Recent Entries
May 22, 2013 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Riverside
Back to eBay with a few more recent jazz vinyl auctions, starting with: Chet Baker, Chet, Riverside 299. This looks to be an original pressing in VG+ condition. It sold for $337, which is the highest price we’ve ever recorded for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide (although, admittedly, this is not one that have have often followed). Why such a high price tag for this one? It’s got to be the presence of Bill Evans on piano, right?
Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. This is an original West 63rd pressing listed in VG+ condition with some minor scratches and EXC for the cover, which seems to be equivalent to VG++ based on the seller’s description. It sold for $760. It used to be records had to be in near mint condition, or close to near mint, to fetch those kinds of collectible prices, but no more. There is a huge demand for any of these high-end collectibles in any condition, and certainly in any condition that will give you a good listening experience.
How about another Blue Note:
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May 20, 2013 Blue Note, Prestige
Monday morning, so let’s catch up with some jazz vinyl auctions we were watching over the weekend, starting with a couple of Blue Notes: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This was an original pressing in Ex condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $987. Long-time readers will know that this one is still near the top of my want list and also that I would never pay $987 for a copy. It’s nice to have holes in the collection so that there always remains excitement in the hunt, at least for me. Just filling in all the blanks by paying top dollar on eBay is a valid way to build a great collection, and it’s probably a great investment as well, given how prices for collectible jazz records keep rising. But it’s never been my choice in how to build a collection. This following record, in fact, is one I had in my collection and sold because one of our readers here at Jazz Collector made me an offer I couldn’t refuse: Horace Parlan, Us Three, Blue Note 4037. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing with the promo stamp. It was listed in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $1,078.99.
From Blue Note to Prestige:
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May 18, 2013 Features
I had the opportunity to be in Princeton, NJ. yesterday. My son was involved as associate director of a production of “Into the Woods” (check out the New York Times review), and I was there to see the play. Naturally, I made it my business to arrive early and pay a visit to the Princeton Record Exchange. Now, I must admit, despite my relatively close geographic proximity to Princeton, I hadn’t been to the Princeton Record Exchange in years. A couple of reasons: I had found that they were a bit high priced when they had major collectibles and, more relevantly, they had always had this nasty habit of placing really sticky, hard-to-remove labels directly on the covers of records. I can often go through the records in my collection and know by the label tears which ones I purchased at the Princeton Record Exchange. At some point, I decided it wasn’t worth buying records and then getting upset because I was ruining the covers because my fingernails weren’t long enough to really get under their stupid labels. We collectors have our own idiosyncrasies, don’t we? Wonder if anyone else has had the same issue with Princeton Record Exchange? In any case, I arrived there yesterday afternoon at Read More..
May 17, 2013 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Prestige
I just spent some time perusing jazz vinyl listings on eBay and, my, I was able to fill up my watch list quickly. Here are some of the items, starting with: Pepper Adams, Donald Byrd, et al, Motor City Scene, Bethlehem 6056. This is a rare one you don’t see very often. In fact, I don’t recall ever seeing a copy of this record in any store or any collection. This one is in VG+ condition for the record and VG for the cover. It closes in a couple of hours and the bidding is at $450.
The Return of Art Pepper, Jazz West JWLP 10. This looks to be an original pressing in VG+ condition for the record and probably VG or a little better for the cover, based on the seller’s description. It also closes today and the bidding is in the low $200 range.
Temptation is back: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This looks to be an original pressing listed in Ex condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. There are two days to go and the bidding is in the $250 range. Father’s Day is in a few weeks. Hmmm.
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May 15, 2013 Blue Note
Let’s look at a few more jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay. Here’s why it’s good to show a full range of pictures with the listing: Helen Merrill, Emarcy 36006. This one had the drummer logo, deep grooves, etc., and I am pretty sure the seller thought it was an original pressing, even using the djukikian term “megarare.” The record was probably in VG+ condition for the record and the cover. The thing is, it did not have the blue writing on the back cover, so the bidding topped out, reasonably I would say, at $335. It did not sell, however, because it failed to meet the seller’s reserve price. Without the picture, my bet is that someone takes a chance and bids several hundred dollars higher, perhaps reaching the reserve price.
There was no confusion about this one: Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original pressing with the ear, deep grooves, and West, 63rd Street address. It was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $565.55.
