"The Jazz Scene" Deluxe 1949 Norman Granz Signed/Numbered Folio, 6x 12" 78s

$

250

A rare copy of Norman Granz's landmark "Jazz Scene" folio issued in 1,000 copies in 1949. This is numbered copy 659, signed by Granz, the founder of Clef/Verve records. A landmark in the history of recorded jazz music and a gorgeous showpiece.
The binder is in remarkable condition, no damage to the perforated pages, most of which are photographs of famous jazz artists of the early bebop period, mostly taken by Gjon Mili. The pages themselves, including photos, show no creases or tears at all. A *couple* of the back sides of the photos show very minor discoloration; the overwhelming majority are pristine white. Some of the paper pages which faced the brown paper jackets holding the records have shaded circles reflecting the shiny shellac (see photo). This would seem to indicated the folio was hardly, if ever, moved. The brown paper sleeves housing the records are also pristine.
The six 12" 78s are NM or even M, showing in most cases no signs of any play at all that I can detect . There are some very minimal variations in hue of the shellac which is likely inherent to the pressings of this era, or just years of storage and the minimal pressure of the top flaps of the brown paper sleeves; I suspect some of these discs were never removed from the sleeves. Given the high value of this set I am erring very much on the side of caution in describing these extremely minimal variations on the surfaces. The olive/black labels show no wear or spindle marks I can detect. I do not have the ability to play test the records, and have not cleaned them as I do not have the proper equipment for cleaning 78s, but examined under bright light there does not even appear to be much if any dust on the surfaces. Listed in their order of appearance in the folio, the Mercury sides are:
2077: Duke Ellington, "Sono" 2078: Duke Ellington, "Frustration"
2071: Neal Hefti/Charlie Parker, "Repetition" 2072: Neal Hefti, "Rhumbacito"
2198: Lester Young, "I Want to Be Happy" 2073: Coleman Hawkins, "Picasso"
2075: Ralph Burns, "Introspection" 2076: George Handy, "The Bloos"
2081: Charlie Parker, "The Bird" 2074: Willie Smith, "Sophisticated Lady"
2172: Machito, "Tanga" 2199: Bud Powell, "Cherokee"
The one drawback to this folio is the cloth outer cover, which is notably faded (see photo). There is also what appears to be a small remnant of removed cellophane tape on the front inner page (see photo). The page is not torn however. The iconic fold-out drawing by David Stone Martin shows a minimal residue of this tape removal (light brown spot approx. 1/2cm, see photo). No fading to the Granz signature or numbering.
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