What's the best jazz autograph you have??

[Rooster_Ties]

I'm sure that some people will turn their noses up at the notion of getting autographs from people (especially those here who have worked with big names over the years). But, like it or not, many of us do want to get autographs from people. I've gotten my share over the years, but I'll only mention a couple...

Best one I got personally: Probably Herbie (twice: a couple weeks ago; and about 7? years ago, when he was on that 'duo' tour with Wayne)

Only one I didn't get personally: Ellington (my Mom personally got it from him when she was in college, when she was on the concert/dance committee that booked him - some time in the early 50's).

I refuse to buy autographs (no interest in that, none), and I only get them for myself for my own silly reasons (and certainly not for resale value).

Please don't list all the autographs you have, but what are your two or three favorite jazz autographs?? Any why??

My "whys"...

Herbie – just cuz he's such an important and core Blue Note artist, and was a part of so many incredible sessions over the years. Also, he was incredibly nice to talk to (the first time), and was really willing to discuss things with people, more than usual. (2nd time he was at a social "after concert" thang, and obviously wanted to be anywhere else, which I can't blame him -- so he wasn't nearly as convivial.)

And Ellington – for obvious reasons, having as much to do with me remembering my mom, as my respect and admiration for Duke.

EDIT: And yes, I picked Herbie over Andrew. Just cuz.

Edited April 29, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[Dan Gould]

Jim, Joe, and Randy. Oh, and Ron Blake is on there, too.

Just cuz.

[Christiern]

I have never asked for an autograph, but have received quite a few, either in books or simply signed personal letters.

As I have mentioned before, I used to be Benny Goodman's autograph signer, so if you have a signed 8 x 10 glossy, don't be too sure that he ever touched it.

[sheldonm]

Based on your criteria, my two favorites would be:

a.) James Moody: I gave James a photograph that I made of him at an earlier show. When I asked him to sign a photograph for me, he said he would only do it if I signed the photograph I gave him. He also incorporates a cool drawing of a saxophone and glasses into his signature.

b.) John Clayton: John, Monte Alexander and Russell Malone were playing a tribute show shortly after Ray Brown has passed away. I gave them each a photograph that I had made of Ray and asked them to sign one for me. John signed "To Mark, your biggest fan, Jonh Clayton. He also draws an image of a bass player along side his signature.

A funny story along the "signature" topic. I was in a trendy housewares store in St. Louis a few years ago and put an item on my debit card. When I went to sign the receipt, the girl (18-20 years old) pointed to the line and said "put your Herbie Hancock right there B) ", which I thought was very funny!

Mark

[JohnS]

The box of my "An Evening With Ornette Coleman" 2lp set is signed by both Ornette and David Izenson. A jazz journalist friend got them for me.

I had Charles Moffett's autograph on the programme but alas that disappeared somewhere along the line.

[rockefeller center]

CD signed by Josh Roseman (and Joey Baron): "Happy snurfings in the grooves, o liquid man."

Don't even remember that I bought it from him that night, but I'm glad to have it. Very nice recording.

[Chuck Nessa]

a.) James Moody: I gave James a photograph that I made of him at an earlier show. When I asked him to sign a photograph for me, he said he would only do it if I signed the photograph I gave him. He also incorporates a cool drawing of a saxophone and glasses into his signature.

Somewhere I have a Moody like that. On the same paper are Dizzy, Lalo Schiffrin, Chris White and Rudy Collins.

I have another sheet with Basie, Freddie Green, Frank Foster, Marshall Royal, Henry Coker, Buddy Catlett and some others I can't remember.

[Rooster_Ties]

When I went to sign the receipt, the girl (18-20 years old) pointed to the line and said "put your Herbie Hancock right there B) ", which I thought was very funny!!

B)

[brownie]

I very rarely ask for autographs. One exception and it's still my favorite.

A glossy paper flyer for a Cecil Taylor concert in Paris in 1966 with autographs from the four musicians: Jimmy Lyons, Alan Silva, Andrew Cyrille and Cecil Taylor who wrote a two-line poetry dedication.

