Author: Al

Jazz Vinyl Update: An Argo, A Blue Note, a Verve

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Here’s some more jazz vinyl we’ve been watching recently, just to catch up on stuff:

Paul Gonsalves, Cookin’, Argo 626. This was an original pressing with the black labels and the deep grooves. It looked to be in M- or VG++ condition for the record and similar condition for the cover. The seller didn’t actually apply grades, which I think would affect — negatively — the sale price. This one fetched $264, which is the highest price we’ve recorded for this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, so perhaps  it’s better to not list a condition.

Thad Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, Blue Note 1513. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. Love to see those original Lexes, especially when they are in my collection (which this one, unfortunately, is not).  The record was in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $767.

This one was a leftover from the recent bobjdukic sale:

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Bidding Up – Up – Up

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While the Jazz Collector community is deciding whether the Hank Mobley Blue Note 1568 is an original pressing or not, the jazz bidding community is pushing the price way up the stratosphere. As of this writing there have been twelve bids and the price is already up to $3,000. I would say that one of those bidders should just end it already and go for the $5,000 buy-it-now price — but I don’t see that option anymore. Is it possible the seller removed it?  For the record, my opinion on this is that I would consider this an original pressing, based on all of the comments. It was pressed at the same time in the same press run. I never thought this was the case, but perhaps even my obsession has limits.

The same seller is going to make a small fortune this week. Check out some of these other items he has: Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This is also an original pressing and it is also described as M- unplayed condition for the record and pristine for the cover. The price is already more than $1,000 and this one still has a buy-it-now price of $5,000. Here’s another one that’s ready for the $1,000 bin already:

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Mobley Blue Note 1568: Looking For A Record?

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As CeeDee was kind enough to point out, there is a killer record (that’s American colloquialism for our Asian and European friends — the record actually hasn’t killed anyone) on eBay now: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This looks to be an original pressing. The cover is described as “Pristine.” The record is described as “Unplayed.”  The price is now more than $1,000 and there are still six days to go on the bidding. There is also a “buy-it-now” price of $5,000 and, frankly, I think someone will pop in to get this gem off the market quickly, setting a new high price for the Jazz Collector Price Guide. The seller has a full description of how he purchased this record, and many others, from the late jazz vinyl dealer Leon Leavitt. This will be one to keep an eye on.

Also on eBay now: Curtis Fuller, The Opener, Blue Note 1567. This too looks to be an original pressing. It is listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is $700 and there’s a little more than one day left to bid. So far there are no bidders.

How about some of those items we were watching yesterday?

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Off To The Races, The Chase is On

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We’ll start today’s jazz vinyl watch with a personal favorite that we don’t see that often on eBay: Charles Rouse and Paul Quinichette, The Chase is On, Bethlehem 6021. This is an original red label pressing with the deep grooves. The record is in near mint/ex-plus condition and the cover is VG+. The current price is nearly $300 and there are about 12 hours to go as of this writing. Great record.

Now we go to a conundrum we have mentioned before: How do you value a sealed record without knowing its provenance and then, once you have it, what do you do with it? In this case the record is: Donald Byrd, Off the the Races, Blue Note 4007. This is a mono pressing and the factory seal is still on it. There is no indication of Liberty on the back cover — it looks like an original back cover. The seller, Euclid Records, one of the most credible in our community, makes no claims about the record’s originality and offers no hype. We’ve seen records like this and they’ve been originals, we’ve seen records like this and they’ve been later pressings, New York USA or Liberty. So what would you bid on this record? And, I assume you would open it as soon as you got it, so is there a huge value in purchasing it sealed? This one is priced at more than $150 and there are still three days to go.

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A Trio of Blue Notes For A Monday Morning

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Back to watching records on eBay. Don-lucky send me this as a heads-up, knowing my interest, expressed many times here, in obtaining an original pressing of this record: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This was an original pressing that was close to M- for the record and VG+ for the cover. The price was $721.67. This was way too rich for my blood. As I’ve explained, I’m in transition now, with some records in storage, so my collection isn’t all together in one place, so it’s hard to think about buying more records when I don’t even have access to all of the ones I currently own. Still, if I came upon a nice copy of this record for a reasonable price, or if someone offered up a nice collection, I assume the old adrenaline will kick in and I’ll be peeling off $100 bills.

Here’s some jazz vinyl for the $1,000 bin: Kenny Dorham, Round Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia, Blue Note 1524. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it was listed in Ex+ condition for the record — is that better than VG++, but less than M-? — and the cover was VG++. The price was $1,259.77.

