For the Price Guide: Chambers, Nichols, Criss, Trane
Apr 30, 2009 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Savoy
Time again to catch up on adding some new items to the Jazz Collector Price Guide. Here are a few of the records we’ll be adding.
Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1569. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address. The record was VG++ and the cover was VG+. The price was $660.
John Coltrane, Lush Life, Prestige 7188. This was an original pressing with the yellow label and New Jersey address. It was in M- condition, both record and cover. The price was $274.99
Yusef Lateef, Prayer to the East, Savoy 12117. This was a second pressing with the maroon label. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. It sold for $255. This is the second time we’ve seen a maroon pressing of this sell for well more than $100. Is there something about this record we don’t know?
Tags: Billie Holiday, Clef Records, Herbie Nichols, Imperial Records, Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, Sonny Criss, Yusef Lateef
Lou Really Takes Off
Apr 24, 2009 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
We’ve been watching a bunch of records and we have some items of interest to report.
This is one that fetched a higher price than we’ve seen in the past: Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This was an original pressing and it seemed to be in either VG++ or M- condition. The seller was Stereo Jack’s in Boston, one of the top dealers on and off the Internet. This one sold for $799. Having a top dealer always helps the sale price, as we’ve seen in the past.
Here’s another nice Blue Note: Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065. This was an original 10-inch LP. The record and cover were both listed in VG++ condition. The price was $688. I was looking through my own 10-inch LPs this evening and took a peak at my copy. I remember buying it on Los Angeles a few years ago during a business trip. I forget the name of the store, but I bought a bunch of nice 10-inch LPs in fair-to-decent condition, for $20-$30 each. I might be putting this one on eBay in the next few weeks, so please stay tuned.
Tags: Afro-Cuban, Kenny Dorham, Lou Donaldson
Coming Up on Ebay: Rollins, Melle and Booker Ervin
Apr 24, 2009 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
Here are some interesting items we’re watching on eBay over the next few days:
Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This is an original New York pressing with a promo stamp on the cover. The record is listed as M- and the cover is listed as VG++. The current price is about $115 with three days to go. It will be interesting to see the final price of this one, compared with the one sold earlier in the week by the Jazz Record Center, which went for $1,492.
Gil Melle, Gil’s Guests, Prestige 7063. This is an original New York pressing with the yellow label. The record is listed as M- and the cover is VG++. The current price is about $100. As Rudolf pointed out in an earlier comment, the seller, Sweedeedee, has a nice variety of items up this week, including several vintage Prestige pressings, such as
Tags: Booker Ervin, Euclid Records, Gil Melle, Jazz Record Center, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Rollins
For the Price Guide: Mobley, Trane, Griffin, Green
Apr 23, 2009 Blue Note, Impulse, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide, Riverside
I’ve been quite remiss lately in updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide. I’m hoping to get caught up in the next few days. When I do get caught up, here are some of the items I’ll be entering. None of these has a link, by the way. They are just in bold-face type.
Hank Mobley, Roll Call, Blue Note 4058. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street logo. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $677.
Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. This was an original New York pressing in VG+ condition, both record and cover. The price was $296. Great record.
John Coltrane, Ballads, Impulse 32. This was a mono pressing in M- condition, both
Tags: Grant Green, Hank Mobley, Impulse Records, John Coltrane, Johnny Griffin, WEbster Young
One for the $2,000 (almost $3,000) Bin
Apr 22, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Many of you probably saw that the item we were watching yesterday from the Jazz Record Center, Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538, wound up selling for the whopping price if $2,927. That’s great. It’s nice to see the demand high and the price high and a happy customer and (I’m sure) a happy seller. Dave asks in one of the other posts if we have a list of the highest prices on eBay. We don’t have a formal list, but you can go to our Jazz Collector Price Guide and do a search of our 4,000-record database and sort them by highest prices first. The top item we have is a copy of Cool Struttin’ by Sonny Clark that sold for $3,750.
Tags: Jazz Record Center, Lee Morgan, Sonny Clark
Watching the Warhol Covers
Apr 21, 2009 Album Covers, Prestige, RCA
I’m in the midst of an interesting experiment. Last week I put three records on eBay with a common property: Each features a cover design or cover artwork by Andy Warhol. The three records are The Story Of Moondog, Prestige 7099; Artie Shaw, Any Old Time, RCA 1570; and Artie Shaw, Both Feet in the Groove, RCA Victor 1201. Clearly, the Moondog on Prestige is the big prize of the bunch. In posting the three together, it is clear to see how much the Moondog is the prize of the bunch. I started each item with the same exact price: $49.99. They all close today, and they are all in relatively comparable condition. The Moondog LP currently has a top price of $255. It also has received a total of
Tags: Andy Warhol, Artie Shaw, Moondog
A few More For the $1,000 Bin, Courtesy of JRC
Apr 21, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide
As we expected, several of the items from the Jazz Record Center auction sold for well more than $1,000. Here’s the rundown of the ones we were watching:
Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York pressing. On further inspection, this copy looks to be in M- condition, both record and cover. The final price was $1,492.
