Breaking Jazz Vinyl Barriers
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 wasan original New York yellow label pressing in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It came from the same seller as the Powell and produced another somewhat astonishing price, this one $3,383. I guess the high end of the market is still holding it’s own, wouldn’t you say?
Must feel good to have a grooved plastic disc that can get you 3k-4k, huh Al? In going through things I bought before my recent introduction to the collecting side of jazz vinyl, I’m discovering that some of my collection is worth 60 or 70 dollars a record and am quite excited!
So you must be feeling roughly 50-60 times more excited, not to mention the great music!
When I began collecting Jazz Records in the early 1970s, Tommy Flanagan Overseas was often the one described as impossible to find. In all of these years I have never owned an original copy. I am thrilled to have one now. I’m hoping to play it sometime this week.
I have records like that. I can’t imagine I’ll ever get my hands around a verifiable original of Ayler’s “Spiritual Unity” for example.
But it would seem I shouldn’t give up hope!
As I read comments this past year, I notice two general categories: collectors focused on values; collectors focused on music. Granted, I know that those who have questions about values also love the music; we all love jazz, though the numbers are fun to follow. For most regulars of this site, does the love of jazz lp collecting fall solely into that intersection of “original’ Blue Note/Riverside/Prestige meets hard bop? Al (et.al), does your love of jazz go beyond these rare, original lp’s? If so, what are your secondary foci? Columbia Six eye? Verve? Impulse (blasphemy!)? Thanks for the community!
As well as some of the originals i have a lot of US jazz on the UK Esquire label if you see what i mean. Also Tempo Tap is a worth a listen but as far as i know it is a label for UK jazzmen only,no doubt someone will prove me wrong.