A Couple of Nice Items For Sale

Ahhh, now that I’m back posting again, there are a few items on eBay to keep an eye on. I’m sure most of you who watch eBay have seen the items this week from the seller grooveonline-net out of Paris. This seller has a large batch of items closing in about 24 hours. They have relatively high start prices, but not unreasonably high. Here’s a sample of some of what’s available: Paul Chambers, A Jazz Delegation From The East, East West 7.  This is an original pressing in VG+/VG+ and is currently priced at $800. This LP features John Coltrane and Kenny Drew. Also available is Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1550. This is an original pressing in VG+/VG condition. The starting price is $300 and there are no bids. I’m watching this because I have a nice copy of this record, which I might be willing to sell for the right price. So if you’re interested in making me an offer, you know where to reach me. Just leave a comment on the post and I’ll get back to you.

Still Time To Win a Free Record

Sorry I haven’t posted in a couple of days. I have a real job, unfortunately, and things got busy this week. I want to remind everyone that there’s still time to win a free record. At Jazz Collector this week we are giving away a copy of Wayne Shorter, Adam’s Apple, Blue Note 84232. This is a 1985 reissue in M- condition and it goes away free to one lucky reader. We even pay for the shipping anywhere in the world. To enter the contest, all you have to do is leave a reply on this post or the original post, which you can view by clicking here.    So far there are only seven entries, so the odds are still pretty good even if you haven’t entered yet. On Tuesday evening, hopefully as we’re celebrating an Obama victory, I will put all of the names into a hat and will ask my lovely bride, Mrs. Jazz Collector (who happens to be celebrating a birthday today), to pull out one name to determine the winner, which we will then announce on the site. I’m  getting chills just thinking about it. 

Selling Soon on eBay

In addition to the Mobley record we just mentioned, there are some other nice items closing in the next few hours on eBay. The seller jazzsoulandfunk from Italy has a nice batch of items closing soon, including: Miles Davis, Miles, Prestige 7014. This is an original New York pressing in VG++/VG++ condition. The current price is about $300. Also from this dealer is Lester Young and His Tenor Sax Volume 1, Aladdin 801. This is an original pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. It is now at $325. The best thing to do is to go to one of these records and then click Veiw Seller’s Other Items to see what else this dealer has for sale. There’s a lot of good stuff. At Jazz Collector, we have a few items closing soon, nothing major, but the price seems right.

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Hank, Blue Note 1560, Going . . Going . . .

We mentioned Euclid Records on our last post and then we went to eBay to look and see what’s available today and one of the first records we hit was this one, for sale by Euclid Records: Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560. This is an original pressing and one of the really rare Blue Notes. This LP is in VG++ condition and the cover is VG+. We took a look in the Jazz Collector Price Guide and the previous high that we recorded for this LP was $495. That will definitely change once this record sells, in a half hour or so. The bidding has already reached $1,275, and there are 23 bids, so we can expect it to go for more. Stay tuned.

What Happened at the WFMU Record Fair?

Sorry we haven’t posted in a few days. We sold some records at the WFMU Record Fair on Friday. There were good crowds, maybe about 3 percent were interested in jazz, and, from what we sold, the bulk went to a couple of dealers, one from Japan, the other from Belgium. In walking around, we didn’t see a great deal of high-end collectibles — we didn’t bring any from Jazz Collector.  Most dealers save those for eBay these days. We did see Joe from Euclid Records and he apparently had a few high-end Blue Notes, including Cliff Jordan Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549, and one of the early Lee Morgans.  Joe, if you read this, let us know how you did. Also, we see that Jason Sweet, one of our other readers, commented elsewhere, so if you were there and would like to share your impressions, please feel free to comment on this post.

Something to Complain About?

Here’s a pet peeve of ours at Jazz Collector. Look at this eBay listing: Johnny Hodges, Duke’s In Bed, Verve 8203. Now anyone can see that this is not an original pressing — which would have the trumpeter logo — but is a later MGM pressing. Yet the dealer states with dogmatic certainty: “This is the absolute 1957 original pressing.” And, for emphasis, he states it in all capital letters. What bothers us is that the dealer either doesn’t know what he’s talking about, so he shouldn’t put it out there, or he’s deliberately misleading potential customers, who, really, should know better before bidding. This record is now at $31, which is not ridiculous, but is generally more than an MGM pressing would sell for. Anyway, we’ll put it out there and see if we can get some responses: What are some of the things that bother you these days? And we’ll make one other point: If you have any questions about whether something is an original pressing, come to Jazzcollector.com. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll try to find someone who does.

