Welcome 2018: 1959 never sounded better!

Last post of the year, and some year it has been, so much discovery in modern jazz 1956-66 (give or take a few years) 2017 has really been a landmark. Not a lot of new acquisitions, the collector world seems … Continue reading →

Harold Land: West Coast Blues (1960) Jazzland

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I’ve been posting about the Jazzland label recently, let’s dig deep into one of the great recordings there, Harold Land, West Coast Blues! Selection: Ursula (Land) … Artists Joe Gordon (trumpet) Harold Land (tenor sax) Barry Harris (piano) Wes Montgomery … Continue reading →

Kind of Blue Data Collection – what’s your six-eye matrix?

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I didn’t want my mailbox jammed with everyone telling me what KoB matrices they have got (some did anyway, great) – but then I had a brainwave: Polldaddy!  Hopefully this will work. If it doesn’t then there’s nothing lost, except I … Continue reading →

The recording studio in the sky…gains its finest engineer: RVG no longer with us, his heritage lives on.

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It’s been a good few weeks for the afterlife jam session – first Bobby Hutcherson, Toots Thielmans, Louis Smith, now Rudy has cut his last acetate. The giants are gathering on the other side. We have so much to be … Continue reading →

American ’50s Record Clubs: The American Recording Society (1956-7)

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A record collector’s special bonus topic, prompted by LJC commenter Geoffrey Wheeler. I’m sure that name is familiar! You’ll note it again after a few minutes reading. An occasional look at the stuff you may well have overlooked, delving into … Continue reading →

Blue Note Records: the EMI era, 1979 to present day (updated)

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UPDATED July 20 – adding Classic Records.   I should have  anticipated this. In the ’80s and ’90s, reissues  were a whole generation’s first introduction to Blue Note. The purist perspective of “original pressings” from the ’50s and ’60s is a long way from … Continue reading →

Seismic changes in Europe, jazz unaffected, mostly.

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Following the earth-shattering UK referendum result to leave membership of the European Union, I want to re-assure all jazz-loving readers around the world that LondonJazzCollector will REMAIN your premier UK jazz blog, and LEAVE you to comment on all posts as usual, in … Continue reading →

Sun Ra Arkestra (May 2016) live in Dalston

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  On a Saturday evening in May 2016, Space came to Dalston, London E8. Marshall Allen, 92, on alto and a reed-based synthesiser that produced space noises straight out of Gort from The Day The Earth Stood Still, and Robbie The Robot, Forbidden Planet. Marshall  carries … Continue reading →

Conversation Piece: Blue Cuscuna (2016) Interview

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Occasional Series: LJC Conversation Pieces – An experiment, sound off about topics related to the music we love and the things around it we love to hate, or anything else reasonably on-topic for that matter. It is always interesting to … Continue reading →

Twenty Most Smokin’ Jazz LP Covers: Reader Poll

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LJC READER POLL: Pick your top twenty Most Smokin’ Jazz LP Covers Vote now! Vote for up to twenty of your favourite covers. Poll listing as in the last post (listed in posted order) Poll lasts One Week. All votes … Continue reading →

Surgeon General’s Warning: Smokin’ Covers

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Final Updates: at foot of post (February 13) Another ever-popular jazz record cover theme. We’ve had the good, we’ve  the had the bad, now it’s time (cough cough) dyin’ for a smoke: smokin’ covers ( no thanks, just tobacco in mine) Never mind … Continue reading →

Collector’s Guide to Contemporary Records Part I (updated)

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SUNDAY UPDATE: Guide to Contemporary 3500 series back covers now added to permanent pages for Guide to the  Contemporary Records  label. (If you are able to provide better picture of original back cover with coloured text and frame, all contributions … Continue reading →

Worst jazz LP covers ever

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Jan 21, 2016: more updates! There seems to be no end to the supply of bad jazz covers. Keep them coming! Most recent nominations added to end of post. Record number of LJC page views yesterday, must be the effect of … Continue reading →

Hottest Jazz LP Covers Ever. Poll included. Updated.

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HOTTEST COVERS More late entries! I’ve caved in under pressure, 18 late entries join the foot of the post and added to the Poll. It’s only a bit of Christmas fun isn’t it? No LJC, covers is serious. Nice blog. Shame if anything … Continue reading →

Extraordinary auction of jazz vinyl, Paris France, 24th November 2015

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As some readers have discovered to their ire, LJC has a strict policy of not getting involved in the buying and selling of records. I am committed to research and education, everything on this site is strictly non-commercial. However there are occasions … Continue reading →

Twenty Top Tenors – can you identify them all?

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I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. The tenor saxophone playing style is as distinctive as the human voice, or so I have argued. Time to put that to the test, can you tell who the player … Continue reading →

Calling all Prestige LP-owners

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No, it doesn’t exist. At least not yet. With the invaluable help of Diego S, LJC’s Head of Special Projects Involving Quite Complicated Things, LJC is launching an appeal for information from Prestige collectors  about the records they own, in forensic detail.  We … Continue reading →

Charles Earland: Infant Eyes (1978) Muse/ Van Gelder

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Selection: We Are Not Alone   Artists: Bill Hardman (trumpet) Frank Wess and/or Mack Goldsbury (tenor saxophone, Wess: and flute, ) Jimmy Ponder or Melvin Sparks (guitar) Grady Tate (drums) Lawrence Killian (percussion) recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1978. … Continue reading →

London Event Sunday 16th November, 2014

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ADVANCE NOTICE LONDON EVENT: 16th November, 2014 SCHEDULED APPEARANCE Jazz event not to miss, live recording, performance, artist interviews, and chat (including questions from the invited audience) On the sofa, quiz the real LJC. Tickets on application to http://www.jazzatmetropolis.com/#signup More information on the Jazz at … Continue reading →

Woody Shaw: Ichi-Ban (1976) Timeless (and Master of Jazz Quiz)

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Selection 1: Brothers and Sisters (Tex Allen)   Modal-funk, no less. What do the DJ Jazz Collective make of this? Selection 2: Moontrane (Shaw)   Woody Shaw’s classic composition, one of the instantly recognisable great tunes of modern jazz (I’ll ask … Continue reading →

Raymond Moretti: jazz illustrator

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Spending time in the south of France, a short distance from Nice’s museum of modern art, in the dusty window of a seller of antique books and art,  I noticed an extraordinary and unusual  book. Fashioned in the form of a grand … Continue reading →

THE BLUE NOTE UNDERCOVER DETECTIVE

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BLUE NOTE UNDER-COVER DETECTIVES an occasional post for the Blue Note collector that doesn’t have everything, but would like to. The 12″ microgroove unbreakable record brought record cover art to the fore, and developments in printing technology enabled these new generation covers … Continue reading →

Jazz Musician’s Lifespan – every picture tells a story (updated)

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LJC contributor Rodrigo sent me a fascinating chart he had prepared about the lifespan of his favourite jazz  musicians. I took a crack at this myself a while back, but our man is a master of non-standard graphical presentation tools, respect, so … Continue reading →

Blue Note Missing Over Fifty Years Discovered

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Selection: Bonus Track not included on the original vinyl – Brilliant Corners, in which Elvis vocalises the part of Sonny Rollins tenor. Breaking News The record collecting community was today rocked by the announcement on a popular jazz collecting blog … Continue reading →

Face to face with your heroes: how did it work for you?

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Most of the artists I enjoy on vinyl are dead: there is no danger of them failing to live up to my expectations: Above is a chart I produced a couple of years ago, not intended to be comprehensive, just artists … Continue reading →