Recent Entries
Feb 6, 2010 Blue Note, The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown
Sometimes you forget to listen to great records, right? You have a limited amount of time to listen, and there are all the other great records, and then there are the other records that have never made it to your turntable and you figure they deserve a chance as well. And, what happens, at least to me, is that some of the great records get buried on the shelf and sometimes go years without being heard. So this week I’ve been going through my Blue Notes and I had about an hour yesterday to just sit and listen and I decided it was time to take one of those records off the shelf and put it on. The record I chose: Dexter Gordon, Doin’ All Right, Blue Note 4077. And I put it on, the first track, I Was Doing All Right, and I smiled instantly and said quietly to myself, “Oh, yeah.” Oh yeah, as in
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Feb 5, 2010 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Let’s catch up on a few recent eBay sales.
This one was sold by the Jazz Record Center: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, A Midnight Session, Elektra 120. This was an original mono pressing. Frankly, this is not a record I’ve seen very often and I had no idea what kind of value it had as a collectible. I own a copy, although mine is a stereo pressing. I’ve been going through a lot of my records to catalog them for insurance purposes and because it’s kind of fun in an obsessive compulsive psychotic neurotic kind of way. My copy is in VG+ condition, and I estimated its value at $35. This one was in M- condition and sold for $228. Perhaps I’ll have to adjust my spreadsheet.
I should have been on this one: Jackie McLean, Capuchin Swing, Blue Note 4038. This one was listed a West 63rd but it did not mention
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Feb 4, 2010 Jazz Memoirs
Someone asked why I labeled the recent series “More” Confessions of a Vinyl Addict. Well, unfortunately, we’ve been down this road before. I did a search of the Jazz Collector site and unearthed this gem from April 5, 2004 labeled, of course, Confessions of A Vinyl Addict, Part 1. It’s amazing how little I’ve learned and how little has changed. But . . . at the time I had 12,000 records and now I have 10,000, so perhaps that’s progress. I also called eBay insidious, which is still true today, right? Anyway, it’s worth a read, I think. Just give it a click above.
Feb 4, 2010 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Here are a few items we’ve been watching on eBay. Given our recent interest in later pressings, particularly Blue Notes, we were curious about this record: Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. An original pressing of this would normally sell for more than $1,000, and we’ve recorded one instance of this record fetching $2,000 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. This record was not of that distinctive lineage: This was a United Artists pressing, similar, unfortunately, to the one in my collection. It sold for $34, which seems about right, unless you’re the seller bobdjukik and can somehow sell it for $400 or more.
This was from the same seller, but it was an original: Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This one was in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG or VG+ for the cover. The price was $273.60.
Here’s one of my favorite Sonny Rollins records, at a reasonable price:
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Feb 3, 2010 Blue Note, Jazz Memoirs
OK. The crisis has passed. As relapses go, it was relatively harmless. I did not log onto eBay and search for every missing Blue Note and bid like a madman. I did not head into Manhattan armed with enough cash and credit cards to buy out the Jazz Record Center. I didn’t really do anything except lose a night’s sleep and move a bunch of Jimmy Smith records from one shelf to another.
As I am left to ponder this latest chapter in my ongoing struggle with vinyl addiction, I believe what I had was not a relapse of vinyl addiction but something more akin to a full blown existential crisis. Why am I here, what am I doing, why do I have 10,000 records, why do I care if a single one of those records has a New York USA address on the label rather than a 767 Lexington Avenue address? You know, the usual kind of existential crisis.
The trigger was the cataloging of the Blue Notes and the process of
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Feb 2, 2010 Blue Note
To expand upon the point made earlier, we were just watching this record sell on eBay: Jackie McLean, Right Now!, Blue Note 84215. This was a stereo pressing with the Liberty label. The record was M- and the cover VG+. Normally we’d have expected this to sell for $20 or $25 at the most. This copy sold for $59.50. It does seem that some of the later pressings are becoming more valued and collectible. Or maybe, like so many other things in the Jazz Collector world, it is strictly a Blue Note phenomenon.
