I don’t get out to see live jazz nearly as much as I would like. It’s tough when most of your favorite musicians are dead. Someone did send me a link, however, to let me know that Sonny Rollins is giving a concert in Tarrytown, NY, on Dec. 6. This is one I will make every effort to attend: Don’t know how many more chances there will be to see Sonny and, the truth is, his playing is still amazing. I saw him at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival a couple of years ago and he was creative, inventive and full of energy and musicianship. This is a benefit concert for an environmental group and for a premium ticket of $500 you get to meet Sonny. There was a time when you could see Sonny in a club and just chat
Author: Al
Keeping an Eye On Some “Other” Blue Notes
Not every Blue Note is selling for more than $1,000 these days. Here are some Blue Notes at reasonable prices, with the recognition that “reasonable” is, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder.
Dexter Gordon, A Swingin’ Affair, Blue Note 4133. This was an original mono pressing with the New York USA labels. This was listed in M- condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. The price was $192.51.
Horace Silver, Cape Verdean Blues, Blue Note 84220. This was an original pressing with the New York USA label. It was listed in pristine M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $45.
Bud Powell, Bud!, Blue Note 1571. This was an original pressing. The vinyl was listed as VG+ and the cover was listed as VG. The price was $127.50.
For the $1,000 Bin: Newk and Hank
Whilst we were at the theater this weekend, or watching football, a few more records on eBay sauntered into the $1,000 bin, neither for the first time. They were: Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. This was an original pressing and it was listed in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The price was $1,285. We’ve seen this previously sell for $2,000 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. Also re-entering the $1,000 win was this: Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1568. This is the one we were watching that had a starting price of just about $2,000. It was an original pressing. The vinyl was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was listed as VG+. The starting price was $1,999.99 and that was the sale price as well. Sometimes I’m skeptical if a record gets only one bid, but this
Catching Up: Bud, Monk, Trane, Blue Note
Okay, let’s see how things turned out on some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:
The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 2, Blue Note 5041. This was one of the nice 10-inch LPs offered this weekend by the seller roverd-90. It was listed in M- condition for both the record and the vinyl and it sold for $432. Also from that batch was this: Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music, Blue Note 5002. This one M- for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. The price was $313.66. We were also watching this copy of John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was a second (or later) pressing with the New York USA label. The vinyl was listed in M- condition and
This Weekend on eBay: A Pastiche of Blue Note
Here is some of the jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay this weekend:
Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1568. This one of the rare ones. We’ve monitored a bunch of them on the Jazz Collector Price Guide and they’ve sold for as high as $2,600. This one is listed as VG++ for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. The starting price for this one is $2,000 and, as of now, with about 20 hours left in the auction, there are no bidders. Will that continue?
The seller roverd-90 has some really nice 10-inch LPs for sale this weekend, including:
This is a Jazz Vinyl Collectible??????
Here, perhaps, is a sign of the Apocalypse. I was doing my normal search through eBay jazz vinyl, and came across this record as a jazz vinyl collectible: Kenny G Live. The price is already more than $130. The seller promotes it as an audiophile copy, so perhaps it is the recording and not the music that is creating the value. At least let us hope that is the case.
A Treat: Zoot Sims Video From 1958
Not sure why, but somebody sent me this great clip of Zoot Sims playing I’ll Remember April at a jazz festival in Cannes from 1958. He’s accompanied by Walter Davis, Doug Watkins and Art Taylor. The clip has only been viewed 30 or so times, so it should be new to most of us. Man, Zoot could play.
On eBay: Warhol, Burrell, Byrd on Transition
Here are some records we’re watching on eBay:
Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume 1, Blue Note 1596. This is an original pressing with the West 63rd Street label and the Andy Warhol cover. It looks to be in very nice condition, listed as EX+ by the seller. By the way, how do you interpret Ex+ — I think of it is as less than Mint and better than VG+? Anyway, this one is EX+ and is currently priced at about $350 with a few hours left. Here’s another one from the same seller: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This one has the West 63rd Street address but it does not have the deep grooves. The vinyl is listed as M- and the cover is listed in EX condition — what is that,
Jazz Vinyl Giveaway: Tal Farlow on Verve
Okay, now we’re cooking. This is a great, great, great jazz guitar LP featuring Farlow in his prime in a fantastic trio setting with Eddie Costa and Vinnie Burke: Tal Farlow, Tal, Verve 8021. Costa was a great accompanist as well as an inventive soloist and it’s clear he had a great rapport with Farlow. So, why give away this wonderful record? Because I am loyal to my friends at Jazz Collector, of course. Well, it also happens to be that this is a Japanese pressing and, as I was working on my collection this weekend, I discovered that I actually owned three copies of the Japanese pressing in addition to my own original Verve with the trumpeter logo. How did that happen? Inertia, I think. Or something like that. Anyway, I have at least one copy too many, so I am happy to share it with one lucky reader here at Jazz Collector. In order to be eligible to win this record
Jazz Vinyl Countdown: John Coltrane, Ballads
No, I am not thinking about getting rid of one of my all-time favorite records. No, this is a question about what to do with multiple copies. As noted in the headline, the record is: John Coltrane, Ballads, Impulse 32. I have had two original pressings of this record, one a mono and one a stereo. To me, this makes sense. But recently I purchased a second stereo copy of the record, this one a reissue. I have to be honest. The reissue sounds as good as the original. So I’m going to sell my original stereo pressing, and I’m going to first offer it here at the Jazz Collector site. It’s not a high-end collectible like Blue Train, but it’s a wonderful record, beautiful and romantic with a great selection of songs. It features Trane with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones.
April is Jazz Month
