This week’s theme: Jazz records recorded on Feb. 4. Featured artists include Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Billy Taylor, Hal McKusick, Art Farmer, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Phil Woods, Jon Eardley, Paul Chambers, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, Louis Smith.
This week’s Theme: The BeBop Songbook
Time again to clear out some items from the Jazz Collector eBay watch list, whatever that is. Let’s start with Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This is an original pressing that was listed in Good condition for the record and Fair for the cover. The seller suggested that the buyer clean the record “multiple times” before judging the condition. OK. Also, I should mention that the seller’s rating on eBay is 97.7%. When I originally spotted this record, the start price was $1,000 and I was curious to see if it would sell. It didn’t. So the seller relisted it for $500 and it did sell. I don’t have an original copy of Cliff Craft in my collection, but I wouldn’t be interested in one of G/F condition, especially if I had to pay $500 for it. Very happy with my clean United Artists pressing, which I bought for $10 from Red Carraro sometime in the previous century. Read more
Got a few emails from our friend CeeDee, starting with The Booker Ervin Quintette, Cookin’, Savoy 12154. This looks like a red label, but it’s not clear. Some of the photos look red, some look maroon. Not sure this record had deep grooves, but there are none in the picture. This copy was in Ex condition for the record and the cover and sold for about $558. The previous high for this record was $175, according to Popsike. Read more
Let’s get back to the mundane business of watching prices of rare jazz vinyl soar on eBay, shall we. Let’s start with Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington, Riverside 12-201. This is the original pressing of the first record in the 200 series of Riverside. It is an original white label pressing with the original cover, featuring photos of Monk, Oscar Pettiford and Kenny Clarke. The record looks to be in nice condition, although the description is pretty vague for a seller who does not offer returns. Cover also looks pretty nice, based on the pictures. The bidding starts at about $750 and so far there is no action, with the auction closing in about two days. I would love to own an original copy of this record and I came close about 20 years ago for what at the time was a reasonable price. I was at the Jazz Record Center in New York and had a copy in my hand in very nice condition and the price was $100. I thought long and hard, asked Fred what he thought and he said it was a bargain at that price, but I guess I didn’t have the money, or the balls, at the time, so I left it behind. Came back a few days later to get it, but it was gone. Read more
This one comes to us via Clifford, with the comment “Basra into the big boy bin” followed by the pithy commentary “OOF!” Pete LaRoca, Basra, Blue Note 4205. This was an original New York USA mono pressing listed in M- condition for the record. As for the cover, the seller grades it as Ex. From the pictures it is no better than VG+ and probably on the low end of the VG+ scale at best. The final price was $1,575. Prior to this year, the top price for Basra was $820. But this is the second copy this year to sell for more than $1,000, following a $1,350 sale in February, according to Popsike. OOF! Indeed. Read more
Time to catch up on some rare jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Phil Woods Septet, Pairing Off, Prestige 7046. This was an original New York Yellow label pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. When we wrote about the record last week at Jazz Collector, the bidding was in the $300 range. The record sold for $1,225. According to Popsike, that’s the highest price we’ve seen for that record. I’ve been saying that so often lately, I’m beginning to sound like (fill in the blank, I’m too embarrassed to write it). Anyway, this one was sold by the Jazz Record Center and here are some additional items from the same auction: Read more
Normally my eBay watch list is filled with records I am watching to fulfill my mission here at Jazz Collector. There are very few occasions when I actually bid on records and, if you’ve been keeping track, even fewer occasions when my bids are successful. One of the records in my watch list that was for both Jazz Collector and potential purchase purposes was this one: Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 84140. Somehow in more than 50 years of jazz collecting, this record has never made it onto my shelves, and it is a classic, isn’t it, with Blue Bossa and Recorda-Me and Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson? Anyway, this is an original stereo pressing and, I was thinking, perhaps because it was stereo and not mono, the price might be in line with my sensibilities. The record is in VG++ condition and the cover is M- and when I first spotted the record it was in the $200 range. We are now two hours from closing as I write this and the price is close to $600. I expect it to sell for a bit more than that, so I will just keep looking. I still don’t know why I don’t have a copy. I mean, back when I started collecting I probably could have gotten a Liberty pressing for $5 or so at any of the local record stores. Read more
Thanks for all the great comments and discussion on Saxophone Colossus. I think the consensus is blue cover, GEM, AB hand engraved, all of which I have on both of my copies. JLike our friend Lennib and other commenters, I love these discussions and get a lot out of them. Now, on to more records. Join me while I clear out some of the older items on my eBay watch list, starting with one I’d threated to bid on, but somehow lost track of along the way: Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This was an original New York 23 pressing. This was one I thought had been under-graded based on the seller’s description. Read more
Watching this item on eBay:John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, Impulse A-77. This is an original mono pressing with the white promotional label. You don’t see too many of these. Thus one is listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The bidding is in the $900 range with more than three days left on the auction. We have seen a promo copy of A Love Supreme sell for as much as $1,358, according to Popsike, and it would not be surprising to see this record fall somewhere in that range as well. This listing is one of many nice items from the seller Carolina Soul, now and over the past few weeks. Read more