I guess some of the Miles Davis Columbia records are becoming more valued by collectors:
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May 13, 2013 Blue Note, Prestige
Let’s catch up on some rare jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching, starting with: Gene Ammons, HiFi Jam Sessions, Prestige 7060. This was an original New York yellow label pressing. The record and cover were in M- condition. You may recall I posted on this last week when there were no bids and a start price of $200. I was speculating about whether it would sell at all for that start price, and my prognostication was that it would sell. Indeed, it did: for $607. Quite a nice price for a Gene Ammons Prestige, which don’t often sell for such quite a lofty figure. The seller SweeDeeDee had quite a week, with several of his records selling for quite high prices. Here are a couple more: Horace Silver and Spotlight on Drums with Art Blakey and Sabu, Blue Note 1520. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing in VG++ condition for the record and M- for the cover. It sold for $681. Thelonious Monk with Sonny Rollins, Work, Prestige 7169. This is a New Jersey yellow label pressing, but the record is a reissue, an early reissue, but a reissue nonetheless. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $293. Wow.
May 13, 2013 Prestige, Price Guide
One of the great things about having so many collectible records is that I can always dig somewhere into my collection and find a classic record I haven’t listed to in a while. I did that last night, putting The New Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7014, on the turntable for the first time in a number of years. It’s a classic and, of course, the first Miles record with John Coltrane. A few things struck me about this record. Miles and Trane were the same age, both 29 when the album was recorded, yet they were at much different points in their careers and in their development. Miles was fully formed and his playing was absolutely confident. Trane’s playing was much more tentative and his style was not nearly as developed as it would become in the ensuing years. You can hear elements of his budding genius, but just elements and otherwise you hear someone still working on finding himself. For the hell of it, right after listening to this LP, I put on A Love Supreme and, obviously the difference was quite stark. Another thing about this record is Read More..
May 12, 2013 Features
Saw this interesting movie yesterday called “The Girls in the Band.” It’s a documentary about female jazz musicians, not vocalists, from early jazz through today. So naturally, my reaction on walking out of the theater is that I wanted to write something about it for Jazz Collector and, of course, my focus would be on collectible records by female jazz artists. I was taxing my brain to come up with the most valuable jazz record by female artists and all I could come up with were the Toshiko Akiyoshi records on Storyville and Norgran. So I got up this morning, did a search by price on the Jazz Collector Price Guide and the obvious records came up right away: The Jutta Hipp records on Blue Note, particularly Blue Note 1530 with Zoot Sims. Duh. I didn’t think of these immediately because, surprisingly, Jutta Hipp was not one of the artists mentioned in the film. After the Jutta Hipp records, what’s the next highest priced record by a female artist in the Jazz Collector Price Guide? Take a guess. Hint: It’s not one that I thought of.
May 10, 2013 Prestige
Ever since I bought that big collection last summer I’ve been very circumspect about buying more records. Something about absorbing a couple of thousand records into the collection has made it less compelling to buy more. Anyway, being circumspect doesn’t mean I’m not interested, I did, after all, purchase that 10-inch Phil Woods record on eBay a few months ago and I did have The Lovely Mrs. JC purchase that beautiful Thad Jones Blue Note for my birthday. So I was perusing eBay and I came upon an interesting listing and it was this: Phil Woods, Woodlore, Prestige 7018. This is a record I’ve always wanted, just a great record from the era. The copy I have had for the past 25 years is a Japanese pressing with Japanese liner notes. Anyway, the listing was very interesting. The seller used the word “GOOD” to describe the record and the cover. In our normal parlance “good” means horrible. It’s the low rating you give to a record that may not even be playable. In this seller’s parlance, however, I got the feeling that “good” may have meant really good, like VG+ or better. The seller doesn’t seem to be a record dealer and he/she seems to be covering his bases and trying not to oversell the records. Anyway, the bidding was sitting at about $150 with a less than an hour to go on the auction, and the gambler in me took over and Read More..
May 9, 2013 Blue Note
One of our perplexed readers sent me this: Eric Dolphy, Out To Lunch, Blue Note 84163. This was in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $93, okay for a stereo copy. Except this was not a New York USA pressing or even a Liberty. It was a United Artists pressing, circa the mid-1970s, early 1980s. This happens once in a while, doesn’t it, where these United Artists pressings fetch collectible prices. The buyers are either 1. ignorant; 2. careless; 3. desperate; or 4. all of the above.
This one also came in from a reader, perplexed I think as well, from the high price considering the condition: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was a not-quite-original original because the picture clearly shows the absence of the New York 23 on the label. Beyond that the record is graded VG+, with an audible ticking noise, and the cover was graded VG to VG+. It sold for $2,500.
