Another Pretty Nice Batch of Sides
As I’ve been perusing eBay since my return from vacation, I’ve been randomly filling my watch list with items to write about for Jazz Collector. And as I’ve been doing that, I am finding that most of the records I’m saving this week have a common seller, which would be Carolina Soul. I’m a little bit in awe, and a little bit in envy, of the huge collection of Blue Notes, Prestiges and others they have up for auction this week. Not sure if the awe/envy is about the money that will be coming their way in just one week’s worth of auctions, or if it’s the fact that they seem to have a virtually endless supply of interesting/collectible jazz records. Anyway, here are some of the items in my queue, starting with Thad Jones, After Hours With the Prestige All-Stars, Prestige 7118. This one caught my eye because of the cover: I have a copy of this record with the New York yellow label and a different cover. My cover has a generic picture of a city nightscape. This cover, as you see, has a picture of Thad and (I think) Frank Wess. With Prestige it’s challenging to figure out which cover came out first and why they would change it so quickly after the initial release of the record. If I were to guess, I would say the cover I have would be the first cover, but that is just a guess. The reason is that the orange cover has The Prestige All-Starts underlined and that strikes me as an idea that a marketing person would come up with as a way to boost sales by making a slight adjustment to an existing product. In my real job, I spend way too much time talking to marketing people, so I could be completely wrong. Rudolf will know for sure which was first, as will others out there in Jazz Collector World. Anyway, this copy is probably in VG condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. Bidding is in the $125 range, with four days left on the auction.
Here are a few more:
Art Taylor, Taylor’s Tenors, New Jazz 8219. This is an original purple label deep groove pressing. The record and cover are in VG condition and the bidding is at about $100.
Bill Evans Trio, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, Riverside 9376. This is an original black label stereo pressing listed in VG+ condition for the record and cover. There are 94 bids on this record by 14 bidders. As of this writing, the bidding is at $400.
Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um, Columbia 1370. This is an original white label, six-eye promo copy listed in VG+ condition for the record and cover. Bidding is in the $275 range.
Donald Byrd-Gigi Gryce, Jazz Lab, Columbia 988. This is another white label, six-eye promo copy. Condition is VG++ for the record and cover. Bidding is in the $130 range. I had never recognized this record as being highly collectible, so I’m wondering if it is the allure of the promo copy or just the fact that it’s great music, a great record and right in the wheelhouse of the era as far as the artists and the style of music.
The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed in VG Condition for the record and VG- for the cover. Bidding is in the $430 range.
Your reasoned guess is correct. The city picture is the original issue. I believe the picture of Thad Jones was taken from OLIO.
I don’t know. If I still was collecting records, I’d hesitate on that Thad Jone’s Blue Note due to the warp.
4 c notes and counting is a lot for a warped record. At least to me.
However, since I’m not collecting records anymore, though I wish I still had some left to sell to buy gas, what I think doesn’t really matter.
Lennib. What you think always matters, at least at Jazz Collector it does.
Lennib, while I don’t have any first press Prestige to sell, if you need gas money I will sell some of my Impulse! I’m so glad you stay engaged in the conversation, even if your vinyl has gone to other homes. 🙂
I believe these records are on consignment. I’m not sure if it is a single collection or multiple collections. I also believe that the previous jazz auction was primarily from one collection since so many were autographed with a news clipping from the show pasted on the cover.
I should say that Carolina Soul goes through periods of very inconsistent grading. This is one of those periods. I’ve bought several things from them recently and the grading has been wildly inconsistent between the records. Very frustrating to say the least.
I have a side called “Touché,” credited to Frank Wess with Thad Jones, Status ST 8310, that has that exact photo on the cover. The tracklist is different, however, than “After Hours.”
Japhy: “Touché”, NJ/Status 8310, is the budget re-issue of OLIO, Prestige lp 7084. I checked the pictures on the rear of 7084. The one to the left has been taken for the front of 7118.