Feb 2, 2010 Blue Note
I’m still gathering my thoughts to write the final chapter in my Confessions of a Vinyl Addict but in the meantime, I’ve noticed something interesting: For many of the rare records, it seems even early pressings that are not originals are increasing dramatically in value. We saw a few week ago several of the United Artists Blue Notes selling for more than $400, but those were clearly an aberration created by a seller who seems to have discovered some kind of new method of record sales based on the P.T. Barnum theory of a sucker being born every minute. We’re not talking about those $400 United Artists Blue Notes. But here’s one we were watching this week that was clearly not an original pressing: Sonny Rollins, A Night At the Village Vanguard, Blue Note 1581. This one has the New York USA label, so Read More..
Feb 1, 2010 Blue Note, Jazz Memoirs, Jazz Vinyl
OK, so I got to the JJ Johnson record and realized it was a New York USA pressing, and then I got to Blue Note 1513, Thad Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, and realized it was a Japanese pressing, and then I got to Blue Note 1515, Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 1, and realized, hey, I don’t own that record at all.
I knew all of that. I knew I didn’t have a complete original collection of Blue Notes. I knew I wasn’t even close to having a complete collection of original Blue Notes. I knew I never aspired to having a complete collection of original Blue Notes. But I felt compelled to go on, to go through the entire 1500 series and know exactly what I had
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Feb 1, 2010 Jazz Vinyl, Prestige
In addition to having an occasional existential crisis, I have also been putting some interesting items on eBay that are worth watching. Here are a couple:
The Complete Capitol Recordings of Duke Ellington, Mosaic MD 5-160. I got this a dozen years ago and never even opened it, so I figured it might be time to sell it. The CDs are unopened and the price is close to $100. Also: The Complete Blue Note/UA Curtis Fuller Sessions, Mosaic MD3-166. Similar situation as the Duke, with the CDs unopened. This one is currently at $50, but I’m hoping it goes for a lot more.
I had this one hanging in a frame above my desk: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This is an original New York pressing. It is
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Jan 30, 2010 Blue Note, Jazz Memoirs, The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown
Friends, my name is Al and I am a vinyl addict. It is necessary for me to confess once again because I have had yet another setback. Remember my mission to pare down my collection, which I have labeled The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown? Well, as part of that endeavor I decided it would be wise to take inventory of my records so that I would know what I actually have, in intimate detail: Record, condition, provenance, value. I had never actually done this before, so yesterday I set up a spreadsheet and began the process. I started, naturally, with the Blue Notes, the 1500 series, Blue Note 1501, Miles Davis Volume 1. I pulled the record off the shelf, looked at the record, cleaned it, typed the information into the spreadsheet, put it back on the shelf and then pulled the second record, Blue Note 1502, Miles Davis Volume 2. Same deal: Looked at the record, cleaned it, wrote it down, then moved on to the next record.
What a mistake.
I was moving along fine through the first eight records in the
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Jan 29, 2010 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Here are some interesting items on eBay now.
Here Comes Frank Foster, Blue Note 5043. This is an original 10-inch pressing from Euclid Records. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG+. The price is around $235 with a few hours to go. This is another 10-inch LP from the same seller: Milt Jackson, Wizard of the Vibes, Blue Note 5011. This one is in M- condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. The current price is about $190.
Heres another seller with some interesting items, including: Paul Chambers, Bass on Top, Blue Note 1569. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing. Based on the description it looks like the record is VG++ and the cover is VG+. The current price is close to $500. This seller has a bunch of collectibles closing today, many of which don’t have bids yet. Probably worth taking a look
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Jan 29, 2010 Questions
Quick question from a reader: A black label pressing of John Coltrane Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311, with no deep groove. Black label, mono, no DG. If it’s not an original pressing, what is it? I’m not asking this as a quiz: I’m asking to find the answer.
