Jazz For A Snowy Saturday

Up here in The Berkshires, where it’s snowing and quite lovely. Anyway  . . .  The folks at jazz5060/Music Matters have been posting quite the jazz vinyl collection on eBay in recent weeks. They have a bunch of nice items up there now, and a bunch more that already sold for very nice prices this week, including: Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and the cover.  This one sold for $909.99. I finally, finally, got an original copy of this record for my own collection in that collection I purchased from Canada a few weeks ago. These guys at jazz5060/Music Matters seem to be doing quite well with their prices. Perhaps I need to charge them more (charge them something, actually) for the ad that keeps running here on Jazz Collector.

Sometimes you see these Prestiges go for top dollar, sometimes they go relatively cheaply. This one was top dollar: Gene Ammons All Stars, Prestige 7060. This one was in M- condition for the record and cover and sold for $707.

Watching (and Buying) Some Rare Blue Notes

Like many of you I’m greatly intrigued by the discussion on Why We Collect but, alas, I cannot shirk my normal obsession and obligation to keep an eye on collectible jazz vinyl on eBay. Here are some of the items I’m watching:

Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. Hard to believe, but I never had an original pressing of this record — until now. I have made a little bit of a purchase, including a bunch of Blue Notes. I will give you more details once the full purchase is complete, probably sometime next week. In the meantime, I’m watching this to see if I overpaid. This one is listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It is currently at about $215 with another day to go. I expect this to go for quite a bit more, with the added benefit of Sonny Clark on piano.

This one could set a new record, perhaps: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing listed in near mint for the record and what looks to be at least VG++ for the cover. The seller is reputable and has been posting some very nice items the past few weeks. This one is already more than $3,100, yet it hasn’t met the seller’s reserve. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide we’ve recorded this as selling for $5,600 in the past, the highest price we’ve ever seen for a single jazz record.

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A New Batch of Jazz Vinyl For The New Year

Happy New Year to everyone. Here are a few more items going into the Jazz Collector Price Guide. No links on these.

Jimmy Raney Quartet, New Jazz 1101. I like this one because of the maroon and white label, which you rarely see. There were just a few 10-inch New Jazz LPs, so they are pretty cool, and pretty rare. This one was probably in VG or VG+ condition for the record and the vinyl. It sold for $157.50.

Now a bunch of Blue Notes:

Lee Morgan, Lee-Way, Blue Note 4034. This was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $600.

Lou Donaldson, Wailing With Lou, Blue Note 1545. This was an original West 63rd pressing in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $688.

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. Also an original pressing, of course, this one in VG+ condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $1,343.

Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 4176. This one was in M- condition for the record and VG for the cover. It sold for $200.

Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. Record was M- and cover was M-. Price was $1,465.

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Blue Note Jazz Vinyl For the $1,700 Bin

OK, so when did this become a $1,700 record: Donald Byrd, Byrd in Flight, Blue Note 4048? This was an original pressing and it was in M- condition. It was also a review copy. Who would have suspected it would get a top bid of $1,712? I certainly didn’t. Our previous high price for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was more in the range of $300.

From the same seller came a batch of other nice collectibles, also at top prices, including: Rocky Boyd, Ease It, Jazz Time 001. This was an original pressing. The record looked to be M- and the cover was probably VG++. It sold for $668. I owned this record at one time but don’t recall that I ever listened to it. I wound up trading it for something not nearly as collectible. I know this record benefits from the presence of Kenny Dorham, for both musicality and collectibility. How is the record and what can we learn about Rocky Boyd?

Also:

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An Interesting Trio of Rare Jazz Vinyl

Here’s some more rare jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with: Thad Jones, Debut 127. This looks to be an original 12-inch LP, which looks to me like a combination of his 10-inch LP with Mingus and another 10-inch LP, also on Debut? Don’t have this particular record, so I’m not sure. Someone will know, i.e., Rudolf. Anyway, this one was listed in VG+ condition for the cover and Ex for the record, which is probably VG+ as well. It sold for $258.

Benny Golson seems to be more popular as a collectible artist than he ever was as a jazz artist, if you know what I mean: Benny Golson, Groovin’ With Golson, New Jazz 8220. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $310.

Here’s a record that’s not only unplayed, it is actually in a virgin state: Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. It sold for $511.01.

Jazz For A Snowy Day

Hard to believe, but it’s actually snowing here in New York. A perfect day to take a look at what’s on eBay.

Be still my heart: One of the top priorities on my want list, but the price . . . . Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It is now priced at $560 and it will close sometime today, probably in the plus-$1,000 range. Too much for me. I have a Japanese pressing of this record and it’s always been a favorite, “If I Love Again,” mmmmmm. Anyone out there who has a spare, I have some good stuff to trade.