Bye, Bye Freddie, and Other EBAY UPdates

Just to catch up on a few items we’ve been watching at Jazz Collector, before we head into Manhattan for the WFMU Record Fair later today. That test pressing of Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040, is no longer available. After being on auction and failing to meet the seller’s reserve price, it sold for $1,500 as a buy-it-now item. Two of the other items we were watching from that seller are still available: Sonny Rollins Quartet, Prestige 137. This 10-inch LP can be had for $99.99; and The Julius Watkins Sextet, Volume 2, Blue Note 5064. This can also be had for $99.99. 

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See You At the Fair?

Sorry we haven’t been posting the past couple of days. We’ve been buried in our basement, cleaning and pricing records for this weekend’s WFMU Record Fair, which begins on Friday and runs through Sunday. Click here for details.  Jazz Collector has a table on Friday:  Our location is F5, if you want to stop by and visit. We had hoped to be there all weekend, but it sold out pretty early. We’ve worked one of these shows once before and it’s pretty good — definitely the best record show in the New York area. It brings out a lot of good dealers and a lot of collectors and it’s definitely worth the trip. If you’re going to come, it’s always best to get there early, when the doors open at 4 p.m. on Friday. If you know a dealer and can get in earlier than that, then it’s even better.

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Win A Free Record, Part 2

           Win This Record

A few weeks ago at Jazz Collector we tried to give away a free record and no one seemed to want it. We posted a Bob Brookmeyer record on the site and simply asked people to leave a comment. No one did. But we gave the record away anyway, and we’re happy to say it has arrived safe and sound in its new home. I will post the note of thanks separately. Anyway, we are not ones to give up too easily, so we are back to try and give away another record. This time it’s Wayne Shorter, Adam’s Apple, Blue Note 84232. This is a great record with Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Reggie Workman and Joe Chambers. This is not an original — we’re generous, but not that generous — but a 1985 reissue from the original historical master tape. The record and cover are both in M- condition. We have one copy to give away, so this is a contest, but you don’t have to do anything to enter the contest except leave a comment on this post.

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Another Chance at Some Choice Items

A few of the items Jazz Collector was watching the past few days have now been re-listed with Buy-It-Now prices. These include the test pressing of Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. If you want this, it is now priced at $1,500. We’ll keep an eye on it to see if it sells. As we mentioned yesterday, a similar copy of Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091, sold for $1,950.  Other newly reslisted “Buy-It-Now” items from this reseller include Sonny Rollins Quartet, Prestige 137. This 10-inch LP is priced at $99.99. Also, The Julius Watkins Sextet, Volume Two, Blue Note 5064. This 10-inch LP featuring Hank Mobley is also available for $99.99.

A Mint Curtis Fuller, Autographs from Herbie Mann and Maynard Ferguson

Among the interesting items on eBay the next couple of days, are a couple that we at Jazz Collector are offering under our nom d’ebay AJDoctor. This one is particularly interesting: The Curtis Fuller Jazztet with Benny Golson, Savoy 12143. We had this album in our collection for many years and it was sealed and we never opened it. When we decided to sell it, we figured we’d have to open it to see if it was an original pressing. We didn’t expect it to be, but it was. An original, red label pressing, unplayed. It’s also some pretty solid music, with Lee Morgan and Benny Golson on the front line with Fuller.

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Tracking Some Blue Note Test Pressings

I’ll soon post an item looking ahead to some of the nice items on eBay the next couple of days. Before that, I wanted to point you out to a couple of very interesting items from this past weekend. The seller Orto had two test pressings of nice Blue Note LPs. One was Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091. This one was dated 12/04/ 1961, about a month after the session was recorded. Very cool item. It sold for $1,950.  The other was Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. This was also dated one month after the recording session, and it has a stamp on it and it’s in near mint condition. The top bid on this was $830, and it did not meet the seller’s reserve price. The Hubbard LP was listed first, and I get the feeling when it did not meet the seller’s reserve, the bidding on the Sonny Clark LP increased. If you didn’t see these items, they’re worth a look.

