How To Organize Your Jazz Vinyl . . . Who Knows!!??!!?
Feb 2, 2012 Blue Note
I’m thinking of reorganizing my records (again). I’d love to have all my Blue Notes in one place and all my Prestiges. Not necessarily in number order — then I’d feel compelled to fill in every number — but at least by artist, by label. It works for Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside, Verve, but what about the off labels — the RCAs and Columbias and Atlantics, and the smaller ones like Bethlehem and Transition. Do you want them all categorized by label in your collection? And can you ever find anything? It’s an endless conundrum, right? Once I had them organized by label and I didn’t like it. Now I have them alphabetically, but not all in the same place. It’s complicated, but I segregate original pressings from before 1970 from any non-original pressings and all pressings after 1970. It may be wacky, but that part works for me. Anyway, I’m thinking about this because I have a few new Blue Notes to incorporate into my collection and because when I watch on eBay my eyes often go straight to the Blue Notes, and I would like to capture that same feeling in my collection. For instance, here are some of the records I’m watching now:
Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. Great record, right? This one is more than $500 already with a few days to go.
Tags: Bennie Green, Duke Jordan, Jackie McLean
An Afternoon Soul Stirrin’ in Paris
Jan 16, 2012 Blue Note
Let’s catch up on some interesting jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay.
For as long as I’ve been collecting, it’s nice to know that there’s always something new to learn. Here’s a record I’ve like for a long time: John Lewis and Sacha Distel, Afternoon in Paris. I’ve only owned this as an Atlantic recording, black label, of course, and I frankly had no idea that it was originally issued in France under the Versailles label, Versailles, MDX 12 005. I just checked out the liner notes on my Atlantic pressing and it makes no mention of Versailles. It does mention that Barney Wilen was only 19 years old at the time of the recording, which is pretty incredible considering how well he plays on this record and how mature he sounds. Anyway, this copy was in VG++ condition for the record and M- for the cover, which was the soft cover that seemed to be typical of the European pressings in those days. This copy sold for $630. The highest price we’ve recorded for the Atlantic pressing in the Jazz Collector Price Guide has been $121.
Tags: Atlantic Records, Barney Wilen, Bennie Green, Buckshot La Funke, John Lewis, Sacha Distel, Versailles Records
Jazz Vinyl Update: Some Warhols, Blue Notes & Miles
Mar 13, 2011 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Prestige
Here’s some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:
This one was described in “like new” condition and, based on the picture and description, it looked like an original pressing: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. The seller said he turned down a “buy now” request and let the bidding continue, which it did, topping off at $1,713.
This one wasn’t in nearly the same condition as Sonny’s Crib: Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This looked to be an original pressing and it was listed in VG+ condition for the record and VG MINUS for the cover. It sold for $1,115.
This is the highest price we’ve ever seen for this record: Miles Davis, Cookin’ Prestige 7094. This was an original pressing that was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $665.
How about a few records with Andy Warhol covers:
Tags: Andy Warhol, Bennie Green, JJ Johnson, Johnny Griffin, Kai Winding, Kenny Burell, Lee Morgan, Miles Davis, Sonny Clark
Andy Warhol Covers For the $2,000 Bin
Feb 17, 2011 $1000 Records, Prestige
Someone mentioned this one in the comments: Jay Jay Johnson, Kai Winding, Bennie Green, Trombone by Three, Prestige 16-4. This is a rare item, a 16-RPM record with a cover design by Andy Warhol. We’ve seen it sell for nearly $300 in VG++ condition in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. Which did not prepare us for this one, which was in mere G condition for the record and just VG for the cover. It sold for $2,000.
Here’s another jazz record with a cover by Andy Warhol: Conte Candoli, Cool Gabriels, Groove 1003. I have to admit, this is one I’ve never seen before. The record was in VG++ condition and the cover was VG++ as well. The price for this one was also $2,000.
Since we’re already in the $2,000 bin, here’s one more:
Tags: Andy Warhol, Bennie Green, Bent Axen, Conte Candoli, JJ Johnson, Kai Winding, Metronome Records
More Blue Notes, More Big Price Tags
Feb 15, 2010 Blue Note
Catching up on some recent eBay sales.
Here’s one that was quite a surprise: Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Blue Note 1525. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. Normally the Jimmy Smith Blue Notes have not fetched huge dollars, but something is changing in the Blue Note market: All of the originals are going up in value and even later pressings are starting to sell at collectible prices. This one sold for an eye-popping $511.
May as well stick with some more Blue Notes: Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume 1. This one, of course, has the cover illustration by Andy Warhol. The record was
Tags: Andy Warhol, Bennie Green, Dexter Gordon, Horace Parlan, Ike Quebec, Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell
Soon on eBay: Tina Brooks, Elmo Hope, Bennie Green
Sep 22, 2009 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl on the Jazz Collector watch list over the next few days.
Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This is an original pressing. The record is listed as M- and the cover is VG+. The price is already more than $1,000 and there are still four days to go.
