Category: Riverside

Another Visit to A Record Store, Pandemic Edition

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One of the things I have missed during the pandemic has been going to record stores. I love going to record stores. It’s a life-long habit, and pleasure, one which I have never wanted to give up, even in the dark days of the recent past when vinyl was an endangered species and brick-and-mortar record stores seemed to be going the way of the 8-track. Even then, I would regularly visit the surviving stores and always buy something, it seemed, because, fundamentally, I like buying records. Anyway, I couldn’t remember the last time I physically walked into a record store, even though there are several decent, recently opened stores in a reasonable driving distance from my home in The Berkshires, where The Lovely Mrs. JC and I have permanently relocated since the pandemic began. I decided this was an itch that just had to be scratched and the other day I grabbed my son’s dog, Gordon, who is visiting for a few weeks, and got in the car and took a ride over to Catskill, New York, a little more than an hour away, to visit my favorite of the record stores in the area, Spike’s Record Rack, of which I have written several times in the past. Spike and I have gotten to be quite friendly during our brief interactions, so I sent him a heads-up in advance that I would be making a visit. Read more

This is New; And So Is That

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Pardon the interruption. Since I last posted, I’ve driven back and forth to Chapel Hill, written about a dozen papers for work and even tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. It’s been busy here and I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time on my records or on Jazz Collector. Having said that, I plugged back into eBay this morning and pulled a few records to share with you, starting with Kenny Drew, This is New, Riverside 236. This is an original white label pressing and it looks to be in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. This is a nice quartet/quintet record featuring Donald Byrd and Hank Mobley. Put it on Blue Note with this personnel from this era and you have a record that would be a regular in the $1,000 bin. On Riverside, the bidding is in the $275 range with the auction closing later today. Read more

Collectible Jazz Vinyl and Not Vinyl

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Yeah, that Bill Evans New Jazz Conceptions LP with the original cover sold for $1,725, as someone pointed out in comments. With a VG cover and VG record. I guess not even a global pandemic can halt the market for original jazz collectibles. A few more from the same seller: Gil Melle, Patterns in Jazz, Blue Note 1517. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing in VG MINUS condition with a VG cover. Despite the condition it sold for $910. Curtis Fuller, Bone & Bari, Blue Note 1572. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in VG MINUS condition for the record and VG for the cover. It sold for $706. Read more

Vinyl Classics From Riverside and Prestige

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Let’s look at the Jazz Collector watchlist on eBay for an update, starting with Bill Evans, New Jazz Conceptions, Riverside 223. This is an original white label pressing. The record is in VG condition and the cover is also VG. The bidding is in the $294 range with two days left on the auction. As of now there have been 12 bidders and 46 bids. Such a great cover – you wonder what Riverside was thinking when they replace it for the second pressing. The seller for this one is Carolina Soul, which often has nice jazz vinyl on eBay, this week being no exception. Here’s one more: Curtis Fuller, New Trombone, Prestige 7107. This is an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is VG. The bidding is in the $60 range with two days left. The seller mentions a “slight storage warp,” on both of these records, so that may be effecting the bidding, particularly on the Fuller. But , looking closer at the Fuller, the real gating factor is probably the huge writing in black marker on the back cover. When I first started buying jazz records, it was always about the music, but when I became a “collector” my values changed, perhaps not for the better, and the condition of the cover became almost-but-not-quite-as-important as the music. I imagine I am not the only one here was a similar experience. Read more

For Lady (and Everyone Else)

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Time to get back to eBay, starting with Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. This is an original New York yellow label pressing listed in Ex condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. I’ve always had a soft spot for this record because it was one of the first yellow label Prestige originals I ever owned and because it was, and is, quite a lovely record. It was, I presume, also my introduction to Webster Young and Paul Quinichette, two very fine, very underrated players, IMHO. Writing this post, I just talked myself into putting this on the turntable next time I have time to listen mindfully. The bidding for this one closes in more than for days from this writing, with a top bid now of about $245. Read more

More Adventures, More Obsessions

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Sorry, I need to complete the story. Given that it was an online auction and many of the bidders probably never saw the condition of the records, I was pretty surprised at some of the prices. For example, Waltz for Debby sold for more than $1,000. Bill Evans Trio Sunday at the Village Vanguard seemed to sell for more than $500, if I recall. Kenny Drew 10-inch Blue Note was more than $300. When I went to pick up my records I asked Kendra, the woman responsible for the auction, if the buyers for those records had visited  the house and seen them on site. Nope, she said. They were bidding based just on the pictures from the auction. Very brave, I thought, but having seen the records myself, I figured the buyers would be pleased. The one record I would thought I could steal, the Art Farmer Quintet Featuring Gigi Gryce, Prestige 7017, just eluded me. Read more

Random Musings on Random Jazz Vinyl

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Here are some more random jazz records we are watching this week on eBay, starting with Steve Lacy, Soprano Sax, Prestige 7125. This is an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. The record looks to be in VG++ condition and the cover also looks like it is VG++. The start price is in the $100 range and, so far, there are no bids. I’ve never heard this record, nor have I ever owned it, but I would like to. A copy recently sold for around $480, which would be out of my comfort zone anyway, even if I were inclined to buy on eBay. Read more

Miles, Morgan, Monk and More

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Today we will view some random jazz vinyl from my eBay watch list, starting with Miles Davis, Volume 2, Blue Note 5022. This is an original 10-inch Lexington Avenue pressing. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition. Bidding starts at around $100 and so far there is no auction action. The auction closes in about three days. This record caught my eye, even though I already own it, because it is such an awesome cover and because I recently view a collection loaded with 10-inch records. At this point I have passed on purchasing the collection because the seller has it over-priced, but I am hoping he comes back to me when he realizes I made a fair offer. Will keep you posted. Read more

Old Jazz Vinyl and a Young Jazz Singer

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Catching up on eBay, starting with Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding is in the $250 range with three days left on the auction. How about Art Taylor, Tailor’s Wailers, Prestige 7117. This is an original yellow label with the New York address. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition, although the seller does mention “minimal noise,” which is better than lots of noise, but you do have concerns when there is mention of any noise at all. To be fair, I guess minimal noise does relate to some VG+ records, since VG+ is somewhat of a catchall description. Anyway, the start price for this record is $250 and so far there are no bidders. Read more

Ups and Downs on eBay

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Going backwards through my eBay watch list for a moment, starting with Bill Evans, Waltz for Debby, Riverside 399. This was an original blue label pressing that was in VG++ condition for the record and the “lower end” of VG+ for the cover. You can definitely see some cover damage in the pictures. The final price was $1,524. This is one of my favorite records, but still I am surprised to see how much the value has soared over the years, possibly more so than any other record not on the Blue Note label. At this stage, is there any Riverside record that sells for a comparable price? Perhaps just one of the other Bill Evans rarities, such as a first cover New Jazz Conceptions? Read more

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