Author: Al

‘Tis the Season To Be Blue Note

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After mentioning some of the 4100 series Blue Notes yesterday, I perused the day’s listings on eBay and saw a number of other records from this generation that seemed to be getting quite a bit of action. Here are some of the results and I’ll also post the one that CeeDee pointed to in the earlier post that will certainly raise some eyebrows. Here goes:

Joe Henderson, Page One,  Blue Note 4140. This was an original New York USA pressing with the ear and the  Van Gelder stamp in the dead wax. The record was in VG+ condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $325.

Sam Rivers, Fuschia Swing Song, Blue Note 4184. This was listed as an original pressing with the New York USA label. The condition seemed to be somewhere around VG+, perhaps a little better, based on the seller’s description. The price was $278.

This is of a bit earlier era, but a surprising price (well, as much as any price can be surprising these days): Horace Silver, Blowing the Blues Away, Blue Note 4017. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd label. It was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $202 with just one bidder.

This one got a huge price a few weeks ago, but not this week:

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Jazz Vinyl Update: Blue Notes, The $1,000 Bin (& More)

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Okay, back in the saddle. Let’s look at some of the interesting jazz vinyl we’ve missed on eBay, starting with the $1,000 bin and a few others that came close:

This one has been mentioned several times in the comments, so here it is with picture for the record: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover and it was sold by Euclid Records. The price was $1,944. This one also came from Euclid Records: Lawrence Marable, Tenorman, Jazz West 8. This was an original pressing. The record was M- and the cover was VG+. The price was $1,711.11.

Lee Morgan Volume 3, Blue Note 1557. This was an original pressing. The record looked to be VG++ and the cover looked to be somewhere between VG and VG+. The price was $1,075.

These next few seemed to reach new heights while we were absent:

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We’re Back, But Hardly Missed

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Oh my God, I go away for a few days with limited access to the Internet and look what has happened. You all have taken over the site. Actually, it’s quite thrilling. I do need to catch up and spend a little time reading all of the comments — 103 and counting — which as a whole  probably represent one of the most complete guides to collecting Blue Notes anywhere. Quite recently I  have given a lot of thought to doing the Jazz Collector Guide to Blue Note (and Prestige, Norgran, Verve, etc.), but my time has been limited. Now it seems to be happening organically. It will be an interesting process to figure out how to gather and summarize and address all of this information so that it is more easily searchable and perhaps more readable, although it is quite fun going through the comments one by one. Thank you all and keep it up. I’ll be back with my usual posts more regularly, assuming you are all still interested.

Updating the $1,000 Bin

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What have we been watching lately on eBay? Let’s look at some records for the $1,000 bin:

Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original pressing sold by Atomic Records. The record looked to be VG+ or VG++ and the cover was listed as VG+. The pictures were nice and clear, so perhaps that helped in getting a high bid. This one sold for $2,280.55.

Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original pressing sold by my friend Steve at Round Again records in Providence. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG. The price was $1,936.88.

John Coltrane, Coltrane, Prestige 7105. This was an original yellow label New York pressing sold by our other friends at Music Matters. It was in M- condition and sold for $1,280.55, definitely a high-water mark for this LP on Jazz Collector.

This one was from our friends at the Jazz Record Center:

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Adventures In Jazz Collecting: The Score (Not)

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Mattyman tells the story of the Blue Mitchell record and the rude and competitive and somewhat nasty rival who bid the price up for no reason other than in the hope that Mattyman would put the record down and he would lay claim to it. Good for Mattyman to not fall for the bait and to go home with a great record at a reasonable price. We all have stories such as this. I have many of them, unfortunately. The one I recall most vividly is this, which I may have already told in another context but is worth repeating anyway: I was working my first record show back in the mid-1980s, when there were record shows often in the New York area. There were also many record stores as well, so it was quite a vibrant market. I had bought my friend’s collection and had duplicates for the first time and I was just trying to get rid of some records. I haven’t come very far since then, come to think of it.

Anyway, as happened once in a while those days, a guy came in with crates of rare records and had absolutely no idea of their value. No idea at all. New records were selling for $7.99 in stores, or something like that, so he figured used records must be $5 or so. So he priced all of his records at $5. This included Tina Brooks True Blue; Lee Morgan Candy; Hank Mobley’s Message, 1 and 2; and many, many others too numerous to name. The guy was at a table near me, and I would have pounced, but I never got the chance. As he was getting the records out of his car, two of the top New York dealers of the day accosted him, convinced him to show them the records and pulled out all of the valuables before they made their way into the room.

