On eBay: Morgan, Zoot, Chambers & Rare Mobley
Feb 28, 2010 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Here are some nice items coming up soon on eBay:
Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing being sold by Euclid Records. The vinyl is listed as VG++ and the cover is listed as M-. The current price is a little more than $300, but it’s hard to believe that this one won’t sell for more than $1,000, perhaps considerably more, given the way prices on Blue Notes have been going.
The Great Zoot Sims, Down Home, Bethlehem 60. This is an original red label pressing. The record and vinyl seem to be in what we would grade as VG++ condition, based on the seller’s description. The current price is about $150.
This one is already close to $800 and it hasn’t yet reached the seller’s reserve price:
Tags: Bethlehem Records, Hank Mobley, Jazz Vinyl, Lee Morgan, Paul Chambers, Zoot Sims
Jazz Vinyl Give-Away: Dexter Gordon on Blue Note
Feb 28, 2010 Blue Note, Free Collectibles
Time to complete our latest give-away contest. It’s been so long perhaps some of you, like me, had forgotten what we are giving away. Here it is: Dexter Gordon, Blue Note LA393-H2. This is part of the Blue Note Re-Issue Series from 1975. It is a double LP and it is still in its original factory seal. The record is a compilation of some of Dexter’s best work on Blue Note, starting with selections from Dexter Calling in 1961 and extending to Gettin’ Around in 1965. As always, the rules to be eligible for the give-away are simple: All you have to do is comment on the Jazz Collector site during the course of the contest and you are put in the pool of names. That’s it. I am also pleased to report that the number of comments and commenters on the site has reached record-high numbers and we have
Tags: Dexter Gordon
Another Tail of Two Covers
Feb 27, 2010 Album Covers
So I was at a record store recently and on the shelves saw a copy of the record 3 Degrees East –3 Degrees West on World Pacific. It had a cover I hadn’t recalled seeing. Even though I was pretty sure the cover I had at home was the original, the price was cheap enough so I purchased it. It was interesting when I got home and compared the two covers. The cover on the left in the picture is the original. This is the one I had in my collection. It has a copyright date of 1956 on the back and is on Pacific Jazz Records, PJ-1217. It also has the “kakubushi” framed cover. The record I purchased at the store, with the cover on the right, is copyrighted from 1957 and is on World Pacific Records, also number PJ-1217. The liner notes and pictures on the back are the same. Not sure why the company would re-release the record with different packaging just a year later: You’d think if
Tags: Bill Perkins, Jim Hall, John Lewis, Pacific Jazz Records, World Pacific Records
Taking A Chance on Junk Vinyl
Feb 26, 2010 Jazz Memoirs
I will let you in on one of my dirty little collecting secrets. Sometimes I will take a flyer and bid on a box or collection of records on eBay from a seller who may not know what he’s doing. The goal is to find one or two gems. I do this for a few reasons: 1. I’m a gambler at heart, so I’m always one to take risks. 2. The first time I ever did this I bought a box of records for about $60 and, when they arrived, they were loaded with original Verves and Prestiges that I estimated to be worth at least $3,000. So I was a bit hooked. 3. The cost of shipping these boxes overseas is often prohibitive so, generally, the competition for these items is not so steep, just U.S. buyers. Which brings me to my most recent purchase, shown in the picture. It was clear when I looked at the picture that just about every record here was virtually worthless. Except for one. Can you identify it? Look at the
Tags: Bethlehem Records, Dexter Gordon, Stan Levey
More Blue Notes, More Record Price Tags
Feb 25, 2010 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Prices for Blue Notes — at least those in near mint condition — are continuing to rise, based on some of the latest eBay sales. Take a look at these:
A Date With Jimmy Smith, Volume 2, Blue Note 1548. This was in near mint condition and it was sold by the same seller who sold those pristine JJ Johnson records the other day. This one sold for $792. The record features Hank Mobley, Lou Donaldson and Donald Byrd, but this is still a new high price tag for it, at least for the time we’ve been watching it.
This one was from Euclid Records: The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Volume 1, Blue Note 1531. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. It was listed as M- condition for both
Tags: Art Blakey, Bud Powell, Euclid Records, Fats Navarro, Horace Silver, Jazz Messengers, Jazz Vinyl, Jimmy Smith
For the $1,000 Bin: Griffin, JJ, Hubbard
Feb 24, 2010 $1000 Records, Blue Note
It’s been a while since we’ve updated the $1,000, and there are, as expected, a few new entries. Here goes:
Introducing Johnny Griffin, Blue Note 1533. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it was listed in M-, pristine condition. The price: $2,651.01.
