Odds and Ends and eBay

When I was buying and selling regularly on eBay a few years ago I would monitor the listings religiously. Every day I would go through all of the listings, one by one, page by page, and I pretty much never missed a thing. These days, I’m more likely to do occasional searches and focus on items I’m most interested in. Last night I had some time, so I went through my old routine of listing by listing, page by page. Here’s some of the jazz vinyl I watched.

Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz, Diz and Getz, Verve 8141. This was an original pressing with the trumpeter logo. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG+, although it seemed to have original shrink wrap. The start price was $29.95. There were no bidders. Really? When I started collecting this would have been a nice commodity, hard to find, great artists, great collectible label. And it’s got quite a nice cover to boot. Now it’s not worth thirty bucks? Wow. How about Stan Getz and Chet Baker, Stan Meets Chet, Verve 8263. This one says “trumpet logo” in the headline, but there’s no picture of the label so I actually have to wonder if it is original. The record was listed in VG++ condition, close to M-, and the cover was VG+. The price was $57.

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Setting Some New Highs For Jazz Vinyl Prices

Many of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay have ended, so here’s a bit of a summary, starting with some of the final prices on the recent auction from the seller bobdjukic:

Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago, Mercury 60134. This was an original stereo pressing in M- condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $410. I’m not going to comment on the prices of the records I’m listing here. They tend to speak for themselves, no?

John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This was not an original pressing. It was a fairly common mono pressing with the red and purple labels and the white fan logo. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. It sold for $142.50.

Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto, Verve 8545. This was an original stereo pressing. The record and cover were probably in M- condition. The price was $361.

John Coltrane, Ballads, Impulse 32. This was an original orange label pressing. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $410. Our previous high price for this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was $205.

Joe Henderson, Mode For Joe, Blue Note 4227. This was a Liberty pressing. Liberty Pressing. It was in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $154.02.

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Grand Stans

To keep the discussion on this a little longer. I was perusing eBay last night and there was another copy of Getz/Gilberto, Verve 8545, also a stereo pressing, also in M- condition. It sold for $37, which is higher than normal. The other one from bobdjukic is at $219 and closing later today. While perusing, I also came upon this nice record: Stan Levey, Grand Stan, Bethelehem 71. It was sitting there at $25 and there were no bidders and I was contemplating placing a bid even though I already own a copy in M- condition. I think the seller missed an opportunity here: This is one of those records where if you know it, and you know the identities of the musicians, it becomes much more interesting. Among the musicians on this record are Sonny Clark and Richie Kamuca and it is, as you’d expect, a terrific record. It’s also not so easy to find, certainly tougher to find than Getz/Gilbert0. This one was in VG+ condition and sold for $27. The highest price we’ve ever seen for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide is $90.

Fairly Common LPs, Uncommon Prices

Many of you in the Jazz Collector audience complain about the seller bobjdukic, but you have to give the guy credit – whatever he does, he is able to get prices that no one else can dream of. I’m watching several of his auctions now and am pretty amazed at where the bidding is going. He must have regular customers who trust him and are well satisfied with what he delivers. Here are a few cases in point: Stan Getz, Getz. Gilberto, Verve 8545. Was there a more popular, more widely produced jazz album in the 1960s? Could you waltz into any record store now (if you can find one) and find a copy of this record in reasonable condition? This one has 11 bids and is currently priced at $219 with more than a day to go.  Miles Davis, “Four and More,” Columbia 2453. Again, this is a great record, but not all that uncommon. This one has been bid up to more than $100. Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago, Mercury 60134. This is a stereo pressing. Again a great record, but not that hard to find, even in nice condition. This one has been bid up to $178.50.

Vinyl Tracking From the Jazz Record Center

Here are a few more results of jazz vinyl auctions by the Jazz Record Center last week. Just in case anyone is interested, I have no vested interest in these auctions or special relationship with the Jazz Record Center. I like to watch their auctions as a bellwether because they are probably the most reputable seller in the market.

Working With the Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7166. This was an original yellow label pressing with the New Jersey address. It was a review copy in mint condition. The price was $472.35. There was a time when you could get the Miles Prestige records relatively inexpensively, but not anymore.

Here’s another nice one from Prestige: Stan Getz and Zoot Sims, The Brothers, Prestige 7022. This was an original New York yellow label pressing in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. This one has the frame cover. The price was $234.72. How often are you going to find a record like this in this kind of condition? Nice.

