Tag: Miles Davis

Tracking Rare Jazz Vinyl on Prestige

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Not everything is Blue Note, right? Here are some Prestiges that we’ve just entered into the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Dorothy Ashby, Hip Harp, Prestige 7140. This was an original New York yellow label pressing and it looked to be in nice M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The price was $193.

Miles Davis Plus Horns, Prestige 7025. This was a New York pressing. The record was VG++ and the cover was M-. The listing lacked a little bit of detail — such as whether it was a kakubushi cover — and the price was $170.17. Just a few weeks ago we saw an M- version of this LP sell for $799.

Ray Bryant Trio, Prestige 7099. This was an original New York yellow label pressing

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Some Non-Blue Notes For the Price Guide

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Here are a few non-Blue Notes for the Jazz Collector Price Guide:

The Arrival of Kenny Dorham, Jaro 4644. This seemed to be a mono pressing and it was listed in M- condition for both the cover and the record. The price was $943.33.

Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This was an original pressing. The seller listed the condition of both the record and the cover as between VG and VG+. It sold for $840, which means the buying public probably figured the VG grading was more accurate than the VG+. I was listening to some jazz vinyl with the lovely Mrs. JC last night and I asked her if she recalled me ever playing Jackie McLean for her. She didn’t, so I put on

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The Gift of Jazz

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When I was six my parents took me to a jazz show somewhere in New York. I think it was the Palladium, but my memory doesn’t stretch back far enough to remember the exact location. I do remember that there was George Shearing on the bill and I didn’t understand how a blind man could play the piano. How did he know what to play without seeing the keys? And there was the Miles Davis quintet or sextet, and I’m pretty sure I saw Trane when I was six. I wish I could have appreciated it. The education in jazz from my parents continued. There were Sunday afternoon concerts at the Village Gate — Jazz Interactions, they were called — and brunches and late afternoon shows at the Five Spot and the Red Garter, all when I was pre-teen and early teen. I remember my father going up to Kenny Burrell and asking if he’d give me lessons. That was not cool. Anyway, Burrell was warm and friendly and I noticed in my collection the other day an autographed copy of Blue Bash!, Kenny Burrell with Jimmy Smith on Verve signed: “To Diane and Hal, Best Wishes, Kenny Burrell.”  All of which is a roundabout way of saying how much I appreciate this great gift my parents gave me and that I am quite sad to report that my mom just passed away unexpectedly. I will be taking a few days off from Jazz Collector, so there will be no new posts from me, but I am hopeful that you guys can fill in the slack. I will post an item right after I post this called: Reader Forum. Please use this to post new comments and keep an eye on eBay and keep the conversation going while I step away for a few days. Thanks.

Kind of Blue for $5,000?

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Our friend CeeDee sent us this link the other day for this record: Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This is an original promo copy with the white label, 6-eye logo. You can click the link and look at the item and go to the bottom of the listing for a laugh, or you can simply continue reading here for the punchline.

The seller has this listed for a buy-it-now price of $5,000 and in his listing he states that this is the only promo copy of this record he has ever seen. A reader is indignant at such an absurd price and preposterous claim and mentions a near mint copy that sold the other for for $355. He refers the seller to popsike where there is a history of these sold and at one point asks the seller: “Listen, are you on drugs?”

To which the seller replies simply: “yes.”

And there it is. A refreshingly honest exchange on eBay.

