Author: Al

Breaking a Few Records

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Blue TrainDidn’t quite get in all of the jazz vinyl auctions I wanted to post from yesterday, so here are a few more.

John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was an original pressing. The seller didn’t give it a grade, but from the description is sounded like the vinyl was probably M-. The cover was probably VG++, based on the pictures. It sold for a whopping $3,000. That’s far and away the highest price we’ve ever seen for Blue Train in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Thelonious Monk, Monk, With Sonny Rollins and Frank Foster, Prestige 7053. This was a New Jersey pressing, not an original. The cover also had the New Jersey address. This one has the Andy Warhol cover, which gives it some additional prestige, if you’ll pardon the play on words. The record was in VG++ condition and the cover looked to be VG++ as well. This one was listed by bobjdukic, and he has somehow figured a way to get prices that no one else can match. For this second pressing, he was able to get a top bid of $955.21.

Here’s another Warhol cover from the same seller:

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Four for the Jazz Collector Price Guide

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monicaHere are the results of some jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay:

Monica Zetterlund and Bill Evans, Waltz for Debby, Phillips 08222. This was an original mono pressing listed in “pristine” condition for the record, which we translate to M-, and VG++ for the cover. Not a lot of description from the seller, but certainly a lot of interest from the buyers. This one had 13 bids and sold for $555.65.

Louis Smith, Smithville, Blue Note 1594. This looked to be an original West 63rd deep-groove pressing. The record was listed in VG+ condition, and the cover was listed as VG+, but somehow the seller made it sound as if it were actually better than that. The play-grading described the record as between VG+ and VG++, with the description of some surface noise. And the nice clear picture of the cover made it seem that the cover may also have been better than VG+. I have a feeling whoever purchased this record may be hoping that it is, indeed, better than VG+. Why? Well, the price was $960. As for me, I tend to believe the seller’s original grading of VG+, and that’s what I would expect.

This looked like a nice one:

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Three Tenors

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boydSo many records, so little time. Here are some of the jazz vinyl auctions we are watching on eBay:

Rocky Boyd Quintet, Ease It, Jazztime 001. This is an original pressing listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It features Kenny Dorham on trumpet and we’ve seen a copy sell for nearly $700 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. This one is at about $330 with a day and a half left on the bidding.

The seller vinylrealist is back with some nice items, including: Hank Mobley, Mobley’s Message, Prestige 7061. This is an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record ad M- for the cover. Seller took some very nice pictures, which always helps the listings. This one has a start price of about $900 and a buy-it-now price of about $1,200. So far there are no takers at either price. Did anyone notice that this seller commented on Jazz Collector recently to explain his pricing strategy? I was surprised no one commented.

Here’s another beauty:

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Sealing the Deal, or Not?

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PepperA reader sent me a link to this record: Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section, Contemporary 3532. This record looks to be an original pressing in its original seal. It’s always hard to tell with a sealed record, but this one has the red ink on the back and it seems to have original promotional materials from Contemporary within the seal. If it is not an original seal, someone went to great measures to pretend that it was. And, if so, there was a nice payoff. The record sold for $718. Still another existential question: What do you do if you are the buyer of this record? Do you break the seal and actually listen to it? Or do you preserve it on your shelf like a museum item, perhaps the world’s only original pressing of this classic jazz record still in it’s original factory seal 56 years after its original release? I know what I would do. What about you?

 

City Lights and the Meaning of Life

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city lightsOne of the loyal Jazz Collector readers sent me the following link under the subject line “No Ear/P”: Lee Morgan, City Lights, Blue Note 1575. This was interesting because it had the West 63rd Street address and the deep grooves, so it looked like an original. The seller, who has been selling quite a lot of high-end collectibles on eBay recently, didn’t mention anything about the ear or the RVG. Our reader was curious and/or interested and asked the seller in an email about the ear. Turns out there wasn’t one. The record and cover are in VG+ condition. It sold for $799. I think that will be one unhappy buyer, paying that much and not getting an original pressing. Of course, it raises the existential question of who is at fault. Of course the buyer should have asked before bidding that much on a record. But what of the seller’s responsibility? He never claimed it was an original, but he also knew that it wasn’t. Should he have been more explicit?

