The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown: John Coltrane, Settin’ The Pace, Prestige 7213
Sep 30, 2009 Prestige, The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown
As you may expect, the whole idea of permanently and arbitrarily shrinking my record collection, which has taken close to 40 years to accumulate, is causing quite a bit of trauma around here, around here being inside my very guts. So, if you’ll excuse me, I will ease into the process over the next few days before undertaking any gut-wrenching decisions. Therefore I shall start with one of my all-time favorite records: John Coltrane, Settin’ the Pace, Prestige 7213. This is a great record, probably my second favorite of all the Coltrane Prestiges (right behind Soultrane). The first “Arthur Schwartz” side, with the amazing ballad “I See Your Face Before Me” and the incredible “If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You” is all-time great Trane. The challenge is not deciding whether to keep this record for a collection of 1,000 — if the collection were to be shrunk to 20 records, this would probably still make the cut. The question is merely
Tags: Jazz Vinyl, John Coltrane
Today on Ebay: What to Do With A Sealed Record?
Sep 30, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Riverside
We’re watching a few interesting items on eBay today, including several of our own records for sale. This one is interesting: Jimmy Heath, Really Big, Riverside 333. This is one of ours. What was interesting was the choice we made. This was a sealed copy: To open or not to open? That was the question. We chose to open, to make sure this was an original pressing that we were selling. However, based on what we’re seeing with prices of sealed records, perhaps we made a mistake. So far there is just one bidder for this LP and the price is around $50. We have a feeling if the record were listed as “still sealed” there’d be a lot more activity. As it is, it is quite a nice record, featuring Cannonball Adderley as well. So, perhaps someone will get a truly mint original LP for a bargain.
Also, Miles Davis, Cookin’ Prestige 7094. This was one of those that we
Tags: Charlie Rouse, Epic Records, Ike Quebec, Jimmy Heath, Miles Davis
The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown
Sep 29, 2009 Features, The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown
I counted my records the other day. At least I counted most of them. I didn’t count the 78s and I didn’t count the ones in storage. The ones in storage are all to be sold and the 78s are, well, 78s. No matter. The point is this. I have more records than I want. I have them in four separate rooms in two separate homes. I have records I have owned for more than 25 years and have never put on a turntable. I have records by artists I don’t especially like. I have collected them because I am a collector. It is what I do. That is why my site is called Jazz Collector.
I counted the records because I have made a fairly momentous decision, and that decision is this: I am going to get rid of many of them. This is heresy, is it not? These are my friends, all hand selected personally by me. I have invited them into my home, to share my space, to give me comfort and joy in times of stress or sorrow. And they have served me well, all of them, in whatever way they could.
But the time has come to part ways with many of them. Why?
Win A Free Record: Billie Holiday at Carnegie Hall
Sep 29, 2009 Free Collectibles, Verve
Okay, it is time for our next Jazz Collector free collectible give-away contest. We always try to find interesting items for you, and this time we are offering up this: The Essential Billie Holiday Carnegie Hall Concert, Verve 8410. This is an original pressing with the MGM label and the gatefold cover. The record is in nice condition, although there are some marks at the end of side two. It’s an interesting record in that it was recorded in 1956 and issued here in 1961 as part of Verve’s Essentials series, which were tributes to jazz greats on the Verve labels, several of whom, unfortunately, had died. These included Lester Young and Charlie Parker. This LP was recorded live at Carnegie Hall as part of a concert in which Holiday sang and in which she also had several sections of her autobiography, Lady Sings The Blues, read aloud to highlight various aspects of her life and to
Tags: Al Cohn, Billie Holiday, Buck Clayton, Carl Drinkard, Carnegie Hall, Carson Smith, Chico Hamilton, Coleman Hawkins, Kenny Burrell, Nat Hentoff, Roy Eldridge, The New York Times, Tony Scott
Catching Up: Dex & A Few For the $1,000 Bin
Sep 29, 2009 $1000 Records, 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Savoy
Time to catch up on a few more jazz vinyl collectibles, including a few more for the $1,000 bin:
Dexter Gordon Quintet, Dial 204. This was an original 10-inch pressing. The record and the cover were both listed in VG+ condition. The price was about $240. I love these original 10-inch Dials, and the price on this one seemed pretty fair. But, alas, I was not a bidder. Also from Dexter was this: Dexter Gordon, Dexter Rides Again, Savoy 12130. This was an original pressing with the deep groove and the red labels. The seller listed it in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $69.
