April, 2014 | jazzcollector.com

A Conclave of Coltrane

April 30, 2014 Al 11 comments

Just cleaning out the last of my eBay watch list before moving on to new items.

John Coltrane, Tenor Conclave, Prestige 7074. Notice how I listed this as a John Coltrane record. It is actually one of those Prestige jam sessions featuring Coltrane along with Hank Mobley, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. So Why do I think of it as a Coltrane record? Because that’s where I place it within my collection, under the Coltranes. Where else would you put it? Mobley aficionados aside, Coltrane is the one transformational musician in that group, aside from being, by far, my favorite tenor play among the four of them. So, to me, it’s always been a Coltrane record, and one I am quite happy to own. This one was in M- condition for the record and probably VG+ or VG++ for the cover. It sold for $350. A bargain for someone, IMHO. This one falls into the same category: John Coltrane, Wheelin’ and Dealin’, Prestige 7131. This one features Coltrane along with Frank Wess and Paul Quinichette. For me, it’s a Coltrane record. This one was in VG+ condition for the record and the cover and sold for $263. Wonder what prices they would be selling for if they were on Blue Note? Double that? Triple?

And now some Blue Notes:

Would You Pay $5,000 For This Record?

April 28, 2014 Al 28 comments

As promised, here is the original DownBeat review of Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568, perhaps the most valuable and treasured of all the Jazz Collector collectibles. This is from Oct. 30, 1958 and the reviewer is John A. Tynan:

“Hank Mobley — Blue Note 1568: Might Moe and Joe; Falling in Love With Love; Bags Groove; Double Exposure; News.

“Personnel: Mobley, tenor; Curtis Porter, alto, tenor; Bill Hardman, trumpet; Sonny Clark, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; Art Taylor, drums

“Rating — Three and a half stars

“One of the nicer things about Al Lion and associates at Blue Note is that they don’t hesitate to present new talent they consider worthwhile. On this set is presented 29-year-0old Philadelphia saxman Curtis Porter, who is equal to the company. Although it is Mobley’s date, the leader allows generous space for the wailing of his fellow reedman, which makes for a high degree of hard blowing.

Not-So-Cool Struttin’

April 27, 2014 Al 16 comments

I happened to be perusing old DownBeats yesterday when I casually opened up the issue of Oct. 30, 1958. The “jazz record reviews” listed on the cover were for Harry Belafonte, Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Earl Hines, Shorty Rogers and Bob Scobey. Nothing too interesting, and I almost passed up on reading the reviews. So I was a bit surprised to see that this issue contained reviews of two of the rarest and most highly treasured records in the entire Jazz Collector pantheon: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588 and Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568.

Let’s start with Cool Struttin’. The reviewer, Don Gold, gave it two and a half stars out of a possible five stars. To put it in perspective, Cool Struttin’ had a lower rating than these records, also reviewed in this issue: Steve Allen All Stars Featuring Terry Gibbs; Danny Alvin and His Kings of Dixieland Play Basin Street: Belafonte Sings the Blues; Paul Horn Plenty of Horn, and Moe Koffman, The “Shepherd” Swings Again. This is what the reviewer had to say about Cool Struttin’:

Another Fun Night of Jazz Vinyl

April 25, 2014 Al 25 comments

Well, I had so much fun the night before, I decided to do it again last night. Listening to a classic jazz record, that is. My choice was John Coltrane, Coltrane, Prestige 7105. Why this record? It is one that has always slipped through the cracks for me and, honestly, I don’t think I had ever given it a really close listen until last night. The first copy I purchased of this record was a blue label pressing in mediocre condition with a not-so-great cover. I never owned an original copy until I purchased the Irving Kalus collection last year and now, I’m almost embarrassed to say, I own two mint original copies of this record as a result of the Bruce W. West Baltimore collection. Part of the reason for listening to this record was practical: Do I keep two copies, one for the city and one for the country? Or do I potentially sell one on eBay or bring it to the WFMU Record Fair in New York next month? So I had an hour last night and I put this record on the turntable and, again, it was magic.

