A Modern Jazz Quintet
Let’s go back to the eBay watch list and catch up on some jazz vinyl auctions that may be of interest to the Jazz Collector masses, starting with Chet Baker, Chet, Riverside 299. This looked to be an original blue label deep groove pressing featuring, among others, Bill Evans on piano, which usually seems to generate added interest from collectors. This looked to be graded in EX condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $1,187. Per Popsike, this is the second highest price ever recorded for this record. In 2018 a mintier copy sold for $1,225.
From the same seller was Eric Dolphy, Out There, New Jazz 8252. This was an original purple label pressing with the deep grooves. The record and cover looked to be in M- condition. The final price was $760. This looks to be the highest price yet recorded for this record. Popsike’s previous high was $618. Speaking of Dolphy, this one from the Carolina Soul auction is getting some heavy action: Eric Dolphy, Out to Lunch!, Blue Note 4163. This is an original New York USA mono pressing listed in VG+ condition for the record and the cover. The bidding is at $570 and the auction closes today.
Monica Zetterlund and Bill Evans, Waltz for Debby, Philips 08222. This was an original Swedish pressing listed in Ex+ condition. The final price was $383.
Finally, Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was a United Artists pressing. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover was VG-. The final price was $91.
The Zetterlund album is a very nice session.
I’ve been searching for some time for a true original first mono press of ‘Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530,’ with both the album cover and LP in solid VG+ (or better) condition. If anyone out there has or knows of one that’s available, please let me know…many thanks in advance! Todd
The Chet on Riverside is a lovely album, but that price seems awfully high. Maybe titles on other classic labels, not just Blue Note, are now commanding higher prices overall?
Yes the price – race just keeps on going! Where will it end? Also interesting enough all these Blue Note Tone Poets and Classics editions of Blue Notes does not seem to affect the pricing at all. Meaning that the demand for an original would perhaps diminish if there were good quality reissues available. The SoundQuality on these Tone Poets and Classic records is top notch. The reissues just seems to make the OGs more mythical and desirable. But then there is the factor that most reissues are stereo and most OGs are mono so maybe we collectors prefer mono OGs?
Have reissue campaigns ever resulted in OG prices coming down?
Prediction: The Acoustic Sounds Contemporary Records reissues will skyrocket Contemporary OGs. (DuNann, at least for a time, will be talked about more than Van Gelder on the internet audiophile forums)
Related and bolder prediction: West Coast Jazz will become very popular and collectible.
Anders – my personal ad hoc hypothesis on this is that there is no crossover between the people who would be willing to wait and shell out for an original at market price, and the people who would be very happy to listen to a clean, modern, audiophile reissue.
Gregory – yes you are probably right about the crossover. However I myself are buying both kinds 😉 I love the historical OGs but also many of the audiophile editions are in stereo (which I generally like) and sound fantastic.
Like Anders, I also fit in the hybrid category, buying both kinds. I love the historical patina of original pressings, but they’re just too rare and expensive to build a complete collection without destroying my domestic happiness and credit rating. And perhaps this is blasphemy to admit, but the stereo reissues often sound closer to being there in the room than the OG monos.
Justin, yes the stereos can sound very nice indeed. Many OG monos are fold down 50/50 from stereo masters. The OG minos have their exciting BN sound so I guess it’s a matter of preference.
I suppose I should say… there is not enough crossover to effect the market for any particular record. You may be WILLING to own the original of record X at market price, but not record Y, and so purchase a reissue of record Y and an original of record X. So your buying decisions affect the market price of originals for neither.
I think that years ago the availability of decent reissues kept prices down for some titles — this was the case when I started collecting in the 90s — but now that price check seems to have vanished.
I think I saw the Zetterlund go for close to 1k as far back as 20 years ago when buyers from Asia were holding the upper hand on eBay. Just another proof it’s all about mostly BN and Prestige these days.
Yes I love the Zetterlund. She considered this her best album herself.