For the $1,000 bin there were these:
Tags: Art Pepper, Dexter Gordon, Dial Records, Hank Mobley, Jazz West Records, Kenny Dorham, King Records, Lee Morgan, New Jazz Records, Roland Kirk
For the $2,000 Bin: Dexter Gordon, True Blue (Again)
Sep 28, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
A few of the items we’ve been watching have broken the $1,000 barrier, and a few of those have broken the $2,000 barrier.
Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone 207. This was an original pressing with the red vinyl. The record was listed as M- and the cover was VG++. It was sold by the seller herschel78, who’s been selling quite a bit of rare jazz vinyl and scoring some nice prices with them. This one sold for $2,886. Our previous high for this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was more than $3,000, so that’s not even a record. We were also watching a later pressing of this record on the Authentic label (which, unfortunately, is the version we own in our collection). Even this one did fairly well, selling for $70, although we’ll never know if the buyer thought he was getting an original.
Also for the $2,000 bin was this one:
Tags: Dexter Gordon, Dootone Records, Tina Brooks
More Jazz Vinyl on eBay: Cannon, Young, Mobley
Sep 27, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
We promised a few more items to watch this weekend, so here goes:
Cannonball Adderley, Sophisticated Swing, Emarcy 36110. There was a lot of discussion on the site the other day after we posted the Jazz Collector “Essential” Cannonball Adderley. Generally the Cannonball LPs don’t get collector prices, so we were surprised to see this one the other day at $75. The price hasn’t budged since then, so perhaps it won’t go much higher, which is still beyond what we normally see for this album. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG or VG+.
Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. This is quite a nice record, with some beautiful tenor sax by Paul Quinichette, playing (as always) as close to Pres as Pres himself. This is an original New York pressing that is listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It is being sold by herschel78, who has been posting some nice items the past few weeks, and has some more nice items on eBay now, so it’s worth taking a look. This one is currently at $300 with about nine hours to go.
Here’s one that’s a bit of a surprise:
Tags: Cannonball Adderley, Emarcy Records, Hank Mobley, Paul Quinichette, WEbster Young
This Weekend on eBay: Dolphy, Dorham, Dex
Sep 26, 2009 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Savoy
Here are some of the interesting records we’re watching on eBay this weekend.
Eric Dolphy Live at the Five Spot, Volume 1, New Jazz 8260. This is an original pressing with the deep grooves and the purple label. The record is listed as mint and the cover is listed as “near mint minus,” which sounds a bit like a double negative, but we’ll assume it is either VG++ or M-. In any case, the record is selling later today and has a price in the $300 range.
Also from the great Prestige New Jazz label is this classic: Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This is also an original pressing, with the purple labels and the deep grooves. The seller has his own grading system, but this one looks to be at least VG++ and perhaps M-. The current price is about $800.
The seller Herschel78 is back with a few nice ones, including this beauty:
Tags: Dexter Gordon, Dootone Records, Eric Dolphy, Kenny Dorham, New Jazz Records
More Blue Notes For The $1,000 Bin
Sep 25, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Good that we mentioned those Blue Note tips yesterday: There are a few more original pressings that shall be entering and re-entering the $1,000 bin. Here they are:
Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This is an original pressing and the vinyl is in M- condition. The cover is at least VG++. The price is already around $1,600 with many more hours left before it closes today, so we may be seeing an addition to the $2,000 bin.
Also, Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This is an original pressing. Again, the vinyl is listed in M- condition and the cover is VG+. This one has more than a day to go before it closes and
Tags: Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Tina Brooks
Twelve Tips To Collecting Blue Note
Sep 23, 2009 Blue Note, Collecting Tips
One of our Jazz Collector readers found a blog post somewhere on the Internet with some advice about collecting Blue Notes. It was written by Allan Songer. We don’t know Allan personally, but we’ve dealt with him many times on eBay as both a buyer and a seller. We’ve found him to be quite reputable and a very nice guy. In any case, this is interesting information and we are taking the liberty (slight pun intended) of cleaning it up and reproducing it here for our Jazz Collector community, but we happily give Allan full credit. Allan, if you’re out there and see this, please feel free to comment:
Tags: Blue Note Records, Collecting Tips
The Sound of Sonny Rollins: The Winner Is . . .