Sonny Rollins Volume One, Blue Note 1542. This was also an original pressing — Lexington Avenue on both sides. The record was M- and the cover looked to be VG++. The final price was $1,281.
Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. This one also seemed to be in M- condition, both record and cover. The final price was $1,259.
In addition to these for the $1,000 bin, there is also this one from Jazz Record Center:
Tags: Hank Mobley, Jazz Record Center, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins
Blue Note versus Prestige?
Apr 21, 2009 Blue Note, Prestige
Before creating this morning’s post, I want to point you all to the comments on the previous post (From JRC: Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins): Our friends Rudolf and Michel have begun an interesting discussion on Blue Note versus Prestige. I happen to agree with both of them, but I’ll join the fray by posting a comment. Please take a look, and please express your opinion as well.
From JRC: Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Sonny Rollins
Apr 19, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
We were checking our email and we noticed that the Jazz Record Center is another auction coming up on eBay this week. The check out the link, click here. This one will be quite interesting to watch, since there are at least three records we expect to break the $1,000 barrier, and there are a bunch of other records that will test the softness of the market. When you have a dealer with the sterling reputation of the Jazz Record Center, you are getting the truest sense of market conditions, since bidders don’t have to worry about the veracity and credibility of the seller. In any case, among the top items being auction by Jazz Record center this week are: Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record is M- and the cover is somewhere between VG++ and M-. The current price is $912; Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. This one looks M- all the way around and is currently at $777; Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This is a New York pressing in beautiful condition and is currently at $521.
Tags: Hank Mobley, Jazz Record Center, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins
Quickie Quiz
Apr 16, 2009 Questions
Haven’t done a quiz in awhile and the post on Newk’s Time this morning got me thinking: How did Sonny Rollins get the nickname Newk?
Yes, Rudolf, that is correct. Here’s a picture of Don Newcombe in his Dodgers uniform in the mid-1950s. And below is our Newk in a different kind of uniform.
Tags: Sonny Rollins
For the Price Guide: Newk, Evans, Tina Brooks
Apr 16, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide, Riverside
Here are some items we’ve been watching. I know we’ve been talking about a lull on eBay, but when you look at these prices they seem to be holding pretty steady. All of these will be entered into the Jazz Collector Price Guide as soon as I have time, probably this weekend. By the way, there are no links with these items: Most of the links have appeared somewhere on the site already.
Sonny Rollins, Newk’s Time, Blue Note 4001. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG+. The price was $598.
Jutta Hipp, Jutta, Blue Note 5056. This was an original 10-inch LP in VG+ condition, both record and cover. The price was $330.
Jackie McLean, Capuchin Swing, Blue Note 4038. This seemed to be an original pressing, although the seller didn’t say anything about deep grooves. It was in M- condition, both record and cover, and
Tags: Beverly Kenny, Bill Evans, Decca Records, Freddie Redd, Jackie McLean, Jazz Collector Price Guide, John Coltrane, Jutta Hipp, Sonny Rollins, Tina Brooks
Another $1,000 Record, This One in VG Condition
Apr 15, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Memoirs, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
We’ve been keeping an eye lately on jazz LPs that sell for more than $1,000, which is particularly interesting in light of some of the softness we’re seeing in other parts of the market. The LP True Blue by Tina Brooks, Blue Note 4041, is one that has broken the $1,000 many times. It is quite rare. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide, we’ve seen a copy go for as much as $2,075. So, we were watching this copy of True Blue this week to see what would happen in a soft market. The record wound up selling for $1,625. What makes this more interesting is that the vinyl was only in VG condition (the cover was VG++). It’s not so unusual these days for rare Blue Notes to top $1,000, but $1,625 for a record in VG condition, is still pretty high. Part of it attests to the rarity of this particular LP, and part, also, to the underlying soundness of the market, at least for the higher-end LPs.
I do have a personal experience with this LP to share:
Tags: Tina Brooks
Miles 1964 Downbeat: The Winner Is . . .
Apr 14, 2009 Free Collectibles
It’s been two weeks since we posted our latest contest to give away a free collectible, so it is now time to put the eligible names into a hat and round up Mrs. Jazz Collector for our drawing. The traffic has been quite high on the site the past two weeks, and there have been quite a bit of comments, but fewer individuals commenting than we’ve had in the past. Perhaps there’s less interest in this collectible because it is not a record. However, I think these Downbeats are great, and this one, with the Miles Davis Blindfold Test from 1964, is a classic. The eligible names this week are Bethellodge, Dave Sockel, Michel, Rudolf, John, Erich Schultz, Luke and Chris Mitchell. And the names are in the hat (actually they are, as always, strewn across my desk) and Mrs. JC is selecting, and the winner is . . . . .
