Tracking Some High-End Jazz Vinyl

Jazz Vinyl Afro CubanHere’s some high-end jazz vinyl collectibles we’re watching on eBay, starting with: Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 1535. This looks to be an original pressing, although the seller could certainly be more forthcoming with details. Then again, the seller has a rating of just 98.1 percent, so that could be a warning right there. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is VG. The bidding is close to $800 and there are still two and a half days left on the auction.

Another Blue Note: Johnny Griffin, The Congregation, Blue Note 1580. This looks to be an original pressing and, of course, it has the Andy Warhol cover. The record is listed in Ex condition and the cover is listed as VG+. The price is in the $400 range and there are more than two days left in the auction.

This looks like a rerun:

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Some Blue Notes That Sell, And One That Won’t

J.R.Congratulations to our new friend Vinylrealist who is having quite a nice week for himself on eBay. Here are a couple of his recent auctions: J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing with a very nice note signed by J.R. The record was in M- condition and the cover was Ex and looked quite nice from the pictures. Would love to own this copy of that record, but not at this price, which was $2,358. Also, Introducing Johnny Griffin, Blue Note 1533. This was also an original Lexington Avenue pressing, listed in M- condition for the record and Ex for the cover. This one sold for $1,985.

I had my eye on this one because I have two copies and was pondering selling one: Cannonball Adderley, Something Else, Blue Note 1595. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $404. I thought it would get a higher price. I will have a booth at the WFMU Record Fair next Friday and Saturday, assuming there will be no super storm that weekend, and  Read more

Breaking a Few Records

Blue TrainDidn’t quite get in all of the jazz vinyl auctions I wanted to post from yesterday, so here are a few more.

John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was an original pressing. The seller didn’t give it a grade, but from the description is sounded like the vinyl was probably M-. The cover was probably VG++, based on the pictures. It sold for a whopping $3,000. That’s far and away the highest price we’ve ever seen for Blue Train in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Thelonious Monk, Monk, With Sonny Rollins and Frank Foster, Prestige 7053. This was a New Jersey pressing, not an original. The cover also had the New Jersey address. This one has the Andy Warhol cover, which gives it some additional prestige, if you’ll pardon the play on words. The record was in VG++ condition and the cover looked to be VG++ as well. This one was listed by bobjdukic, and he has somehow figured a way to get prices that no one else can match. For this second pressing, he was able to get a top bid of $955.21.

Here’s another Warhol cover from the same seller:

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Celebrating Riverside Records

abbeySomebody recently sent me this great clip celebrating the 60th anniversary of Riverside Records. It features an interview with Riverside co-founder Orrin Keepnews, still quite articulate and interesting at 90 years old. I find it interesting that he considers Thelonious Monk to be the patron saint of the label, and that signing Monk was what gave the label credibility among other jazz artists. I’m a huge fan of Riverside, and so are most of the readers here at Jazz Collector, I’m sure. So this morning, laying in bed, I start putting together a list of my favorite Riverside albums. These are my personal favorites, not the ones I would call the “best” or the most influential. Just the ones that through the years I’ve listened to most often and enjoyed the most: Here goes:

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One For the $3,000 Bin, And A Few More

Let’s check in on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was a sort of original pressing in that it had the West 63rd address, deep grooves, ear and RVG but no New York 23  on one of of the sides, so perhaps sticklers will set it is less than an original. I’d be happy to have it, that’s for sure. The vinyl was M- and the cover was VG+. The final price was $3,355.55.

This one did not sell: John Coltrane, Soultrane, Prestige 7142. The listing had a few inconsistencies, talking about a New York label, when this one never came with a New York label. And the condition listing was not consistent either, although it seemed that the record was probably VG++ and the cover was M-. The start price was $365 and no one was interested at that price.

