Updating the $1,000 Bin, Plus a Few More
Let’s catch up on some of the high-end jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:
Here are a few from the Jazz Record Center auction: Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This one was in beautiful condition, M- all the way around. It sold for $2,380.99. Sonny Clark, Dial S For Sonny, Blue Note 1570. This was another beauty that was M- for the record and probably VG++ for the cover, depending upon how you view things such as small splits and slight wear. It sold for $2,039. Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 1535. This was in M- condition for the record and somewhat less for the cover. The price was $1,613.88. And the big one: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and between VG++ and M- for the cover, depending upon how you grade such things. The price was $3,618.
Here’s a $1,000 record that was not sold by the Jazz Record Center:
Lou Donaldson, Wailing with Lou, Blue Note 1545. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $1,006.99.
Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, New Jazz 8236. This was an original purple label pressing with the deep grooves. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $465.
Phil Woods, Woodlore, Prestige 7018. This was an original New York pressing in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $493.88.
I would say that the price of the K.D. on NJ, is the highest ever for a Prestige album.
Al, am I wrong?
I may be wrong, but i think “Overseas” has already fetched higher prices ? Anyone to correct me ?
What is interesting is the fact that in this auction, “City Lights” has reached a higher price than the 1568 Mobley.
Sorry, correct my previous post : “almost as high as…”
Michel, you are absolutely right. OverCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC once fetched $ 2651 or something.
But then someone could argue that it is not a Prestige, but rather a Metronome. I wouldn’t.
Out of curiosity, why does the Dorham fetch so much? Was it a super limited pressing? Anyone have any idea of how many copies?
I have a copy that I’d considered selling but haven’t yet.. I dig it, but I don’t know if I need a $2000 record sitting on my shelf.
Andy, I’ve always had the same question. Its a he’ll of an album, but it is constantly one of the most expensive prestige albums and I’d love to know why.
I have no idea how rare “Quiet Kenny” is but I know the music is just fantastic… I would like to see this purple label turning on my turntable some day…
Completely agree with gandi. Kenny is a personal favorite. Have the Japanese reissue of Quiet Kenny and it sounds great. Pretty sure that’s the closest I’ll ever get to an original
Gandi
I purchased the remains of a small record company here in Brooklyn. The pressing run for one particular record was 500 and I had the invoice from RCA who pressed the record. Now before I found the record it was listed in a vocal group catalog for $50.00
Now I had 460 copies, so that meant that 40 copies were out there before I found the rest. Now out of the 460 – 150 looked like a soup bowl – I tossed them
50 had bad bubbles. I tossed these
So there were 260 mint copies – I traded all of them off. Next Group catalog that came out stated vast quanity found and listed for $5.00. Point to be noted today as rare, tomorrow somebody could find a warehouse full of rare records. LOL
Doesn’t it make you kind of sad to think that in his lifetime Hank Mobley probably never had a single $3600 payday. Yet now his art is regularly being sold for thousands on eBay and neither he nor his estate see a penny of it.
Doesn’t it make you kind of sad to think that in his lifetime Hank Mobley probably never had a single $3600 payday. Yet now his art is regularly being sold for thousands on eBay and neither he nor his estate see a penny of it.
Well said. I often think about it.
Has anybody else read “Workout: The Music of Hank Mobley”? It’s a pretty cool biography and the only one I’ve heard of. I’ll review it if anyone is interested and Al is okay with it.
There are so many tragic figures of the Jazz scene in the 50s/60s. The combination of drugs, poor compensation, and mental illness ended quite a few lives prematurely.
any info on Mobley is appreciated!!
Mike, that is a splendid idea, if Al approves…
Hank died on May 30th and was buried on Saturday the 7th of June 1986, at Mount Lawn Cemetery, 84th Street and Hook Road, Sharon Hill, Delaware County – Philadelphia. At “find a grave dot com” they have a tiny bit more about this, you can find it here.
Gary Bartz once told the following: “I had a conversation with Hank Mobley before he died. Hank was a very prolific writer, but most of his songs were in different publishing companies, they’re all over the place and he just didn’t know how to get his money, even though he really needed it. At the end of his life, Hank was homeless; he was living in the Amtrak station in Philadelphia.”
Maybe if Hank would have had a reliable management (if he had one at all), they could have collected that money for him. One wonders to what extent Alfred Lion was able to help him?
Mike — please do a review. That would be great. I’m not posting as often as I would like, so all guest columns are much appreciated.
Will do Al, I’m going to try to get it done at the end of the week sometime.
I had a conversation with Hank Mobley before he died. Hank was a very prolific writer, but most of his songs were in different publishing companies, they’re all over the place and he just didn’t know how to get his money, even though he really needed it. At the end of his life, Hank was homeless; he was living in the Amtrak station in Philadelphia.”
I know someone who was a very close friend of Hank in his final years. This person has a completely different story about hank’a final years. I contacted this person two years go and she
gave me some infos about him. But she no longer wants to share it, unfortunaltely.
Hello, the person i’ve contacted answer me yesterday. This person told me that Bartz statement is not true. Hank was living in a friend”s house at the end of his life in Philly.
Well, that changes a lot. One wonders why Gary Bartz would tell such a story…
The whole “art” as art thing in play here! And the tortured artist effect etc etc…. classic!
RE: COLLECTABILITY – Hank was never a big seller so his earlier lps were printed in low numbers. Obviously the lps from the liberty presses were in higher numbers. This clearly follows the indexing rule in collecting circles! Rarity = Demand and Demand = Top dollar!
RE: HIS LIFE – Most artist attest to tough times in their lives. This is part of the art process for most. With all the sessions he did and the work he had playing nightclubs / shows etc etc he probably did make a fairly decent living for a “jazz” musician. We can not possibly know his story until an authorized biography comes out, which, might maybe never be as there might not be too may people still around that could tell the story let alone get something like that done. Sad really. His music will go on for a long time in my book!
The biography I read said that Hank was actually a pretty big Blue Note seller. He was actually a pretty big club draw as well when compared to the other Blue Note artist. He was never able to take it to the next level(miles, trane, etc) due to a variety of reasons though. I don’t think you will ever get an authorized biography as Hank has been dead for a while.
I plan to right a review of his biography this weekend when I get some free time.