Jazz Vinyl Auctions for the Road (And Beyond)

I’ll be off line for the next week so I won’t be able to post. Not that it will be any different than a normal period between posts, but this time my absence will at least be planned. Everything’s fine. Just enjoying a little holiday. In the meantime, I will leave you with a large batch of records to watch so you can all comment to your heart’s content. Let’s start with one of the records that would still be on my want list, if, indeed, I had a want list: Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. This looks to be an original deep groove pressing listed in M- condition for the record and EX+ for the cover. Bidding is in the $200 range with almost three days left on the auction. I have no idea how this record has eluded me all these years, but it has.

Here are some records closing in the next day, starting with Bobby Hutcherson, Dialogue, Blue Note 4198. This looks to be an original New York USA label. The record is probably in VG+ condition and the cover is graded a strong VG. The seller says he is a strict grader and is only interested in records in VG+ or better condition. I would suggest, based on the pictures, that this one may have slipped through the cracks because strong VG is not the cover that I’m seeing. Bidding is close to $400.

From the same seller: Hank Mobley, Roll Call, Blue Note 4058. This one has the West 63rd Street labels, but no ear and no deep grooves that I can tell from the pictures. Plus it is in shrink wrap. What would that make it? Liberty pressing using older labels? The record and cover are listed in M- condition. Bidding is in the $550 range.

One more from this seller: Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This looks to be an original deep groove west 63rdStreet pressing. The record is either in VG or VG+ condition and the cover is listed as strong VG+, although I don’t understand where strong comes in based on the pics. Bidding is close to $900.

Also closing today: Richie Kamuca Quartet, Mode 102. This looks to be an original pressing The record is listed as VG+ and the cover as G+. Start price is $155 and so far there are no bidders.

Introducing Lee Morgan, Savoy 12091. This is an original red label pressing. The cover has punch holes on the side. The record is listed in VG+ condition and the cover is probably VG, based on the pictures. The auction closes in about three days and so far there are no bids at a start price of about $450.

Clark Terry, In Orbit with Thelonious Monk, Riverside 271. This seems to be an original deep groove pressing listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding is in the $130 range with more than two days left on the auction. The seller, vinyl-house-uk, has a lot of other items on eBay this week, including the Rollins record on Period as well as Lee Morgan, Lee Way, Blue Note 4034. This is a weird one, with the West 63rd Street label on one side, the New York USA label on the other, and deep grooves. The seller describes it as an original first pressing, which doesn’t seem to be the case. But what is it? In any case, the record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition and the bidding is in the $140 range with nearly three days left.

One more for the road: Sonny Rollins, Newk’s Time, Blue Note 4001. This looks to be an original pressing of the vinyl with the West 63rd Street address and the deep grooves, but it has the second, dark blue cover. The record looks to be M- and the cover VG++.  The start price is $1,000 and so far there are no bidders with more than four days left on the auction.

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21 comments

  • I’ve never read about a “second, dark blue cover” for Newk’s Time, is this a thing?

  • Same here, @Aaron. Never have seen any other cover for Newk. Google shows a couple with a green-ish tint but those are later Liberty stereo presses (and why bother messing with it then?). Anyway. That Kamuca seller isn’t doing him/herself any favors with those pics, let alone a $155 starting bid. Good record, though.

  • Aaron/Japhy: same here. My first pressing copy though is slightly more greenish than the one shown by sellers, who, by the way, give extremely detailed information on the item.

  • i have no problem with strong VG for that hucherson cover. intact seams, minor discoloration and dings.

  • Aaron, Japhy and Rudolf: no info about darker blue cover. the one for sale has the 61st address instead of 63rd. for this reason is a second.
    Rudolf: my copy has a slightly green tint as your.

  • That Lee Morgan is not a first pressing

  • I have a couple of VSOP reissues, and a few Mode originals. I’m pretty sure the Kamuca is among them, but will have to pull from the shelf and verify.

    When did that record become desirable, much less pricey. None of the cool kids these days should know who he was, much less want any of the Mode records. At least the last records he released before passing are still very affordable.

  • Always thought that the Period label had some of the most unusual record covers, I.e. Rollins and statue, Thad Jones against shadows as if he were in a German Expressionist silent horror film, and some of the classical ones were also a bit “off,” i.e. Edmond Rostand’s ‘Cyrano de Bergerac .’

  • lennib – i agree. keep in mind that album art as we know it was very much still in its infancy.

  • Mode issued a number of excellent small group jazz records in the 50’s, and Richie Kamuca record is perhaps the strongest. This record in NM was sought by serious collectors and brought just south of $500, pre-Ebay.

    Probably too cool for the cool kats or their kids.

  • The Richie Kamuca is a great record. I have an Ex copy, but it is noisy in the quiet parts. Is that typical for this label?

  • hardbopster – yes, it is.

    mode has a number of good sessions, if one cares to listen.

  • I have a number of Mode records and have always found them to be of very good quality. Brilliantly engineered by Bones Howe at Radio Recorders. My favourite is Warne Marsh ‘Music for prancing’, closely followed by the Pepper Adams and Frank Rosolino LPs. You could get these for a reasonable price 10 years or so back.

  • The Marsh LP is terrific

  • does anyone know why some of the vocal jazz albums on mode are so collectible? in particular the doris drew, which routinely sells for $100+?

  • GTF- perhaps female vocalists command high price due to scarcity?
    I recall the Pinky Winters lp of same name on early Argo label always being sought after by collectors. Mayhaps the thought of a young lady from Michigan City, Indiana singing Jazz tunes inspired such prices.

  • Dozens (hundreds maybe) of 1950’s era titles, featuring female vocal with small jazz backing, have a magical feel that could never be reproduced in our slick modern world. Priceless.

  • I’ll admit I never had seen that Pinky Winters before — excellent cover art and a sweet looking band. Not being a vocal LP collector, rarely do I trawl that section of the bins, though there certainly are some artists I like — Jeanne Lee, Annie Ross, Jay Clayton, Norma Winstone…

  • The Pinky Winters is also one of only three or four of the first Argo LPs to feature the fantastic ship label.
    That’s not specifically why it’s collectible, but it’s really neat.

  • Frank Rosolino did play amazing but it ended in tragedy

  • Have collected Mode for many years.
    My favorite is “Lucky Lucy Ann”, my favorite JAzz vocals LP.
    Great subtle tenor playing by Bob Hardaway, arrang by Paich.
    One I like that goes for peanuts is the Mel Lewis Sextet with Mariano and Holman.
    Great Sonics on Mode, about as good as Contemporary.

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