Prestige

Having Fun With Jazz Records

April 24, 2014 Al 19 comments

I had fun with my records last night. I had about an hour and a half where I had nothing to do, nothing I wanted to read, and I decided I would just sit and listen to two records fully rapt, eyes closed, no distractions. But what to play? I just went to the shelves and the first record that caught my eye was Mating Call, Tadd Dameron and John Coltrane, Prestige 7070. Why Mating Call? I’m not sure. It’s not a record I’ve listened to often and it’s not on my regular play list. When I want to listen to Coltrane, there are other records that grab my eye. Perhaps I haven’t listened to Mating Call in 10 years, so I wanted to check it out again. And I did. What a great record. This is actually, I think, the first record on which Coltrane was the sole featured horn player. His playing is great, not nearly as adventurous as it would become, but far more confident than on Miles, Prestige 7014. He had either come a long way in the period between those recordings, or the format gave him more room to showcase his gifts. As for Tadd Dameron, Read more

Recording Record Record Prices

April 22, 2014 Al 6 comments

Spent some time casually perusing eBay for jazz vinyl the other day and here were some of the items I found.

Beverly Kenney Sings For Johnny Smith, Roost 2206. This was an original pressing with the blue label and deep grooves. The record was listed in mint condition and the cover was VG++. There were 18 bids and the record sold for $660. I’m sure there are Beverly Kenney records that have sold for a higher price, but that’s the highest that we’ve ever seen in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

The same seller had several other interesting items as well, including: Steve Lacy, Evidence with Don Cherry, New Jazz 8271. This was an original purple label pressing listed in near mint condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. This one sold for $687, setting another record for the Jazz Collector Price Guide. And here’s another:

A Pair For the Jazz Collector Vinyl Price Guide

April 19, 2014 Al One comment

Let’s just clean up on a couple of the jazz records we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Roland Kirk, Triple Threat, King 539. This was the original pressing in VG+ or so condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. When we first watched, it had a start price of $1,000 and zero bids. It ended up with three bids and a price of $1,875.

Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This was something, maybe an original, maybe not. No mention of the address on label or the deep grooves. Pictures were not all that clear, but when you looked close up you could see the West 63rd address and what appeared to be deed grooves. The record did have shrink wrap, which could have made it a later pressing. Nonetheless, it was in probably VG condition and the cover was probably VG as well. It sold for $485.

Lou REALLY!!! Takes Off, and More

April 16, 2014 Al 26 comments

Here’s some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This was an original pressing listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,499.99. If you ever needed evidence on the increasing value of Blue Note originals, here it is. It has the presence of Sonny Clark on piano, which always seems to raise the value of the records (for good reason, IMHO), but this is quite a hefty price for a Lou Donaldson LP. Very happy to have acquired a mint copy recently. The gift of Baltimore keeps coming for me.

Sonny Clark is on this one as well and, again, the price is somewhat reflective: Curtis Fuller, Bone & Bari, Blue Note 1572. This was an original pressing, probably in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. This one sold for $1,624.99.

Here’s another Blue Note from the same era, although no Sonny Clark:

Random Musings From the Jazz Collector World

April 14, 2014 Al 12 comments

Here’s some random stuff from the world of Jazz Collector.

No more J & R Music World in lower Manhattan. The iconic outlet closed last week, as reported here in the New York Daily News. The combination of music sales moving online and consumer electronics sales moving online makes it inevitable that brick-and-mortar stores such as these will struggle and ultimately have to find new revenue streams or face going out of business. I remember J&R back in the day, before CDs, when it was the place to buy records that were in print. It stocked pretty much everything and the prices were fair. But that was a long time ago. Last time I was there, maybe three years ago, they were trying to revive vinyl sales with reissues and even some used vinyl, but, with the used vinyl, the prices were way too high for regular buyers like me. Another one bites the dust.

This one is kind of silly, but it came in the mailbox: The CBS program “60 Minutes” conducted a survey and ask respondents to choose which was more important, jazz or hip hip. 73% chose jazz and 19% chose hip hop. And this means . . . .?

News

A Triple Threat of Jazz Vinyl

April 12, 2014 Al 20 comments

Here’s some jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay, starting with Roland Kirk, Triple Threat, King 539. This looks to be an original pressing listed in Ex condition for the record, which I’m taking to mean maybe VG+, and VG++ condition for the cover. It’s a rare record, but I’m getting pretty tired of the term Holy Grail, aren’t you? Anyway this grail, holy or not, has an starting price of about $1,000 and there are no takers so far. I’m a big fan of Kirk, and I don’t own this LP, but at $1,000 it doesn’t even come up on my radar.

Wes Montgomery, Full House, Riverside 434. This is a promo pressing with the white label. I can’t tell from either the pictures or the description whether it is an original pressing, but there is definitely a lot of action on the record so perhaps it is. The record and cover are probably in VG++ condition. The bidding is in the $340 range and the auction closes later today.

This seller can use a lesson in photo management:

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