Some 10-Inch LPs and Some Bird Envy
May 8, 2013 10-Inch LPs, 78-RPM Records
Here are some of the results from the Jazz Record Center auctions we were watching, including the one with the cover that has some of our readers weirded out. Let’s start with Kenny Dorham Quintet, Debut 9. This is an original 10-inch pressing, quite rare, that looked to be in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $960.
Charlie Mariano, Mariano, Bethlehem 1022. This was another 10-inch record from the collection of Tom Stewart and like the others the record was in M- condition and the cover probably VG++, with the owner’s name written in ink. This one sold for $355.
Now for the one with the weird cover, Red Mitchell, Happy Minors, Bethlehem 1033. This was from the same collection, M- for the record, VG++ for the cover. It sold for $333.88. So far I haven’t found a copy in my own collection. If I didn’t buy it originally for $50, I can say for pretty sure that it was because of the cover. Not one of my favorites, to be sure.
Speaking of covers, check out the next listing, and we will show a picture of the cover below:
Tags: Bethlehem Records, Charlie Mariano, Charlie Parker, Debut Records, Kenny Dorham, Red Mitchell
Sing a Song of 78s
Nov 26, 2012 78-RPM Records, Album Covers, Clef
One of our readers has been in a 78-RPM frame of mind recently and has sent me a couple of interesting 78 auctions on eBay, specifically boxed sets. Here’s the latest: Billie Holiday Sings, Mercury C-118. We all recognize this cover from the 10-inch LP of the same title and packaging with the iconic David Stone Martin illustration, but this is a boxed set that includes four 78s. Everything seems to be in about VG+ condition. This is definitely a cool item, particularly if you are into 78s. The price is already more than $200 and the auction closes later today. I do have an issue purchasing 78s on eBay, however, and it has to do with shipping. I’ve purchased 78s on eBay and I’ve sold 78s on eBay and shipping these fragile items in the mail is a challenge. I’ve sent some that I though were packaged perfectly, using recommended packaging material from the industry leader, yet they still broke in the mail. For an item like this, I’d be a little nervous. By the way, I play my 78s on a portable Califone record player, the type they used to use in public schools. The 78s sound really good on them, they are convenient and you can easily buy one for less than $100 on eBay. We haven’t asked this in a while, but are their 78s collectors out there, and how do you handle purchasing/playing your records? Also, what do you collect, and why?
eBaying: Frank Sinatra Autograph, LD BLue Note
May 3, 2011 78-RPM Records, Autographs, Blue Note
This one is for don-lucky and other autograph collectors out there. By the way, are there other autograph collectors out there? I though it was pretty cool: Frank Sinatra, Stormy Weather and Ol’Man River. This is a test/promo pressing of a 78 RPM record, clearly from Columbia although there are no other markings to indicate that. The record is signed in script: Best Wishes, Frank Sinatra. I’m not sure how to authenticate these things, but it looks pretty real. There was just one bidder and it sold for $395. Biggest problem with buying a 78 on eBay is the shipping. They are just so fragile.
And, while I’m here, here’s a random Blue Note I was watching: Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This looked to be an original pressing in VG+ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $334.
Tags: Frank Sinatra, Lou Donaldson
Moody’s Mood For A Jazz Collector
Feb 20, 2011 78-RPM Records, Autographs, Prestige
One of the advantages of having a large and diverse collection, as I have, is sometimes finding hidden gems buried somewhere in the collection. Of course, the disadvantage is sometimes not knowing what you have at all and buying things in duplicate, triplicate or worse. In any case, I had a pleasant discovery the other day. I was chatting with my sister and she had her iPod on the background. The song that came up was “Moody’s Mood for Love.” I didn’t care for the version – George Benson – but I told her about the history of the song, the James Moody recording of “I’m In the Mood For Love,” the Eddie Jefferson lyrics, the King Pleasure recording, etc. Anyway, when I got home I happened to be looking through some of my 78s. Hmm, I thought, do I have the original King Pleasure 78? Indeed, I did and I put it on and it sounded great. Hmm, I thought again, what about the original James Moody “I’m in the Mood for Love?” And that’s when I was pleasantly surprised . . .