Elmo Hope Quintet, Blue Note 5044. This is a nice 10-inch LP with a great cover. This one is in VG++ condition and is being offered by Euclid Records, one of the top sellers of jazz vinyl on eBay. This one is about $100 with several days still to go.
Another high-end Blue Note: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This one is not in great shape. The vinyl is listed in VG- condition, and the cover looks to be VG. The price is more than $100 now, and it has not yet reached the seller’s reserve.
The Return of Art Pepper, Jazz West 10. This is an original pressing. The vinyl is listed as VG++ and the
Tags: Art Farmer, Art Pepper, Bennie Green, Elmo Hope, Jazz West Records, Sony Clark, Tina Brooks
Catching Up on Some Blue Notes
Jun 11, 2009 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Price Guide
We’d mentioned the other day that we were watching some Blue Notes so today we will catch up on some of the items we’ve been watching.
Wayne Shorter, JuJu, Blue Note 4182. This was an original pressing in M- condition, both record and cover. It was sold by Euclid Records, which generally means it will get top dollar. This one did: It sold for $443.88. We’ve only tracked this record one time previously in the Jazz Collector Price Guide and it sold for $115 in VG++ condition. So this will go into the Price Guide as a new high point for this record.
Kenny Dorham, Afro Cuban, Blue Note 1535. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was VG++ and the cover was pretty beat, listed as G+ or VG-. Despite the poor condition of the cover, the record still sold for $483.
Bennie Green, Back on the Scene, Blue Note 1587. This was an interesting one because the seller
Tags: Bennie Green, Dexter Gordon, Horace Silver, Kenny Dorham, Lou Donaldson, Wayne Shorter
For the Price Guide: Benny Green, Gil Melle, Bill Evans
May 11, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide, Riverside
Here are a few more items for the Jazz Collector Price Guide. By the time you read this we may have surpassed more than 4,000 records listed in the guide. Not bad. Please take a look.
Bennie Green with Art Farmer, Prestige 7041. This was an original New York pressing. The record was in VG+ condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $131.50. I have a small affinity for this record: I was browsing the $25 cent bin at one of the local record stores on Long Island, and an original copy of this was sitting in there. Clearly the guy who priced jazz records was out ill the day this one arrived in the store.
Bill Evans, Waltz For Debby, Riverside 399. This was an original blue label mono pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG++. The price was $365.
Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This was an original West 63rd Street
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Tags: Art Farmer, Bennie Green, Bill Evans, Blue Mitchell, Gil Melle, Lou Donaldson
Catching up With a Few More Warhol Covers
Mar 19, 2009 Album Covers, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide
We’ve been watching prices for albums with covers by Andy Warhol. Here are a few more that sold recently on eBay:
Johnny Griffin, The Congregation, Blue Note 1580. This was an interesting one in that the record was listed as in only G+ or VG- condition, which means it is probably something most of us wouldn’t put on our turntables. The cover was listed in VG+ condition. It sold for $311.
J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding and Bennie Green, Trombone by Three, Prestige 16-4. This was an original pressing and a very rare 16-RPM LP. It was in VG++ condition, both the record and the cover. The price was $290.
Tags: 16-RPM LPs, Andy Warhol, Bennie Green, David Stone Martin, JJ Johnson, Johnny Griffin, Kai Winding, Kenny Burrell
Price Updates: Duke Jordan, Miles, Gonsalves
Mar 4, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Price Guide
Here are some new items for the Jazz Collector Price Guide:
Kenny Dorham and the Jazz Prophets Volume 1, ABC Paramount 122. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition. The price was $405.
Introducing Wayne Shorter, VeeJay 3006. This was an original pressing. The record was M-. The cover was VG++, with a cutout hole. The price was $141.50.
Gil Melle, Gil’s Guests, Prestige 7063. This was an original New York pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $200.
Miles Davis, Dig, Prestige 7014. This was an original New York pressing with the grey cover. The record and cover were VG+. The price was $125.95.
Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original West 63rd Street
Tags: ABC Paramount, Argo Records, Bennie Green, Duke Jordan, Gil Melle, Herbie Hancock, Jazz Collector Price Guide, Kenny Dorham, Miles Davis, Paul Gonsalves, Stanley Turrentine, VeeJay Records, Wayne Shorter
Another Warhol Cover, On Prestige
Mar 2, 2009 Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige
A lot of people have been coming to Jazz Collector looking for information about jazz covers by Andy Warhol. We’ve written quite a bit on these, so it’s worth doing a search on the site. A seller today sold a Warhol cover we hadn’t seen before. It was on the LP Trombone By Three, featuring JJ Johnson, Kai Winding and Bennie Green. We own the 33-RPM version of the record, with an illustration by Don Martin (of Mad Magazine fame, we presume). This copy was a rare 16-RPM version, Prestige 16-4. The record and cover both seemed to be in VG++ condition and the price was $290. As for the authenticity of the item, if you look at the picture you can clearly see the Warhol signature.
