Heavy Hitters: Monk, Duke, Evans, Dorham

Here are some of the rare Jazz LPs I am currently watching on eBay, starting with Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington, Riverside 12-201. This is an original white label pressing with the original cover. The seller doesn’t offer a grade, but it looks like the record is in nice shape and the cover looks really clean. This is a cool record, with the original cover, great music and the first record in the Riverside 200 series, signifying the label’s shift to modern jazz and, in particular, its very fruitful relationship with Monk. I would love to have an original pressing of this record and, unfortunately, I passed up an opportunity to buy one for $100 at the Jazz Record Center in New York about 30 or so years ago. This one has a start price of $940, which is too rich for my sensibilities. I took a look over at Popsike and, to my surprise, this record has sold for more than $1,000 at least two times. Perhaps this will be a third? Read more

Watching Some Original Original And Not So Original Jazz Vinyl

Very interesting thread on the previous post. Glad everyone has been able to keep the conversation going in my absence. For the record, I am and always will be an original, no matter what anyone says. And now, back to watching original rare jazz vinyl on eBay. I have a lot of stuff I am watching now, so let’s go, starting with Frank Morgan With Conte Candoli and Machito’s Rhythm Section, GNP 12. This is an original pressing with the red vinyl. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition. The start price is $250 with more than two days left on this auction. I was fortunate to acquire a near mint copy of this record when I purchased the Bruce M. West collection in Baltimore. For some reason, I always considered this to be an album for the $1,000 bin. I guess the reason is that it’s really rare and hard to find, plus there’s not that much early Frank Morgan on record. When I did a search on Popsike, however, I discovered that the top price for this record was $331, and that was back in 2006. I guess it’s just not a Blue Note. Read more

A Few of My Favorite Things

Back after a lovely holiday in Costa Rica celebrating my birthday. Now it’s back to reality, which means watching rare jazz vinyl auctions on eBay. But first, I came back to a couple of notes in my inbox with opposing viewpoints on the same record and the same auction. This was the auction in question: John Coltrane, My Favorite Things, Atlantic 1361. The auction was from our friends at the Jazz Record Center in New York. This was listed as the “original mono pressing . . . on the red and purple labels.” The record looked to be in M- condition and the cover was probably VG++. There were four bidders, seven bids, and the final price was $255. Read more

Jazz Vinyl Auctions for the Road (And Beyond)

I’ll be off line for the next week so I won’t be able to post. Not that it will be any different than a normal period between posts, but this time my absence will at least be planned. Everything’s fine. Just enjoying a little holiday. In the meantime, I will leave you with a large batch of records to watch so you can all comment to your heart’s content. Let’s start with one of the records that would still be on my want list, if, indeed, I had a want list: Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. This looks to be an original deep groove pressing listed in M- condition for the record and EX+ for the cover. Bidding is in the $200 range with almost three days left on the auction. I have no idea how this record has eluded me all these years, but it has. Read more

Condition is Still Critical . . . Isn’t It?

Let’s look at some random jazz vinyl we are watching and have been watching on eBay, starting with Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 4140. This looked to be an original pressing, listed in VG or VG+ condition for the record and G+ for the cover with water damage on the bottom. There were 13 bidders for this record and the final price was $439. From the same seller there was Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original West 63rd Street deep-groove pressing, listed in VG+ condition for the record and VG for the cover. The final price was $2,475. Over the years, when people have contacted me for advice about selling their collections, I have always emphasized the importance of condition. While it is still of great import, of course, it seems that there has been a shift in the market and collectors are more willing to pay high prices for records in less than great condition. We’ve all been noticing this for a while, I’m sure, so it probably requires an adjustment for those of us buying or selling records to be aware of this pretty fundamental change in what jazz collectors are looking for these days. As with most trends, you wonder if this one will last and will become kind of a new standard in our little world of jazz collecting. Read more

Four for the Holidays

Heading into the holiday weekend, here are some of the auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with the Roy Haynes Quartet, Out of the Afternoon, Impulse A-23. This was an original mono pressing with white promo label and the Van Gelder in the dead wax.  The record and cover were both listed in VG+ condition and the final price was $416. The same seller had Curtis Fuller Volume Three, Blue Note 1583. This looked to be an original deep groove mono pressing with the West 6rd Street address. The record and cover were listed in VG+ condition. The final price was $736. Read more

Playing Favorites

No sooner did I empty the Jazz Collector eBay watch list did I fill it up again, starting with two of my all-time favorite records from the same seller: Sonny Rollins, Tenor Madness, Prestige 7047. This is an original New York yellow label listed in M- condition for the record and probably VG+ for the cover, based on the description and the pictures. Maybe VG for the cover. I know the seller and he is very reputable. The auction closes in about three days and the start price is about $450 with no bidders yet. Another of my favorites from this seller Benny Golson Sextet, The Modern Touch, Riverside 256. This looks to be an original pressing with the blue label and small logo. The record and cover are both in M- condition. This one also closes in about three days, with a start price of about $250 and no bidders . . . yet. Both of these records will sell, if not to anyone else then perhaps to me. Yes, I have copies. But the M- Golson is a strong upgrade for one of my top records. Love the arrangements and all the playing, especially an impeccable Kenny Dorham. Read more

How Many Original Copies of Rare Jazz Vinyl Have Survived (and Other Existential Questions)

Let’s check out the Jazz Collector watch list on eBay, starting with Introducing Lee Morgan, Savoy 12091. This is not an original pressing. It has the maroon label with no deep grooves. I was fooled at first because the label looks red in the pictures, but the seller is very clear about what it is. Also, it’s not an original Savoy cover, with the white frame. It is in nice condition, graded M- for the record and near mint for the cover. The auction closes today and the bidding is in the $400 range. Read more

Free Jazz (And More) At a Price

Like many of you, I was closely watching the auction last week from the seller  Carolina Soul. There were some items in my wheelhouse, such as Lee Morgan Indeed and Tommy Flanagan The Cats, but what caught my attention were the free jazz and other jazz records that were outside my normal area of interest and expertise. I will leave it to others to flesh out more detail – thank you, Clifford, in advance – so I will just share some of the highlights, starting with Don Pullen/Milford Graves in Concert at Yale University. This copy had a hand-painted jacket, the likes of which was unfamiliar to me. The final price was $9,515. Read more

Catching Up on Rare Jazz Vinyl

Let’s catch up on some items we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134.This was an original New York yellow label. The record was listed in VG+ condition and the cover was VG. The final price was $1,610. Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This looked to be an original promo copy with the New York 23 label. The record was listed in VG+ condition and the cover was listed as VG, but the pictures tell a different story for the cover. VG minus would be a stretch. Despite the cover, the record sold for $969. Read more

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