Also from the same seller were these: The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volume 1, Blue Note 1505. This was also an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it was also in pristine condition. It sold for $1,507, which is way more than we’ve ever recorded in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. In fact, our previous high price for any JJ Johnson record was less than $400. There there was: The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2, Blue Note 1506. This was
Tags: Freddie Hubbard, JJ Johnson, Johnny Griffin
Jazz Vinyl Countdown: Jackie, Bluesnik
Feb 23, 2010 Blue Note, The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown
So I went through this whole process of cataloguing my Blue Notes a few weeks ago. It was quite interesting and, if you’ve been following my adventures, you will recall that it led to (yet another) existential crisis. More on that later. For now: In going through my Blue Notes I came to the realization that some records I thought I owned as original pressings were not originals. This is fine, except for the ones that are blue label late pressing Blue Notes, of which, unfortunately, Jackie McClean, Bluesnik, Blue Note 4067, was one. This, I thought, was a record that needed to be replaced by a better copy — i.e., an earlier pressing that wouldn’t cause me to hang my head in disgust every time I looked at it. With a blue label Blue Note, no matter how good the record, I was never going to listen to it, period. The problem, however, is that Bluesnik is now selling
Tags: Jackie McLean
Kind of Blue for $5,000?
Feb 22, 2010 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Our friend CeeDee sent us this link the other day for this record: Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This is an original promo copy with the white label, 6-eye logo. You can click the link and look at the item and go to the bottom of the listing for a laugh, or you can simply continue reading here for the punchline.
The seller has this listed for a buy-it-now price of $5,000 and in his listing he states that this is the only promo copy of this record he has ever seen. A reader is indignant at such an absurd price and preposterous claim and mentions a near mint copy that sold the other for for $355. He refers the seller to popsike where there is a history of these sold and at one point asks the seller: “Listen, are you on drugs?”
To which the seller replies simply: “yes.”
And there it is. A refreshingly honest exchange on eBay.
Tags: Columbia Records, Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
Watching Some More Second Pressings
Feb 22, 2010 Blue Note
Here are a few items we’ve been watching, none of them an original pressing, each of them selling for a pretty hefty price tag. What I find interesting is that these second pressings of highly collectible records seem to be selling a lot better than original pressings of more moderately collectible records. It seems that certain records are just in demand and second pressings are becoming acceptable to collectors.
Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This was a West 63rd Street pressing. It was listed in VG+ condition for both the cover and the vinyl. The price was $222.50.
Jackie McLean Quintet, Jubilee 1064. This is a reissue of The New Tradition on Ad Lib, although it’s probable not all of the bidders knew this. In any case, this copy was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $182.50.
This next one didn’t get a huge price, but still not bad for a second pressing:
Tags: Ad Lib Records, Art Blakey, Jackie McLean, Jazz Vinyl, Jubilee Records, Paul Chambers
On eBay: Some Blue Notes, Curtis Fuller Savoy
I’m sitting here hanging out with the lovely Mrs. JC and whilst she’s chatting on the phone I’ve spent the last hour going through two full days of jazz records on eBay. Here are some of the items I found — far fewer collectibles than I would have expected to encounter over 48 hours, by the way:
Johnny Griffin, The Congregation, Blue Note 1580. This is an odd one: It has the original vinyl, but the cover does not seem to be an original. Does anyone know the vintage of the cover — it has no address on it? The cover is by Andy Warhol, so that has always added to the value of this particular Blue Note. The record and cover are both listed in M- condition. Despite the cover the bidding has already reached more than $240 and the record has yet to reach the seller’s reserve price.
The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 1, Blue Note 1505. This is an original Lexington
Tags: Andy Warhol, Curtis Fuller, JJ Johnson, Johnny Griffin
A Pair To Watch on eBay
Feb 21, 2010 Prestige
Here are a couple we’re watching on eBay today:
Monica Zetterlund with Bill Evans, Waltz For Debby, Phillips 08222PL. This is an original Swedish pressing. The vinyl is rated as VG++ and the cover is rated M-. The current price is a bit over $300.
Booker Ervin, The Blues Book, Prestige 7340. This is an original blue label mono pressing, The record is listed as M- and the cover looks like VG++. The current price is about $55. Curious to see how this one sells, after seeing the Don Patterson sell for more than $70 the other day.