How about a couple of Blue Notes with Andy Warhol covers: Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume One, Blue Note 1596. This is described as an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The current price is $520 with just about an hour to go. And, if you want to buy it’s brother: Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume 2, Blue Note 1597. This is from the same seller, it is described as being in the same M- condition as the other one and it is also at $520. Also from the same seller is this beauty: Lou Donaldson, Sunny Side Up, Blue Note 4036. This is an original pressing with the original cover. It is listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover and is currently priced at $338.

 

Catching Up: Blue Notes, Prestige, Clef

Let’s catch up on some odds and ends jazz vinyl we were watching last week:

First one of the heavyweights: Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. As noted this was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. This one looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover and was described by the seller as “museum quality,” which is an interesting term we don’t see very often. We predicted that this one would make the $2,000 bin and speculated that it would perhaps even hit the $3,000 bin. It sold for $2,450.

Another really nice one that fetched top dollar: Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This was also an original pressing, also in M- condition for the record and the cover, also described as a “museum copy.” It sold for $766.99, which is the top price we’ve seen for this one in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

I’ve never seen this cover on this record:

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Ella and Louis as Rare Jazz Vinyl

Well, this is one of my all-time favorite records, but when did it become a high-priced commodity: Ella and Louis, Verve 4003. This is an original pressing in M- condition. I don’t often find myself watching copies of this on eBay, because it rarely gets to the $50 threshold. This one, however, has a bunch of bidders and is already in the $150 range with a few hours to go. Any guesses as to the reason for the high price on this one?

Now for this one I can understand a high price: Lou Donaldson Sextet Volume 2, Blue Note 5055. This is an original 10-inch pressing that seems to be in about VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. There are nearly four days to go and the price is in the $225 range. By the way, I think I’ve convinced the lovely Mrs. JC to allocate four solid shelves of space in our new New York apartment for 10-inch LPs, which will probably cover 250-plus records. Not my full 10-inch collection, but more than enough to sustain me. And perhaps I will get back to eBay and sell some of the others. Still looking for a permanent home for my 78s, which is a bit more complicated because there are more of them and because they include both individual records and albums as well. I’ll keep you posted.

 

Watching Some Nice 10-Inch Jazz Vinyl

Today we shall catch up on that 10-inch auction from the Jazz Record Center that closed yesterday. All in all, considering that the market is relatively soft, I thought these records fetched a pretty good price.

Lou Donaldson and Clifford Brown, New Faces, New Sounds, Blue Note 5030. Look at that beautiful cover. The record was M- and the cover seemed somewhere between VG++ and M-. It sold for $522.88.

Jutta Hipp, Jutta, Blue Note 5056. This one looked to be in beautiful condition, M- for the record and the cover. It sold for $720.

Lou Donaldson Sextet, Volume 2, Blue Note 5055. This was an original, original first pressing, based on the listings on the back cover of other Blue Note 10-inch LPs, and it was in M- condition all around. The price was $385.

Here’s a non-Blue Note that got a nice price: Billie Holiday Sings, Mercury 118. This was an original pressing with a beautiful cover illustration by David Stone Martin. One of his very best, I’d say. This one was in beautiful condition, M- for the record and the cover. It sold for $260.

 

Watching Some Nice 10-Inch Blue Notes

Here’s some jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay:

This seller has some nice 10-inch LPs, including: The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 3, Blue Note 5070. This is an original pressing featuring Hank Mobley and Horace Silver. It looks to be in very nice condition, graded VG++ by the seller for both the record and the cover. This one has a start price of $250 and there are no bidders so far. Also, Lou Donaldson and Clifford Brown, New Faces, New Sounds, Blue Note 5030. This is an original pressing also graded in VG++ condition. The start price on this one is $200 and there is one bid as of now. One more: Lou Donaldson, New Faces, New Sounds, Blue Note 5021. This is another one that looks great, with a sparkling cover rate in M- condition. Don’t see that too often. The cover is VG++. The current price is $275 and there are more than four days to go.

Speaking of 10-inch Blue Notes:

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eBaying: Frank Sinatra Autograph, LD BLue Note

This one is for don-lucky and other autograph collectors out there. By the way, are there other autograph collectors out there? I though it was pretty cool: Frank Sinatra, Stormy Weather and Ol’Man River. This is a test/promo pressing of a 78 RPM record, clearly from Columbia although there are no other markings to indicate that. The record is signed in script: Best Wishes, Frank Sinatra. I’m not sure how to authenticate these things, but it looks pretty real. There was just one bidder and it sold for $395. Biggest problem with buying a 78 on eBay is the shipping. They are just so fragile.

And, while I’m here, here’s a random Blue Note I was watching: Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This looked to be an original pressing in VG+ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $334.

