I decided to put together the entire 7-part series on the Baltimore collection in one file, so that anyone searching for it can read it all at once. I’ve also created a PDF of the series (Baltimore Complete) if anyone wants to print it and save it for any reason. Enjoy.
Wow, some of these Blue Notes being sold by Atomic Records are setting new standards, including: Paul Chambers, Bass on Top, Blue Note 1569. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $2,024. We’ve seen that one break the $1,000 barrier, barely, once before in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, but never did it break into the $2,000 bin, until now.
Here are a few that didn’t sell at all, starting with Mal Waldron, Mal2, Prestige 7111. This was an original pressing listed in VG+/VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. There was spirited bidding for this one, and the top bid reached $500, but it was not high enough to reach the seller’s reserve price.
Okay, back to the business of watching rare jazz vinyl on eBay. I’ve been less diligent about watching (and posting) because 1: I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to the records from the collection I just purchased in Baltimore and 2: Having purchased this major collection and melding it with my collection, the last thing I am looking to do now is purchase any more jazz records. But I realize I have an obligation to our loyal readers here at Jazz Collector, so back to eBay it is. Lots of great items on the board right now, including:
Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House, Volume 1, Blue Note 1515. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It is currently in the $450 range with more than two days left on the auction. The same seller is selling Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 2, Blue Note 1516. This is a not-quite-original. It looks like the original vinyl, in VG++ condition, with a later cover, which looks to be in nice condition, but without a listed grade. Bidding on this one is already more than $200. One more from the same seller:
I just picked up The New York Times this morning and saw the Jim Hall has passed away at the age of 83. He was an excellent player and quite influential. I used to see him quite often at the Village Gate in the 1970s, and as recently as a few years ago at the Village Vanguard. I loved the way he played off his fellow musicians, particularly Sonny Rollins and Paul Desmond. There’s an apocryphal story that Sonny Rollins fired Jim Hall after a Downbeat cover featured Hall and had Sonny in the background. The story was that it had to do with race and Sonny was pressured because he was the leader and Hall was the sideman. I don’t know if this story was actually true, but I have a feeling my friend Dan knows the real story, as he was friends with Jim. So I am hoping perhaps Dan can comment here. I was just looking through the collection I purchased last week and one of the records was Jazz Guitar: Jim Hall on Pacific Jazz. At some point today I will place it on the turntable. Perhaps also If Ever I Would Leave You from the Sonny Rollins Album What’s New. Or Time After Time, Jim Hall with Paul Desmond. There is a wide range of choices.
In my mad frenzy to and from Baltimore, and now sorting through, cleaning and listening to records from that score, I have been ignoring the usual eBay watching that is part of the regular routine here at Jazz Collector. Here are a couple of items that readers have pointed to, both of which have been mentioned in comments, but certainly worthy of their own post and some more discussion.
This was one that seemed to strike a nerve: Bud Powell, The Scene Changes, Blue Note 4009. This was an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The seller was one of the regulars on eBay, with a good reputation. The condition and seller and something in the air combined to somehow drive the price of this record to $2,125, quite astonishing wouldn’t you say?
This other one also caught some attention, partly because of the price and partly because I mentioned it as part of the collection I purchased: Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This was Read more
So I was back on the phone with Dan and poring through a box of Charlie Parker 78s. There were a bunch of Dials, some Mercurys and Savoys. I had never had much luck securing Charlie Parker Dials, so this would be a very welcome addition to my collection. Then I went into another one of those Capital mailers and it was filled with Blue Notes. A bunch by Miles Davis and Lou Donaldson, including “If I Love Again,” which Dan put on in the background to accompany me. These, too would be a welcome addition to the collection and they made me realize how pleased I was that this collection ended up in my hands because I would really treasure and appreciate these records. There aren’t that many people who collect and appreciate 78s anymore and I, fortunately, happen to be one. They also seem to fit quite nicely into my collection, filling in a lot of the gaps.
So now some of the best records from the Uncle Bruce Baltimore collection were in my apartment and it was about 1 in the morning and, of course, I couldn’t sleep knowing the records were sitting there waiting to be perused. I moved the records from boxes to crates and began just looking through them one more time, this time with no hurry, no rush. It was a great moment, a man, a dog and his score. I didn’t listen to any of the records at this point. There was just something about keeping them as a whole and letting the feeling linger that I didn’t want to disturb.
When morning came I had to get ready for the WFMU Record Fair. I already had 14 boxes of other records in my cramped apartment. I started looking through the Baltimore collection to see if there was anything obvious I could pull out and possibly sell at the record show. I found a few items: There were three Sonny Rollins Blue Notes I now had in triplicates; the copy of Mating Call was an upgrade from my copy; I already had two mint copies of Study in Brown, so I could sell a spare. Same with John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123, and one of the Bud Powell Blue Notes
So I was carefully handling the first record in the first box, Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 5022. I had once owned this record in poor condition. It was so poor, in fact, I didn’t even want it in my collection, so I sold it on eBay. This one in my hands, under the light, an original pressing, 767 Lexington Avenue, I don’t think it was ever played. Maybe once, on the day that Uncle Bruce purchased the record, which was August 20, 1954. I know that because Uncle Bruce clearly marked the date in pen “8-20-54” on the back of the record, in the upper left corner. There was also the original price of the record in pencil on the upper right corner in the back: 3.75. Otherwise, the cover was quite clean, a little bit of splitting at one seam, a little wear on the front. For eBay I would grade it as VG++. For me, as a collector, I would grade it as very sweet.
I was all set to drive down to Baltimore on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013. But there were a few problems. First, I couldn’t sleep. My mind could not shut down from thinking about the records. Were they originals? Would they be in good condition? Was I paying too much? How would I pay for them? Did I want to carry all that cash to Baltimore? Which car would I use to get them? Would it be big enough? What if it wasn’t? Would I need to bring boxes for the records? Where would I put the records when I got home? How would I sort them out? How would I get them into the car if the car were already filled with records from the WFMU Record Fair? These were just a few of the thousands of questions swirling inside my brain.
So before I could call Rob and talk about the records, I needed to have two other conversations. The first was with Dan. Dan and I have been friends since first grade and we got into collecting jazz records at around the same time. Dan was always much more aggressive and adept than me at finding great records and he amassed a great collection, which at some point nearly 30 years ago ended up in my hands. We have always shared our hunts and scores and so I called Dan to tell him about the collection in Baltimore. He heard some of the titles and basically said: “You should have those records.”
Next up? The Lovely Mrs. JC, of course. I told her that there was an interesting collection that someone had sent me on email. She saw the familiar gleam in my eye.