Here’s a Blue Note that, surprisingly, did not break into the $1,000 bin.

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10-Inch LPs, Jazz Record Center, eBay

Interesting that the Jazz Record Center has an auction this week fully devoted to 10-inch LPs. I’ve always been a fan of 10-inch records, I think more for the packaging and authenticity — I mean, they pretty much stopped producing them in 1955 — than necessarily for the sound quality, although some people swear by them. My friend Dan swears that the sound on the 10-inch version of The Tal Farlow album, for example, is far superior to the 12-inch version, even the original Norgran 12-incher. Anyway, prices of 10-inch LPs tend to be lower than corresponding 12-inch LPs, so we’ll see how this week’s JRC auction goes. Here are some of the items we’ll be watching

Jutta Hipp, Jutta, Blue Note  5056. This one looks to be in M- condition. It has already been bid up to $416 with four bids, so we’re expecting that this is the one that will sell for top price among these listings. Howard McGhee, Volume 2, Blue Note 5024. This one is in M- condition and looks gorgeous in the picture. I own Volume 1, but have never had Volume 2. Probably won’t get this one either. The start price is $250. So far there are no takers, but it’s early. Stan Getz, The Beginning, with Wardell Grey, Seeco SLP7. I have a lot of Getz LPs, even a bunch of 10-inchers, but this is one I’m quite unfamiliar with. Anyone have any info to share on this LP? The one from the Jazz Record Center is in M- condition and already has a bidder at $150.

Tracking Prices in an Alternate Universe

Let’s catch up on some of the jazz vinyl we were watching last week. Remember that copy of Miles Davis, Steamin’, Prestige 7200, pictured a few items below?   That was the one from bobjdukic and it was in M- condition, an original New Jersey pressing? It sold for $760. Wow! I’ll put it in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, but it’s hard to imagine that this will now be the going rate for this record. This guy seems to have a customer base that’s in an alternate universe from the customer base buying jazz vinyl from every other seller on eBay. There are many examples, but look at this one as well: Stan Getz, Imported From Europe, Verve 8331. This isn’t even an original pressing and he was able to get $122.50 for it. It leaves me somewhat speechless, but someone, somewhere, was willing to pay the price.

This is from a different seller and more in line with current market realities: Duke Jordan, Flight To Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd label, deep grooves, ear, etc. It was listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $741.

This is a nice record:

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A Potpourri Of Collectible (And Not) Jazz Vinyl

Here are some odds and ends we’ve been watching:

Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1543. This was an original pressing with the Lexington Avenue address, the last of the Lexington Blue Notes. It also has the cover by Andy Warhol. The seller has his own grading system and he labeled the record and cover in the VG++ range, but based on the description of the record and his system, it sounded to me like the record was more like VG and the cover was somewhere between VG and VG+.  It sold for $510.

I’d have thought this would see more action, but it didn’t: Stan Getz, Interpretations, Norgran 1000. This was an original pressing with the deep grooves and yellow label and it was listed in M- condition for the vinyl. The cover looked to be about VG+. The start price for this was $50 and there was only one bid and it sold for $50. Someone got a great record for a nice price.

Here’s another great record often available at a nice price: Sonny Stitt, 37 Minutes and 48 Seconds, Roost 2219. The early Stitt Roost LPS like this and Sonny Stitt and the New Yorkers feature

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e-Bay Watch: Getz, JR, Byrd, Mobley, et al

Here’s some jazz vinyl we’re watching now on eBay. Some of these are closing soon, so by the time many of you read these they will be sold.

Stan Getz In Stockholm, Verve 8213. This is an original pressing with the trumpeter label. Excellent LP with Getz in fine form. This one is listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It is currently at $100.

Euclid Records has some nice records today, including these: J. R. Monterose, The Message, Jaro 5004. The record is in M- condition and the cover is just VG. It is already priced at more than $650. Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. How much do you want to own a copy? Would you accept one in G condition for the record, with noise, and VG for the cover? Someone will. This one is about $125 and I expect it will sell for a bit more than that. Bud Powell, Time Waits, Blue Note 1598. This looks to be an original pressing. The record is in VG++ condition and the cover is VG+. The current price is $175.

Haven’t seen this one in awhile, but now it’s up for the second time in a week:

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A Jazz Vinyl Potpourri

Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay.