Tags: Bill Evans, Booker Ervin, Monica Zetterlund, Phillips
Catching Up on Some Odds and Ends
Here are a few odds and ends we’ve been watching:
So when did this become a collectible: Don Patterson, The Hip Cake Walk, Prestige 7349? This was stereo pressing with the blue label. It was in M- condition for the vinyl and probably VG++ for the cover. It sold for $71. I realize that is not a Blue Note price, but I kind of viewed this as a $20 record. Is it the presence of Booker Ervin? I’ve seen certain Booker Ervin records, The Song Book on Prestige and The Book on Bethlehem, sell for nice collectible prices, but not any previous Don Pattersons on Prestige.
Here’s a nice Verve: Lester Young and Teddy Wilson, Pres and Teddy, Verve 8205. This was an original pressing with the trumpeter logo. It is also
Tags: Booker Ervin, Dave Burns, Don Patterson, Lester Young, Teddy Wilson, Vanguard Records
On EBay: Norgans, Riverside, Transition, More
Feb 18, 2010 Blue Note, Norgran
Here are some interesting items on eBay now:
My friend Steve at Roundagain Records in Providence has a few nice records closing pretty soon, including: Bud Powell, Jazz Original, Norgran 1017. This is an original yellow label, deep groove pressing. The record is VG++ and the cover is VG+. The price is already close to $150. Here’s another Norgran: An Evening With Anita O’Day, Norgran 1057. This is also an original yellow label pressing. The record and cover are in M- condition and the price is about $115. Here’s one more: Lucky Thompson, Lucky Strikes, Transition 21. This one is in VG+ to VG++ condition for the cover and record and it includes the booklet, which is not always so easy to find with the record anymore. This one is close to $200.
This one is more than $80 but hasn’t yet met the seller’s reserve price:
Tags: Anita O'Day, Bud Powell, Dizzy Reece, Johnny Griffin, Looney Tunes, Lucky Thompson, Round Again Records, Transition Records
Jazz Vinyl Countdown: Sonny 10-Inch Prestige
Feb 17, 2010 10-Inch LPs, Prestige, The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown
How do you place a value on an album like this: Sonny Rollins Quartet, Prestige 137? Here’s my story: I purchased a copy of this record about 25 years ago as part of a large collection. It is quite, quite rare, Sonny is one of my favorite artists and it has this great cover picture of him from the early 1950s with slicked-back hair and a wisp of a mustache. A real beauty, right? However, the copy I owned was in pretty poor shape and a few years ago I picked up a near mint copy on eBay for $200. Actually, it was advertised as near mint and it’s not near mint, but that’s another story. So I’ve been sitting with two copies of this record, one in poor shape, and as I’ve been trying to weed doubles out of my collection, I’ve put this one aside and avoided making a decision. For some reason, this week
Tags: Dayton's, Sonny Rollins
Catching Up: Morgan, Blakey, Kenny Dorham
Feb 17, 2010 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Here are a few records we’ve been watching:
Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. This seemed to be an original pressing listed as being in near mint condition. The price was $741. It’s hard to think of a record selling for $741 as being a bargain but given Blue Note prices lately, this seems kind of low. I had expected it to break into the $1,000 bin.
Because of some of the chatter on the site, we’ve also decided to keep an eye on more second pressings, such as this one: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, The Big Beat, Blue Note 4029. This was a New York USA pressing — not an original — and it was
Tags: ABC Paramount, Art Blakey, Jazz Vinyl, Kenny Dorham, Lee Morgan
What To Do With Two Covers: A Simple Solution
Feb 16, 2010 Prestige
One of the great things about doing the Jazz Collector site is that I get to learn along with everyone else. Remember I did that post the other day about the two Teddy Charles Prestige covers and Rudolf replied, as I hoped he would, and he mentioned the Jon Eardley Seven, Prestige 7033, and how Prestige just decided one day that it would no longer be a Jon Eardley record and would now be a Zoot Sims record, Zoot Sims Down East, only they didn’t change the number, they just changed the packaging. And I read that and I thought to myself: Whoops, I think I have both of those records, in different parts of my collection: One under “E” for Eardley and the other under “S” for Sims. Now, here’s the real beauty of the entire situation:
Tags: Jon Eardley, Zoot Sims
What Makes a Collectible a Collectible?
