Month: September 2008

How About Brubeck Collectibles?

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I’m going through all of the old Web posts and newsletters from 2004 and 2005 and updating them and putting them on the site. I ran into an item, which I’ll post in a second, in which a reader asked about our Price Guides and why we didn’t include any records from Dave Brubeck. The answer, basically, is that Brubeck records are not really among the most highly pursued collectibles and don’t normally get top dollar. So, on eBay this week, I was caught by surprise by the price of this record: Dave Brubeck Quartet, Jazz Red, Hot and Cool, Columbia 699.  This record sold for $160.50. Apparently what makes this rare (and valuable) is that it’s an original white label promo that was released as part of a joint promotion with Helena Rubenstein, promoting the lipstick worn by the model on the cover. Generally promo copies don’t make all that much difference in value, but apparently this one turns this Brubeck record into a collectible of note.   As for the original correspondence about the Price Guides and Brubeck and collectibles, I’m reposting those as comments to this post. Please post your own comments if you’d like.

Catching Up With Some Interesting Collectibles

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Here are some interesting results from some records we’ve been watching on eBay:

Red Garland, All Kinds of Weather, Prestige 7148. This is an original yellow label pressing with the New Jersey address in M- condition. Price: $385. I’ve never quite figured out which Red Garland records sell for the highest prices, and why. So, if anyone out there has the answer, please post a comment.

Here’s an interesting one: Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. What’s interesting is that this was not an original pressing: The original pressing on this has the Lexington Avenue address, and this copy had the West 63rd street address. So it was not original and it was only in VG condition, yet it still sold for $124.50.

Ben Webster, Soulville, Verve 8274. This was an original pressing with the trumpeter logo in M- condition and sold for $190.09. That’s a pretty nice price for a Ben Webster on Verve. This was sold by

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Any Comments?

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A couple of days ago we sent out an email to all of our newsletter subscribers from a few years ago. It was interesting in that most of the people that replied, did so via email rather than going to the Web site and posting a comment there. We are trying to get people used to the idea of commenting directly on the site because we believe it’s a great way to interact directly with other collectors, and to get your questions answered. So we’re going to take the liberty of taking some of the email we’ve received and posting them as comments on this post. For those of you who are new to the site, all you have to do to reach out to fellow collectors is click on the “comments” link above and write away.

eBaying, Today, September 18

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We’re working on a post to catch up on some of the interesting items we’ve been watching on eBay this week. In the meantime, here are a few items that are closing today that are worth viewing:

Our friends at Euclid Records have this nice item: Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This is in beautiful condition and, as of now is going for $660. 

Here’s another rare Blue Note: Johnny Griffin, The Congregation, Blue Note 1580. This is the original pressing, with the nice cover by Andy Warhol.

Finally, take a look at this one: Jimmy Raney Ensemble, Prestige New Jazz 1103. This is a 10-inch LP and the condition is not great. It’s from a reputable dealer and he has priced it at $99.99 minimum. I’m watching this to see if it sells at all, based on the condition and the start price.

Keep an eye on the site: We’ll be doing a few posts today on some of the interesting eBay auctions that closed earlier this week.

Win A Free Record

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When we were doing the Jazz Collector newsletter regularly, we would often give away free records to subscribers. Well we’re back now with the Jazz Collector Blog, and we’ve decided to resurrect the largesse. So, we’re giving away one copy of this record: The Dual Role of Bob Brookeyer, Prestige 7066. This is a limited edition OJC classic and the LP is still sealed. We will provide the record with free shipping to the winner. To enter the contest, all you have to do is write a comment to this post, answering the following question:  What is your favorite LP on the Prestige label? That’s all you have to do to participate: Comment on this post and we will put you name in a pool and draw the winner in two weeks. We’ll announce the winner on this site at the end of the day on Sunday, September 28. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing your comments. One interesting thing about this record: It differs from the first pressing, in that it includes two extra tracks that were not available on the original New York yellow label Prestige.

A Few More Items for The Weekend

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I promised to point out a few more records and sellers on eBay this weekend, so here goes:

Dexter Gordon, Daddy Plays the Horn, Bethelehem 36. The condition of the vinyl is nice, but the cover is just VG, according to the dealer. Price is pretty low at this point. 

John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577.  This is an original pressing in pretty nice shape. Price is already approaching $400. 

This seller has nice nice 10-inch LPs, including this one: Max Roach Quartet Featuring Hank Mobley, Debut 3. 

Finally, we’re back selling records on eBay as AJDoctor. Here’s one of the items we put up this weekend: John Coltrane, Wheelin’ and Dealin’, Prestige 7131. 

A Weekend With Jackie, Basie, Warhol, Monk

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As promised, here are a few more records to keep an eye on this weekend, as well as some sellers who have interesting items.

Jackie McLean, A Long Drink of the Blues, Prestige New Jazz 8253. I‘ve always loved the second side of this LP, with Jackie in a quartet setting doing Embraceable You, I Cover the Waterfront and These Foolish things. This particular copy of the record is an original, but not in great condition. Sometimes, if the price is right, it makes sense to bid on something like this, hoping that the record sounds better than it looks. In any case, this is a record worth looking at and it’s also worth looking at some of the other items from this seller this weekend.  A few weeks ago we wrote about a Joe Newman record selling for a high price because of a cover illustration by Andy Warhol. Now here’s another album with a Warhol cover, Count Basie, RCA 1112. This is being sold by Atomic Records, one of the largest eBay jazz sellers.

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Sonny Rollins: A Birthday Tribute

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Tuesday was Sonny Rollins’ 78th birthday. Happy Birthday, Newk.

First time I saw Sonny was in the early 1970s at the Village Vanguard. Sonny wasn’t playing live when I first got into jazz. He was in one of his several retirements. I’d go to clubs in the city and see Bill Evans and Monk and Roland Kirk and Elvin Jones and Jim Hall and they were all great. But Sonny was my hero, and he was the one I was aching to see in person.

So I was quaking with excitement that first gig at the Vanguard, a dark, rainy, gloomy Tuesday night. Who knew what to expect? Read more

Some Hot LPs For the Weekend

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When we were doing the jazz blog regularly back in 2004 and 2005, we would often look ahead to give our readers a peak at some of the interesting upcoming items on eBay, particularly heading into a weekend, when a lot of people are perhaps off doing other things. This is a tradition we’ll try to resurrect as we begin blogging regularly again. So, here are a few items and sellers to look at this weekend. As always, when you look at an item, try to look at the seller’s other items as well, since many of these sellers are posting some nice rare records.

Herbie Nichols Trio, Blue Note 1519. This is an original pressing being sold by a dealer in France who has some other very nice items this weekend. Another one from this seller Read more

Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, At What Price?

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We’re back posting regularly on the blog, which means we’re back to watching eBay. It’s been a while and, from what we can tell, the prices have held pretty steady over the past couple of years. We’re looking at a batch of records over the weekend and we’ll summarize them in a few posts today, tomorrow and Saturday as well. One of the records on our list is Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This is, of course, one of the premium jazz collectibles. If you look in our Price Guide, Read more

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