This next one didn’t quite make the $1,000 bin but it came close:

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Bravo!!! Kennedy Center To Honor Sonny Rollins

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Good news for regular readers of Jazz Collector and for the jazz world at large. The Kennedy Center has announced its 2011 winners of the Kennedy Center Honors awards and guess what: Sonny Rollins is one of the five honorees! We say this is good news for Jazz Collector because we’ve been vocal advocates that Sonny needed to be honored as the greatest living jazz artist, and it’s so nice to see that we may have had even the most marginal of impacts just by mentioning it in the first place. It’s great for the jazz world because we will now get to see our music and, in particular, the music of Sonny, celebrated as a prime time television event for all to see. We’ll post more on this story as we let it all sink in, but we wanted to share the information just now, as we heard it. Congratulations to Sonny, of course, for an honor that is well-deserved and long overdue.

Jazz Vinyl Catchup And Confusion Over Grading

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Let’s catch up on some more rare jazz vinyl that sold recently on eBay.

John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This looked to be an original black label pressing. There were some questions about the deep grooves, since the picture wasn’t clear, but the seller confirmed that there were, indeed, deep grooves on both sides. This one was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $622.70. In the Jazz Collector  Price Guide we’ve seen Giant Steps sell for more than $1,000 several times, so perhaps it’s a bargain, perhaps it’s just market changes, perhaps it’s unfamiliarity with the seller.

Jutta Hipp, New Faces, New Sounds from Germany, Blue Note 5056. This was the original 10-inch pressing. It’s one of those listings that confuses me a little on labeling of conditioning. The seller says it looks VG+, but it plays more like Ex and therefore it was graded as Ex. In my thinking I’ve always correlated VG+ with Ex, but it sounds like Ex is more like VG, based on this listing, which I assumed to be a downgrade, but perhaps I’m wrong and it’s an upgrade based on the next item below. The cover was listed in just G condition, which is never very good. The price was $247.50.

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A Couple For the $1,000 Bin, and More

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Here’s some heavy-duty jazz vinyl that sold recently on eBay.

Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This was an original West 63rd pressing with the deep grooves. It was in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $1,315. So, if you have this record, where do you file it, under Morgan or under Mobley? Mine, a Japanese pressing, is under Mobley.

From the same seller came: Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowin’ In From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. Love the cover. This was a promo copy in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover, although the picture looks like it might be a little less so. It sold for $1,155.

Also from the same seller: Sonny Clark, Dial S for Sonny, Blue Note 1570. Same for this one: An original pressing, vinyl in VG++ condition, cover in VG+ condition. The price was $896.

How about something that’s not Blue Note:

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Labor Day Blues: Kind of Blue, Candy, Monk & Sonny

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Here’s some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching over this Labor Day weekend here in the U.S., the nominal end of summer:

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This was an original promo pressing with the white and red label and six eyes. For the most part, promo copies of jazz records don’t necessarily add to the value. With Kind of Blue, however, that is not the case: We usually see the promo copies selling for a premium. I can understand why: It looks way cool and has the smell of authenticity of an original pressing. This copy was in M- condition for both the record and the cover, with a very nice picture, and it sold for $555. There were 31 bids. quite a high number.

There’s been a lot of chatter on the Jazz Collector site about the auction last week by the seller bobdjukic, who always seems to generate a lot of interest, partly because of his extensive use of hyperbole but moreso, methinks, because of his ability to generate high prices. Here are a couple of his auctions we were watching:

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Jazz Vinyl: Two for the $1,000 Bin, Plus A Couple More

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Been away from my posting for a few days. Trying to get back into the swing of things, but there were a couple of days of hurricane delays, plus the lovely Mrs. JC is on vacation. Anyway, I vow once again to be posting more regularly, starting today with some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay.

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York pressing. The record was described as M- condition and the cover looked to be at least VG++, perhaps M- depending upon your grading system. This one sold for $1,536. We’ve seen this one sell for more than $2,000 several times in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, and once approach $3,000. So perhaps this is a bargain, or perhaps it’s just where the market was on this particular day. The item did have more than 400 page views, which is a significant amount.

Here’s a Riverside that did quite well for the seller, which was Euclid Records: Wynton Kelly Piano. Riverside 254. This was an original Blue label pressing with the deep grooves. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $710. Nice cover on this record, right? Straight from the ’50s.

So this next one made the $1,000 bin after all:

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