Jazz Vinyl Listings That Raise Questions

jaspar maybe copyHere’s one I’ve never seen before: Bobby Jaspar All Stars Band, Modern Jazz at Club Saint Germain, Barclay 84023. This looks to be an original French pressing that was apparently owned by Bobby Jaspar who, unfortunately seemed not to take such great care of it. The cover looks pretty beat up, I’d say VG-, but the seller lists the cover as VG+ and also lists the record as VG+, so you’d have to be a little skeptical, I guess. The start price is $300 and so far there are no bidders. I imagine the record is quite rare, in that I’ve never seen in in 40-plus years of scouring record shelves all over the U.S. and other parts of the world.

Someone please explain this one to me: Clifford Brown Memorial Album, Blue Note 1526. This is a New York USA pressing, with a West 61st Street address on the cover. In other words, nothing about this record is close to an original first pressing and, at best, the vinyl was issued, when, in the early 1960s? Not to mention the vinyl is in VG condition. The cover is VG+. Somehow, there have been four bids on this record and the price is close to $200. Explanations please?

Our friends at Euclid Records seem to have made a nice discovery/score:

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A Taste of French Cookin’

This is another one that came from a reader, CeeDee, who seems to be feeding my newfound habit for European pressings: Miles Davis, Cookin’, Barclay 84077. This is an original French pressing and, I have to admit, it does look pretty cool, particularly for the price. It has a nice cover, deep groove labels, and, in its own way, is an original pressing, or something like it. At least it was an original French pressing. It probably sounds really good too. Anyway, this one was in M- condition for the record and the cover and sold for $24.99. A bargain compared to the U.S. originals of Cookin’, which seem to be in the $300-plus range these days. Unfortunately, I opened the link after the auction closed. Otherwise, this record would have been mine. Of course, even it I didn’t want the record, it would be fun writing about it, just so I could put that headline on the post.

While we’re tasting international flavors, check this one out:

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