Tags: James Moody
Tracking Blue Note Jazz on 78-RPM
Sep 20, 2010 78-RPM Records, Blue Note
I bought that collection and I found that it had a bunch of 12-inch Blue Note 78s so I did a search this morning on eBay for Blue Note 78s, since it is not something I have tried to collect in the past. It turns out the records I acquired — the Sidney Bechets and Albert Ammons and Art Hodes — don’t seem to have much cachet as collectibles. If you look at closed items, they generally sell in the range of $10 and less. However, in doing the search I found a few interesting bop 78s that sold for higher prices, including:
Bud Powell’s Modernists with Sonny Rollins, Blue Note 1568. This 78 includes Dance of the Infidels and 52nd Street Theme and it was described as being in better than VG+ condition, but not quite M-. This sold for $89.88.
Max Roach Quintet, Blue Note 1569. This contains Prince Albert Part 1 and 2, with Kenny Dorham and James Moody. Let’s see how well my memory is working: Prince Albert is a head based on All the Things You Are, if I recall properly, and this version, in addition to being issued on 78, was issued
Tags: Bud Powell, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk
Another Day, Another Jazz Vinyl Collection
Sep 19, 2010 78-RPM Records, Features, Jazz Memoirs
I brought home another collection yesterday. It is an interesting one. It is mostly traditional jazz, but of more recent vintage. There was the full three-volume Mosaic Commodore set in near mint condition. That alone will cover my costs and the time and energy I expended. There were also a lot of 78s, mostly albums in beautiful condition – Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Lee Wiley, and others of that ilk, no bebop at all. There were also some nice 10-inch LPs in near mint condition, including a beautiful Lester Young on Clef and several of the Chet Baker’s on Pacific Jazz.
As I was laboriously going through the records on my porch in The Berkshires yesterday, much to the consternation of the lovely Mrs. JC, I discovered that there were about a dozen 12-inch Blue Note 78s – Sidney Bechet, Albert Ammons, etc. These are in
Back on eBay, Backing Buying Jazz Vinyl
Sep 15, 2010 10-Inch LPs, 78-RPM Records, Blue Note
A quick note before moving on to some eBay items. I am in the throes, once again, of buying a collection, and this time I’m even questioning my own sanity. As for the lovely Mrs. JC, well, she just looked at me and shrugged. Most of the records are swing and traditional, and they are of more recent vintage, and, I fear, they are inflicted with some mold and mildew. However . . . there are some beautiful 10-inch LPs in the batch, and some quite interesting 78 boxes in gorgeous condition, and I feel that I am rescuing these records from neglect. I will keep you posted as I take possession of the records, perhaps this weekend.
This one has already been called out and commented upon at Jazz Collector, but let’s keep an eye on it just the same: Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 1, Blue Note 1515. This is an original pressing with the Lexington Avenue address, flat edge, etc. It is in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover and it has been bid to $1,800 already.
Tags: Jackie McLean, Jutta Hipp
How About This — 10th Avenue Prestige?
Aug 12, 2010 78-RPM Records, Prestige
Here’s an interesting question from on of our readers, based on the accompanying pictures. We all know about the addresses on the Prestige LPs: West 50th Street in New York for the 10-inch LPs and 12-inch LPS up to around 7141, then Bergenfield, N.J. But that about this address, 754 10th Avenue, as seen below? Anyone know how many Prestige 78s were put out with this address on the label, or anything else about it.
