, 2015

I'm back after another extended period of not posting. Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm back with this original, 1st pressing gem by Dizzy Reece which is very rare. I very seldom see it for sale in nice condition. I dig Dizzy Reece a lot and I've set myself a target of collecting 4006, 4023, 4033 and 4046 which features Reece and I've now got the first three LP's. I'm very happy about that, as they are quite difficult to find. I hope to be able to add 4046 as well and also the one on Tempo which is almost impossible to find. I'm quite interested to find out what you all think about this LP, or the other ones on Blue Note and if you have any opinions on Dizzy Reece in general.

The personnel on this are Dizzy Reece and Donald Byrd on trumpets, Tubby Hayes on tenor, Terry Shannon on piano, Lloyd Thompson on bass and Art Taylor on drums. Very interesting mix of known and unknown (to me) players. Tubby Hayes I know about and is someone I really should look up more in depth. To me, this LP contains all of the ingredients that make up a good hard bop record. A very nice mix of tunes.

To be able to have this in my collection and put it on the turntable whenever I like is sweet to say the least. There's nothing like an original Blue Note. A question to you guys reading; do you fancy the Blue Note 1500 series material more or the 4000 series more, or both just as much? For me, I guess the 1500 series are a notch above the 4000 series, but the latter contains a hell of a lot of nice records, for sure. Like this one.

If you'd like to see other kinds of posts, where I talk about different things than just posting another LP from my collection, please let me know. Maybe you have certain questions for me or thoughts about jazz in general, past or present? All feedback is welcome.

News in the new arrivals department: I just purchased a very, very rare Blue Note that I will be posting here on the site later. A very difficult LP to find as a true 1st pressing which I was lucky enough to acquire last week. Keep a lookout for that.

"Patience is the best friend of a smart collector" a friend of mine put it. That's very true for me, as I need to save up for long periods to purchase the high-end gems, and I can't add as many of them to the collection, in let's say a year, as I'd like. But the thrill of receiving these LP's, maybe 5-7 times a year is worth the wait and hard earned cash, believe me. My gameplan, as I think I've mentioned before, is to concentrate on the big game first, now, when I have the funds and contacts and pick as many as I can, cause you never know what happens. The high-end stuff will probably keep rising in price, so before they are out of reach I'll try and get as many as I can. Plus, maybe I'll switch jobs or career path in the future where I will earn less. The kids grow and demand more money. The sources I have will not be around forever either. There's always eBay, and records will continue to pop up there, but the prices will rise I believe, and you need to get the ones you want as soon as possible. I wonder what a copy of BLP 4006 will cost in 10 years in this condition? It will be interesting to follow the market for the next decade.

Have a nice Halloween weekend and stay tuned for more nice vintage jazz vinyl 1st pressings from my collection.

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BASH! by the Dave Bailey Sextet

September 24, 2015

First, sorry for not posting for a while. I guess I've just enjoyed playing the records too much, huh? Oh, what to say about this album.. This is perhaps one of my favorite albums that I own. It has a lot of the stuff I seek for in jazz. The personnel are a superb bunch: Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Frank Haynes (tenor), Tommy Flanagan (piano), Ben Tucker (bass) and Dave Bailey (drums). There are a nice mix of tunes to be enjoyed here. Two of them are piano trio stuff, "Like Someone In Love" and "Just Friends", where Tommy Flanagan is in the center of attention, and how lovely that is. Makes me want to aquire the Overseas album on Prestige also.

The other tunes are truly great, the first track is a superb version of Sonny Rollins' "Grand Street", which makes you dig along immediately. Kenny Dorham's "An Oscar For Oscar" is an up-tempo piece which delivers some nice blowing by the cats with the horns. The same goes for "Osmosis". When I listen to the opening solo statement by Dorham on that tune, I realize exactly why I hold him in such high regard. That puffy tone is brilliant. I dig his style a lot. Frank Haynes, which I haven't explored a lot up to this point, really blows some good stuff on this tune as well. Curtis Fuller doesn't disappoint either and makes the trombone feel like quite a nice, interesting instrument. The closing track is the bluesy "Soul Support", which is also a joy, with some good, quality work by all.