Jan 28, 2010 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Riverside
We updated Blue Note and Prestige earlier this week. Here’s an update on some other labels we’ve just entered into the Jazz Collector Price Guide:
Ernie Henry, Seven Standards and a Blues, Riverside 248. This was an original pressing with the blue label, deep grooves, etc. It was sold by a reputable seller and was in M- condition, for both the record and the cover. And it got quite a hefty price: $564.32.
Brew Moore Quintet, Fantasy 3-222. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $304.
Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This was an original red label pressing. The vinyl
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Jan 28, 2010 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Impulse, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Norgran
Still updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide. It can be a bit tedious, but it’s important, isn’t it? Let’s hope so. Anyway, here are a few items on the extremes: A couple more for the $1,000 bin and a few that normally don’t make the Price Guide but, for one reason or another, have broken through.
First the big ones: Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This was an original pressing and it was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,300. Also, Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This was an original pressing. The record and cover looked to be in VG+ or VG++ condition. The price was $1,032.
Here are a couple that don’t often get collectible prices: Dizzy Gillespie, Afro, Norgran 1003. This was an original yellow label pressing with a cover design by David Stone Martin. It was only in VG condition and sold for $72. That may not be a Blue Note price, but it is still somewhat surprising. Few of the Dizzy record
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Jan 27, 2010 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Norgran
We’ve been updating Prestige and Blue Note. Here are some 10-inch LPs for the Jazz Collector Price Guide:
Miles Davis Sextet, Prestige 182. This was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. We were thinking about bidding on this because the price was right, but in the end we’re getting rid of records, not adding records. We do have to remind ourselves of this, constantly, each time we see a nice item on eBay, which is several times a day. Anyway, this one sold for $102.50. That’s a pretty attractive price and was in my range. This was in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The price was $233.50.
Howard McGhee Volume 2, Blue Note 5024. This was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $234.
Here are a couple of nice 10-inch LPs by Lester Young:
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Jan 27, 2010 Prestige
Yesterday we updated some Blue Notes for the Jazz Collector Price Guide, this morning let’s turn to Prestige.
This one looked quite nice: Miles Davis, Relaxin’, Prestige 7129. This was an original pressing with the yellow label and New York address. The record and cover both looked to be in VG++ condition. The price was $294.
Jackie McLean and Company, Prestige 7087. This as an original New York pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG+. The price was $265.
Red Garland, All Mornin’ Long, Prestige 7130. This was an original New York pressing with the original cover. It was in M- condition for the vinyl and the cover and it sold for $449.
This is another favorite:
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Jan 26, 2010 Blue Note, Price Guide
We’ve been quite busy updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide, so we will do a few posts over the next few days highlighting some of the new entries, starting with some Blue Notes, of course. There are no links to these, FYI.
Kenny Drew, Undercurrent, Blue Note 4059. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address and just one side deep groove. The record was listed in VG+ condition for both the vinyl and the cover and it sold for $285.
Baby Face Willette, Stop and Listen, Blue Note 4084. This was an original pressing with the NY USA label. the record looked to be in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $200.
This one sold for a big price, but it didn’t seem to be an original pressing:
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Jan 26, 2010 Blue Note, Norgran, Prestige
Another day, another $1,000 Blue Note on eBay. Today’s entry to the club will be: Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing and it appears to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover, based on the seller’s description. The current price is $999.95, so it’s a pretty save bet it will sell for more than $1,000. Perhaps a lot more than $1,000.
Atomic Records also has a few nice items on eBay now, including: George Wallington, Jazz For the Carriage Trade, Prestige 7032. This is an original New York pressing. The condition of the vinyl looks to be about VG++ and the cover VG+ or a little better. The current price is more than $300, but it hasn’t yet reached the seller’s reserve. From the same seller is this item:
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Jan 25, 2010 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
Let’s update the good old $1,000 bin, which seems to be getting pretty crowded these days, no?
This one was certainly expected: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original pressing. The vinyl was only in VG+ condition. The cover was M-. The price was $2,615.50. The surprise was the high price for the VG+ condition.