Tags: Andy Warhol, Bennie Green, JJ Johnson, Kai Winding
Today on eBay: Some Bennie Green on Blue Note
Feb 25, 2009 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay
Fairly quiet day on eBay today, but there’s always something. Here are a couple of nice LPs from the trombonist Bennie Green: Bennie Green, Soul Stirrin’, Blue Note 1599. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record is M- and the cover is VG++. The current price is already $264 and it hasn’t yet reached the seller’s reserve price. We’ll see if it sells. One of the things I like about this album, aside from the music, which is quite good, is that Blue Note lists one of the tenor players simply as “Jug.” Obviously, this was Gene Ammons and he was under contract with Prestige at the time, but by using his real nickname they didn’t really try to hide anything. Another one of these I like on Blue Note is on Here Comes Louis Smith, Blue Note 1584, where the alto player is listed as “Buckshot La Funke.” It’s not hard to figure out who this is, but I will leave it to our readers to supply the answer. Also up on eBay today is
Tags: Bennie Green, Gene Ammons, Louis Smith
Updating the Price Guide, January 18, 2009 (Part 1)
Jan 18, 2009 10-Inch LPs, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Norgran, Prestige
We have a bunch of records we’ve been watching that we’ll be adding today to the Jazz Collector Price Guide. Here are some of them, without links, since many of these have appeared with links in previous posts:
Thad Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, Blue Note 1513. Two copies of this sold recently. One was a Lexington Avenue pressing that was in M- condition, both record and cover. It sold for $776. The other copy was also a Lexington Avenue pressing, but it looked to be in VG+ condition. It sold for $423.
The Magnificent Thad Jones Volume 3, Blue Note 1546. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was VG++ and the cover was VG. Price: $338
Bennie Green, Walking Down, Prestige 7049. This was a yellow label, New York address copy. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. Price: $225.50
Jon Eardley Seven with Zoot Sims, Prestige 7033. This was an original New York pressing. The record and cover were both in VG++ condition. Price: $515
Tags: Ben Webster, Bennie Green, Bethlehem, Bud Powell, Coral, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Hal McKusick, Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean, Jazz Collector Price Guide, John Coltrane, Jon Eardley, Lee Morgan, Lucky Thompson, Paul Chambers, Sahib Shibab, Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz, Thad Jones, Transition, Vogue, Zoot Sims
Latest Additions to Price Guide
Oct 15, 2008 Autographs, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Norgran, Prestige, Verve
Here are updates on some of the records we’ve mentioned here in the past few days. We’re not using links with these, since there are links on these elsewhere on the site. You can just do a search if you want to look at the original. Nothing too crazy here as far as prices, but nothing at all that would lead you to believe there’s any kind of slowdown. These will also be added to the Price Guide, as soon as I finish this post. Here goes:
Ben Webster, The Consummate Artistry, Norgran 1001. When we first spotted this, it was at about $30 with just a few hours to go. It sold for $203.51. It was an original pressing in M-/VG++ condition.
Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come, Atlantic 1317. This was with the bulls-eye label in VG++/VG++ condition. It sold for $72.60
Tags: Art Blakey, Atlantic, Ben Webster, Bennie Green, Columbia, Dizzy Gillespie, Donald Byrd, Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Red Garland, Sabu, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz, Steve Lacy, Tadd Dameron, The Three Sounds
Today on EBAY, October 14, 2008
Oct 14, 2008 Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Prestige, Verve
Another slow day on EBAY. Is there a holiday somewhere? Are sellers afraid to put up their records because of the economy? Is it just the ebb and flow of the market? Whatever the reason, there are not a great deal of high-end items on Ebay today, but there are certainly a few to make things interesting. And here they are:
Sonny Side Up, Dizzy Gillespie with Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt, Verve 8262. This is in nice condition and is currently at only $24.50. A nice Verve collectible, which will probably go for a reasonable price. It’s strange: I’ve had this record for maybe 30 years, and I just realized that it’s Sonny, with an “O” and not Sunny with a “U.” Definitely works better with the “O.”
Tags: Art Blakey, Atomic Records, Bennie Green, Columbia, Dizzy Gillespie, Donald Byrd, Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sabu, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Steve Lacy, Tadd Dameron, Three Sounds
Catching up on Some Nice Collectibles
Oct 6, 2008 $1000 Records, Blue Note, Jazz Vinyl, Jazz Vinyl on eBay, Price Guide, Verve
Here’s a long list of records we’ve been watching:
Hank Mobley, Mobley’s Message, Prestige 7061. This was an original pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $679.58. That’s a pretty steep price for a VG+ record.
Speaking of steep prices for records in VG+ condition: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $1,475
And yet another in VG+ condition: Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG+. The price was $749.99
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Tags: Andrew Hill, Art Farmer, Ben Webster, Bennie Green, Charles Mingus, Columbia, Gigi Gryce, Hank Mobley, Herbie Hancock, Jackie McLean, Jutta Hipp, Kenny Dorham, Mosaic, Red Garland, Sonny Rollins


