Two Rare Jazz LPs You Don’t Often (or Ever) Encounter

It’s always fun to find records I’ve never seen before and, thanks to eBay, that happens more often than you would think, particularly since I’ve been scouring jazz vinyl bins for close to 50 years now (you can’t imagine how much it pains me to write that). Anyway, here’s one on eBay now: James Moody, Moody’s Mood, Vogue L.D. 018. This is an original French 10-inch pressing, with a very interesting cover. I’ve never seen a copy of this record before, although we have written about it before on Jazz Collector — actually, it was Rudolf who wrote about it in the post A Comprehensive Guide to French Vogue back in 2010. This copy looks to be in VG- condition for the record and VG for the cover. It has a start price in the $190 range and a buy-it-now in the $250 range.

Here’s another that’s new to me: Chet Baker Sings and Plays With Len Mercer and His Orchestra, Angel Eyes, Celson LPQ 25005. I guess I’ve spent too much time focusing on American pressings and not looking carefully at European records. In any case, this one is in VG+ condition for the record and Ex for the cover. Based on the seller’s description of the vinyl, I would tend to downgrade it. “Occasional clicks and pops” is a bit of a warning sign for me. The start price for this record is about $420 and so far there are no bidders with about two days left on the auction. This record has sold for a top price of $600 in the past, according to Popsike, but that one seemed to be more the exception than the rule. Plus, it was in better condition than this copy.