One of The Miles Davis Blue Notes sold for more than $1,000, which was a new high. Miles Davis, Volume 1, Blue Note 1501. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing from a very reliable seller. The record was in M- condition, as was the cover. We had written about this one when it was at $250. It eventually sold for $1,007. Also, Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 1502, from the same seller, in the same pristine condition, sold for $765.55. There was another Miles that made the $1,000. That was:
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Jan 22, 2010 Blue Note, Prestige
We usually keep track of records that sell on eBay. Here are a few records that did not sell. Why? Because they did not meet the seller’s reserve price. We will probably see these records back on eBay either with a lower reserve or no reserve at all. I know many of you refuse to bid on records that have a reserve, but I’m open: If I bid my price and it doesn’t meet the seller’s reserve, so be it. Actually, I do get a bit angry, truth be told, and I am circumspect of that seller in the future. So maybe I’m not as open as I would like to be.
This first one is a record we’ve been watching quite a bit lately: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was a New York pressing. It wasn’t pristine. The vinyl was described as having a few marks and the cover was noted as having a small tape repair. The top bid was $1,554, which was below the reserve price.
Here’s another Prestige: Curtis Fuller, New Trombone, Prestige 7107. This was an original New York pressing. The record was
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Jan 21, 2010 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Here’s a seller with some really nice items on eBay now, including: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing. The vinyl is in VG+ condition and the cover is M-. This is one of the rare ones. It is already more than $1,000 with three days to go. From the same seller: Introducing Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1523. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the deep grooves, flat edge, etc. The vinyl is listed as VG+ and the cover is listed as VG. The current price is about $130. It will sell for more. Promise.
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Jan 20, 2010 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Price Guide, Promo Copies, RCA
Here are a few items that don’t normally make the Jazz Collector Price Guide:
Sonny Rollins, The Bridge, RCA 2527. This was an original stereo pressing listed in M- condition by a very reputable seller who also owns the best record store on Long Island. Still, while this is an interesting record with an interesting history — the return of Rollins after his legendary practice sessions on the Williamsburg Bridge — it has never really been a collectible item, at least in terms of its selling price. Perhaps it’s starting to move up the ranks: This one sold for $90.99. Not quite Blue Note prices, but a collectible price nonetheless.
Here’s another one we normally don’t track:
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Jan 19, 2010 Free Collectibles
It’s time for our next contest to give away a free record, and here’s the record: Duke Ellington, Ellington at Newport, Columbia 8648. This is a classic jazz LP, featuring the famous Paul Gonsalves solo on Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue from the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, which was actually held in Newport, RI in those days. Many in the media actually credited this performance with helping to revive Ellington’s career. This is not an original pressing, but is a later stereo reissue. It is in near mint condition, for both the record and the cover, and it is being make available free to one lucky reader of Jazz Collector. As always with out contests, the rules are quite simple: All you have to do to be eligible to win this record is to
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Jan 18, 2010 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Savoy
Here’s a couple we’re watching on eBay now:
Eric Dolphy, Out To Lunch, Blue Note 4163. This seems to be an original pressing, although it’s odd that one side is deep groove and the other isn’t. It is from the same seller who was selling all of those pristine records last week, and this looks to be of similar quality: Just beautiful if the pictures are accurate. This one is currently sitting at about and it hasn’t yet reached the seller’s reserve price. You may recall that we at Jazz Collector — okay, me at Jazz Collector — were quite flabbergasted when a copy of this record sold for the astronomical price is $1,524. We think that was an aberration, so it will be interesting to see what this one goes for.
Here’s another rare record that looks to be in very nice condition:
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Latest Entry
I was so busy having my Blue Note existential crisis last week I forgot to end the contest for the latest giveaway: Duke Ellington, Ellington at Newport, Columbia 8648. This is not an original pressing but is a later stereo issue that’s in near mint, unplayed condition. As always with our giveaways we have one copy that will go to a Jazz Collector reader who has commented on the site during the contest’s duration. This week we have a lot of newcomers to the competition, which is great. Traffic has been building pretty steadily on the site and we are now able to tally our monthly page views in the tens of thousands, believe it or not. In any case, those eligible for the Duke LP are:
