My friend sent me this earlier. It’s pretty apt: Although I don’t necessarily feel low, I was working on records at 3 o’clock this morning, trying to get the smell of mildew out of some of the beautiful boxed-set 78s I purchased last week and lugged home and am now trying to wedge into my collection somehow by shifting records from one shelf to another and getting records off shelves that I may not be listening to. Anyway, thought you all might appreciate this from Peanuts.
Here’s some nice jazz vinyl we missed:
Lee Morgan, Lee-Way, Blue Note 4034. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $847, which is by far the highest we’ve seen for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.
Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065. This was an original 10-inch pressing that looked to be in very nice condition: The record was VG++ and the cover was M-, with a crisp, clear picture. The price was $811.91.
Doug Watkins, Watkins at Large, Transition 10. This was an original pressing that was listed in
Remember I had written about my late friend Red Carraro a couple of months ago and how he would compile these long lists of records and send them out for auction all over the world in the days before eBay. Red was among a number of practitioners of this art, which also included Leon Leavitt and Fred Cohen among many others (at least that’s how I recall it). I had thought that eBay had obviated the need for these mailed lists, but apparently I was wrong: The other day I received an email addressed from the intriguing name of Mr. Blue Note with an auction list of 1,460 records that apparently are up for auction but not for auction on eBay. I’m sure Mr. Blue Note will not object to me posting the list here, so
I bought that collection and I found that it had a bunch of 12-inch Blue Note 78s so I did a search this morning on eBay for Blue Note 78s, since it is not something I have tried to collect in the past. It turns out the records I acquired — the Sidney Bechets and Albert Ammons and Art Hodes — don’t seem to have much cachet as collectibles. If you look at closed items, they generally sell in the range of $10 and less. However, in doing the search I found a few interesting bop 78s that sold for higher prices, including:
Bud Powell’s Modernists with Sonny Rollins, Blue Note 1568. This 78 includes Dance of the Infidels and 52nd Street Theme and it was described as being in better than VG+ condition, but not quite M-. This sold for $89.88.
Max Roach Quintet, Blue Note 1569. This contains Prince Albert Part 1 and 2, with Kenny Dorham and James Moody. Let’s see how well my memory is working: Prince Albert is a head based on All the Things You Are, if I recall properly, and this version, in addition to being issued on 78, was issued
I brought home another collection yesterday. It is an interesting one. It is mostly traditional jazz, but of more recent vintage. There was the full three-volume Mosaic Commodore set in near mint condition. That alone will cover my costs and the time and energy I expended. There were also a lot of 78s, mostly albums in beautiful condition – Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Lee Wiley, and others of that ilk, no bebop at all. There were also some nice 10-inch LPs in near mint condition, including a beautiful Lester Young on Clef and several of the Chet Baker’s on Pacific Jazz.
As I was laboriously going through the records on my porch in The Berkshires yesterday, much to the consternation of the lovely Mrs. JC, I discovered that there were about a dozen 12-inch Blue Note 78s – Sidney Bechet, Albert Ammons, etc. These are in
Let’s catch up on some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay, shall we?
I expected this to fetch a higher price but, as I said earlier, I think the picture of the back cover was out of synch with the description: Jackie McLean, Capuchin Swing, Blue Note 4038. This was listed in M- condition and sold for $331.
This is a real nice record that doesn’t have the cachet of a Blue Note or a Prestige, but has excellent personnel, a nice cover, deep groove, etc.: Booker Little Four, United Artists 4034. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. The price was $118.25.
This is one of those that can stir up more debate about what, exactly, is an original pressing:
Here are some updates on some of the items we’ve been watching on eBay.
Those Mobley’s from the seller bullsite2000 did all right, particularly if you were bullsite2000. There was Hank Mobley With Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, Blue Note 1540. This was an original Lexington Avenue flat edge pressing and it looked to be in beautiful condition. In fact, if you have a second you should click on the link and look at the pictures posted with the listing: They are absolutely pristine, looking as if they could have come out of the Blue Note catalogue in 1957. Anyway, it sold for $2,382, which is quite a bit more than it would have sold for in 1957 and quite a bit more than what Mobley got paid to actually record the session, right? This one also made it into the $1,000 bin: Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. This was also
A quick note before moving on to some eBay items. I am in the throes, once again, of buying a collection, and this time I’m even questioning my own sanity. As for the lovely Mrs. JC, well, she just looked at me and shrugged. Most of the records are swing and traditional, and they are of more recent vintage, and, I fear, they are inflicted with some mold and mildew. However . . . there are some beautiful 10-inch LPs in the batch, and some quite interesting 78 boxes in gorgeous condition, and I feel that I am rescuing these records from neglect. I will keep you posted as I take possession of the records, perhaps this weekend.
This one has already been called out and commented upon at Jazz Collector, but let’s keep an eye on it just the same: Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 1, Blue Note 1515. This is an original pressing with the Lexington Avenue address, flat edge, etc. It is in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover and it has been bid to $1,800 already.
What, pray tell, is on the Jazz Collector watch list this week? Glad you asked.
The seller Bullsite2000 from Italy has another fine batch of records on eBay, including: Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing and it looks to be n beautiful M- condition. The seller is quite reputable, so we see no reason why this one won’t join its many brothers in the $1,000 bin when it closes tomorrow. The current price is a bit more than $600. Here’s another from the same seller: Hank Mobley With Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, Blue Note 1540. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the flat edge, deep grooves, etc. It’s in beautiful condition with equally beautiful pictures. The current price is more than $800 and it has not yet reached the seller’s reserve. Would anyone be surprised if this one
Here is some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been watching this weekend:
Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. This was an original Lexington Avenue flat-edge pressing. It was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $1,008.80. Rudolph asks if perhaps there is a slowdown. We have seen this sell for more than $1,800 recently, so who knows. I find so much of what happens on eBay arbitrary: Depends who’s looking that week, how competitive the bidding gets, how the record is listed, who does the listing, etc. Here’s another Donaldson: Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This was a bit of a strange