A Visit to A Record Store, Part 3

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So many comments to follow up on, but first let me finish my little trilogy about my visit to Infinity Records. Given the market conditions for music the days, it’s easy to assume that the days of the brick and mortar record store are numbered. In the mainstream music market, CDs are collapsing as the medium shifts to an online digital model. In the collectibles market, eBay has become the dominant sales medium. But, for now at least, it seems there is still room for a few places where people can physically walk into a store and purchase music. I happened to be in lower Manhattan a few weeks ago with time to kill and I popped in to J&R Music. It was jam-packed with people. And I was amazed to see the rows and rows and rows of CDs. They even had four bins of new vinyl — lots of recent Blue Note pressings — as well as a wall full of collectible vinyl that featured autographed covers, including Billie Holiday, Dexter Gordon and others.  The key was that they were comprehensive: You got the sense that if there was a jazz CD you wanted, you’d be able to find it there — as opposed to walking into a Border’s or Barnes and Noble, where the music is clearly secondary. There is also room, I think, for good record stores that understand the collectibles market. I spoke to Joe Ostermeier at Infinity — that’s Joe in the picture, standing in front of his wall of records — and he said business is still solid, no major let up as the music world has

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More Confessions of a Vinyl Addict, Part 1

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Friends, my name is Al and I am a vinyl addict. It is necessary for me to confess once again because I have had yet another setback. Remember my mission to pare down my collection, which I have labeled The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown? Well, as part of that endeavor I decided it would be wise to take inventory of my records so that I would know what I actually have, in intimate detail: Record, condition, provenance, value. I had never actually done this before, so yesterday I set up a spreadsheet and began the process. I started, naturally, with the Blue Notes, the 1500 series, Blue Note 1501, Miles Davis Volume 1. I pulled the record off the shelf, looked at the record, cleaned it, typed the information into the spreadsheet, put it back on the shelf and then pulled the second record, Blue Note 1502, Miles Davis Volume 2. Same deal: Looked at the record, cleaned it, wrote it down, then moved on to the next record.

What a mistake.

I was moving along fine through the first eight records in the

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Price Update: 10-Inch LPs by Miles, Prez . . .

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We’ve been updating Prestige and Blue Note. Here are some 10-inch LPs for the Jazz Collector Price Guide:

Miles Davis Sextet, Prestige 182. This was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. We were thinking about bidding on this because the price was right, but in the end we’re getting rid of records, not adding records. We do have to remind ourselves of this, constantly, each time we see a nice item on eBay, which is several times a day. Anyway, this one sold for $102.50. That’s a pretty attractive price and was in my range. This was in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The price was $233.50.

Howard McGhee Volume 2, Blue Note 5024. This was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $234.

Here are a couple of nice 10-inch LPs by Lester Young:

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Prestige Price Update: Miles, Red & More

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Yesterday we updated some Blue Notes for the Jazz Collector Price Guide, this morning let’s turn to Prestige.

This one looked quite nice: Miles Davis, Relaxin’, Prestige 7129. This was an original pressing with the yellow label and New York address. The record and cover both looked to be in VG++ condition. The price was $294.

Jackie McLean and Company, Prestige 7087. This as an original New York pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG+. The price was $265.

Red Garland, All Mornin’ Long, Prestige 7130. This was an original New York pressing with the original cover. It was in M- condition for the vinyl and the cover and it sold for $449.

This is another favorite:

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Updating The $1,000 Bin: Miles, Mobley

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Let’s update the good old $1,000 bin, which seems to be getting pretty crowded these days, no?

This one was certainly expected: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original pressing. The vinyl was only in VG+ condition. The cover was M-. The price was $2,615.50. The surprise was the high price for the VG+ condition.

One of The Miles Davis Blue Notes sold for more than $1,000, which was a new high. Miles Davis, Volume 1, Blue Note 1501. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing from a very reliable seller. The record was in M- condition, as was the cover. We had written about this one when it was at $250. It eventually sold for $1,007. Also, Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 1502, from the same seller, in the same pristine condition, sold for $765.55.  There was another Miles that made the $1,000. That was:

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On eBay: Miles and Miles and Mobley

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Here’s a seller with some really nice items on eBay now, including: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing. The vinyl is in VG+ condition and the cover is M-. This is one of the rare ones. It is already more than $1,000 with three days to go. From the same seller: Introducing Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1523. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the deep grooves, flat edge, etc. The vinyl is listed as VG+ and the cover is listed as VG. The current price is about $130. It will sell for more. Promise.

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