How about the leader of this splendid session? Well, I like his drumming for sure. I've digged him ever since I saw him in a YouTube video together with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet performing a tune live on a TV-show from 1958 I believe. I need to check out more of his work.

This is an album which musical contents I came across not too long ago actually. I was impressed straight away and almost aquired it from eBay, but lost out on that copy. Then I got an opportunity to aquire a great copy elsewhere and I didn't hesitate for one second. This album was a must-have. So I luckily got it now, and I must say, if you haven't checked this one out yet, give it a shot. You will dig it, I'm quite confident of that. My copy is of course a 1st mono pressing, but it can also be found in stereo. It's quite rare, but is worth the effort and pennies to try and get.

Does anybody else have something they like to say about this album, please, write away! Stay tuned for more nice, rare pieces from the collection.

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Hank Mobley on BLP 1560

August 23, 2015

A truly great and rare vintage jazz vinyl LP.

Beautiful is the condition of this copy. An original 1st pressing of BLP 1560 in M-/M- condition is very rare. This copy is superb, the sound is great and the tunes are all hard bop at it's best. I love Philly Joe Jones drumming on this one. He's always great though. This is the legendary collector/dealer Leon Leavitt's own personal copy. An amazing example of a truly great, rare Blue Note. The personnel on this one is stellar, with Mobley on the tenor, John Jenkins on the alto, Donald Byrd on the trumpet, Bobby Timmons on the piano, Wilbur Ware on the bass and Philly Joe Jones on the drums.

This is quite a catch and is one of my latest acquisitions. My collection of Blue Notes is growing slowly but surely. Some really big titles has been crossed of the list. This is one of the hardest ones to find and I'm happy to have been able to add this to the collection. I wonder how much this copy would be worth in 10 years. I think all rare Blue Notes are going to rise in value in the coming years. It just feels that way right now. That's not important to me though, as I'm playing and enjoying them just for myself, and I'm never going to sell any of them.

Are there any other lucky cats out there owning an original copy of this one? If so, please share. I just received this one and two other extremely nice LP's last week. I've listen to all of them and they are in amazing condition. I will of course put the other ones up here on the site later as well.

Stay tuned for more superb vintage jazz vinyl treasures.

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Kenny Dorham and the Jazz Prophets on ABC-Paramount (ABC-122) + Periscope check

August 15, 2015

Kenny Dorham, one of my favourite jazz trumpeters, graces this rare LP from 1956 on the ABC-Paramount label. A great session. Many fine tunes. You gotta love "Don't Explain", Billie Holiday's beautiful ballad. I also highly dig the opening tune "The Prophet". This album is very rare. Quite seldom comes up for sale in acceptable condition. If you see a copy and are able to buy it, don't hesitate. If you dig Kenny Dorham this is a must. I've always had a sweet spot for him, dating back to, I guess, the first time I heard Quiet Kenny, which is his masterpiece, I think. This album is one of many great Dorham records. I have far from all, just a few. I'm quite keen on the one on Jaro for example. I'll be looking for that when the oppurtunity comes along and I have the money at that particular moment.

That's the thing, I think I've mentioned this before: You have a list of highly desirable albums which you would want to have, but you don't always have the cash at that moment when it pops up, or you have the cash, but are in the middle of saving up for a higher priced item which you have promised someone you will buy at a set moment. There's so many great albums I want but you have to take these rare pieces one at the time, and decide which ones you want the most, and which are available. To resist temptation everytime an album pops up on eBay maybe. To continue save up for the ones you've picked to buy from a source and not get too eager and splash out some cash on a few lesser priced but desirable items. It's difficult to master, when you are always on the hunt and following eBay and other places, to keep your sanity and be cool and buy the stuff you've set out to do. Difficult to resist temptation when you also know how rare certain great albums are and how seldom they come up for sale, even the low or medium priced stuff.

I tend to look for what is available at my sources and make up my mind on a few that I will buy one after the other, when I've saved up the money. But during the "saving up" time, which can be quite long periods due to the money it takes, I look at eBay and other places of interest and get tempted every week. So, the tempation to aquire a piece which your money can buy then and there is hard to resist. When you try and get the high-end quickly, like I do, the waiting can be tireing. I need my fix, you know? I guess it would be easier if I collected the lesser priced items for, let's say a year. Then I would end up with a hell of a lot more records and less time waiting between purchases. But I believe the really rare high-priced items are only going to rise in value each year, and I want to take some off the market before they are out of my reach.

