A 10-Inch Potpourri

Back in business with some more random rare jazz vinyl, focusing today on records in the 10-inch pile, starting with Charlie Parker All Stars, Dial 202. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG+ condition for the record and probably VG or VG+ for the cover. Front cover looks nice; back cover has some writing and stains. This one is closing tomorrow at a start price of about $350 and so far there are no bids. It may seem amazing to most of you but, after all of these years, I still don’t have any of the original 10-inch Birds on Dial. It’s not for lack of interest or lack of trying. I’ve just never seen them at a price/condition I felt comfortable paying. Here’s a record that looks quite nice: Horace Silver Trio, Blue Note 5034. This looks to be an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Not only a rare record, but extra rare to see one in this condition. This auction closes in two days and there is a single bid in the $400 range.

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Rare Blue Notes in All Shapes, Sizes and Formats

Record temptation came and went. The Blue Note 78s from the Jazz Record Center sold for $910 and, by the time the auction came around, I had forgotten all about them. I seem to be less obsessive in my old age. I think this is a good thing. The Lovely Mrs. JC certainly does. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have topped $910 even if I had remembered. There was also this odd item from the same auction: Rare Blue Note Salesman’s Folio. This was a spiral-bound portfolio with promoting Blue Note releases from August 1967, with a “salesman’s demonstration record.” I have to admit, I’ve never seen one of these. It sold for $1,009.99. Imagine if there was a pre-Liberty portfolio, or one from the ‘50s? Read more

Blue Notes or Bust

What jazz collection would be complete without a copy of The Swinging Fats Sadi, Blue Note  5061? I say this in jest because mine is one of those collections that does not have a copy of this 10-inch Blue Note, nor have I ever seen a copy in the real world nor heard a note from the recording. Still, it is an original 10-inch Blue Note, sort of, in the sense that it wasn’t actually recorded for Blue Note but was originally issued on French Vogue, just like the Clifford Brown/Gigi Gryce Paris Sessions and Wade Legge Blue Notes (thanks, again, Rudolf, for spelling that out for us several times in the past). So, if you are looking to fill in this particular blank in your Blue Note collection (I’m not), there is a copy if this record for sale on eBay now. The record is listed as M- and the cover seems close to that and the start price is $350. So far there are no bidders. For the record (pun intended), three copies of this record have previously sold for more than $500, according to Popsike. We’ll see what happens with this one. It is a pretty cool cover. Then again, can you think of a 10-inch Blue Note that doesn’t have a pretty cool cover? Or a 12-inch Blue Note?

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Bird, Dial, Blue Note And Fillers for the $1,000 Bin

I have a lot of records stacked in my eBay watch list, some from a few weeks ago, so I am going to use this post to clear things out, starting with some 10-inch records: Charlie Parker, Dial 207. This was an original 10-inch pressing. The record was only in VG condition and the cover was VG++. It sold for $1,075. Not sure why. We’ve seen this record in much stronger condition sell for a lot less. The seller took a great picture of the cover, so maybe that helped.

This seller had some nice 10-inch LPs a few weeks ago, including Clifford Brown Quartet, Blue Note 5047. This one looked to be in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover, perhaps a little better for the record. The final price was $565. Also, Lou Donaldson Sextet, Volume 2, Blue Note 5055. This one was graded M-, but the seller’s description made it sound more like VG++. The cover was VG++. The final price was $350. Read more

Two Rare Jazz LPs You Don’t Often (or Ever) Encounter

It’s always fun to find records I’ve never seen before and, thanks to eBay, that happens more often than you would think, particularly since I’ve been scouring jazz vinyl bins for close to 50 years now (you can’t imagine how much it pains me to write that). Anyway, here’s one on eBay now: James Moody, Moody’s Mood, Vogue L.D. 018. This is an original French 10-inch pressing, with a very interesting cover. I’ve never seen a copy of this record before, although we have written about it before on Jazz Collector — actually, it was Rudolf who wrote about it in the post A Comprehensive Guide to French Vogue back in 2010. This copy looks to be in VG- condition for the record and VG for the cover. It has a start price in the $190 range and a buy-it-now in the $250 range.

