A small fortune then, 'back in the day' !
That's what I was thinking! Looking again, I see the album was produced in 1979, so it's after the great 1970s inflation. Ten years earlier, it would have been a king's ransom!
First thing that comes to mind concerning "perfect" in a jazz context are certain Clifford Brown solos. But Clifford isn't my favorite jazz musician. Does that tell you something about "perfect" in a jazz context?