Tags: Andy Warhol, Downbeat Magazine, Hank Mobley, Miles Davis
Today on Ebay: Freddie Redd, Kenny Drew, Trane
Apr 13, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
Here are some of the items we’re watching today on eBay. Things still seem slow, and it will be interesting to keep an eye on the prices of some of these.
Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record and cover are both in VG+ condition. The current price is about $230. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide, we’ve seen this record sell for between $300 and $900 depending upon the condition. It’s a great record if you’re not familiar with it, featuring Tina Brooks and Jackie McLean.
John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, Tenor Conclave, Prestige 7074. This is an original New York pressing with the yellow label. The record and cover both look to be in VG+ condition. The current price on this is $74.
Tags: Al Cohn, Freddie Redd, Hank Mobley, John Coltrane, Kenny Drew, Zoot Sims
Watching A Miles 10-Inch Not Sell
Apr 10, 2009 10-Inch LPs, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
Here’s one we’ve been watching with some degree of interest:
Miles Davis All Stars Volume 1, Prestige 196. There’s been a lot of discussion on the site about the level of interest in 10-inch LPs and how it may be waning, even among the most devout collectors. I noticed this one a few weeks ago because it’s a great record with a great cover and the vinyl was in M- condition, perhaps unplayed. The cover looked like something we would rate as VG+, with a partial seam split.
This was first up for auction a couple of weeks ago and received a top bid of $107.50, which failed to reach the seller’s reserve price. The seller put it up again this week and got a top bid of $91.03, also failing to reach the reserve price. So, could we conclude, in today’s market this is now a $100 record?
Tags: Miles Davis
Two More For the $1,000 Bin
Apr 9, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Things may be slow on eBay this days, but there always seems to be a large appetite for some of the rarest records, and two of the ones we’ve been watching sold for more than $1,000 recently. We haven’t had quite such luck with our own sales although, admittedly, we haven’t been putting up gems. Still, we had more than 50 records up for auction this week and probably sold only about 50 percent. This is highly, highly unusual, since we tend to underprice the records and grade them conservatively. The other thing, and a few readers noted this, is that traffic on eBay seems to be down: Not only are fewer people bidding on the records, fewer people are looking at the records. I think it’s all a temporary lull — a reaction to the economy — and I’m planning to continue posting records on eBay. Whatever doesn’t sell I put into the store inventory, which you can view by clicking the Items For Sale link above, so you may find bargains if you take a look. In the meantime, we continue to track eBay pricing and here are the two records that recently sold for more than $1,000:
Tags: Bent Axen, Debut Records, Louis Smith
Why Do We Collect?
Apr 6, 2009 Features
Ye ask, and ye shall receive. Bethellodge asks on another post that we start a conversation on the topic: “Why do we collect?”
Here’s my story: I started out, probably like most of us, loving the music for the music’s sake. I remember the sound of jazz in my living room, from my father’s collection, and listening to John Coltrane in between classes at Queens College, and going back and discovering Bird and Dexter and Sonny and Clifford and Ella and so many of my heroes. The albums I found early in my searches are so often among my favorites and the albums I put on the turntable most often. Last night I had a half hour to kill and put on Oscar Peterson, West Side Story. It was like getting together with an old friend. In the beginning it was just about the music: Who cared if a pressing was original, as long as I could listen to the music? At some point, however, it became about more than the music, about finding the original pressing and building a collection. In my case, I know part of it is– and always has been — the thrill
Tags: Dexter Gordon, Freddie Redd, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins
From The Vaults: Billy Eckstine Assaulted, Drugged
Apr 5, 2009 Books/Magazines
Am I the only one who gets a charge out of these old Downbeats? Here’s an article I just have to share from Feb. 11, 1965:
Bill Eckstine Misses Opening; Claims He Was Assaulted
Singer Bill Eckstine missed his scheduled opening at the Royal Box of the Hotel Americana in New York City Jan. 4 and speculation of foul play ran high. Eckstine reappeared the following day, however, and said he had been assaulted on the street the night of Jan. 3, hauled into a car, robbed of about $600 and a watch, and then drugged.
Eckstine said he was trying to hail a taxi on 125th St. and Fifth Ave. on Jan. 3 when he was approached by three men, who pulled up in a car and asked for his autograph. While he complied with the request, Eckstine said, one of the men hit him on the back of the neck and
Tags: Billy Eckstine, Downbeat Magazine, Nipsey Russell, Robert Goulet, Sammy Davis Jr.