Miles Davis, Relaxin’, Prestige 7129. This was a New Jersey pressing, not an original but a second press. It was in M- condition for the record and somewhere less than M- for the cover, say VG++. We’ve been watching the market for second-press Blue Notes going way up, and here’s a Prestige following the same pattern. This one sold for $202.50. Perhaps condition is playing a factor as well, but this is a nice price for a New Jersey copy of Relazin’. This one came from the same seller: John Coltrane, Soultrane, Prestige 7142. This was a yellow-label New Jersey pressing, which is a first press. I have a copy of Prestige 7141 with the New York address, but I’ve never seen a Soultrane with the New York address. Great record, my favorite of the Coltrane Prestiges. This one was in M- for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $295.

This one is of the same general vintage and only sold for $58.70:

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Some Later Blue Note Pressings, Plus a Few More

Here are some odds and ends of interest for various reasons:

As prices have been rising for original Blue Notes, we’ve also been watching prices rise, although not as drastically for later pressings. We had an eye on this one: Wayne Shorter, Speak No Evil, Blue Note 4194. This was a stereo pressing with the Liberty label. The record as M- and the cover was VG++. It sold for $38. I couple of years ago, these Liberty pressings were selling in the $20 range, so there has been movement, as you would expect. When I first started collecting jazz in 1970 or so, if you went into a local store such as a Sam Goody, these were the pressings you would typically find. If I had been prescient, or if I had the money, I would have bought them all.

This seller was trying to take a shot with a record of similar vintage: Hank Mobley, No Room For Squares, Blue Note 4149. This didn’t have a description of the label, but it did clearly show in the picture that it was a Liberty pressing. He tried with a start price of $100. There were no bidders, and it has now been listed for around $50, with the same pictures. Presumably there will still be no bidders, but you can never tell. This seller’s feedback rating, by the way, is 98.8 percent.

This one is hard to figure:

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On eBay: A Rare Rollins Prestige Plus Two

If you think the Monk Prestige cover was great, check out this one: Sonny Rollins Quintet, Prestige 186. This is an original 10-inch pressing. I’m a huge Rollins fan and I’ve been collecting for more than 40 years and not only do I not own a copy of this record, I’ve never seen it. It must be quite rare. I would love to have it, yet the price is already more than $400 and I can’t bring myself to spend what it would take to win this. It’s more the principle than the money: Too many years of hunting for bargains, I guess. Anyway, I will be jealous of the winner at whatever price.

There’s a bunch of other interesting jazz vinyl on eBay now as well, including: Rocky Boyd, Ease It, Jazztime JT001. This is a among a nice collection listed by Round Again Records up in Providence, which I have mentioned here before as

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Cool Struttin’ for $2,700; A Pair of Boxed Sets

Here’s one for the $2,000 bin: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition and had beautiful pictures and came from a highly reputable seller. It sold for $2,701.99.

I had a couple of boxed sets I was watching. I have mixed feelings about boxed sets: I like the idea of the packaging and the extended liner notes and all of that, but when I actually look through my records to decide what to play, I rarely look through them and rarely play them. I have a bunch of the Mosaics — probably 50 in all — plus some nice Norgrans and Verves. I suppose if I had more time to listen, and more time to concentrate . . . Anyway, I have this record in a boxed set and was watching it on eBay: Stan Getz at the Shrine, Norgran NG 2000-2. This one was in M- condition of the records — two of them — and VG++ for the packaging. It sold for $280.55. This one also has the advantage of

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‘Tis Better To Have Bid And Lost . . .

These records all have one thing in common: I bid on them and lost:

I thought I could sneak this one in because the picture accompanying the listing wasn’t clear and perhaps that would turn people off: Alto Madness,  Prestige 7114. This features John Jenkins and Jackie McLean and I do not own an original copy. It was not getting a lot of action and I threw in a bit of about $130. Not even close. In the end there were 13 bids and the winning bid was $405.

Louis Smith, Smithville, Blue Note 1594. I mentioned this one yesterday and posted the picture. For some reason, this record was not getting much action. With several hours to go before it closed it was in the $100 range. I thought perhaps the listing wasn’t clear as far as the condition and there was something in the listing about price guides and $100. Anyway, there was light action, so I used by BidNip sniping service — if you bid on eBay you really should be using one of this — and put in a bid of about $360. Well it sold for $811, so I wasn’t even in the game.

