This week’s theme: Welcoming in 2025. Artists include Coleman Hawkins, Oscar Brown Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Lou Donaldson, Wynton Kelly, Herbie Harper, Charlie Mariano, and many more. The conceit is records that have 25 in the catalog number.
Merry Christmas! Let’s look at some jazz vinyl from eBay that may be on the wish lists of Jazz Collectors everywhere, starting with: Sahib Shihab, Sahib’s Dance Party, Debut 141. This looks to be an original Debut Denmark pressing listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The bidding is in the $500 range with nearly four days left on the auction. There are already 13 bidders and more than 30 bids. This record has sold for more than $1,000 several times, with a high of about $1,600, according to Popsike. I’ve never owned a copy of this record, let alone listened to it. I take it the high value placed on the record is a tribute not just to its rarity, but to the quality of the music as well? Read more
This week’s theme: A Jazzy Christmas for 2024. Featured artists include Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, Jim Hall, Ray Charles, Betty Carter, Carmen McRae, Sammy Davis Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Nancy Lamott, Dexter Gordon, Herb Geller, Rosemary Clooney, Jimmy Rushing, Louis Armstrong, and many more.
Now that I am back looking at listings on eBay more regularly, I’m reminded of some of the reasons I was turned off a couple of months back. So many sellers who clearly don’t know what they are doing, asking for ridiculous prices. So many records in poor condition and so many sellers clearly misgrading what they are selling. So many come-ons and promotions from eBay, pointing to other listings that I am not interested in seeing, pointing to sellers who are paying extra money to get additional eyeballs. Anyway, that’s my rant. But I’m still here and I’ve found a few items of interest among all of the other BS. Such as Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, Prestige New Jazz 8236. This looks to be an original deep-groove pressing with the purple labels. Moreover, it seems to be signed by Eric Dolphy and Jaki Byard. Of course, it would take an expert to determine if the signatures are legitimate (Dan, are you still out there?), but to these untrained eyes, they seem legitimate. The record is graded VG+ and the cover is VG. The record has been listed previously, the current price is about $160, the auction closes in about five days, and the seller’s reserve price has not yet been met. Interesting, because if the item was in mint condition and did not have the autographs, it would likely sell for a higher price. In my experience, autographs don’t always add to the value of the record and, in many cases, they seem to detract, particularly if they are not easily verifiable. Read more
So, I lost the auction for The Unique Thelonious Monk. No big deal. The bigger revelation was the prices on some of the other records on the Jazz Record Center auction. Having been off eBay for a few months dealing with other things in life, I wasn’t prepared for what I considered to be a fairly drastic change in the market. Or perhaps this has been going on for a while and I hadn’t noticed? Or perhaps this is just an aberration based on the reputation of the Jazz Record Center? Or just one or two sellers with lots of money to spend? Let me share with you some of the biggest surprises that I encountered, starting with The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, Riverside 1169. This was an original stereo pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $787.22. Per Popsike, this is the highest price ever recorded for any copy of this record. But a stereo copy? Read more
I decided to bid on that Monk record from the Jazz Record Center auction: The Unique Thelonious Monk, Riverside 12-209. The main reason was that I really wanted the record. As you can see from the accompanying photo, the record I own is a blue label and the cover has ugly taped seams both on the top and on the bottom. Plus, the record plays with a lot of surface noise, not anything you would really want to put on your turntable. But that wasn’t the only reason for my interest in bidding. I probably haven’t bought or sold a record on eBay in at least 10 years. I wanted to go through the experience again, see if anything had changed, see if the old adrenaline rush would still be there. I also wanted to write about the experience to share with the dwindling Jazz Collector audience, which is what I am doing now. Read more
OMG, it’s so freaking easy to get hooked again. I went on eBay on Thursday for the first time in months and now I’m checking every few hours, including 5 AM on a Sunday. It’s re-awakening the old, familiar adrenaline rush of just looking at the records, seeing the prices, and feeling that old collector’s feeling of “boy this is fun.” Then there’s the vinyl envy of the records in great condition that I don’t have, The Unique Thelonious Monk as a case in point. I’m pretty sure I’m going to bid on that record. I’ll keep you posted. In the meanwhile, here are a few more records that have tickled that familiar feeling, starting with another Monk record from the Jazz Record Center auction: Thelonious Monk, Monk’s Music, Riverside 242. This is an original white label pressing that looks to be in M- condition for the record and at least VG++ for the cover. I have never owned an original white label pressing of this record, and it is John Coltrane (among others) playing with Monk. Bidding is a little bit more than $100, with the auction closing Monday evening.
Well, what do you know? I felt like going on eBay today. It’s kind of a bleak, rainy day here in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, I’m caught up on my work, taped my radio show yesterday (Roy Haynes, Memorial, Part 2), and I’m sitting at my computer and thinking to myself, man, you haven’t been on eBay in a long, long time. Months, I would guess. If any of you regular readers are still out there, what have I been missing? Here’s what I’m seeing today
Not a good start as I pore through some of the higher priced jazz vinyl. The first is Walter Davis Jr., Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This is an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address. Great record. I, for one, have never owned an original pressing of this record, but I did purchase a United Artists copy from my old friend Red Carraro for $10 back in the 1970s or 1980s. I still have it. This copy on eBay looks totally beat. The seller didn’t have the nerve to describe the condition. But he did have the nerve to put a price of $1,500 on the record. Read more
This week’s theme: Roy Haynes Memorial, Part Two. Featured artists include Roy Haynes, Roland Kirk, Tommy Flanagan, Henry Grimes, Sarah Vaughan, Richard Davis, Thad Jones, Jackie McLean, Phineas Newborn Jr., Bill Evans, Oliver Nelson, Freddie Hubbard, Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, and many others.
This week’s theme: A tribute to the late Roy Haynes. Featured artists include Roy Haynes, Lester Young, Sarah Vaughan, Phineas Newborn, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jackie McLean, Leon Thomas, Oliver Nelson, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard, and many others.
