Price Guide Update: Wallington, Drew, DeFranco, Tal
We’ve missed a couple of days posting. Sorry. Up in the country. The weather is beautiful and the Internet connection is inconsistent. We will attempt to be more regular. To get back into posting shape, this morning we will list some of the new items we’ll be entering into the Jazz Collector Price Guide. Nothing in the $1,000 bin — we’ll save those for later — but some nice, interesting collectibles. Here are several:
George Wallington Quintet at the Bohemia, Progressive 1001. This is an original pressing and the seller listed it as near-mint condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $810.
Kenny Drew, Undercurrent, Blue Note 4059. This was an original pressing, also in near-mint condition and was one of the items sold by the seller herschel78. This one also sold for $810.
Here’s a record I actually bid on (and lost, by $1):
Buddy DeFranco, Cookin’ The Blues, Verve 8221. This was an original trumpeter pressing and the vinyl was in M- condition, the cover VG+. I have a few copies of this record, but none that I am happy with. The one in my collection is an original, but not in great listening condition. I have one here in the country that sounds great, but it’s a Japanese pressing. I also have an MGM copy that sounds fine, but is not an original. So, I figured I’d take a shot at this one. I bid $40.40 and it sold for $41.40. It’ll be back. It happens to be a favorite record of mine and it has some personal meaning as well: My father had a copy and it was also the first record on which I heard Tal Farlow, who became both my favorite guitarist and a teacher/mentor to my good friend Dan. By the way, Tal and Dan showed up at my sister’s wedding 30 years ago and did a session, spontaneously. It was quite incredible. I’ll save the story for another day, or for Dan to tell it.
Nice story about Tal playing at the wedding!
About Verve: I have quite a few records with DG trumpeter labels – some of them actually in NM cindition -, but there always seems to be something wrong with the sound quality (lots of crackling noises). Not quite comparable with the great sound quality of Blue Note and (sometimes) Prestige originals.
Norgran originals often sound better, if you can find them in an OK condition (which is not always easy).
Regards,
Peter
does anyone know how manny records usually where pressed when first issued? (prestige,BN,pacific,contempory,etc)
are these numbers of influence on the marketprices today? (besides age of records, Artist, etc) Because sometimes i don’t understand why some records are so much more then others.
(for example, the Wallington mentioned above)
I have never cared for guitar, since it is rather obtrusive in a classic (hard) bop rhythm section. Until the moment that I found in a sales bin “A recital by Tal Farlow” on Norgran. I bought it only for sidemen Bob Gordon and Bill Perkins. This record was my introduction to jazz guitar. Tal is still my favourite, with Jimmy Raney, which I discovered when I bought Getz on Roost. Then, of course, came Jim Hall, inevitable if you like Giuffre.
Maarten touches upon a very interesting subject. I have heard that some Blue Notes were pressed only once, in a quantity of 500. But these are only rumours spread by the likes of our friend Bob Djukic. Only those closely associated with the production can give this info. Maybe the son of Lester Koenig, or RvG and Roy DuNann, if they are still alive.
Al, you give an example of a typical collectors’ dilemma: one has several copies, in different versions, and different quality, of the same recording. diabolically, record A has a good side I, record B has a good side II. It is never good all around. what to do? keep them all?? like you do?
You raise a good point, Rudolf. For the most part I’ve been sifting through my collection and keeping one copy and selling the duplicates on eBay. For some records, such as Sonny Rollins Worktime, I have two nice copies and am keeping both (for now), because it is one of my all-time favorites. For John Coltrane Ballads, I am keeping both a mono and stereo copy. However, as my priorities shift and I look to get rid of more records and downsize my life in general, I think I will be making tougher decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of. I’m actually thinking of doing some posts on that topic because it’s been on my mind quite a bit lately. So stay tuned, probably when I get back from my holiday the week after next.
It was obvious that you and I have things in common, like all participants on the site. To read that “Worktime” is your favourite Rollins only proves the point, it is also my favourite! More spontaneous, more forceful, fresher, you name it, than Saxophone Colossus. I have 3 copies, the orginal kakubuchi version with the rose lettering and bright yellow labels, a later NY version with green lettering, laminated cover, a broad spine with title and ochre labels, and finally, a re-issue in the 7240 series (7248 or 7246 I believe). I will keep them all, at least for the moment. But I am also in the process of thinning out my collection of doubles, triples, quadruples.
Meantime, enjoy your holidays.