Jazz Record Centering

Last week when I was on eBay I was watching an auction from the Jazz Record Center. The auction has since closed, but it’s always fun and enlightening to keep an eye on their results, so here are a few rare jazz vinyl items that sold last week, starting with Harold Vick, Steppin’ Out!, Blue Note 4138. This looked to be an original mono pressing with the New York USA label. Never had this album, nor have I ever heard it. Not in my sweet spot with the organ instead of piano. This is a preview copy that looked to be in M- condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $521. Read more

Records and Record Setters

To pick up here I left off yesterday, here is Freddie Redd Quartet with Jackie McLean, The Connection, Blue Note 4027. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing with the deep grooves, ears, etc. The record and cover were both listed in M- condition. The record sold for $1,525, which has to be a high for this record as I open a window to Popsike and . . . . it is, indeed, nearly doubling the previous high price for this record. Here’s another record that seems like it may have set a new record: Bennie Green, Soul Stirrin’, Blue Note 1599. This was listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $969. Indeed, according to Popsike, that is a new record high, quite a feat considering the condition. Surely, there have been M- copies of this record in the past. Read more

A Septet of Rare Jazz Vinyl

Here’s one for you: Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 4140. This was an original New York USA mono pressing. It was listed in Ex condition for the record and the cover. Certainly not mint minus or near mint or anything close to mint. It sold for $1,108.33.

From the same seller: Harold Vick, Steppin’ Out, Blue Note 4138. This was also an original mono pressing with the New York USA label. It was listed in Ex+ condition for the record and M- for the cover. It sold for $621.92.

Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This was an original red label pressing. The record was probably VG+ and the cover was listed as VG. The final price was $745.55.

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Nuts, Wow and Crazy

kenny-dorham-jazz-vinylAs prices continue to rise, readers are sending me more and more emails calling particular records to my attention. This one came from Clifford, with the simple note: “nuts!!!”: Kenny Dorham, Afro Cuban, Blue Note 1535. This was an original pressing, or at least the original 12-inch pressing, and it looked to be in VG++ to M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The final price was $3,819. There were 22 bids and 13 bidders and it went from about $1,700 to the final price in the last few seconds. So, clearly, there were two bidders that really, really, really wanted this record, but that is quite a dear price to pay, IMHO. A commenter on the previous post also pointed to this one, with the simple words “Wow!” and “Crazy!”: Harold Vick, Steppin’ Out, Blue Note 4138. This was an original pressing from the same seller as the Dorham record. The record and cover were both in M- condition. The final price was $720.

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Catching Up: More Blue Notes & Prestiges

We’re updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide, and here are some odds and ends we’ve been watching:

Here’s a Blue Note you don’t see too often: Harold Vick, Steppin’ Out, Blue Note 4138. This was an original New York USA pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $373.

Someone on the Reader Forum was looking for Booker Ervin records. Could you go wrong with this one? Booker Ervin, Groovin’ High, Prestige 7417. There wasn’t much description in the listing, but there was just one bidder and the price was $9.99. This won’t make the price guide, but it probably made one collector quite happy.

The price on this also seemed a bit low: Lee Konitz, Prestige 7004. This was an original New York yellow label in VG+ condition for he record and the cover. It sold for $87.59.

Here’s a few more Blue Notes:

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