Autographs of jazz artists

[brownie]

Got myself a second copy of the 1979 first edition of Art and Laurie Pepper's 'Straight Life'. €9,50 was the price.

Was going to ignore it because it did not look as good as my copy but when I checked the publication date I discovered the book's opening page bore Art Pepper's signature.

It's getting a feature position on my bookshelf!

[Big Beat Steve]

Got myself a second copy of the 1979 first edition of Art and Laurie Pepper's 'Straight Life'. €9,50 was the price.

Was going to ignore it because it did not look as good as my copy but when I checked the publication date I discovered the book's opening page bore Art Pepper's signature.

It's getting a feature position on my bookshelf!

Nice scoop!

Congrats.

Reminds me of a scoop of a somewhat less "stellar" quality (except to the diehard collectors ) I made on an internet site a couple of years ago. I had been looking for a copy of the Swedish book "GÖTEBORGSJAZZEN" with a personal history of Göteborg's post-war jazz scene, and sure enough I managed to grab one at a fairly good price (no other bidders). What a nice surprise to find out upon receipt that the book seems to have been carried along by a real fan who had the book signed by about a dozen or more local jazz greats on the very page where they figured in that book, including a few signatures by latterly quite renowned famous Swedish jazzmen.

Couldn't have turned out better ...

[Christiern]

I have Benny Goodman's autograph.

Or do I?

[John L]

My favorite jazz autograph experience was in Paris in the late 1990s. I was in the front row for a Teddy Edwards concert with a local trio. Teddy's play that night was VERY strong, and I thanked him sincerely after the show. He told me that he had been bothered by an excessively stiff reed. But if it sounded good to me, I could have it. He took the reed out of his horn and gave it to me. Of course, I had to have him sign the reed after that.

[alankin]

Haven't gotten in CDs autographed. I did find a copy of "To Be or Not to Bop" in a library sale that was autographed by both Dizzy Gillespie and co-author Al Fraser. (And I did get a few SF books autographed back when I was a fan.)

[EyeSpeech]

I am listening to Bobby Hutcherson - StickUp now and turned over the CD to find that both Bobby Hutcherson and Billy Higgins had signed the j-card (back cover) which I brought to Yoshi's to catch a Hutcherson show. I didn't even know Higgins would be in the band, but it was one of the last times I got to see him.

That's what I love about getting my discs autographed. It not only gives me an excuse to meet the musician and tell him how much his music means to me but it lives on as a meaningful keepsake. When I pull these signed discs off the shelf I'm greeted with a memory and visual that puts my listening experience in a different, more personal context.

In addition to autographs by Hutch and Billy, I have countless discs signed by Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Johnny Griffin, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones, Lee Konitz, Kenny Burrell, Sam Rivers, Stanley Turrentine and others.

[Justin V]

I've gotten various autographs in person, through running AAJ contests, buying online or stumbling upon them in stores: Jimmy Heath, Ira Sullivan, Gene Ludwig, Walter Norris, Henry Grimes, John McLaughlin, Mundell Lowe, Giuseppi Logan, Chick Corea, Louis Hayes, Wayne Escoffery, Johnathan Blake, Gene Bertoncini, Joe Locke, Uri Caine, Bobby Few, Wayne Krantz, Buster Williams, etc.

[Hardbopjazz]

I've added Jimmy Heath to my autographs. I asked him to sign his autobiography.