JRC Vinyl and a “Cheap” Colossus?

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Johnny CJust wanted to follow up on some of the items from the Jazz Record Center auction of last week.

Ted Brown Sextet, Free Wheeling, Vanguard 8515. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The simple post surprisingly generated quite a bit of comment. Perhaps that attention pushed up the interest in the record? It wound up selling for $510.

Johnny Coles, Little Johnny C, Blue Note 4144. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and cover. When I did the post there were no bids at $100. The bidders eventually jumped in, pushing the price to $338. As one of the commenters suggested, perhaps that is a nice bargain for a great record.

This one was listed as a John Coltrane record, but in my collection it sits under “H” with Wilbur Harden as the leader: Mainstream 1958, Savoy 12127. This was an original red-label pressing in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. It sold for $272. Probably a good idea to list it under Coltrane.

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An Early Prestige, A Few from KD

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jonWow, that last post drew quite a compelling discussion. I have yet to listen to that Ted Brown record, but it is definitely on the agenda. In the meantime, there are many interesting records currently for sale on eBay, including:

Jon Eardley Seven with Zoot Sims, Prestige 7033. This is an original New York yellow label pressing. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is VG++. The start price is in the $300 range and, with nearly three days left in the auction, there are no bidders yet. We would expect this one to sell, but you never know. It is Prestige and not Blue Note, after all.

Kenny Dorham and the Jazz Prophets, ABC Paramount 122. This looks to be an original deep groove pressing. It’s not simple to decipher the condition based on the seller’s description, but I would guess that the record is between VG+ and VG++ and the cover is probably about the same. The start price for this one is $300 and, with less than two days left, there are no bidders.

Speaking of Kenny Dorham:

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A Few From the Jazz Record Center

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tedOur friends at the Jazz Record Center have an auction closing this week, so let’s take a look at some of their items, starting with: Ted Brown Sextet, Free Wheeling, Vanguard 8515. This is an original pressing that looks to be in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The bidding is in the $320 range with a little more than a day to do. This record features Warne Marsh and Art Pepper and, I must admit, is one I have never heard. That will be corrected today, however: When I bought the big collection last summer there was a reissue of this record and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since. Today it will make it’s way onto the turntable.

I can’t figure out why there are no bids yet for this one: Johnny Coles, Little Johnny C, Blue Note 4144. This is an original pressing that looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is $100.

Here’s a nice Riverside:

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A Plethora of Jazz Vinyl Riches

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PhilI mentioned all of these nice records on eBay last week that were making my eyes cross. Here are some of them:

Phil Woods and Gene Quill, Phil and Quill with Prestige, Prestige 7715. This is an original New York yellow label in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It closes in about 11 hours and is currently in the $225 range. Quite a beauty. This one is being offered by Atomic Records, which also sold this one: Clifford Brown and Lou Donaldson, New Faces, New Sounds, Blue Note 5030. This one was in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $228.05.

The seller of this record also had quite a large number of nice records: Jackie McLean, A Fickle Sonance, Blue Note 4098. This looked to be an original mono pressing listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $264. Also from this seller was: Horace Parlan, Speakin’ My Piece, Blue Note 4043. This looked to be an original deep groove West 63rd Street pressing in VG+ condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. It sold for $499.

This seller also has some real beauties, including:

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Oh Little Label of Bethlehem

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mal waldronThere’s so much nice jazz vinyl on eBay now my eyes are crossed just looking. This is the first one that caught my eye: Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and probably VG+ for the cover. It just sold moments ago for $999.99. It’s funny, because I woke up this morning thinking about doing a post on the Bethlehem label, similar to the ones I did last week on Riverside and New Jazz. Then I realized I am not familiar enough with the entire Bethlehem catalogue to make a really strong list. Not only do I not own this Mal record, I also don’t own the Roland Kirk Third Dimension record, nor the Booker Ervin Book Cooks record, nor the Charlie Mariano Sextet record, nor, as earlier noted, the Jimmy Knepper record with Bill Evans. I am certainly Bethlehem-deprived in my collection. Of the ones that I know and like, my favorites are:

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