I tried to sneak this one in at about $20: Frank Rosolino, I Play Trombone, Bethlehem 26. The vinyl was only VG, but it had a nice cover and the seller didn’t mention the presence of Sonny Clark

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Guest Column: Making The Case For CDs

When we started Jazz Collector we invited members of the community to contribute to the site and, if you check out the About page, we apparently still do. To date, no one has really taken us up on the offer and all of the posts have been written by yours truly, which has been fine. The other day, however, we got a note from one of our readers asking if he could post an item and, of course, the answer was yes. So here it is:

“Greetings-my name is Ceedee and I’m a jazz collector. I’ve been using this music and the never-ending search for the next ‘must-have’ as a source of pure pleasure and inspiration for nearly 40 years now. And if the latest list of items I’m watching at eBay is any indication, it’s a search that’s not about to end any time soon. It’s the access to collections and collectors worldwide that eBay has made possible – not to mention great web sites such as Jazz Collector – which go a long way towards enabling this ‘healthy’ habit.

Before the 12-step analogy goes any further, let me assure you that for me, it has been necessary

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More Vintage Getz

Posting that clip on Stan Getz playing The Way You Look Tonight evoked something for a bunch of readers last week. I got a note from my friend Dan Axelrod with an interesting story and clip:

“Billy Bauer told me he was in the Royal Roost in the early 50′s and Stan on a break returned to the bandstand and without accompaniment daven’d Little Girl Blue and when he was done there wasn’t a dry eye in the club.This ’56 live  Basin Street Cafe rendition (Shelly Manne, Oscar Pettiford, Dick Katz)  evokes a bit of that beauty- if you wanna post.”

stan-getz-little-girl-blue

A few words of explanation. Dan uses the word “daven’d.” This would be something of a Jewish colloquialism, although I’ve never heard anyone else use it precisely in this context. I think it generally means prayed, but in this case

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Adventures in Jazz Collecting, The Auction Part 4

OK. The auction records are here, in a newly created bin on the floor of my music room/office. It’s fun looking through the records, of course, encountering pleasant surprises, but what I am most looking forward to is listening to them. That’s the best thing about getting new records, or even getting new copies of old records: Exploring and discovering (or rediscovering) the music. As I type this I’m listening to Wes Montgomery Full House and it’s probably the first time I’ve listened to this LP in 10 years or more. With 10,000 records a lot of great LPs wind up sitting on the shelf. I remember the first time I heard this record. I was in a car with my friend Dan and we had the radio on and we heard a Wes solo and we knew immediately it was Wes and then the tenor player starting playing and we were both blown away because he was really cooking and we couldn’t figure out who it was. It was, of course, Johnny Griffin. And now I am listening to this beautiful near mint copy of this record again and, ah, what a nice way to start a gorgeous Sunday morning. Anyway, back to the auction items:

The next one I purchased was listed as: Stan Getz, Three Verve LPS with Trumpeter labels. Price $40.95. These turned out to be For Musicians Only with Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Stitt;

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On eBay: Getz, Anita O’Day, Sonny Clark(e)

Speak of the devil, here’s a copy of Stan Getz Plays, Norgran, 1042, on eBay now courtesy of our friends at Euclid Records. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is VG++ and the words “beautiful” and “gorgeous” are thrown in as well. The price is around $140 and there are still more than two days to go.

Don’t usually expect to see this one at $100 or more, but this copy is there already: Anita O’Day Sings the Most, Verve 8259. This is an original pressing with the trumpeter logo and it is in M- condition.

If someone is doing a search of Sonny Clark, will this record come up:

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A Short Clip: Jimmy Raney With Stan Getz

I was thinking about what Bethellodge stated on the earlier post about Jimmy Raney. I set up some new software yesterday making it easier to record from my turntable into the computer, so I’ve been playing with it and decided to try it out here and provide a service to the community as well. The idea was to post something from the Jimmy Raney Ensemble 10-inch LP, pictured here, and I was recording Stella By Starlight when I realized if Bethellodge and others were not aware of Raney, it would also mean that they were probably not aware of one of my very favorite records in the world, which is Stan Getz Plays, Norgran 1042. Raney is pretty much a supporting player on this LP — I think he has just one solo — but Getz is in absolutely top form on this LP and Getz in top form is as good as anyone who ever held a tenor sax. So, from Stan Getz Plays, here is The Way You Look Tonight, with some supporting guitar work by Jimmy Raney in the ensembles. Enjoy.