Feb 16, 2010 Features, Jazz Memoirs, Questions
In another post (A Visit To A Record Store, Part 2), Jan poses an interesting question, addressed to experienced and serious collectors: What do you consider to be collectible and how do you decide if a second pressing of a record is collectible or not?
I am not, I must admit, among the most serious of collectors. I know this sounds odd coming from the guy who writes about jazz records every day, pores over eBay listings to decide which records to put in the Price Guide and writes articles under the headline “Confessions of a Vinyl Addict.”
However, and this gets to Jan’s point: The copy of Saxophone Colossus in my collection is a Bergenfield, N.J. pressing. Same with Tenor Madness. I have the Bergenfield copies, they are in great condition, they have yellow labels, this is enough for me. I have the music in an early pressing, it sounds great, I’m OK. Would I like a New York pressing of both of these records? Yes. Would I ever obsess about it? No. Would I ever pay the going rate on eBay for them? Not a chance.
The people I’ve always considered to be “serious collectors” wouldn’t accept these second pressings and are constantly hunting for the original pressings and would not be content with anything but an original. I do think, however, things are changing and the
Tags: Jazz Vinyl
More Blue Notes, More Big Price Tags
Feb 15, 2010 Blue Note
Catching up on some recent eBay sales.
Here’s one that was quite a surprise: Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Blue Note 1525. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. Normally the Jimmy Smith Blue Notes have not fetched huge dollars, but something is changing in the Blue Note market: All of the originals are going up in value and even later pressings are starting to sell at collectible prices. This one sold for an eye-popping $511.
May as well stick with some more Blue Notes: Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume 1. This one, of course, has the cover illustration by Andy Warhol. The record was
Tags: Andy Warhol, Bennie Green, Dexter Gordon, Horace Parlan, Ike Quebec, Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell
A Visit to A Record Store, Part 3
Feb 15, 2010 Jazz Memoirs
So many comments to follow up on, but first let me finish my little trilogy about my visit to Infinity Records. Given the market conditions for music the days, it’s easy to assume that the days of the brick and mortar record store are numbered. In the mainstream music market, CDs are collapsing as the medium shifts to an online digital model. In the collectibles market, eBay has become the dominant sales medium. But, for now at least, it seems there is still room for a few places where people can physically walk into a store and purchase music. I happened to be in lower Manhattan a few weeks ago with time to kill and I popped in to J&R Music. It was jam-packed with people. And I was amazed to see the rows and rows and rows of CDs. They even had four bins of new vinyl — lots of recent Blue Note pressings — as well as a wall full of collectible vinyl that featured autographed covers, including Billie Holiday, Dexter Gordon and others. The key was that they were comprehensive: You got the sense that if there was a jazz CD you wanted, you’d be able to find it there — as opposed to walking into a Border’s or Barnes and Noble, where the music is clearly secondary. There is also room, I think, for good record stores that understand the collectibles market. I spoke to Joe Ostermeier at Infinity — that’s Joe in the picture, standing in front of his wall of records — and he said business is still solid, no major let up as the music world has
Tags: Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Infinity Records, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Tal Farlow, Teddy Charles
A Visit To A Record Store, Part 2
Feb 13, 2010 Jazz Memoirs, Prestige
OK, so I was at my favorite record store, Infinity Records, and I was asking the guys to pull records off the wall and one of the records was this one: Teddy Charles (with Shorty Rogers and Jimmy Giuffre), Collaboration West, Prestige 7028. I knew the record was familiar and I was pretty sure I owned it but I started doubting myself because (1) I have too many records too keep track of every single one and (2) Remember I had that birthday last week and age does awful things to one’s memory and (3) I still do remember record covers and this cover did not look familiar at all. So I looked at the record and it was a New York pressing, deep groove, mono, RVG in the deadwax, yellow label, all the stuff you would look for. The vinyl was in pretty nice VG++ condition and the cover was a shade below M-. The price was fair as well: $75. So I bought the record, and put it in the bag with the Tal record and a couple of others and I got in the car and started driving home and I kept pondering and pondering this Teddy Charles record on Prestige and I realized, “Hey, wait a second. I have that record. But the
Tags: Jimmy Giuffre, Shorty Rogers, Teddy Charles
A Visit to a Record Store, Part 1
Feb 13, 2010 Jazz Memoirs, Norgran