Sep 23, 2009 Free Collectibles, Riverside
Okay, it’s time to announce the winner of Jazz Collector’s latest giveaway. This time, you may recall, we are giving away a copy of Sonny Rollins, The Sound of Sonny, Riverside 241. This is not an original pressing and is an OJC pressing. Yet it is in near mint condition and it is great jazz vinyl featuring some fantastic Rollins from the mid-1950s. We had put this up as a way of honoring Rollins in the wake of yet another snub by the Kennedy Center Honors. Anyway, as with all of our giveaways, all you have to do to be eligible to win is to comment on the Jazz Collector site, anywhere, in response to anything, as long as the comment is made during the duration of the contest. The eligible contestants this time are:
Jazz Collector’s Essential Cannonball Adderley
Sep 23, 2009 Blue Note, Riverside
Blipp asks on an earlier post if we can make any recommendations on Cannonball Adderley’s earlier material, in particular the Mercury records. We can certainly do that, and we’re sure others in the audience will be happy to weigh in as well. First, we will give our own Jazz Collector version of our top five Cannonball LPs altogether. Blipp has been listening mostly to the Capitol stuff, he says, and we don’t think any of those records is going to make our list. Here goes:
1. Cannonball Adderley, Know What I Mean with Bill Evans, Riverside 433. Evans and Adderley obviously had a great rapport from their days with Miles and the addition of Percy Heath and Connie Kay made for a more lyrical setting that suited both Evans and Adderley quite well. And, as one might expect, within that lyrical setting they both swing like crazy.
2. Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco, Recorded at the Jazz Workshop, Riverside 311. The ground-breaking early quintet with Bobby Timmons and the great tracks of “This Here” (with Cannonball’s engaging introduction) and “Hi-Fly,” plus a very swinging “Spontaneous Combustion.” This LP captured the energy of the group
Tags: Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Mercury Records, Miles Davis
Price Updates: Serge, Thad, Miles, Silver, et al
Sep 23, 2009 Blue Note, Price Guide, Riverside
We’ve been quite busy the past few days updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide so, if you haven’t looked lately, it’s worth taking a peek. There are more than 4,100 records in there now, and quite a lot in the $1,000-and-up category. If you want to search by highest prices first, you can do that just by clicking the word “Price” at the top of the Guide, or you can just sort by fields. If you want to sort all of the records based on price, you can click on the link for View the Complete Price Guide. Anyway, here are a few more records we’ve added to the Guide.
Johnny Griffin Sextet, Riverside 264. This was an original blue label pressing. The record was listed as M- and the cover appeared by be bout VG+. The price was $237.50.
Miles Davis, Cookin’, Prestige 7094. This was an original New York pressing that was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $394.
Tags: Capital Records, Jazz Collector Price Guide, Johnny Griffin, Miles Davis, Serge Chaloff, Thad Jones
Soon on eBay: Tina Brooks, Elmo Hope, Bennie Green
Sep 22, 2009 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl on the Jazz Collector watch list over the next few days.
Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This is an original pressing. The record is listed as M- and the cover is VG+. The price is already more than $1,000 and there are still four days to go.
Elmo Hope Quintet, Blue Note 5044. This is a nice 10-inch LP with a great cover. This one is in VG++ condition and is being offered by Euclid Records, one of the top sellers of jazz vinyl on eBay. This one is about $100 with several days still to go.
Another high-end Blue Note: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This one is not in great shape. The vinyl is listed in VG- condition, and the cover looks to be VG. The price is more than $100 now, and it has not yet reached the seller’s reserve.
The Return of Art Pepper, Jazz West 10. This is an original pressing. The vinyl is listed as VG++ and the
Tags: Art Farmer, Art Pepper, Bennie Green, Elmo Hope, Jazz West Records, Sony Clark, Tina Brooks
Catching Up on Some More Blue Notes
Sep 22, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
We’ve been watching the Blue Notes carefully because the prices have jumped quite a bit recently. We’re always looking for trends. We thought we detected some softness the other day, but now we’re not so sure. Either way, the market on eBay always fluctuates a bit depending upon who’s bidding and who’s selling. Some sellers, because of presentation, packaging, credibility, always do better than others. Anyway, here are some recent Blue Note sales as tracked by Jazz Collector. See what you think.
Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was at least VG+ and the cover was also VG+. The price was $760.