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Watching Some Blue Note Records on eBay

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Here are some Blue Notes we’ve been watching on eBay:

Lee Morgan Volume 3, Blue Note 1557. This was an original first pressing that was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover The pictures in the listing were pristine and clear. The record sold for $2,253.88. This Lee Morgan didn’t do quite as well: Lee Morgan, Lee-Way, Blue Note 4034. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $442.89.

Here’s one that features Sonny Clark on piano: Curtis Fuller Volume 3, Blue Note 1583. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $612.69.

This one did not reach the seller’s reserve price: The Prophetic Herbie Nichols Volume 1, Blue Note 5068. This was an original 10-inch LP that was listed in M- condition for the record and what looked to be VG++ condition for the cover. The top bid was $255, so we won’t know what the reserve price was.

This one had sold for more than $600 last week, but not this time:

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Jazz Vinyl on eBay: Ad Lib & a Few Blue Notes

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I’m looking forward to the day, coming soon, when my real work slows down and I will be able to post more items and more thoughtful items on Jazz Collector. In the meantime, I will keep updating some of the records we like to watch on eBay and keep an eye out for interesting items as well. For today:

What’s a VG-minus version of this record worth: Jackie McLean, the New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601? We’ll find out later today. This one is just a little bit more than $200 and is a little tempting, to be honest, based on the seller’s description that it sounds decent. I had a VG copy of this I sold years ago for $500 and have always regretted it, and I’d love to get another copy for the collection. Probably not this one, but I’ll keep looking.

Here’s a nice original Blue Note: Horace Silver with Art Blakey and Sabu, Blue Note 1520. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing in M- condition. I don’t normally think of the Horace Silvers an the same league — value-wise — as some of the other Blue Notes, but this one is already more than $600.

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Catching Up on Some Jazz Vinyl

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Let’s catch up on some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

First there were those beautiful 10-inch Blue Notes: Clifford Brown, New Star on the Horizon, Blue Note 5032. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed in M- condition for the vinyl and what we would characterize as VG++ for the cover. A beautiful copy. It sold for $535.49. From the same seller was this: Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue  Note 5022. This was in similar condition to the Clifford record and sold for $630.

That brilliant copy of Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners, Riverside 226, did not reach the  $1,000 bin, to my surprise. This was a white-label pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $898.08.

We’ve never seen a copy of this record fetch a higher price:

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Jazz Vinyl on eBay: Brilliant Brilliant Corners, et al

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Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl to watch on eBay as we head into the Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S.:

This seller has some nice items up now, including: Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners, Riverside 226. This is an original pressing with the white label, quite hard to find, and it is in M- condition for both the record and the cover. This one is a bit more than $300 and there’s another day to go and I wouldn’t be surprised if this one breaks into the $1,000 bin. This one is from the same seller: Dizzy Gillespie, Horn of Plenty, Blue Note 5017. This is an original Blue Note Lexington Avenue pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover looks to be VG+. It hasn’t even hit the $100 mark yet. Correct me if I’m wrong — and I’m sure someone will — but I think this is the only Dizzy record on Blue Note, right?

This seller also has some beauties, including: Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 84091. This is an original stereo pressing, which means it doesn’t have the same cachet or value as a mono pressing, but it is still about $140, closing later today. It is in M- condition with the shrink wrap still on it.

Okay, I need some help figuring this one out:

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Five For the $1,000 Bin

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Haven’t updated the $1,000 bin lately, so here goes:

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This was an original pressing in M- condition, sold by our friend Steve at Round Again Records in Providence, RI. The price was $1,978. And if you happen to be in Providence, check out A Christmas Carol at Trinity Rep, directed by Young JC, otherwise known as my son Michael.

Lorraine Geller at the Piano, Dot 3174. This looked to be in M- condition and sold for $1,580. I haven’t seen this record, but I had no idea it was such a valuable collectible. Is it any good, or is it just rare?

The next one is good and it’s rare, although it does seem to pop on eBay quite often for an extremely rare record, wouldn’t you say:

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