Some High Tickets: Dexter, Helen Merrill, Jackie
Apr 5, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide
We were running out of the house yesterday and we had about 10 minutes to do a quick perusal of eBay, so we did a search of the records ending soonest with the highest prices. This is not a search we normally do, but it was interesting because most of the records that came up were records that could be purchased immediately for a Buy-It-Now price. Most of these were quite high-priced (after all, that was the search criteria), but it’s an interesting way to find something that might be at the top of your want list. In any case, we watched a few of the auction items, and were surprised to see some of the high prices, given what we’re seeing these days with our own auctions on eBay.
This one was the biggest surprise: Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 4176. This was a mono pressing, New York USA, with one side deep groove. It was listed in excellent condition, record and cover, which we generally translate to VG++ in our terms. The record sold for $415.90, quite a high price for this record. We have previously followed four copies of this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, and it’s never sold for more than $200 in the past. Anyone have any idea why this copy would sell for such a high price in this supposedly down market? I have a NY USA stereo pressing of this record in VG++ condition, and would happily take $200 for it if anyone is interested. Seriously.
Among the other high-ticket items from yesterday, there were:
Tags: Dexter Gordon, Emarcy Records, Helen Merrill, Jackie McLean
For the Price Guide: Webster Young, Trane, Hank
Apr 3, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide
We haven’t been keeping up with the Jazz Collector Price Guide as often as we’d like, but we have a few items we’ve been watching that we’ll enter this weekend. If we get moving, we could get up to 4,000 records into the database within the next couple of weeks, which would be something of a milestone. Anyway, here are a few we’ve been watching:
Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. I’ve always loved this record, some great tenor playing by Paul Quinichette. This one was in VG+ condition, both record and cover, and sold for $296.
John Coltrane, Ballads, Impulse 32. This was an original mono pressing with the orange label and the gatefold cover. It was in M- condition, both record and cover. It sold for $113.50.
Hank Mobley, Roll Call, Blue Note 4058. This was a nice original pressing with the West
Tags: Grant Green, John Coltrane, Paul Qunichette, WEbster Young
This Week on Ebay: Miles, Clifford, Trane
Apr 2, 2009 Books/Magazines, For Sale, Impulse, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
We haven’t been very active selling on eBay lately: Just life getting in the way. However, this week we found some time to clean and post a bunch of items. It’s a mixed bag, but there are a few nice ones, including:
Miles Davis, Blue Haze, Prestige 7054. This is an original New York yellow label Prestige. It’s in VG+ condition, and sounds quite nice. We put a start price of $30 and it’s already received a bid, so we expect there to be some action.
We also put up a nice-sounding original copy of Clifford Brown, Jam Session, Emarcy 36002. This also has a start price of $30. It’s a great record, with a lot of positive energy.
As you may have noticed on the Jazz Collector site, we’ve been going through some old Downbeat Magazines, looking for collectibles (we’re even giving one away). We’ve put a few up for sale in our eBay story, and we put a very interesting one up for auction yesterday. It is:
Tags: A Love Supreme, Clifford Brown, Downbeat Magazine, Emarcy Records, Impulse Records, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman
Cole Porter’s Last Words
Apr 2, 2009 Books/Magazines
I’ve been going through old Downbeat Magazines with the idea of getting rid of some of them, although I love to have these as collectibles because they are filled with interesting tidbits that you can’t find anywhere else. Here’s one from the Downbeat of November 19, 1964. It’s from a small article on the death of Cole Porter, who passed away on Oct. 15, 1964 at 71 years of age. The only people at his bedside when he died were two valets, who had worked for him for six years. His last words were spoken to a publicist about two hours before he died. They were, “Don’t leave me.” Sad. If you would like to purchase a copy of this magazine, I have one for sale at The Jazz Collector Store on eBay. You can just click the Items for Sale tab at the top of this page to find it.
Tags: Cole Porter, Downbeat Magazine
Free Collectible: 1964 Downbeat Featuring Miles Davis Blindfold Test
Apr 1, 2009 Free Collectibles
We’ve been looking through our collection for something interesting for our next give-away contest and this is what we’ve come up with: A copy of Downbeat Magazine from June 18, 1964, featuring a really interesting Blindfold Test with Miles Davis. I’ll give you a few teasers from the interview:
On Eric Dolphy, Mary Ann from Far Cry, New Jazz 8270: “That’s got to be Eric Dolpy — nobody else could sound that bad! The next time I see him I’m going to step on his foot. You print that. I think he’s ridiculous.” Sadly, Dolphy passed away just two months later.
On Cecil Taylor: “Take it off! That’s some sad shit, man.” (Although, of course, Downbeat did not print the word ‘shit’).
There was one track that Miles actually liked and rated with five stars. That was:
Tags: Cecil Taylor, Downbeat Magazine, Eric Dolphy, Joao Gilberto, Miles Davis, Stan Getz