Miles Davis Volume 1, Blue Note 1501. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing, from a reliable seller. The record was in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The price was $517. Also, Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 1502. This was also an original Lexington Avenue pressing from the same seller. It was also in M- condition all the way around, which is tough to find in these older Blue Notes, isn’t it? This one
Tags: Bud Powell, Cliff Jordan, Jutta Hipp, Miles Davis
Watching Some Blue Notes
Sep 20, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Time to catch up on some recent Blue Note listings. There seemed to be a mania there for a few weeks that may be subsiding. Something to keep an eye on.
The Magnificent Thad Jones Volume 3, Blue Note 1546. This was an original pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG. The price was $510. This is not one that would be an indicator of the subsiding mania. It’s actually more visible in some of the records I’m watching today and tomorrow.
Charlie Rouse, Bossa Nova Bacchanal, Blue Note 4119. This was probably an original pressing, although the seller did not mention anything about deep grooves. It was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $202.50.
Miles Davis Volume One, Blue Note 1501. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The
Tags: Art Blakey, Bud Powell, Charlie Rouse, Miles Davis, Thad Jones
A Weekend on eBay: Miles, Bud, PC & More
Sep 19, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
I’m heading up to the country for the weekend, but before I go I’ve found a few nice items to watch on eBay. There were the couple I mentioned yesterday on Jazz Collector — The Jutta Hipp on Blue Note as well as the Serge Chaloff — and here are a few more:
Miles Davis, Relaxin’, Prestige 7129. This is an original pressing with the New York labels. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG++. Great record featuring John Coltrane and the classic Miles quintet from the ’50s. This one has a start price of about $135 and there are no bidders yet. It’ll be interesting to see if it sells. Our previous high price for this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide has been about $300.
Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This is an original pressing, but it’s in VG condition for both the record and the cover. A nice copy of this one recently sold for more than $1,000 on eBay. This one
Tags: Bud Powell, Cliff Jordan, Miles Davis, Paul Chambers
A Few to Keep an Eye On
Sep 18, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Here are a few items of interest we’re following over the next few days:
Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume One, Blue Note 1515. This is an original pressing with the Lexington Avenue address, but it’s only in VG condition. The seller has a start price of about $200 and there are no bidders with a couple of days left. We’ve recently seen one of these sell for about $775 in better condition, of course, on the Jazz Collector Price Guide. One of the reasons we’re watching this: We have been going through our own collection deciding what to keep and what to sell. Some of the prices of the Blue Notes are higher than ever, so we’re considering dipping into the collection and picking out some choice items to post on eBay. This is one of the records we own, and we have a copy in extremely nice condition. If anyone out there wants to make an offer, we’re listening.
Here’s one of similar interest, for similar reasons:
Tags: Capitol Records, Jutta Hipp, Serge Chaloff, Sonny Clark
Price Updates: Steve Lacy, Pres, Sonny Criss
Sep 17, 2009 Blue Note, Clef, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
Here are some interesting items we’ve been watching the past couple of days.
Steve Lacy, Soprano Sax, Prestige 7125. This was an original pressing with the New York label. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG++. The price was $130.50.
Illinois Jacquet, Jazz Moods, Clef 662. This was an original pressing and it was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $89.50.
Lester Young, Lester’s Here, Norgran 1071. This was an original yellow label. The record was listed as VG+ and the cover was VG++. The price was $121.
Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter, Imperial 9024. This was an original pressing that
Tags: Clef Records, Illinois Jacquet, Imperial Records, Lester Young, Sheila Jordan, Sonny Criss
A Bargain At Under $1,000?
Sep 16, 2009 $1000 Records, Prestige, Price Guide
If a record should sell for more than $1,000, perhaps this would fit the bill: Sonny Rollins, Tenor Madness, Prestige 7047. This was a beautiful, New York pressing in mint minus condition, for both the record and the cover. Sonny and Trane together, an early Prestige, great cover. It’s got it all. This one sold for $832. As great a record as this is, this is the highest price we’ve ever recorded for it. The previous high in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was $543. I actually think this one would have sold for a higher price with a better picture. Someday soon we will be adding a copy of this to the $1,000 been, we are quite sure.