Tags: Jazz Vinyl
Finding a Rare Lee Konitz, Right On My Own Shelf
Apr 30, 2010 78-RPM Records, Features, Prestige
I have many hundreds of records I’m hoping to sell and on rare occasions someone may come to the house to peruse them. I don’t necessarily encourage this, but if I know you from Jazz Collector I’m generally OK with it. Anyway, the other night I had one of our readers come over and it turns out he was an alto player who was associated with the Lenny Tristano school and had played with Sal Mosca, Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, Billy Bauer and others. He went through the records I was selling and didn’t find anything he liked and asked if I had an 78s I’d be willing to sell. I do have more than 1,000 78s and I have been willing to pare this down and among the more than 1,000 78s I happen to have about 100 Prestiges in mint, unplayed condition. I purchased these Prestiges on
Tags: Lee Konitz
Jazz Vinyl Countdown: Ike Quebec, Blue Note
Oct 5, 2009 78-RPM Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown
We were watching this record carefully on eBay: Ike Quebec, It Might As Well Be Spring, Blue Note 4105. It was an original pressing in M- condition, both the record and the cover. It sold for $276, which is about as high a price as we’ve seen for one of the Ike Quebec LPs on Blue Note. We figured perhaps it would be a good time to sell our copy as well. Turns out, we don’t have a copy. We have three other Ike Quebec Blue Notes: Blue And Sentimental, Blue Note 4098; Heavy Soul, Blue Note 4093; and Soul Samba, Blue Note 4114. Anyway, we figured we’d try one out and see if it will make the cut as we reduce our collection to 1,000 records. The one we chose is Heavy Soul, figuring this was the least likely to stay, since the rhythm section
Tags: Ike Quebec, Jazz Vinyl
More on J.R.: Original Audio
Aug 11, 2009 78-RPM Records, For Sale
OK, here’s an audio track from the J. R. Monterose acetates. He’s doing “I’m Confessin’ That I Love You” and he sounds pretty darn good. If this is really 1944, then he would have been 17 at the time. Enjoy. sample-jr-monterose-1944
Tags: JR Monterose
More 78s Anyone?
Jul 8, 2009 78-RPM Records, Blue Note
In my last post, I’d mentioned the autographed Andy Warhol cover that may or may not still be available. Another inquiry that came into my email box came from a guy who has 17 Blue Note 78s: Nine of these are 10-inch and eight are 12-inch. No bebop among them, but there are a couple of Ike Quebec’s, plus Sidney Bechet, James P. Johnson, Art Hodes, T-Bone Walker, Albert Ammons and the Port of Harlem Seven. I get the sense he’d love to sell them all in one batch. If there are any Blue Note 78 collectors out there, just let me know and I’ll put you in touch with him.
Tags: Albert Ammons, Art Hodes, James P. Johnson, Port of Harlem Seven, Sidney Beche, T-Bone Walker
Adventures in Jazz Collecting: 78s
Jun 22, 2009 78-RPM Records, Blue Note, Jazz Memoirs, Prestige
I asked the question the other day: Does anyone out there collect 78s? No one replied, so I figured I would get the ball rolling.
The answer to the question, for me, is that I don’t collect 78s. I do, however, have more than 1,000 78s. The reason I say I don’t collect 78s is because if I did collect them, I’d be obsessed about them and worried about filling in my collection and getting all the Blue Notes and searching for 78s and hunting them down on eBay. That is what I do with my LP collection. I have never done that with 78s. Yet, through the years I have accumulated them.
It started back in the 1980s. There was an ad in the classified section of the local newspaper. A guy had a collection of jazz 78s and wanted to get rid of them. Normally I wouldn’t have cared, but I was curious: What if there were some original Bird 78s on Dial? So I called him and, indeed, there were some original Bird 78s on Dial: Yardbird Suite, Moose The Mooche, A Night in Tunisia. Holding these in my hand, it really felt like I was holding a piece of jazz history. The guy had about 1,000 78s and wanted $100 for them. That night I walked into the house and began unloading crates of 78s. Mrs. JC just looked at me and sighed.
Then, of course, I had to get a 78 player. I still have the first one I ever purchased: A crank-handle
Tags: Ike Quebec, Jazz Record Mart, Morty Savada, Wardell Gray
78s Anyone?
Jun 17, 2009 78-RPM Records, For Sale
Does anyone out there collect 78s? I mention this because, over the past several weeks several people have gotten in touch with me with 78s to sell and I’m not sure what kind of market there is for them. I’ll pass along some of the information and we’ll see what happens. The most interesting of the items is the Norman Granz project called The Jazz Scene, which is a packaged set signed and numbered by Norman Granz. The owner of this item described it as being in mint, immaculate, unplayed condition. It is number 2747 of a series of 5,000 copies. We’ve seen this sell for a lot of money on eBay, but it’s not something we’ve tracked in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. The following is a description of the item from the seller:
Tags: Norman Granz