Here are a couple more nice Blue Notes I was watching:

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DG Or Not DG, That Is the Question

Our friend CeeDee send me the following link in a fit of minor pique: Bill Evans, Portrait in Jazz, Riverside 315. There were two related sources of irritation. One was the overuse of pictures to show every minor detail of the listing. The other was the seeming incongruity between the many and varied pictures and the description of the record. The seller described it as an original deep groove pressing, yet in all of the pictures it is quite difficult to ascertain an actual deep groove. Take a look and see what you think. This one was listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $157.50.

Here’s a catch-up on some of the other records we were watching last week, starting with Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This was an original pressing offered by the Jazz Record Center. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $2,619. Big price. I finally landed an original copy of this record last year as part of a collection (not the Irving Kalus collection) and I’m pleased to say the entire collection cost just a bit more than $2,619. From the same auction, this one sold for a surprisingly high price:

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A Bounteous Batch of Blue Note Beauties

If you were to jump onto eBay today, as I have just done, you will find a large number of very nice original Blue Note records in extremely attractive condition. It isn’t always this way, but it certainly is now, and here a few to peruse, starting with: Curtis Fuller, Bone and Bari, Blue Note 1572. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG++ (or better) condition for the record and M- for the cover. This record features Sonny Clark on piano. The start price is $500 and so far there are no bidders, but it’s safe to assume that there will be. This seller, bluenote5, has a bunch of nice Blue Notes on eBay right now. For instance, Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This is another original pressing with the New York 23 label and it is also close to M- condition, based on the descriptions. The start price is also in the $500 range and so far there is only one bid.

Hank Mobley and his All Stars, Blue Note 1544. This is an original West 63rd/New York 23 pressing and looks to be in at least VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding has already surpassed $500 and there are still five days to go.

And then there are some nice Blue Notes from the Jazz Record Center, including:

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Tracking Some Jazz Vinyl in Top Condition

The Jazz Record Center has a new auction up on eBay. I don’t usually follow particular sellers, but I like to follow their auctions because the records they sell are usually in beautiful condition and because they are such a highly respected seller. What they sell is often a current gauge of the market. Here are a few from their current auction, starting with: Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1549. This is an original pressing that looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is $500 and there is already a bidder.

Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, Columbia 1480. This is an original deep groove six-eye pressing. I don’t normally think of this as a collectible record, but this one has a start price of $75. We’ll see if it generates interest. It is in beautiful, near new condition.

This is another we don’t often watch here at Jazz Collector:

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Jazz Vinyl With Cool Covers

I happened to be browsing on eBay last night when several of the auctions we’ve been watching from the seller robertb8640 were closing, so I plucked a few to watch and share, starting with: Thelonious Monk, Piano Solo, French Swing 33.342. I’m definitely developing a thing for some of these European pressings. This is a 10-inch pressing, apparently first issued in France? The record was VG and the cover was VG++. The price was $225.82. Fantastic cover, with a great picture of a pensive Monk.

Johnny Griffin Quartet, Argo 624. This was an original pressing with the very weird split cover. The seller showed some nice pictures of the cover and how it worked surrounding the record. This one was in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $471.88. Is this highest priced of all the Argo records. It is, indeed, according to the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

 

 

 

A Trio of Blue Notes For a Monday Morning

Here’s some of the jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay this week:

Here we go again: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing in M- condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. It closes soon and the bidding is in the $2,150 range, except it has yet to reach the seller’s reserve price. I noticed on the listing that the seller points to Jazz Collector for help in ascertaining the value. We’re pleased an flattered and also reminded that we better upgrade our Price Guide this week.

Here are a couple more nice Blue Notes, starting with: Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Tough to find these Lexington Avenue Blue Notes in such nice shape. The price for this one has already surpassed $500 and we won’t be surprised if this one goes beyond $1,000. Not just an original Blue Note, but also has the presence of John Coltrane. Also, Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. The vinyl on this one is only in VG condition and the cover is VG++. Still, the bidding has already topped $500. My personal experience with original Blue Notes of this era is that records that look to be in VG condition, generally sound pretty darn good, so perhaps other potential buyers are hoping that is the case for this record as well.

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