Cool Struttin’ With Some Bop and Blues
We mentioned the passing of Jack Sheldon last week and now someone in the Jazz Collector world will get to honor him by purchasing one of his rarer and most highly sought LPs, specifically The Jack Sheldon Quartet, Get of Out Town, Jazz:West LP 1. This is a 10-inch record listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover, although the picture looks more like VG to these eyes. There are 13 bids and the price is in the $170 range with less than a day left on the auction. We’ve written about this record once before, back in 2018, when a copy in worse condition than this one – with a G cover – sold for $450. At the time, we had never seen a 10-inch Jazz:West LP and, to be fair, we’ve still never seen one live, only on eBay. I just checked Popsike, and $450 was the top price for this LP, matched almost exactly a year ago by a nearly mint copy.
I’m still hooked on those cool Esquire Prestige covers, and there is this: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Esquire 32-045. This one looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and probably VG+ for the cover. The bidding is in the $180 range with less than a day left. You will know things are out of control when you can’t remember if own a certain record. I’m sure many of you have had or will eventually have this experience. Anyway, I just checked. Nope. The only Rollins Esquire I own is Tour de Force.
Here’s one that just ended as I was typing this: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This looked to be an original West 63rd Street pressing with both the record and the jacket originally listed in M- condition, although the record may have been downgraded a drop to VG++, after prospective bidders apparently badgered the seller into listening to it once again. The final price was $2,550.
I don’t normally look at blues records but this one caught my eye: Lightnin’ Hopkins, Lightnin’ in New York, Candid 8010. Either I never knew that Hopkins recorded for the Candid label, or I forgot. More likely forgot – sometimes I think I’ve forgotten more than I remember when it comes to records and music, because I used to feel like I knew everything. Anyway, I put this in my watch list and, in so doing, noticed that it is being sold by our friends at the Jazz Record Center. So, I looked at other listings and, lo and behold, they have a blues auction going this week. I picked up a few blues records in that collection I recently purchased but haven’t yet written about. Soon, I hope. Anyway, this record has a very cool cover. The record is probably in VG+++ condition and the cover probably M-. The start price is $100 and so far there are no bidders. I have a few dozen blues records, not an extensive collection, but I do own the URL for bluescollector.com if anyone is interested. 🙂
No way that Cool Struttin’ cover is NM, look at that wear to the back slick; it still looks nice but I’d say VG+, perhaps VG++. Would be wary of the record grade as well. Pretty handsome price all things considered …
Serendipitous mention of Esquire covers Al. I’ve been posting a mini-series of some of mine on Instagram this month. My IG handle is @intosomethin
I’ve had a solid VG/VG+ copy of that Hopkins for sale for a little while, and I think 100, even for a perfect copy, is a bit much, though I am admittedly not really a straight blues guy. The few people that have looked at it physically at shows have all mentioned that they believe people want that record almost purely for the cover. Interesting, because, again, not being a straight-ahead blues guy, I find that record to be fairly enjoyable.
Martin, do I follow you? My handle is @jazz_peasant. I SHOULD follow you. send me a message or something if you think of it, so I don’t forget.
the cover on the sonny clark is vg plus at best. way to much wear. record is on my wish list but no way i am buying a record fro someone who is not experienced in record grading who does not accept returns
Yeah Greg, you’re already on my list of IG followers. Planning to post another Esquire on Saturday. and one last one the Saturday after that before moving on to some different stuff…
I’ve been wishing someone would start a similar site but for blues records (I would, but my writing/proof reading skill are atrocious). There isn’t the same kind of community around blues collecting either (my current theory is that the blues collecting community is much smaller than that of jazz and perhaps skews even older).
Anyway, if anyone wants to sell their blues albums let me know.
As far as the Hopkins is concerned it’s nice, but there are better records listed by JRC I’m interested in.
All ebay sellers are required to accept returns. They have no choice in the matter.
I sold my copy of the Jack Sheldon 10” on eBay some 6 months ago for $99.99. Was quite happy someone used buy it now at that price.
Nice lp; liked the cover more.
And re JRM blues auction, remember decades ago seeing all those kind of lps at Bob Koester’s Jazz Record Mart at it’s 7 West Grand location. Was never a blues guy so I passed them all by.
Paul: not true. a return is distinct from an item not being as described. in the first case, a return is just an ‘i no longer want it’ situation. you do not have to accept returns. but if an item is not as described, you are required to deal with it, which usually involves the item being sent back to you.
Gregory, yes you have described ebay’s policy. To summarize: Ebay distinguishes between a return for an item not as described versus a return for a buyer’s change of mind. What I am referring to is this scenario: A seller may say that he doesn’t accept returns, but it is ebay’s policy that he must accept the return if the buyer is of the opinion that the seller overgraded or otherwise misrepresented the item. I believe that this is the scenario that Mark is referring to.
Yes, that is correct. But a return because, say, the buyer changed their mind, is not something sellers are required to accept, and often the word ‘return’ includes that. we agree.