I lost autographed photos of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. These two were mailed courtesy of the Voice of America after Willis Conover mentioned that the signed photos were available to any VOA listeners to his jazz programs who would request them, back in the late '50s. The signatures looked like the real thing.

Lost the two - and various other jazz memorabilia - when the Army called me away from home.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I bought that Francis Wolff calendar back in 1996 maybe... the one from Pomegranate that had 14 x 14 B&W shots that were perfect for framing. Anyway, I have had many of these signed at shows and they almost always get some great comments from the artist. I remember Stanley Turrentine saying "Who is this handsome young man in this picture? It can't be me!" Curtis Fuller's came out the best... but I think that might be mostly because the picture is just awesome. It's an uncropped photo of "The Opener" cover (I think). It came out great. Horace Silver dated his but he dated it with the wrong date! He was off by a few days. Elvin's was nice. I had Bobby Hutcherson sign 2, one was the cover shot, and I had it framed for my best friend who gave me the extra copy from his calendar.

BTW, the funniest autograph I ever got wasn't a Jazz artist. I went to see raunchy comedian John Valby (who tours as Dr Dirty). After the show, and probably a few too many beers, I bought several CDs and took the verbal abuse to get autographs for them. Valby is such a funny shit. Anyway, Valby signs "Compact Dirt Digital Ditties" with "Duyd hwq hwh hsa fuck hjs ah shjh - John Valby". Being Valby, I ask him, "What the fuck does this say?" He says, "Look you moron, it says 'Dust her off and fuck her for days'". It might say that.

Later,

Kevin

[Christiern]

I wonder who has the petition circulated by a waiter named Ran Blake in 1960 or 61 and handed over to RCA in an effort to get them to issue Mingus's Tijuana Moods album? It was an amazing who's who in the jazz world when I signed it, and I understand that many names were added after I saw it.

BTW, it worked--RCA decided to issue the album and when someone there suggested using the petition signatures on the cover, everyone agreed that it was a great idea. A few minutes later, however, reality set in. "We don't want people to know that it took all these signatures to get us to release an important album," someone said, soberly. Everyone agreed.

[GA Russell]

In 1982 I went to see Mark Murphy at the One Step Down club in DC, and he signed personalized cards for two of the women in my office. It's always good to keep the secretaries happy!

Thelonious Monk signed a (clean) napkin at the Village Vanguard for me in '68. I guess that's my favorite autograph.

[medjuck]

Benny Carter. I think it's also the only one I have. I got it on the only occasion where I ever asked a friend to arrange a meeting with someone I admired. I brought along the sleeve from Further Definitions and asked him to sign it.

[sidewinder]

I'm very fond of the flyer signed 'Love & Peace' by Elvin Jones, particularly poignant at the present time. Similarly, Brother Hank was courteous in the extreme when he signed a flyer for me after an LA performance (even hunted out a pen for me back stage and told me to take a seat on his allocated sofa. B) ). A real gent !

Great guys those Jones's..

Edited April 29, 2004 by sidewinder

[RainyDay]

See my Joe Zawinul story. I don't say more than "hello nice set" if I say anything at all, let alone ask for an autograph. B)

[Kevin Bresnahan]

On the subject of asking for autographs... I didn't used to do it. I never felt that it was that important. I used to go up and just shake their hands and thank them for the performance and that was it. Then there were a couple of shows where I bought CDs from the performer at the show and it got them to talk about the music on the CD. I then brought a few of my favorites to shows to get signatures and to tell the artist how much I liked the CD. It has resulted in some fun meetings and many laughs. I really enjoy it now.

Sure, there are still some who don't dig it... Joey Calderazzo recently was reluctant to sign. However, they are few. In fact, I have asked many of them if they mind and the answer is generally along the lines of, "Are you kidding? Someone thinks highly enough of my music to ask for my autograph and you think I'd be upset?"

BTW, Andrew Hill signed the cover of my "Judgement" LP and he wrote something across the entire cover followed by his signature. I have yet to decipher it all. The whole cover!

Later,

Kevin

Edited April 29, 2004 by Kevin Bresnahan

[sidewinder]

Kevin - Andrew almost 'wrecked' my Mosaic booklet with his signature. Fortunately I had a spare!