May 8, 2013 10-Inch LPs, 78-RPM Records
Here are some of the results from the Jazz Record Center auctions we were watching, including the one with the cover that has some of our readers weirded out. Let’s start with Kenny Dorham Quintet, Debut 9. This is an original 10-inch pressing, quite rare, that looked to be in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $960.
Charlie Mariano, Mariano, Bethlehem 1022. This was another 10-inch record from the collection of Tom Stewart and like the others the record was in M- condition and the cover probably VG++, with the owner’s name written in ink. This one sold for $355.
Now for the one with the weird cover, Red Mitchell, Happy Minors, Bethlehem 1033. This was from the same collection, M- for the record, VG++ for the cover. It sold for $333.88. So far I haven’t found a copy in my own collection. If I didn’t buy it originally for $50, I can say for pretty sure that it was because of the cover. Not one of my favorites, to be sure.
Speaking of covers, check out the next listing, and we will show a picture of the cover below:
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May 7, 2013 Blue Note, Prestige
Lots of nice jazz vinyl sitting on eBay now. This is one you really don’t see very often: Paul Chambers, A Jazz Delegation From the East, Jazz-West JWLP-7. This is an original pressing listed in Ex condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It’s closing in about four hours and is now in the $900 price range. Here’s another rare one on the same label from the same seller: Kenny Drew, Talkin’ and Walkin’, Jazz-West JWLP-4. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is VG. It closes in about seven hours and is in the $340 range. I do have a question looking at these two listings from Atomic Records. Which one of the records is in better condition? I’m assuming Ex is better than VG+?
Gene Ammons, Hi Fi Jam Session, Prestige 7060. This is an original pressing with the New York address and yellow label. The record and cover are in M- condition. There are four days to go and the start price is around $200. Think it will sell? I do.
And now for some Blue Notes:
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May 2, 2013 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note
Some interesting 10-inch LPs, 78s and other items on the new eBay auction from the Jazz Record Center. Here’s a few to watch, starting with Red Mitchell, Happy Minors, Bethlehem 1033. This is an original 10-inch pressing In M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. There’s writing on the back, but the writing is from the previous owner, Thomas Stewart, who also wrote the liner notes for this record. So it has some interesting provenance. It also has the presence of Zoot Sims and Bob Brookmeyer, which can’t hurt. The start price is $200. My own story with this record: I used to travel to Palo Alto all the time for business. There was a book store that also sold records and occasionally they would get some nice jazz. The prices were a bit high for the time, but not unreasonable. I remember a mint copy of this record sitting on the shelf for $50. I had it in my hand, put it down, had it in my hand, put it down, looked at a few other records, picked it up again. This went on for a while. In my memory I wound up buying the record for $50. Except, I guess I didn’t. I just looked on my shelves and, alas, no Happy Minors. My hope is that I have the record, but I just misfiled it or something. So later, or this weekend, I will go through all of my 10-inch records in search of the one I may have left behind. It’s probably a great record, right?
A few others from the Jazz Record Center: Read More..
May 1, 2013 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Prestige
Now that we’re back home catching up, here’s an update on some jazz vinyl we were watching on eBay, starting with: Red Garland, Groovy, Prestige 7113. This was an original New York yellow label pressing. The record and the cover were in M- condition. It sold for $516, quite a large number for a Red Garland Trio record. Does anyone out there have knowledge and/or a theory why this one would be so highly prized by collectors. The seller was Atomic Records, so I could have visited the store and waved goodbye to this one last week.
The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 2, Blue Note 5041. This was an original 10-inch pressing. The vinyl as probably VG, based on the seller’s description, and the cover was VG+. Great cover. It sold for $317.
Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $799.99. I mentioned that I was perhaps interested in bidding for this, and I do believe $800 is a fair price. But paying top dollar is not how I’ve ever chosen to build my collection, and no sense starting now.
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Apr 30, 2013 Blue Note
Sorry to disappoint so many of you who sent me advice and good wishes, but I spent two days in Los Angeles and did not visit a single record store. I did go to the pier at Santa Monica, where the sights were lovely, and I did attend my first baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Perhaps next time the allure of jazz vinyl will be too compelling to pass up. I also apologize once again for the infrequency of my posts. Now that I am back home again and off the road, I will try to be more consistent in meeting my normal objective of at least one post a day. While I was gone, CeeDee was vigilantly watching eBay and sent me a note with a “did you see thi$$$$$” subject matter. The object of thi$$$$ email was: Freddie Hubbard, Hub-Tones, Blue Note 4115. This looked to be an original New York pressing in what looked to be VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $602.25 and CeeDee was obviously quite surprised. To me, this is the new normal. Watching eBay prices soar over the years and, in particular, watching the increasing prices of records in the 4100 series, it is only a matter of time before records such as this start approaching the $1,000 mark. There’s a limited number of these original pressings in nice condition and collectors want them.