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Random Thoughts, Random Rare Jazz Vinyl

Here’s some random rare jazz vinyl from the stuff we are watching on eBay, starting with Charlie Parker Sextet, Dial 207. This is an original 10-inch pressing listed in VG condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. There are nearly six days left on the auction and the bidding is in the $200 range. One reason I’m watching this is because, after all these years of collecting jazz (we are now somehow approaching 50), and even the years that my father collected before me, I still don’t have any of the original Bird 10-inch Dials. It’s certainly not for lack of scouring for them, but I haven’t been inclined to pay top dollar and the only time I’ve ever seen them in nice condition would have required me to pay top dollar. This one included because, to me, at more than $200 in VG condition, this has already exceeded my personal comfort level. So, the search continues.

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Feeding the Obsession, Yet Again

So that trip to Spike’s Record Rack in Catskill, NY, sparked a bit of inspiration for me, as far as listening to records and enjoying my collection. First of all, I realized, one again, and this is obvious to everyone who knows me, including all of you here who know me but don’t actually know me, that I really enjoy buying records. I know, it’s a big reveal, but sometimes it’s easy to forget. For years it has seemed that the era of going to record stores and actually finding collectible jazz records in nice condition was over and never coming back, having evolved to an online/eBay world. Who would have thought that there would a vinyl revival, not just in records but in stores that carry jazz vinyl and cater to vinyl enthusiasts such as us? It is a pleasant and wholly unexpected surprise that an activity that has given me so much enjoyment all of these years is now something I can do again. Now, if my knees would cooperate with basketball and my arm with stickball, I’d really be drinking from the fountain of youth. Read more

Back in Action: Rare Newk, Redd, Jackie

I’m back. Haven’t looked at eBay in a couple of weeks, so that’s where I’m going to start: Sonny Rollins Quintet, Esquire 20-080. This is a 10-inch British version of the 10-inch U.S. LP Sonny Rollins Quintet Featuring Kenny Dorham, Prestige 186. I’ve never owned either the U.S. or U.K. pressing, so this copy looks extraordinarily cool to me. It is listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is in the $200 range and so far there are no bidders, with five days left on the auction. Tempting, I must say.

And then there is my old nemesis:

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Blasts From the Past

Sorry I’ve been inconsistent again with my posting frequency. In my real work I’m helping to ghost write a book on cybersecurity and the first volume is closing, so it’s been very busy. Before getting down to the business at hand of looking at records on eBay, I have a question to pose from our good friend Clifford, as follows: “Do you know which came first in terms of Contemporary Records mono pressings of Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section, blue title on the back slick or red title text? I always assumed blue was first, but have seen some with red text referred to as original.” I know that I have an original pressing of this record because when I bought the Bruce M. West Collection (oh, happy memories), there was a copy of Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section with the purchase date, the original loose plastic outer sleeve and a promotional card from Contemporary. It was quite a nice package to have. In fact, I ran a picture with the original post, repeated here. This copy, and my other original pressing, both have the blue title on the back and the red text. Was there a contemporaneous (pun intended) release with red text in the title. That’s the question Clifford is posing. And the answer is?

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A Rare 10-Inch Trio and $3K For Saxophone Colossus

Been offline for a few days, but back in business. Here are a few records that sold on eBay whilst I was away, starting with Jack Sheldon Quartet, Get Out of Town, Jazz:West 1. This was an original 10-inch pressing. To be honest, this is a record I’ve never seen before and I wasn’t even aware of any 10-inch records on the Jazz:West label. Apparently, there were two, both by Jack Sheldon. This one was in VG+ condition for the record and G for the cover. It sold for $450.45. And the same seller had the second Jazz:West 10-inch LP as well: Jack Sheldon Quintet with Zoot Sims, Jazz:West 2. This one was in much better condition, listed as M- for both the record and the cover. It sold for $560. You would think, based on the condition, there would have been a bigger discrepancy between the prices.

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