Music memorabilia auctioned in New York for jazz charities

Jet, March 21, 2005

Jazz memories were for sale during a recent New York auction that included music legend John Coltrane's saxophone, Dizzy Gillespie's bent trumpet and Lionel Hampton's vibraphone. These timeless treasures were among 450 pieces of jazz memorabilia auctioned to raise money for jazz charities.

The auction, carried out by Guernsey's auction house, was held at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. Before the event, the auctioneer refrained from setting price estimates "because prices are set by precedents--and there's no precedent for these items," company president Arlan Ettinger said.

The items proved to be of great value to bidders, who all remained unidentified. Hampton's engraved 1930s King George vibes sold for $50,000, Gillespie's custom-made Martin trumpet fetched $26,000 and a handwritten letter from John Coltrane to his mother in 1964 sold for $16,000 and another sold for $14,000.

A 32-page handwritten letter by Louis Armstrong to his manager Oscar Cohen sold for $25,000 and Thelonious Monk's sheet music Can't Call It That brought in $23,000.

The highest released price paid was for Charlie "Bird" Parker's King alto saxophone. Known to be Parker's primary instrument in the 1950s, it sold for $225,000 to a phone bidder.

At JET press time, all of the final bids were yet to be confirmed. The memorabilia was donated by the musicians' families or estates, and proceeds from the sale go to jazz foundations, archives and young jazz artists.