The Way You Look Tonight

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

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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10-Inch Mania: Miles, Getz, Savoy, Serge, Prez

Let’s catch up on some 10-inch LPs we’ve been watching. It’s always interesting to keep an eye on the 10-inchers just to see if the market is holding up. So far, it is, based on these records.

Miles Davis, Young Man With a Horn, Blue Note 5013. The vinyl on this one was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was M-. The price was $510.01. This one was sold by the seller herschel78, who has been putting some nice items up over the past few weeks, including some other 10-inch LPs we’ve been  watching.

Miles Davis Volume 3, Blue Note 5040. The vinyl on this one was listed as VG+ and the cover was VG++. The price was $385.

Stan Getz Plays, Clef 137. This was an original pressing with a nice cover by David Stone Martin. The price was $68. This is a great record, one of Getz’s best.

Leo Parker, New Trends of Jazz Volume 5, Savoy 9018. This one was

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A Question About Norgran Labels

Jason asks the following Norgran-related question:

“Al – I recently picked up two copies of Stan Getz / Interpretations #2 on Norgran. Here’s a question I haven’t been able to answer though. The label on the first lp is printed with a slightly smaller font and reads “Norgran Sales Corp.” at the bottom. The vinyl also feels slightly lighter than the second LP. The second LP reads “Jazz at the Philharmonic, Inc.” at the bottom and the vinyl feels more like slate in terms of weight. Other than that, the LPs are identical. Given the attention collectors give to what a label says, how it’s printed, etc., I was wondering if you or anyone on your site could add to what little info I have in terms of the significance of the variant labels. I also find it odd that such meticulous care is given to detailing the variations among certain labels (i.e. Blue Note), but others like Norgran seem to be ignored. Thanks for your time. – Jason”

So I looked through my collection and found my copy. That’s mine in the picture.

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Nice Norgrans at High (But Not Blue Note) Prices

We’ve been watching a few records on the Norgran label on eBay and we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the continued strong market. Here are a couple of the records we’ve been watching:

Johnny Hodges, Dance Bash, Norgran 1024. This was an original pressing in M- condition, both record and cover. It has a beautiful cover illustration by David Stone Martin. The price was $274. This is one of those Norgrans that, instead of the trumpeter logo, has the logo of the couple dancing, also designed by David Stone Martin. I’ll post a copy in a later posting. I still owe Rudolf  a post on the David Stone Martin book, which I will also get to later.

Stan Getz, Interpretations Volume 3, Norgran 1029. This was also an original pressing (with the trumpeter logo) and also has a cover designed by David Stone Martin. This copy was in M- condition, both record and cover, and sold for $274.

Then there was this item from Ben Webster:

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Free Collectible: 1964 Downbeat Featuring Miles Davis Blindfold Test

We’ve been looking through our collection for something interesting for our next give-away contest and this is what we’ve come up with: A copy of Downbeat Magazine from June 18, 1964, featuring a really interesting Blindfold Test with Miles Davis. I’ll give you a few teasers from the interview:

On Eric Dolphy, Mary Ann from Far Cry, New Jazz 8270: “That’s got to be Eric Dolpy — nobody else could sound that bad! The next time I see him I’m going to step on his foot. You print that. I think he’s ridiculous.” Sadly, Dolphy passed away just two months later.

On Cecil Taylor: “Take it off! That’s some sad shit, man.” (Although, of course, Downbeat did not print the word ‘shit’).

There was one track that Miles actually liked and rated with five stars. That was:

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Getz & An Autographed Stitt for the Price Guide

Here are some records we’ve been watching at Jazz Collector and which will be entered soon into the Jazz Collector Price Guide. We’re big fans of the Verve label and we believe there are still bargains to be had among Verve, Norgran and Clef LPs. This one, however, usually fetches a pretty collectible price, as it did recently with two separate copies: Stan Getz in Stockholm, Verve 8213. One of these was sold by Euclid Records and went for $210.50 in M- condition, both record and cover. The other copy was sold by a relatively new seller and was in VG++ condition, both record and cover, and it sold for $205.50. 

We often like to watch autographed copies of records signed by our favorite artists. Here’s one: Sonny Stitt, Prestige 7024. This was an original New York pressing signed by Stitt. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG. The price was $133.61. 

Some of the items we watch fail to get any bids. Here’s one: Donald Byrd, Byrd’s Eye View, Transition 4. This was in VG condition, both record and cover, and did not have a booklet. The starting price was $349 and there were no bids. We used to keep track of these in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, but not anymore. Now we track records that actually sell.