I'm rambling, I know. But I hope you could understand some of what I wrote.

FWRAREJAZZVINYLCOLLECTOR ON PERISCOPE?

Allright, let's get into the Periscope thing. I've been thinking about making a live broadcast on Periscope when I receive my three recent purchases and do some box openings and revealing them in front of you guys, live. Periscope is a live video streaming app which you can find in the App Store, it's free. It's working on both the iPhone and Android devices. You'll need a Twitter account to use it I believe. But just create that for watching Periscope, like me. I didn't want a Twitter account but I wanted to watch some guys on Periscope so I created one. Just for watching Periscope, not for entertaning a Twitter page. You can watch me live at given time and see me opening the boxes and leave comments in real time which I can answer and tap the screen to make hearts of appreciation float up at the bottom right of the screen. You can also leave comments for the others watching. All comments written will appear on the screen, for me and everyone else watching. I was thinking, if I get 5-10 people or something who wanna watch this, then I'll do it. I will then announce the time of the broadcast here on the site. Please leave comments to this post if you want to make this happen. Just write "I'm in" or something. I hope we can have a good time on Periscope! Cheers.

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Dizzy Reece "Soundin' Off" on BLP 4033

July 25, 2015

Dizzy's soundin' off, and it sure sounds great.

I have a thing for Dizzy Reece. I think he's an excellent trumpeter. All his albums in the Blue Note 4000 series are favorites of mine. I set a task for myself, to collect all of them. I've almost managed the task. These albums are highly recommended by me, if you haven't explored them yet. The whole album is superb, all tunes are highly enjoyable. Very nice sound on this as well. This LP really exemplifies the wonderful full, clear, brilliant sounds you can enjoy when listening to an original 1st pressing Blue Note.

How about the personnel on this gem? Well you can't go wrong with these cats: Dizzy Reece on the trumpet, Walter Bishop Jr. on the keys, Doug Watkins on the double bass and Art Taylor on the drums. It's quite nice for me, as I totally love Art Taylor's drumming, that he's on so many nice records. I think I've mentioned before I'm a drummer myself, so that is always close to my heart. I often listen to the drums and their different sounds when I listen to jazz. A particular drum execution, alone, can make me fall in love with a LP. Or get me into an LP, which is quite interesting. Art Taylor is one of my favorites, but I have others that I adore as well. Maybe I should create a new poll, top ten jazz drummers, what do you say?

The early Blue Note 4000 series is very interesting to me. Many extremely good albums in there. I have managed to aquire just a few of them, but I'm really looking forward to hunting down some more. Do you have a favorite album/albums in the 4000 series? Please share.

I have some top collectibles lined up for purchase in the coming weeks. I've also got my hands on a few early Pacific Jazz 10" albums that are on their way to me, so stay tuned!

From a grey and rainy Stockholm, cheers!

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Chet Baker in New York on Riverside 281

July 19, 2015

Back from a great vacation to Mexico and Florida. Back to posting nice jazz vinyl rarities. I think I promised to post some stuff when I was away, but I never got around to it. But now I'm back. Sorry for the delay, but I guess I needed a total vacation away from everything.

A quite pleasing Chet album here where he is flanked by some great sidemen, namely Johnny Griffin on tenor, Al Haig on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The album comes with some relaxed and smooth soundin' trumpet playing as you'd expect of a Chet album. This really is a must if you're a Chet fan, like I am. I love Chet and he was one of my first loves when I started listening to jazz for real. I named my baby boy Chesney after him as well. There is a extremely nice mix of tunes here. All you want really, slow to medium, medium to up-tempo. Favorites at this moment are perhaps "Hotel 49" and "Solar". The ballad "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" is a sweet tune as well. There are quite a few early Chet albums I haven't got, especially on Pacific Jazz. I'm going to try and get a few of those soon. From Chet's golden era.

