This hobby is all about patience. Several years back, a friend of mine who is almost exclusively a collector of rock and disco twelve-inches randomly scored an EX original pressing of this album for 30 bucks at a shop in Troy, New York, just a 15-minute drive up the Hudson from my native Albany. Try as I have to pry it from… More→
Back in 2010, I first got interested in collecting vintage jazz records by way of the Blue Note Album Cover Art book. Since then it’s been glaringly obvious that Larry Young’s Unity sports one of the most popular and timeless covers in the legendary label’s catalog — there’s even a copy of it on display (alongside BLP 1530… More→
Fittingly coming off the tail of @jazz_peasant’s recent interview, I bring you another refreshingly honest convo, this time with Christopher Brown a.k.a. @what_can_brown. Chris brings us yet another unique insight into the art of jazz record collecting. Chris does most of his buying online and has plenty of advice to offer in that … More→
Before I started collecting vintage jazz records, a friend of mine who is a jazz drummer let me borrow a bunch of jazz CDs to rip to my computer and this was one of them. At the time, I pretty much took all the John Coltrane he had, not having any idea of what was what. But a couple songs on this album, “Central Park West” and… More→
Well folks, based on feedback I have recently received about the Heavyweights of Instagram series, I’ve decided to rename the series simply “Jazz Collectors of Instagram”. The series is intended to provide insight into some of the jazz collectors I follow on IG, not to make an outrageous claim about the “greatest” collectors … More→
When I started collecting, I bought into the popular opinion that Jimmy Smith isn’t “collectible” and didn’t pay him any attention. But then I found this great 1965 German documentary on him serving as evidence of how “incredible” he really was. From the live performances where he plays with so much heart and frankly, tears it up… More→
Not only is Horace Silver a favorite jazz composer and musician of mine, this is one of my favorite albums of his. If I had to guess, Silver was given the title of leader on this early Jazz Messengers effort since, unlike the Birdland and Bohemia Messenger LPs of the same era, all but one of the selections here were written by Silver, who only… More→
It’s rare that I hang on to a record in VG condition, but this record has a couple things working for it: 1. Despite the pops and ticks, it has no groove wear, 2. I got it for (the vintage jazz record collecting equivalent of) a dollar bin price, and 3. The music and performances are both spectacular. Like my copies of Saxophone Colossus… More→
I am fascinated by the extent to which even a mere encounter with an original pressing of a jazz record can heighten my interest in the music. My first experience with classic Blue Note LPs came by way of the Blue Note album cover book and later the website Vintage Vanguard, hosted by what is assumed to be a Japanese collector… More→
For the next installment of Jazz Collectors of Instagram, I’d like to introduce another veteran collector, @djpari_. Pari approaches the hobby from a similar angle to myself, having his roots in DJing. His collection boasts a long list of hard-to-come-by rarities, including Sonny Clark’s Cool Struttin’, Lee Morgan’s Candy, J.R. Monterose (Blue Note … More→