I had a yen to go to a record store the other day. I don’t go to record stores much these days. First of all, there aren’t too many record stores remaining. Secondly, I’m trying to get rid of records, not add them. But it was my birthday last week and I’ve always gotten records for my birthday — even if I had to buy them myself — and perhaps it was merely just a Pavlovian reaction from years of training: Birthday = records, records = record stores. So I took a drive out to the last remaining great record store on Long Island: Infinity Records in Massapequa Park. I’ve been going there for at least 20 or more years and there was a time I would probably take a ride out at least every other week as part of my regular route of scouring all the local stores. This time, I hadn’t been out in at least a year or so. My first stop was to check out “the wall.” The store’s owner, Joe Ostermeier, always hangs some of his best records on the wall and he always has some good jazz. Sure enough, there were three or four items of interest. Among the records I wanted to check out was one of my all-time favorites: The Tal Farlow Album, Norgran 1047. I happened to remember that my copy of this record, the
Tags: Infinity Records, Tal Farlow
Jazz Vinyl Countdown: Max Roach, Dorham, Mobley
Feb 12, 2010 The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown
I was poring through my records the other day and stopped for a moment on this one: Max Roach Four Plays Charlie Parker, Mercury SR 80019. I’ve had this record for a while and haven’t listened to it in years, but it struck me as such: It features two of the great stalwarts of the Blue Note catalogue — Hank Mobley and Kenny Dorham — both in their primes; it has a great cover and a great concept. Yet, it is not really high on any list of collectible records and, in fact, we have never once even tagged it in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, which means we haven’t really seen it sell for a collectible price in the past seven years. And it struck me: What if this record, with this personnel, in this era — 1958 or so — had been issued on Blue Note? What would it be worth? Why is there such a profound difference between the value of a record like this, on the Mercury label, and a record with similar personnel in the same era from the Blue Note era? I think these are rhetorical questions, but I’m happy
Tags: George Coleman, Hank Mobley, Kenny Dorham, Max Roach, Mercury Records
Win a Free Collectible: Dexter Gordon On Blue Note
Feb 11, 2010 Blue Note, Free Collectibles
There’s been a lot of Blue Note chatter on Jazz Collector lately, and some Dexter Gordon chatter as well, so, as I was looking on my shelves for a suitable item for the next giveaway, I was pleased to come across this: Dexter Gordon, Blue Note LA393-H2. This is a double LP from 1975, issued by United Artists as part of Blue Note Reissue series. It consists of a variety of Dexter’s work, stretching from his first album as a leader on Blue Note, Doing All Right, up to the 1965 date the produced Gettin’ Around. I wouldn’t have purchased this LP when it came out, since my sole interest was collecting original pressings, but somewhere along the way I picked up this copy and, in fact, it is
Tags: Dexter Gordon, Jazz Vinyl
More Blue Note Favorites, Courtesy of Downbeat
Feb 10, 2010 Blue Note
I did that post earlier today and mentioned that Downbeat had done a whole feature asking various artists about their favorite Blue Note records. I was able to dig up my copy of the magazine — I don’t have a subscription anymore, but I had purchased this one on the newsstand because of the cover. It was from March of 2009. The cover, as you can see, has Joe Lovano with his favorite Blue Note: Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Free For All, Blue Note 4170. It’s quite gratifying to see his picture with a vinyl pressing, and a mono vinyl pressing at that and perhaps even an original mono pressing. Inside, the magazine asked a variety of other jazz artists to name their favorite Blue Notes as well. Here are their replies:
Tags: Andrew Hill, Art Blakey, Bobby Hutcherson, Dexter Gordon, Donald Byrd, Downbeat, Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard, Freddie Redd, Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver, JJ Johnson, Joe Henderson, Joe Lovano, John Coltrane, Larry Young, McCoy Tyner, Sheila Jordan, Sonny Clark, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter
A Blue Note Favorite: Is It The One?
Feb 10, 2010 Blue Note
Here’s an interesting item I was watching on eBay. Art Blakey, Buhaina’s Delight, Blue Note 4104. This was an original pressing with the NY USA label. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $172.01, which is relatively high for this record. Ever since I got into that Blue Note head a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about doing a post on my favorite Blue Note album, which Downbeat did about a year ago with a bunch of jazz artists. I will try to dig out my copy and do a subsequent post. My problem with choosing my favorite Blue Note is this: Every time I think I come up with the one album, I think about another and, to be honest, I’m having a hard time settling on one. I will say, however, that this album is a top contender, is definitely a finalist and may even emerge as the winner. We’ll see. Hopefully I will get around to doing the post. I can tell you how much I love this album: Even though
Tags: Art Blakey, Jazz Vinyl