I don't have that many Riverside albums to date, but I have my eye on a few that would make nice additions to the collection. There's a lot on the label that's really worth having. I tend to build my collection slowly but surely. I'm trying to get a lot of high-end stuff as soon as possible, cause the way prices are going they are only going to get more expensive in the coming years I believe. So that means some hefty price tags which in turn means not so many albums per year. I have a couple of really nice albums which I'm going to finalize deals for in the coming days.

Stay tuned everyone for more selections from the collection, and thanks for hanging in there while I was away. Cheers!

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Informal Jazz by the Elmo Hope Sextet on PRLP 7043

June 19, 2015

This is a nice album. Four tunes, no hassle, just straight up hard bop to enjoy on a rainy midsummer's eve like this. This album features both John Coltrane and Hank Mobley on tenor saxes. How cool is that? Very cool. Two of my favorite tenor players on one album. And the other cats on this are a formidable bunch; Elmo Hope on piano, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Paul Chambers on double bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. I must say, I really dig the piano playing of Elmo Hope. I haven't really started to explore his other stuff in depth, but I know there's some really nice stuff to check out. For example BLP 5044, a nice 10". I'm quite keen on purchasing some more Blue Note 10" records.

But back to Informal Jazz. The tunes are great, I dig them all a lot. The favorites perhaps being the ballad "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and the up-tempo "Weeja". This LP is quite rare. I bought it quite a long time ago, when the covers where less important to me. The cover is a bit worn but that's ok. The LP plays beautifully. I'm happy with my copy. A really nice album to have in the collection. It's always nice to be reminded when I flip through the collection that I have this and when I see it I always get tempted to put it on the turntable. I guess, when I start to concentrate on collecting all the nice stuff Coltrane recorded, I'll be happy to already have one of the rarer ones he's on.

I would recommend this one to all of you rare jazz vinyl collectors out there. A 1st pressing won't come cheap, but it's probably in the low medium range on the value chart of rare vintage jazz vinyl.

I'm heading off to Mexico next week for a summer vacation which will also include Florida. At last, some relaxation. Looking forward to that. The weather at the start of the summer here in Sweden hasn't been the best, but Mexico will provide some much needed warmth and sunshine. I will post stuff during that time as well. After the vacation some new arrivals will be coming in. Some very, very nice stuff which I will put up on the site as soon as possible.

Have a nice weekend and stay tuned for more rare vintage jazz vinyl.

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Hank Mobley with Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan on BLP 1540

June 7, 2015

A nice Lexington label Blue Note that will not disappoint.

High energy blowing session with Hank Mobley joined by two of the greatest trumpet players of the golden era, namely Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan. As you've probably already gathered by now, I love jazz trumpet and Lee Morgan in particular, which makes this LP a real treat for me. It's one of those beautiful, early Blue Notes with the famous Lexington labels and the vinyl weighs a ton. All the other attributes which a 1st pressing should have are also there. It has got the wonderful coated frame cover as well. All the things that makes collecting original 1st pressing Blue Notes such a lovely thing. You can really feel the history breathing when you play and hold this historical artifact. A great feeling.

This LP is very rare. Quite difficult to find in it's original form with the coated frame cover present as well. My copy is in great condition and sounds awesome. I'm playing it right now. It's been a while since I last put it on the turntable. It's a great record. You feel happy when you listen to these tunes. Hank Mobley is truly one of the great tenor saxophonists. His tone is smooth, dark and luscious. Like a high cocoa content piece of dark chocolate. You just sip some bourbon, enjoy these amazing artists and let them take you away to a distant place.

All tunes are very enjoyable. I dig "Barrel of Funk" a lot, as it plays at this moment in the background. The personnel on this LP are absolutely outstanding. Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan on trumpets, Horace Silver on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and the fantastic Charlie Persip on drums. Could it get better than that? You'd be hard pressed to find a tighter ensemble.

This is a LP from the era that you would want in your collection, no doubt. Straight forward hard bop at it's finest. Check it out if you haven't already.

Really looking forward to add some new pieces to the collection, but they will have to wait a bit, but not very long. I have some really nice stuff coming up. Really good music. Really rare.

More beautiful pieces from my collection are coming up, so as always, stay tuned. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know your opinion on this album or anything else. Cheers!

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The Return Of Art Pepper on Jazz:West (JWLP-10)

May 30, 2015

Art Pepper on Jazz:West, a nice addition to any collection.

This is a true gem. One of the best of the Art Pepper albums. A smooth, laid back west coast jazz album with lots of nice tunes. If you dig Art Pepper and his superb, cool approach to jazz, this is a must. The album bolsters a superb line-up with Pepper on alto sax, Jack Sheldon, whom I dig a lot, on trumpet, the wonderful Russ Freeman on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on the double bass and the superb Shelley Manne on drums. The very best of West coast jazz musicians, don't you agree? All the tunes are great, creating a nice mood and sound together, when you listen through the whole album. Almost all of them are Pepper originals. The favorite is perhaps "Minority".

This is of course an original 1st pressing. It's quite desirable among collectors I believe. I'm happy to own a copy. These early Art Pepper albums are quite hard to get hold of. So if you find a copy, in almost any shape, try and get it. I have been on the hunt for the Pepper albums on Jazz:West, Tampa, Intro and so on for quite a long time and I've managed to find some of them and I'm very happy about that. They very seldom surface. Art Pepper is one of my absolute favorites, so I will try and get them all.

Summer vacation is almost here, looking forward to that. I have some nice newcomers coming after that. So stay tuned for those. I will continue to post nice stuff that I have in the collection in the mean time. Cheers and have a nice rest of the weekend!

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Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section on Contemporary C3532

May 10, 2015

One of my favorite albums, a masterpiece.

Art Pepper is special to me. I adore his playing and the early albums he made. This one is one of the best, if not THE best. Perhaps the best jazz album of all time, for me. Recorded in 1957. All tunes are equally superb. The sound is wonderful, perhaps the best sounding record I have. The mix is stunning. The details are great, with the drums especially sweet. The cover art is pure bliss. The picture is supposedly taken between Ewing Street and Fargo Street in Los Angeles where Art lived at the time. William Claxton took the photo of Art in a small grove of trees that bordered Fargo Street. The photos he took would be selected for use for the front cover of this album and the cover art of The Return Of Art Pepper on Jazz:West 10 as well.

The group assembled for this album is of course superb, with Art joined by Miles Davis rhythm section consisting of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and Philly Joe Jones on the drums. Couldn't ask for more, right? All four musicians are on top of their game on this album, although Pepper, I guess was not feeling 100%. Great performance and a milestone in Art Pepper's career.

The copy I have has a superb vinyl and the cover, while a tiny bit worn is still in great shape. The cover is the 1st art cover with the blue heading and the pink line around the tunes on the back slick. It also has the frame on the bottom of the front. I'm really happy with my copy and it should be on the shelf of every jazz vinyl collector.

We'll see if I could get my hands on a new piece before the summer vacation. If so, I'll put it up here on the site first thing. It's a piece I've been wanting a nice copy of for quite a while. Exciting.

Stay tuned for more jazz vinyl candy...

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At last a Louis Smith

April 19, 2015

I've been searching for either BLP 1584 or 1594 for quite a long time. They seem extremely hard to find. Very rare in other words. Now, at last I've found one of them in good nick. "Smithville" BLP 1594 is the first Louis Smith album to make it into my collection. I'm of course ecstatic to have found one of my most wanted after a long time of searching for a good copy. My copy is in fine condition and it sounds great. Oh, that vintage Blue Note sound. Great cover art as well!

I really like Louis Smith's trumpet playing and the tunes on this album are very enjoyable. Louis Smith only made a handful of albums back in the day, from what I've gathered, before he became a teacher. Four albums for Blue Note, two as a leader (1584 & 1594) and two as a sideman to Kenny Burrell (1596 & 1597). I intend to try and get the 1584 next and then maybe the Burrell albums. 1584 is a must but the others, well.. maybe. Louis Smith is probably quite underrated, at least to me. He plays with a lot of punch and feeling I think. Quite speedy as well. Great trumpeter, and I love trumpet as I've probably mentioned before.

I dig all the tunes a lot. The favorites are maybe "Wetu" and "Embraceable You". The personnel are; Louis Smith (trumpet), Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), Sonny Clark (piano), Paul Chambers (double bass) and Art Taylor (drums). What a great line-up. I haven't listened to Charlie Rouse before from what I can remember. He's a superb tenor saxophonist. Truly great. I need to check out some of his other stuff as well.

BLP 1584 & 1594 have both been on my want list for a long time. I've always loved them. One in the bag, one to go. Stay tuned for more historical artifacts...

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The Sound of Sonny on Riverside 241

April 6, 2015

A great Sonny Rollins album. Nice laid back mood throughout. And the sound of this original, 1st pressing Sonny LP is superb. Jack Higgins is the engineer. Very nice recording by him. This is truly a must in any jazz collection. One of my favorite Rollins albums so far. I have far too few Riverside albums to date. There's so many great albums on this label. Can't wait to acquire another one. I love these early, white label pressings. They always seem well recorded and well presented.

The personnel on this album are: Rollins (tenor sax), Sonny Clark (piano), Percy Heath and Paul Chambers (double bass) and Roy Haynes (drums). Being a drummer myself, I always listen careful to the drums, and I think Roy Haynes is great. Not my absolute favorite, but he has a nice approach to the drums. Actually, the way jazz drummers play, and the raw acoustic sound of the drums on these recordings from the 50's was one of the reasons I really got into jazz for real. And Sonny Rollins was one of the main reasons I got hooked on jazz. When I saw a concert on Swedish television with him, Henry Grimes and Joe Harris from 1959 recorded in Sweden, I thought it was superb and then I started listening to jazz more and more, to the point where I only listened to jazz. And here I am now, collecting jazz vinyl and loving every minute of it.

If you haven't got this LP in your collection, make amends. It should have it's rightful place on your shelves. Preferably the 1st pressing of course. Stay tuned for more nice stuff!

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George Wallington Quintet at The Bohemia (Progressive 1001)

March 29, 2015

Superb album with George Wallington playing at the Café Bohemia in New York on September 9, 1955. The all-star lineup consists of the following: George Wallington on piano, Jackie McLean (says McClean on the back slick. Well, he sure does play clean), Donald Byrd on trumpet, Paul Chambers on double bass and Art Taylor on drums. Doesn't get much better. The sound on this is suprisingly good for a live recording from the 50's. But you don't expect less from Rudy Van Gelder who recorded this wonderful album.

This original 1st pressing is very rare to say the least. Extremely hard to find, and you almost never see it for sale. Happy of course to have it in the collection. Just listened to it, and it's a nice set of tunes on this. Favorites are "Jay Mac's Crib" and "Minor March". An energy filled performance which makes you wanna go back in time and sit there at The Bohemia, sip a drink and enjoy some magic. You should definitely check this one out if it's new to you. An original is maybe too hard to acquire, for it's rarity and price tag, but this music should make it's way into your collection, original, reissue or in another format. Superb stuff.

Make sure you stay tuned for more great items from my collection. Have a great Sunday!

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Chet - ballads by Chet Baker on Riverside 299

March 22, 2015

A relaxing, moody and romantic Chet album.

Very relaxing LP by Chet Baker. Chet is one of my first loves in jazz. This record is one of his best. It consists of nice ballads played beautifully by the following personnel: Baker (trumpet), Pepper Adams (baritone sax), Herbie Mann (flute), Bill Evans (piano), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Paul Chambers (double bass), Connie Kay and Philly Joe Jones (drums).

Chet's lyrical, smooth, romantic approach to the trumpet is flourishing here. He's a ballad master, and really captures a nice feeling on all the tunes. I love his style of playing, all the way through his entire career. He plays with feeling. Pepper Adams on the baritone sax is truly great on this LP. I absolutely love his playing as well. I have far too little material by him in the collection. His playing is robust, yet lyrical. His tone is warm and takes a lot of space. I have some other records which he's on, but I need to explore him further for sure. He's really enjoyable and makes the baritone a really pleasant instrument to listen to.

The other cats are top notch as well, of course, with such names as Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones and Kenny Burrell, how could you go wrong? Even the concept of jazz flute, which I haven't been the greatest fan of, Herbie Mann makes me a believer of. At least on this album.

If you're looking to collect a few Baker albums and want to pin point some of the very best material, this album is a very nice start. It's Baker at his best, playing lyrical, with a lot of feeling and it puts you in a very relaxing mood, perfect for a late, lazy Sunday afternoon.

Stay tuned for more nice jazz...

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