ID 1029121
Lot 470 | Hot Discography
Estimate value
£ 1 500 – 2 500
Extensively signed by many of the leading lights of the Ellington and Basie orchestras, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Lester Young, the autographs acquired by young jazz aficionado William Lawson “Bud” O’Donnell of Massachusetts, most likely when both the Ellington and Basie bands visited Boston in the late 1930s/early 1940s. Ellington played an extended residency at the Ritz Carlton Hotel from July to August 1939 and at the Southland Café in January 1940, after which Count Basie and his Orchestra took over for a four week residency in February. O’Donnell was killed in a mid-air collision aged just 22 in January 1944 while serving as a 2nd lieutenant with the 346th Combat Crew Training Squadron. Provenance: William Lawson “Bud” O’Donnell (ownership inscription to front free endpaper).
Octavo (195 x 130 mm). Rebound in 1940 by the U. Holzer bindery of Boston, Mass., in dark blue cloth with gilt spine, original wrappers preserved. Loosely inserted indexing sheet identifying location of autographs.
[With:] – Hot Discography. New York, 1940. First US edition from the 1938 Paris first edition. Signed and inscribed to Chicagoan jazz fan Morris Jones by jazz notables including three Duke Ellington band members.
[And:] a sketchbook Personnages Principaux du Bar, c.1937, containing five pages of original pencil and pastel illustrations with accompanying captions in French, forming a playful promotional guide to the essential personnel required for running a successful bar in Paris in the late 1930s, the first and foremost being ‘un très bon pianiste nêgre’ along with ‘2 barmaids’ and ‘2 ou 3 nêgresses à laisser vagabonder dans le bar’, followed by various suggested artists to liven up the evening ‘acteurs animant la soirée ou la nuit’ including singer and character actor Yves Deniaud, Italian gypsy guitarist Enrico Crolla, a young trio led by actor Guy Decomble, and Henri Leduc, described as the ‘personnage comique indispensable à l’atmosphère’, the final caption concluding ‘We can find for you… absolutely everything that you could possibly need (elephants – naked ladies – non naked ladies – bus – etc.etc. whales)’. Quarto sketchbook in original card wraps, 305 x 235 mm.
Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 8 King Street, St. James's SW1Y 6QT London United Kingdom | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preview |
| ||||||||
Phone | +44 (0)20 7839 9060 | ||||||||
Buyer Premium | see on Website | ||||||||
Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase |
Frequently asked questions
First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.