Catching Up: Morgan, Blakey, Kenny Dorham

Here are a few records we’ve been watching:

Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. This seemed to be an original pressing listed as being in near mint condition. The price was $741. It’s hard to think of a record selling for $741 as being a bargain but given Blue Note prices lately, this seems kind of low. I had expected it to break into the $1,000 bin.

Because of some of the chatter on the site, we’ve also decided to keep an eye on more second pressings, such as this one: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, The Big Beat, Blue Note 4029. This was a New York USA pressing — not an original — and it was

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More Confessions of A Vinyl Addict, Part 2

    ReissuesOK, so I got to the JJ Johnson record and realized it was a New York USA pressing, and then I got to Blue Note 1513, Thad Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, and realized it was a Japanese pressing, and then I got to Blue Note 1515, Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 1, and realized, hey, I don’t own that record at all.

I knew all of that. I knew I didn’t have a complete original collection of Blue Notes. I knew I wasn’t even close to having a complete collection of original Blue Notes. I knew I never aspired to having a complete collection of original Blue Notes. But I felt compelled to go on, to go through the entire 1500 series and know exactly what I had

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Nice Records, Very Nice Condition

Here’s a couple we’re watching on eBay now:

Eric Dolphy, Out To Lunch, Blue Note 4163. This seems to be an original pressing, although it’s odd that one side is deep groove and the other isn’t. It is from the same seller who was selling all of those pristine records last week, and this looks to be of similar quality: Just beautiful if the pictures are accurate. This one is currently sitting at about and it hasn’t yet reached the seller’s reserve price.  You may recall that we at Jazz Collector — okay, me at Jazz Collector — were quite flabbergasted when a copy of this record sold for the astronomical price is $1,524. We think that was an aberration, so it will be interesting to see what this one goes for.

Here’s another rare record that looks to be in very nice condition:

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For the $1,000 Bin: Blue Notes, Prestige

Time again to update the $1,000 bin.

Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing and was sold by a reputable dealer. The record was listed in M- condition and was described as “uplayed.” The cover was probably VG+, based on the description. The price was $2,000. Our previous high price for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was $1,248.

This one has made many appearances in the $1,000 bin: Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This was an original pressing with a promo stamp. The record and cover looked to be in M- condition. The price was $2,175.

Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. This looked like an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the deep grooves, although the seller’s description was quite lacking, making it

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Horace Parlan Blue Note: A Tale of Two Labels

OK, I have to admit, I’m spending a lot of time catching up on the Jazz Collector Price Guide because I’m kind of avoiding other (i.e., paying) work that is far less interesting. My loss — as in a loss of sleep, when I have to eventually catch up on this other work — is your gain. Here are a few more Blue Notes that will be entered into the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Horace Parlan, On the Spur of the Moment, Blue Note 4074. This is an interesting one. One label is New York USA and the other is West 63rd. This record came out right at the cusp of when Blue Note was making the transition. The seller claims it has deep grooves as well as the ear in the deadwax.  It was listed in VG+ condition for both the vinyl and the cover and it sold for $183.50. Is it an original? I would tend to think so, but I’m not so sure. Here’s another copy of the same record: Horace Parlan, On the Spur of the Moment, Blue Note 4074. This one

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Sealed Records: To Bid Or Not To Bid?

Here is some more jazz vinyl we’re watching today and through the weekend:

Here’s one that may cause a dilemma: Introducing Lee Morgan, Savoy 12091. This is a sealed record. Is it an original pressing with the red label, or a later pressing with the maroon label? It seems like you’ll have to buy it to find out. The seller has a bunch of Savoys, all in their original shrink wraps, and he hasn’t opened them to determine their vintage. Is it worth the risk risk? This record is now at $50. If it turns out to be an original pressing, unplayed, with a mint cover, what would it be worth — $500, $800, even $1,000? Who knows? Here’s another interesting one from that batch: Mighty Mike Cuozzo, Savoy 12051. Do you think Savoy even issued this with a maroon label? It’s a sealed record, priced at $9, perhaps an original featuring Eddie Costa on vibes. Worth a risk? Perhaps it is.

This seller also has some nice records, including: Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This

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Some More Blue Notes, Less than $1,000

Here’s  some jazz vinyl on Blue Note that did not sell for more than $1,000.

Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This was an original pressing and it was listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The price was just $114.50. That’s pretty low for this record. The last time we followed it in the Jazz Collector Price Guide it sold for more than $1,100, and previously it has sold for more than $600. This was not in M- condition, but you would still expect it to go for at least $300 or so. I think the seller may have overgraded the record, based on the description — VG+ but with “marks that will make some noise.” To me that’s a sign that the record may be VG or worse, so that would probably be the reason for the lower price.

Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. This one was listed in VG condition for the vinyl

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Jazz Vinyl Countdown: Lee Morgan, The Cooker

Like the compulsive nut that I am, I spent yesterday going through the records I purchased the other night. Not just going through the records, but doing a major record reorganization so I could welcome these records to their new home. however transient it may be. Anyway, I was hoping to get some upgrades out of this collection and here’s one: Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. Sad to say, I do not own an original copy of this record. Sad because original copies are selling for nearly $500 on eBay these days. It also shows how difficult it was to find original pressings prior to eBay. I’ve been seeking jazz records for close to 40 years and, if I had ever seen one of these at a decent price in a record store, I would certainly have purchased it. Which means, it never happened. Scary. In this case Read more

An Avalanche of Thousand-Dollar-Plus Jazz Vinyl

We’ve been off line for a couple of days, just got back, went to My Ebay and noticed that the auctions of the seller Nautiluso are now in the midst of closing. Wow! Wait till you see these prices. Here’s a start:

Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. Like most of the others in this group, this was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $3,342.99.

J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. Condition: M- for record and cover. Price: $2,247.22

Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. Condition: M-. Price: $1,175

Hank Mobley With Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, Blue Note 1540. Condition: M-. Price: $1,705.

Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. Condition: M-. Price: $2,247.

Bill Evans, Waltz For Debby, Riverside 399. Condition: M-
Price: $1,500.

As noted, this is just a small sampling. There will be more to come. It would be great if some of the winners of this vinyl will report back to us on the condition and whether these records are, indeed, as pristine as they seem.

Catching Up: Dex & A Few For the $1,000 Bin

Time to catch up on a few more jazz vinyl collectibles, including a few more for the $1,000 bin:

Dexter Gordon Quintet, Dial 204. This was an original 10-inch pressing. The record and the cover were both listed in VG+ condition. The price was about $240. I love these original 10-inch Dials, and the price on this one seemed pretty fair. But, alas, I was not a bidder.  Also from Dexter was this: Dexter Gordon, Dexter Rides Again, Savoy 12130. This was an original pressing with the deep groove and the red labels. The seller listed it in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $69.

For the $1,000 bin there were these:

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