Apr 26, 2013 Blue Note
We continue our Western swing and we are now in Los Angeles where we may have time to peruse a record store or two today. Any recommendations? In the meantime, we are back on eBay and watching some jazz vinyl with great interest, seeing as how we won a few bucks in Vegas, starting with a few Blue Notes: Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing with the New York 23 labels. The record is listed in VG++ condition and the cover is VG+. The bidding closings later today and is currently in the $400 range. Hmmm. This is a gap in my collection.
Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. This is also an original pressing and it is listed as Ex+ for the record and Ex for the cover. This one closes tomorrow and the bidding is in the $500 range. This is also a gap in my collection, but I have a feeling this one is going to go for $700-plus, too rich for my blood.
Dizzy Reece, Star Bright, Blue Note 4023. This is another original pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover is in M- condition. The start price is about $400 and so far there are no bidders with three days to go.
Apr 19, 2013 Autographs, Blue Note
Sorry for sporadic posting schedule this week. Been crazy with work and now I am in Las Vegas, of all places. I’ll do my best. Here are some nice records that have been sold on eBay in my absence, starting with:
Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This was an original pressing in what was described as “fantastic” condition, which we would assume would be M-. It sold for $713.
This one got a nice price, not quite like the one last month: John Lewis and Sacha Distel, Afternoon in Paris, Versailles 12005. This was an original French pressing in VG condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $345. Clearly, this record is moving up in desirability among collectors.
This one didn’t sell yet, but it’s quite interesting: Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music, Blue Note 1511. This looks to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing with a very clear autograph of Monk on the cover. Whether the signature is legitimate, we’ll leave that to our readers. Don Lucky — what do you think? Oh, yes. The price is about $2,000.
Apr 15, 2013 $1000 Records, Blue Note
Here’s one that almost made it to the $3,000 bin: Sahib Shihab and the Danish Jazz Radio Group, Oktav OKLP 111. This was an original Danish pressing listed in Ex condition for both the record and the cover, with just a single photo on the listing. The bidders must have had a lot of confidence in the seller because the record sold for $2,965. Last time we saw that record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide it sold for $1,953. This seller had quite a week. This next one went deep into the $3,000 bin: Presenting Jazz Quintet 60, Fontana TL 687.527. This was another Danish original, from 1963, and it featured, among others Bent Axen and Neils Hennings Oersted Pedersen. It was described as being in pristine condition and sold for a whopping $3,617.89. Imagine buying these records in the mid ’60s for, what, the equivalent of five bucks or so each, and now selling the two of them for $6,500? What’s more, if you look at the seller’s completed auctions, you see another record that sold for $2,240: Jazz Quintet 60, Metronome 15124.
Here are a few nice Blue Notes:
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Apr 12, 2013 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Impulse
Let’s catch up on some more interesting jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with John Coltrane, Africa/Brass, Impulse 6. This was an original mono pressing with the orange labels. The record and cover were both in M- condition. It’s not a record we’ve typically covered in the Jazz Collector Price Guide because it rarely gets collectible prices. I guess we’ll start covering it now: This one sold for $493.88. Wow. I’ve had an original copy of this record for a long time, since the 70s in fact, but I also remember a version of a Coltrane Greatest Hits double-record on Impulse where they had Africa but eliminated the Elvin Jones drum solo so they could get more songs onto the package. There was something that always seemed unseemly about that, a violation of some kind of moral code, particularly since Coltrane was no longer alive to object.
I always liked this record, but haven’t listened to in in a while: Zoot Sims in Paris, United Artists 14013. This was an original pressing with the grey labels and was probably in VG+ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $202.51.
Here’s an update on some 10-inch jazz vinyl:
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Apr 11, 2013 Blue Note, Prestige, Price Guide
I was watching a few jazz vinyl auctions as they closed the other day with some degree of interest because of what I considered to be the clear misuse of the word “original.” Here’s an example: Lee Morgan, Lee-Way, Blue Note 4034. This was labeled as an “original mono pressing from 1964.” What does original mean in this case? It is clearly not a first pressing, since the address on the label is New York USA. The seller is a veteran eBayer and I’ve bought from him a few times and I’ve always had good experiences. So he knows the difference between a real original and a pseudo original. Was a buyer duped in this transaction? Well, there were pictures of the label and the New York USA labels were clearly stated, so if someone thought this was an original first pressing, he was being quite careless and/or was ignorant. It’s hard to tell from the price. The record sold for $136.50, but the back was stained and in VG- condition. My bet is if the listing did not use the word “original” then a second (or third, or fourth) pressing of Lee-Way with a stained back cover would not have sold for more than $100. So the seller probably made a few more bucks and the buyer got a later pressing with a stained cover.