Tags: John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins
A Pair for the $2,000 Bin & A Pair of Surprises
Sep 16, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Riverside
As we mentioned the other day, there has been an overflow of $1,000 records. Here are a few more, including a couple for the $2,000 bin:
Lee Morgan, City Lights, Blue Note 1575. This one was pointed out earlier by one of our readers. It was in M- condition by a credible seller and it was an original pressing. It sold for $2,655.
Barney Wilen, Tilt, Swing Vogue LDM 30.058. This was an original French pressing. The record ws what we would call VG++ and the cover was M-. This one sold for $2,250. This one is not new to the $2,000 club: It has previously sold for $2,700 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.
Sonny Criss, Jazz-USA, Imperial 9006. This was a surprise to see in this category, simply because
Tags: Barney Wilen, Bill Evans, Imperial Records, Lee Morgan, Sonny Criss, Vogue
A Sonny Clark Not For $1,000; Another Bulls-Eye
Sep 16, 2009 Blue Note
Here are a few interesting records we’ve been watching the past couple of days:
Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. This one looked to be VG++ for the record and mint minus for the cover. Given the prices of Blue Notes lately — and Sonny Clark Blue Notes in particular — this one looked like a cinch to join the $1,000 bin. It didn’t, but it sure came close: It sold for $909.
Back to John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This is the one with the bulls-eye cover. While we’ve pretty well established that this is not quite a first pressing — that would be a black label — this pressing seems to be catching on with eBay bidders. This one was in what we would probably call VG++/VG++ condition and it sold for $457.50. To give credit to the dealer, he notes that it is not as desireable as the black label.
And another Blue Note:
Tags: Atlantic Records, John Coltrane, Sonny Clark
Happy Birthday, Cannonball
Sep 15, 2009 Features, Jazz Memoirs
Thank you to Don-Lucky for pointing out that this would have been Cannonball Adderley’s 81st birthday. I’ll never forget where I was when Cannonball died back in August 1975. I was driving my car in Auburn, N.Y., where I was just breaking in as a newspaper reporter. I had to pull over to compose myself. Cannonball was always a big figure for me because he was a favorite of my father’s and I saw him a few times as a kid and also because the album Live At The Lighthouse was the first or second record that really set me on the path to becoming a jazz fan and, eventually, a jazz collector. For my money, after Bird there was Cannon on alto and then a big gap to whoever would be next. I’ve been putting records on eBay lately, a lot of duplicates, and I listen to parts of them before I post them. Every time I put on a Cannonball record, particularly the early ones on Mercury, I am surprised and amazed once again at just how much he had under his fingers and how naturally he swung and how everything he did was just great. So, Happy Birthday, indeed. By the way,
Tags: Cannonball Adderley
A Tale of a Few Vocalists
Sep 15, 2009 Features
I was perusing a Web site called Jazz.com the other day. They’ve been picking up a few of my posts here and there and sending traffic my way, which I appreciate. Anyway, they pointed to another feature from another post somewhere else in which the great drummer Jimmy Cobb was asked to list his six favorite records. Anyway, there was Miles Birth of the Cool and, of course, Kind of Blue, on which Cobb played. Then there was an Oscar Peterson and, incredibly to me, a Wynton Marsalis. I won’t comment on that one. The two that struck me were the vocalists: Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. This brought up a conversation I had with a friend last weekend. He had made the point that he believed there were three premium vocal stylists (in the jazz idiom, of course) in the 20th Century. They were:
Tags: Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Cobb
The Incredible Rise of the $1,000 Jazz Record
Sep 14, 2009 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Prestige, Price Guide, Riverside
The $1,000 bin truly doth runneth over days. It’s quite an interesting phenomenon.
Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. A few years ago, I bought a copy of this on eBay in similar condition for about $300. At the time, I thought I was overpaying. A few weeks ago I sold a separate copy on eBay for about $325. It was in nice condition, with a VG+ cover. This was not a record I ever expected to see in the $1,000 bin. This copy sold for $1,313.
Here’s another one I never expected to see sell for more than $1,000: Cannonball Adderley, Somethin’s Else, Blue Note 1595. This is a nice record, but has never been among the higher-priced Blue Notes. The highest price we had previously recorded for this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was around $400. This copy was in mice M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,475.
This one almost entered the $2,000 bin:
Tags: Art Pepper, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Chet Baker, Hank Mobley, Johnny Griffin, JR Monterose, Kenny Dorham, Paul Chambers, Sonny Rollins
