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Another Adventure in Jazz Collecting: A Bronx Tale, Part Two

February 19, 2016 Al 16 comments

So, back in the Bronx, I had a pile of about 50 records. Of the records in that pile there were probably about 10 that I really wanted. But I sensed that the woman wanted to get rid of records and taking more seemed like the right approach. So I made an offer that I thought was fair, considering the condition of the records and the reality that many of the records in the pile were relatively worthless. The offer came out of my mouth and the words were still just hanging in the air when I could see the woman physically recoil as if she had just swallowed a platter full of insects. She repeated the number I had just said and gasped: “The Jackie McLean record alone is worth more than that!” Which, to be fair, would have been true if the Jackie McLean record was in excellent condition. But it wasn’t. Then she started going through a list that she had compiled with values for some of the key records. But there was clearly a disconnect. All of the values she had compiled were for records in M- condition. The records in the pile were not in M- condition. None of them.

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Clearing the Dex in an LA Dumpster

December 19, 2015 Al 14 comments

And now we have a very interesting item in the Jazz Collector in-box. A few days ago we received an email with the intriguing subject line: “Dexter Gordon record found dumpster diving in LA.” It’s not something you see very often. And here were the contents of the note: “Hello, I was dumpster diving in LA today outside a house they cleaned out. The bottom on the dumpster was thousands of jazz records of someone’s collection. The owner of the house was old and I think the just threw out all his stuff. It was a shame it was such a huge collection. I grab two crates that I could get to. One record that made me think was a Dexter Gordon record, looks like maybe a tear press as it was just hand written on. I have a pic. Is this something that might be worth something?” I asked him to send me a picture, and he did, as follows:

Now immediately recognized the two tracks as coming from the Dexter Gordon album, Doin’ All Right, Blue Note 4077. But on the original album these two songs are on different sides. Read more

Blue Note

In a Mellow Mood

November 20, 2015 Al 19 comments

The other night I was sitting in the living room with The Lovely Mrs. JC and we she was reading and I wanted to put on some music. I asked what she would like and she asked for something mellow. I said I could do that. So I went up to the shelves and stared for a while, you know, how you just stare at an open refrigerator waiting for inspiration. For “mellow” my go-to choices would typically be Bill Evans or Coltrane Ballads or perhaps a Chet Baker, since The Lovely Mrs. JC is a fan of all of the above. But I wanted something different and I somehow settled on a Johnny Hodges record, In a Mellow Tone, Norgran 1092. Normally, Hodges is not someone that I would put on the turntable, but she asked for mellow and mellow was actually in the title of this record and it had always been one of my favorite Hodges LPs. Listening to it was quite a revelation. The music is of a pre-bop vintage, but it is actually quite timeless and absolutely beautiful. If you have it, put it on, and perhaps pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy. From there, I wanted to move to something a little bit more modern and I chose

Today’s Blues: Blue Mitchell, and Blue Notes

August 6, 2015 Al 6 comments

Catching up on my jazz vinyl watch list on eBay. Here are some of the items I missed, starting with Blue Mitchell, Blue’s Moods, Riverside 336. This was an original pressing with the blue labels, reels and microphone logo, etc. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover was VG+. The final price was $540. I know that this record has always been prized among collectors and has gone for pretty high prices, as seen here — higher than most of the Riverside catalogue, except for perhaps Waltz for Debby and maybe one or two others. What I’ve never understood is “WHY?” I know it’s a nice record, but what is it about this particular record that has driven up its value over the years?

This is a Blue Note that’s also seemed to rise in value compared to other records released around the same time:

Jazz Hot, Cool and Expensive

July 14, 2015 Al 5 comments

Here are the results of a few other jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065. This was an original 10-inch pressing with the Lexington Avenue label. The record was listed in VG+ or VG++ condition (I’d vote for VG+, based on the description) and the cover was listed in VG condition with a big stain on the front that spread to the back. The stained cover would certainly negatively impact my interest in the record, but not for the winning bidder, who is spending $902 for this record.

This was another one that was in not-so-great condition but still wound up selling for a fairly hefty price:

Tracking a Trio of Blue Notes

April 2, 2015 Al 5 comments

Here’s another one from my want list, and this one may even get a snipe: Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. This is an original pressing with the Lexington Avenue address, deep grooves, ears, etc. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is just fair, with seam splits. The cover condition doesn’t bother me so much, but the price may. So far this is at about $250 with more than two days left on the auction. We’ll see. I would love to fill this gap in my collection, and I do love this record.

Here’s another one from the same seller: Dexter Gordon, Our Man in Paris, Blue Note 4146. This is probably an original pressing with the Van Gelder in the dead wax, although there is no mention of the Plastylite ear. The bidding is a bit more than $110 and there are also two days left in this auction. If I were to bid on this, which I won’t, I would at least inquire about the ear. Never hurts to ask.

One more Blue Note, while we’re on the subject:

Blue Note

A Pair of Tranes, a Pair of Blue Notes

March 9, 2015 Al 54 comments

Here’s some more jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This was an original black label pressing. It was listed in Ex condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. With three days left in the auction the action was so light that I thought, perhaps, I would even have a chance for this at a price that would fit my sensibilities. Fat chance. It wound up selling for $822.

I’ve bee noticing that this one seems to fetch a bit higher prices than some of the other Dexter Gordon Blue Notes and I can’t figure out why: Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 84176. This was an original stereo pressing listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $360, which is up there for a stereo copy.

On the other hand, this one sold for less than expected:

The Stupid List

February 15, 2015 Al 35 comments

I was watching that Clifford Brown autograph (as well as Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, et al), but didn’t have enough interest to actually bid on it. To my surprise, there were only five bidders altogether, which would seem to indicate minimal interest at that price, which turned out to be $482.11. I did casually mention when I wrote the earlier post that Clifford was probably among my top five musicians of all time and that I would ponder that and do another post on it this weekend. Sometimes, as we all do, I say and do stupid things. It was stupid to even suggest that I could create a list of top five favorite musicians, when there are so many musicians I love and each musician brings something different and special to my life and my enjoyment of music. Last night I was listening to the Dexter Gordon record, Getting’ Around, Blue Note 4204, and I was thinking about how much I love Dexter and how much I treasured seeing him as often as I did in the early and mid-1970s, particularly his very first club date when he began playing again in the United States. And, goodness, what an amazing ballad performance on “Who Can I Turn To.” And then I put on two Miles Davis records, Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain, and I thought

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Tracking Some Later Blue Note Originals

January 9, 2015 Al 10 comments

Here’s some more jazz vinyl we were watching on eBay:

Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 4176. This was an original mono pressing, still in its original shrink wrap. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. It sold for $255. This was among a bunch of later original Blue Notes I was watching from the same era. Others included Blue Mitchell, The Thing To Do, Blue Note 4178. This also looked to be an original mono pressing and was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $280. Also: Wayne Shorter, JuJu, Blue Note 4182. This was also an original mono pressing and was listed in M- condition for the record and VG for the cover, with water damage and tape repairs. Nonetheless, it sold for $265. Here’s another one that seems destined to sell in the same range as these, perhaps even higher:

Blue Note

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