Some Nice Records, Some High Prices

If you check on eBay now, there’s a seller from New York who has dozens of interesting jazz records at really, really, really high prices. Here are a few examples: Charlie Mariano, New Sounds from Boston, Prestige 130. This 10-inch LP is in VG/G condition. The buy-it-now price is $149. The Gigi Gryce/Clifford Brown Sextet, Blue Note 5048. This 10-inch LP is in VG+/VG+ condition. The asking price is $899.  Jazz at Massey Hall Volume 1, Debut 2. This 10-inch LP is in VG+/VG+ condition. It has an asking price of $799. And what do you make of this one: Lester Young, Pres  Is Blue, Charlie Parker Records 405. This is in m-/VG+ condition and has an asking price of $159. Did this record become a collectible while we weren’t looking here at Jazz Collector?

New Items For the Price Guide

 

Hank

Hank

Just to follow up on some of the records we were watching earlier this week, and some that will be going into the Jazz Collector Price Guide this weekend.  Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in what looked like VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $935. Thelonious Monk, French Swing, 33342. This is a 10-inch LP in near mint condition. Price: $570

Nobody bid more than $15 for this record, and it didn’t sell because it didn’t meet the dealer’s reserve price: Gil Melle, New Faces . . . New Sounds, Blue Note 5020. 

Moondog, Prestige 7042. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG++ condition. Price $89.98

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Today on EBAY, October 16, 2008

I continue to look ahead on eBay and I continue to not find much. Here’s what I could scrape up today — just a few, but a couple of prime cuts.

Look at this one: Thelonious Monk on French Swing 33342. This is a 10-inch LP that looks to be in fantastic condition. This is another rarity where we could use someone from the audience to give us a little background. The current price is $375. I haven’t seen one of these, so it’s not in the Price Guide, but it will be once this one closes. 

Another beauty: Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560. This is an original pressing in very nice condition and the current price is $620. 

Pepper Adams Plays The Compositions of Charles Mingus, Workshop 219. This is an original mono pressing in M-/M- condition. A stereo copy sold recently for $95. This one is already at $127.50.

The same seller offering the Monk LP also has this one:  Gil Melle, New Faces, New Sounds, Blue Note 5020. This has a start price of $15 and has no bids. But there’s also a reserve price.

Looking For Info On Sahib Shihab LP

One of the things we’re hoping to do with Jazz Collector is to create a place where readers can ask questions about jazz collectibles and others readers can respond. Toward that end, we are going to pose a question about this album that recently sold on eBay for $338: Sahib Shihab, Seeds. This was on German Vogue LDVS 17165. We are definitely less familiar with some of the European pressings and don’t know much about this LP, so if anyone has any insight, please feel free to share it. Thanks.

A Sinatra 10-Inch LP for $200????

I’ve been saving this one for a couple of weeks because I can’t quite figure it out. It’s a 10-inch LP by Frank Sinatra: Songs by Sinatra, Volume 1, Columbia 6087. It was in nice condition and it’s a nice record, but it sold for $202.50, which is way more than these records usually get. I looked at the bidding and it looks like there were two bidders who got into a bidding war. So, perhaps it was a clash of egos. Can anyone think of any other reason why this record would sell for such a high price? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Latest Additions to Price Guide

Here are updates on some of the records we’ve mentioned here in the past few days. We’re not using links with these, since there are links on these elsewhere on the site. You can just do a search if you want to look at the original. Nothing too crazy here as far as prices, but nothing at all that would lead you to believe there’s any kind of slowdown. These will also be added to the Price Guide, as soon as I finish this post. Here goes: 

Ben Webster, The Consummate Artistry, Norgran 1001. When we first spotted this, it was at about $30 with just a few hours to go. It sold for $203.51. It was an original pressing in M-/VG++ condition.

Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come, Atlantic 1317. This was with the bulls-eye label in VG++/VG++ condition. It sold for $72.60

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Today on EBAY, October 15, 2008

I asked the other day why things are slow on eBay. Nobody replied, so I assume it’s just one of those things. Today is still slow although, as always, there are some interesting items to watch. Here goes:

Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz To Come, Atlantic 1317. This pressing has the bulls-eye label. It’s closing soon and is at $73. One of the reasons I’m watching this is because I’ve seen this record often and rarely have I seen it fetch collectible prices. But, even at $73, that’s already evidence that it is becoming more of a collectible, at least the version with this label. 