Updating the $1,000 Bin, Plus a Few More

Let’s catch up on some of the high-end jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

Here are a few from the Jazz Record Center auction: Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This one was in beautiful condition, M- all the way around. It sold for $2,380.99. Sonny Clark, Dial S For Sonny, Blue Note 1570. This was another beauty that was M- for the record and probably VG++ for the cover, depending upon how you view things such as small splits and slight wear. It sold for $2,039. Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 1535. This was in M- condition for the record and somewhat less for the cover. The price was $1,613.88. And the big one: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and between VG++ and M- for the cover, depending upon how you grade such things. The price was $3,618.

Here’s a $1,000 record that was not sold by the Jazz Record Center:

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eBaying With Horace, Lou, Newk & Leo Parker

Some interesting items on eBay now. Shall we see?

Horace Silver, The Cape Verdean Blues, Blue Note 4220. This looks to be an original mono pressing with the ear and the Van Gelder in the deadwax, although there is no close-up picture of the label to tell. This one is closing soon and is at more than $150 in VG+ or VG++ condition. Anyone out there have an explanation? Not that it’s not an excellent record, but it’s never been one of those that has garnered high prices. Perhaps because it’s a mono pressing?

We’d mentioned this one a couple of weeks ago when it sold for $81 in VG condition: Leo Parker and Bill Jennings, Billy in the Lion’s Den, King 395-527. The record here is VG+ and the cover is VG, but the pictures with the listing are very nice. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and, in this case, they seem to be worth several hundred at least: This one is already more than $325.

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Catching Up on Some 10-Inch Jazz Vinyl

Can’t sleep so I’m up early updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide. Here are some 10-inch records that will be going in:

Miles Davis All Stars Volume 2, Prestige 200. This looks to be an original pressing with the yellow label, probably one of the first Prestiges to have the famous yellow label. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $204.50.

I think this was the first LP issued by Blue Note: Mellow The Mood, Blue Note 5001. It features Ike Quebec, Benny Morton, Buck Clayton and others. The record was VG and the cover was VG++. You’d think it would fetch a high price just for the historic value. But, alas, this copy did not: It sold for $28.

I’ve never seen this one and it has quite a cool cover: Bill Jennings/Leo Parker Quintet, Billy in the Lion’s Den, King 527. This was listed in VG condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $81.

Hard to find this one in M- condition, but here was a copy: Gerry Mulligan Quartet, With Chet Baker, Pacific Jazz 5. It sold for $115.52.

And now for some 10-inch Blue Notes:

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More Updates For the Jazz Collector Price Guide

I’ve been spending time this weekend updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide and realized there are a bunch more interesting items we’ve mentioned here but haven’t followed up, so here are a few of them:

George Wallington, Jazz For the Carriage Trade, Prestige 7032. This was an original New York pressing with a record in M- condition and a nice shiny cover in VG++ condition. It sold for $395.

Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter, Imperial 9024. This looked to be an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $350.99.

Lou Donaldson, Swing and Soul, Blue Note 1566. This was one of the recent records sold by the Jazz Record Center. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $544.44.

From that same auction were these:

The Wes Montgomery Trio, Riverside 310. This was an original pressing in M- condition and sold for $305, the highest price we’ve seen for this record.

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Jazz Vinyl From The Jazz Record Center

The folks at Jazz Record Center have a new eBay auction up now. It’s always interesting to watch their stuff because their strong brand name ensures top market value. Here are a few of the records we’ll be watching from this auction:

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This is an original deep groove pressing that is in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It has a start price of $750 and already has a bidder, so you can expect that this one may be headed for the $1,000 bin.

Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers, Blue Note 1518. This is a West 63rd Street pressing, whereas the original first pressing would have been Lexington Avenue. I’m curious about this second press Blue Notes, which many of our readers think of as originals, because their prices have gone up quite a bit recently. I just bought a West 63rd copy of the first Miles Davis Blue Note, which I’ll be selling at some point, either on eBay or from my basement. This one is in “near-new” condition and already has a bidder at $100.

I’ve always liked this record and I do, fortunately, have an original pressing: Lou Donaldson, Swing and Soul, Blue Note 1566. This one is also in very nice M- condition and has a bidder at a $350 start price.

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Another Blue Note Day At Jazz Collector

Here are a few more high priced blue Notes  we’ve been watching on eBay:

Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This was an original deep groove pressing and it was in VG++ condition for the record and what looked to be VG+ for the cover. It sold for $939.77. Do you think people are buying these Blue Notes at these prices for investment purposes, thinking that they will continue to increase? Or do you think it’s real collectors buying them for the music? Or perhaps it’s something in between: Real collectors buying them for the music, but also looking at them as a solid investment?

Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This was an original Lexington Ave pressing that looked to be in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $776.

