Morris Grants LPs with Maynard Ferguson
MORRIS GRANTS PRESENTS J.U.N.K. (JAZZ UNIVERSITY'S NEW KICKS) -- Argo LP 4006
OK ... this one takes some major explanation. Back about 1960 or so, a jazz comedy album came out on the Argo label. The big rage in the jazz world was Norman Granz presents J.A.T.P. (Jazz at the Philharmonic). So someone came up with this wild idea to put out a parody album in which "Norman" became "Morris," "Granz" became "Grants," "J.A.T.P." became "J.U.N.K.," and the musicians got renamed as well. This album is two sides of side-splitting fun! The players include Morris Brewbeck, Sol Desman, Miles Morris, Morris Garner, Ornette Morris, Theloneliest Plunk, Can-e-ball Naturally, Merry Julligan, and, OF COURSE, Morris Ferguson. Very little is known about when and where this was recorded, and I've even heard conflicting stories. There's even some controversy about whether it's really Maynard playing on this LP, or whether it was someone else impersonating him. Folks, once you listen to it, I think you'll totally agree with me that NO ONE could play what's played on this record EXCEPT Maynard Ferguson. I'm positive it's really him, just goofing off and going along with the fun on this LP. Some of us asked Maynard, via Ed Sargeant, whether he remembered doing this or not, but we never got an answer prior to Maynard's death in 2006. Frankly, I'm not sure if Maynard even remembered or not, and that may be why we didn't get an answer. Another source has it as Doc Severinsen playing and pretending to be Maynard. Again, we've tried to ask Doc through some friends of friends, but have never gotten an answer. Nevertheless, whether or not it's actually Maynard, it's a great parody of his style. Stratospheric playing at its best! This LP is EXCEPTIONALLY RARE!!! I have only seen a handful of them in all the years I've been collecting.
COPY #1. Just in, this is only the second copy of this rare LP that I've ever had on the website. The cover on this is a quite clean and nice, with just a tiny bit of surface wear visible. Every dealer I know would call it NMINT, but I'll take the conservative route and call it NMINT-. The disc is a promo copy, with white labels. The labels are clean and nice, and the vinyl is super nice, with just one tiny scuff noticeable. It's NMINT. Overall, this copy is NMINT- to NMINT. Due to its rarity, it's $35.00. BONUS! THIS COPY COMES WITH A TRANSCRIPTION CD OF ALL THE TRACKS RECORDED DIRECTLY FROM THE LP.
COPY #2. This is a very ratty copy. The cover has sticker damage and two stickers at upper left, very bad seam abrasion and splitting, water damage on the back, and writing on the back. So this cover is POOR. The vinyl is quite scratched up, with quite poor fidelity. It's maybe GOOD- (which means NOT SO GREAT). Overall, let's call this one POOR to POOR+. Just a space filler. It's $13.00. BONUS! THIS COPY COMES WITH A TRANSCRIPTION CD OF ALL THE TRACKS RECORDED DIRECTLY FROM THE LP.
COPY #3. This one comes in a very clean and nice cover. It has just a hint of light ring wear, but it's very minimal, and the cover easily is NMINT. The labels are the white promo type, and they're likewise clean and nice. The vinyl is quite nice, as well. It's EX++. Overall, this copy is NMINT-. A solid and very nice copy, it's $33.00. BONUS! THIS COPY COMES WITH A TRANSCRIPTION CD OF ALL THE TRACKS RECORDED DIRECTLY FROM THE LP.
COPY #4. This one comes in a very clean and nice cover which is easily NMINT. The vinyl is quite nice, as well. It's EX++. Overall, this copy is NMINT-. A solid and very nice copy, it's $33.00. BONUS! THIS COPY COMES WITH A TRANSCRIPTION CD OF ALL THE TRACKS RECORDED DIRECTLY FROM THE LP.
COPY #5. This one comes in a pretty nice cover. There's a little edge wear and a little surface wear, but it's not bad. I'd rate this cover as EX to EX+. The labels are the white promo type, and they're very clean and nice. The vinyl itself is very nice. There's one slight scuff on side 2, but otherwise, it looks almost new. I'm going to rate the disc as NMINT. Overall, this copy is EX++. A solid and very nice copy, it's $30.00. BONUS! THIS COPY COMES WITH A TRANSCRIPTION CD OF ALL THE TRACKS RECORDED DIRECTLY FROM THE LP.
MORRIS GRANTS PRESENTS J.U.N.K. (JAZZ UNIVERSITY'S NEW KICKS) (BRITISH PRESSING) -- PYE JAZZ NJL 37
This is the U.K. pressing of the LP above. Very similar except it's MUCH rarer than the U.S. version. I've only seen maybe 3 copies.
COPY #1. Just in, this is the first copy of this rare LP that I've ever had on the website. The cover on this one shows just a bit of surface wear. There's a little very light toning on the back, and a very light, very small water spot (about the size of a half dollar). Still, this is easily an EX+ cover. The disc is a promo copy, with white labels. The labels are clean and nice, except for a tiny blue rubber stamped "CHEAP THRILLS" in blue ink (perhaps the name of a record store). The vinyl is pretty nice, as well, with some light surface scratches visible. I played it, and it plays quite nicely. It's EX. Overall, this copy is EX to EX+. Due to its rarity, it's $30.00. BONUS! THIS COPY COMES WITH A TRANSCRIPTION CD OF ALL THE TRACKS RECORDED DIRECTLY FROM THE LP.
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