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A Tribute to William Claxton

Claxography


I opened up my New York Times this morning to the news that the great jazz photographer William Claxton had died at age 80. Claxton was one of the great jazz photographers, mainly on the West Coast, and he was most noted for his great, almost obsessive, work in shooting the young Chet Baker. His first jazz photography was in album covers, and he was something of a house photographer for Pacific Jazz Records. In some cases, the value of some of the top collectible records are, in part, a tribute to his innovative and interesting covers. One that comes to mind, in addition to the Baker LPs on Pacific Jazz, is Sonny Rollins’ Way Out West on Contemporary, with Sonny notably dressed in a 10-gallon hat and holster with his tenor slung at his side like a weapon, which it was in Sonny’s hands.

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Today on EBAY, October 14, 2008

Another slow day on EBAY. Is there a holiday somewhere? Are sellers afraid to put up their records because of the economy? Is it just the ebb and flow of the market? Whatever the reason, there are not a great deal of high-end items on Ebay today, but there are certainly a few to make things interesting. And here they are:

Sonny Side Up, Dizzy Gillespie with Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt, Verve 8262. This is in nice condition and is currently at only $24.50. A nice Verve collectible, which will probably go for a reasonable price. It’s strange: I’ve had this record for maybe 30 years, and I just realized that it’s Sonny, with an “O” and not Sunny with a “U.” Definitely works better with the “O.”

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Record Stores, A Birthday, And Some Nostalgia

I miss record stores. There was a time, living here in the New York area, I could sneak out of my office at lunchtime and visit a different record store every day of the week, for several weeks without repeating myself. Just in my area of Long Island and Queens, there was Titus Oaks in Hicksville and Huntington and, if I wanted to be adventurous, Brooklyn; and Radio City in Hempstead, and later another one in Hempstead; and Infinity in Wantaugh; and several Mr. Cheapos; and a guy named Kenny who had one on Union Turnpike in Fresh Meadows and another on Hillside Avenue in Jamaica; and one on Northern Boulevard in Little Neck, and several more, whose names and locations are all muddled together in my memory.

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Today on EBay, October 13, 2008

It’s so slow on Ebay today that I couldn’t even find any decent Blue Note or Prestige records to highlight. This is all I could come up with: Zoot Sims, The Modern Art of Jazz, Dawn 1102. This is a nice record, although this one has some condition issues. I mentioned recently that some of the nice Verve records can be had for a decent price. Here’s a record with some nice Stan Getz from the late 1950s: Stan Getz, Award Winner, Verve 8296. This has an original trumpeter label and is in M-/VG++ condition. Current price is around $50, which isn’t too bad. Finally, there’s this one, which generally sells in the $100 or so range: Bill Berry, For Duke, RealTime 101. This is a sealed copy. If you happen to miss and want another sealed copy, there’s another one a few hours later. Click here for a peek. 

Prices: Sonny’s Crib, House of Blue Lights and More

Working today to update the Price Guide, and here are a bunch of the items I’m putting it. I’m not attaching links to any of these because they’ve all already appeared on the site. If you want to look at the record, just do a search and find the original post.

This one had the highest price of all the ones we’re entering: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. Price: $1,524.99

Eddie Costa, House of Blue Lights, Dot 3206. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $355

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Keeping Track of Some High-End Blue Notes

 

Another Warhol Cover

Another Warhol Cover

As we’re updating the Price Guide, we’ve been inputting some very nice Blue Note LPs from the past few weeks, so here are a few highlights to whet your appetite. When you do look at the Price Guide and want to see the most recent items, click the Timestamp button on the far right and have it sort the items by those most recently entered. Remember, you can sort by artist (last name, first name), label, condition, price and time posted. Anyway, here are some of the Blue Notes going into the Price Guide this weekend:  We’ve been writing a bit lately on Andy Warhol covers. Here’s one that’s familiar to most collectors: Johnny Griffin, The Congregation, Blue Note 1580. This was an original pressing in very nice condition. Price: $1,225

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