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On Ebay: Lou, Lou & Some Wailers

Here is some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been watching this weekend:

Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. This was an original Lexington Avenue flat-edge pressing. It was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $1,008.80. Rudolph asks if perhaps there is a slowdown. We have seen this sell for more than $1,800 recently, so who knows. I find so much of what happens on eBay arbitrary: Depends who’s looking that week, how competitive the bidding gets, how the record is listed, who does the listing, etc. Here’s another Donaldson: Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This was a bit of a strange

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Tracking 10-Inch Jazz Vinyl On Blue Note

There seems to be a corresponding hike in prices for 10-inch Blue Notes as well as 12-inch Blue Notes. Here are a few we were watching this week, several from the same seller, including: Lou Donaldson, New Faces, New Sounds, Blue Note  5021. This was an original pressing with the vinyl in M- condition and the cover VG+. It sold for $577. One thing about the 10-inchers: Unless they are a Japanese or United Artists press, you know they are originals.

Lou Donaldson Sextet Volume 2, Blue Note 5055. This one looked to be in VG++ condition for the vinyl and M- for the cover. The price was $667. Another one from the same seller:

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More Questions About “Original” Blue Notes

I went back to look at some of those listings from Paperstax that have generated all of this discussion and controversy. I started with Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. When you look at the listing, it seems to have it all: West 63rd Street address, deep groove, but . . . when you look closely, Van Gelder in the dead wax as opposed to RVG, no mention of the ear. In bidding, I would assume — and did — that this was an original and that the seller inadvertently did not mention the ear and used Van Gelder descriptively as opposed to using the RVG. The reason is because I don’t quite understand how this can be a Liberty pressing and still have the deep grooves. The same thing with:

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Tracking Prices For Later Blue Note Pressings

People have been asking about prices and values of later-pressing Blue Notes, so I’ve been watching a few just to keep tabs on the market. There was a seller last week that was selling a bunch of United Artists pressings, including: The Magnificent Thad Jones, Volume 3, Blue Note 1546. This one was in VG+ condition for both the record and the vinyl. The start price was $40 and there were no bids. So that price was definitely too high. However, if you look at his other completed listings, there were a bunch more United Artists pressings in better condition and they sold in the range of $15 to $25 each, for the most part. There was a Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550, that sold for $25.49 and a Lee Morgan Indeed, Blue Note 1538, that sold for $15. There were others as well, including a couple of blue-and-white label Liberty pressings that sold for between $30 and $40. I also watched this blue

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Blue Notes on A Summer’s Day

On this warm, sticky, hot, sweltering summery day in New York, let us take a moment to catch up on some collectible jazz vinyl from the recent annals of eBay:

Here’s a nice Blue Note for what seemed to be a pretty reasonable price: Lou Donaldson, Swing and Soul, Blue Note 1566. This was an original pressing from a reputable seller. The vinyl was M- and the cover was VG++. The price was $460.75, and this is quite a fine record, indeed. There was a second copy of this record for sale. The record and cover were VG++ and the

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Lou, Lexington, Blue Note . . . Temptation

I randomly logged on to eBay a few hours ago and the first record, about to close in 30 seconds, was this one: Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. This is a long-time favorite and, somehow, I don’t have an original pressing. My copy is a Japanese reissue. So I had 30 seconds to decide whether to bid and how much to bid. At the time, the record was in the $350 range, and I was thinking I might be able to get it for about $525. Now, if I were to have done that, it would have been by far the most I had ever spent on a single record. I was tempted, tempted, tempted. I looked at the seller’s description. The condition was listed as VG+ for both the record and the cover. But the listing also included

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Jazz Vinyl, Blue Note, A Lovely Way To Start the Day

This seller has a couple of nice 10-inch Blue Notes closing soon: Lou Donaldson, New Faces, New Sounds, Blue Note 5021. This is listed as VG++ for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. The current price is about $230.  Also: Fats Navarro Memorial Album, Blue Note 5004. This is also in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. The price is about $160. As I type this both of these have a few hours before they close.

We’ve also been watching a few other nice Blue Notes that closed in the past couple of days, including. Dexter Gordon, Our Man in Paris, Blue Note 4146. This was a New York USA pressing with the deep grooves on both sides. The cover and vinyl appeared to be in VG++ condition and the sales price was $349.

Lee Morgan, Lee Way, Blue Note 4034. This was an original pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for the vinyl and similar condition for the cover, although

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More Big Blue Notes, More Big Prices

Shall we Blue Note this evening? Here are some recent sales:

This one set a new high for this LP: Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 4140. This was an original pressing and it was listed in M- condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $565.58.

Another high one: Benny Green, Back on the Scene, Blue Note 1587. This was also in M- condition. It sold for $620.

Kenny Dorham, Unas Mas, Blue Note 4127. This was an original mono pressing and it was listed in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $283.

This one just ended, as we were typing:

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