Here’s another one that’s hard to figure:
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Apr 10, 2013 News
I’ve never been a big fan of social media. I’ve had a Facebook page for a few years, but I post just a few times a year. I experimented early with Twitter, but don’t use it other than for work. But . . . yesterday I was procrastinating and avoiding a writing project so I decided to go to Twitter and Facebook and finally set up accounts for Jazz Collector. I can’t promise how often I will tweet or post, but I am now there for you to find and befriend. The Twitter handle is aljazzcollector and the Facebook page is Jazz Collector and if I attract some friends I will put up some links to interesting auctions I see on eBay and other items of interest related to the world of jazz and Jazz Collector. Speaking of which . . . did you know that April is Jazz Appreciation Month? We even have a logo on our site from the Jazz Journalists Association to prove it. You can click the link to find out more information about what you can do to appreciate jazz. As for me, I think I’ll put on a record. Or two. Or perhaps a few hundred.
Apr 9, 2013 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note
Here’s an update on some jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with The Arrival of Kenny Dorham, Jaro 5007. This looks to be an original deep groove pressing. The record was in what looked to be VG++ condition and the cover was listed as M-. The final price was $580. This one is closing in a couple of days: Kenny Dorham ‘Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia, Blue Note 1524. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed as Ex condition for the cover, which I consider a catch-all rating similar to VG+, and VG for the cover. The bidding is in the $350. Curious about favorite Kenny Dorham records out there among the Jazz Collector community. I like him on pretty much everything. This Blue Note is fantastic for example, and, of course, there is Quiet Kenny on New Jazz. Someone was asking me about KD the other day and of of the best things I had on my iPhone to play for her was Kenny Dorham on the Benny Golson Riverside album The Modern Touch on which his playing really stands out among a great group of musicians in a great setting. The other one I had in my pocket on the iPhone was KD on Rollins Plays for Bird, another standout performance.
Here’s another nice Blue Note up for sale now on eBay:
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Apr 6, 2013 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Just spent some time rummaging through the high-end bins on eBay and found quite a few interesting items, starting with: Dexter Gordon Quintet, Dial 204. This is an original 10-inch pressing listed in near M- condition for the record and M- condition for the cover. Seller took beautiful clear pictures and the record is quite tempting to this Dexter Gordon and 10-inch LP fan. But the start price is around $350 and, tempting as it may be, it is not tempting enough to entice me at that price. Nobody else is enticed yet, either, but I do have a feeling this one will sell.
This is another nice one that is also lacking bids at the moment: Sonny Rollins, Way Out West, Contemporary 3530. this is an original promo copy in M- condition for both the cover and the record. Looks like a real gem, also with nice pictures from the seller. There is a start price of about $500 and a buy-it-now price of about $700. If any copy of Way Out West would set a new price high, this would seem to be it, an original promo in M- condition. But the start price is up there. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide we’ve never recorded a copy of this record selling for more than $300.
One more:
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Apr 4, 2013 Blue Note, Prestige, Price Guide
Here are some results from the recent eBay auction by the Jazz Record Center. We were watching some of the Miles Prestige recordings with interest because you may recall last month we saw an original copy of Steamin’ sell for only $75 in very nice condition, which struck us as very low and a bit odd. Especially when an original copy of Relaxin’ sold for nearly $740. I think the results this week from the Jazz Record Center are probably more indicative of the real market. Miles Davis, Steamin’, Prestige 7200. This was an original pressing with the New Jersey address. It had a promo stamp and was listed in “near new” condition, which is certainly M- for the record and the cover. The price was $307.99. Miles Davis, Workin’, Prestige 7166. This was also an original New Jersey yellow label pressing without the promo staff. It was described as similar condition to Steamin’, M- all around, and sold for $305.01. This next one
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Latest Entry
Let’s start with a pinch of pepper: Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This is an original pressing in VG+ condition for the record and Exc for the cover. There are more than two days to go and the bidding is already more than $900. The Return of Art Pepper, Jazz West 10. This is an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The auction closes tomorrow and the bidding is nearly $200.