[DTMX]

Michael Formanek has a funny story about one of his CDs getting mixed up by the manufacturer with the first batch having the cover artwork 90 degrees off (putting the leader's name off to the side below the other names) and the second batch of CDs having the correct artwork, new graphics on the CD itself - but the wrong music on the CD (some lame hair-metal band). When I ordered this CD (Extended Animation I think) he sent me both the correct CD/wrong artwork and wrong CD/correct artwork versions. Long story short - his note with the CDs had his signature incorporating a drawing of himself playing the bass. Maybe I'll scan it - if I can find it.

[JSngry]

I got Dizzy Gillespie to autograph a Bird t-shirt when I was 18.

If I had known then what I know now, I'd have gotten a Dizzy tee for him to sign...

Oh well, a few years later, Clark Terry autographed the same shirt, and I had Dizzy autograph his autobiography, so that must make something right.

Funniest autograph scene (non-jazz) I ever saw was in Albuquerque, 1981. I was playing in a show band at the Four Seasons hotel, and Flip Wilson was in the house. The front-peoples of the band were a husband-wife team who travelled w/their boys, then aged 9 & 11. They had apparently crossed paths w/Flip a few times over the years and invited us all over to meet him. Flip was cordial enough, but obviously wasn't into a long hang, so we all said our pleasantries and began to tail off.

Just as we did, the 11 year old (who ran the lights for his folks show) came running up and shouted, "MR. WILSON!!!! CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH? PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZEEEEEEE?"

Well, Flip, not missing a beat, asked the kid his first name, reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a checkbook, wrote the kid a personal check for $100.00 and handed it over to him.

"Now, kid, what you have to decide," he said in that "Flip Wilson voice", "is what you want more - my autograph... OR A HUNNERT DOLLARSSSSSSSSSS".

Last I heard, the check had still not been cashed.

Edited April 29, 2004 by JSngry

[PHILLYQ]

[ghost of miles]

Friends have given me an autographed copy of Dizzy's autobiography and a postcard of Lee Konitz and Miles signed by Lee (thanks to our own sheldonm for that one), but recently I got David Baker and David Young to sign my copy of George Russell's STRATUSPHUNK, on which they both appear. Pretty happy about that!

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Autograph collecting and the consumption of milk are for kids....which is why I have a few sigs from the '68 Boston Bruins and another of O.J. when he was with SF. While I did request a signature from a well known jazz author B) ....that was for the benefit of children who're forever saying 'who are you talking to on that stupid computer jazz board? ...are they real people? ...why are you talking to them about Dick Cheney when you could be taking us out for ice cream?' Good point......would you like chocolate chip or strawberry?

[Christiern]

[sheldonm]

Autograph collecting and the consumption of milk are for kids....

.....I am apparently still a kid . I generally give the musicians a matted photograph of mine (If I had photographed them before) and ask them to sign one of my own. I think the only person that that was hesitant was Jimmy Smith when I asked him to sign an original Francis Wolff photograph (the one used on the cover of the Mosaic). He signed it and it may have been the only thing he signed that night.

I have many autographs and don't feel bad about asking for one; I believe I may also have a signed book from that famous jazz author . If I though I was imposing on a private moment or the guy was having a bad night, I woundn't do it. I also wouldn't do this with the thought of selling an item, just something to bring back the good vibes from a show.

Mark

[kulu se mama]

i don't search out autographs, and probably would not even ask for one if i ever met anyone famous, but awhile back i found an copy of the john coltrane complete impulse studio recordings box set autographed by mccoy tyner and elvin jones.

it was on ebay, but the price was below $100 so i couln't pass it up.

the only other jazz autograph i have is gerry mulligan on a copy of "lonesome blvd." i found it used and when it took it to the counter to pay for it, i asked the clerk - is that an autograph? he looked surprised and confirmed that it was an autograph (i think he was ticked that he hadn't caught it before he priced it). i've seen other copies of this autographed since then, so i'm assuming that gerry mulligan must have signed a bunch of promos.