Jazz Vinyl Watch: Setting Some New Records

Here’s some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

Art Tatum/Ben Webster Quartet, Verve 8220. This is an original pressing with the trumpeter logo. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. There were four bidders, 15 bids and the ultimate price was $290. My sense is most of the readers here at Jazz Collector tend to prefer post-bop era jazz — I generally do as well — but this is one of those must-have records, in my opinion, that always sounds beautiful and fresh when you put it on the turntable.

Haven’t seen this one sell for such a high price before: Sheila Jordan, Portrait of Sheila, Blue Note 9002. This was described as an original U.S. pressing in “superb” condition. It sold for $405. Our previous high for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was just $123, so that’s quite a leap. Great record, though.

Here’s a perennial for the ever-more-crowded $1,000 bin:

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG+ as well. The price was $1,343.

And, for the record (pun intended), let’s close the book on this one: Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 4140. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and the cover. As several readers have noted, this one seems to have set a new price standard for Blue Notes of this era. It sold for $2,000. Whew.