Lots of Cool Stuff in this Post
My watch list runneth over. Let’s look at some new items and then catch up on some of the gems I had been watching. Let’s start with Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 5022. This is an original 10-inch Lexington Avenue pressing listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding starts at about $320 and so far there are no bidders with the auction closing in about four days. One of the things that caught my eye about this listing is the presence of an inserted booklet called “the blue note story.” Of all the Blue Notes I’ve purchased over the years, and there have been many, I have only seen this insert in one other record, a Sidney Bechet 12-inch LP. the blue note story was written by Leonard Feather and dates back to 1955, as Blue Note was transitioning from the 10-inch vinyl format to the 12-inch vinyl format. Fortunately, I have not only written about it before, I recorded the entire text, all in this post from January 27, 2009 titled, of course, The Blue Note Story. You’re welcome.
Speaking of 10-inch Blue Notes, here is Jutta Hipp, Jutta, Blue Note 5056. This looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding is a bit over $500, with more than three days left on the auction. The seller is The Jazz Record Center, which is back with another cool auction, this one focused on 10-inch LPs, including a copy of Miles Davis Volume 2, mentioned above, but without added attraction of the blue note story insert. The JRC version looks to be in very nice condition, probably VG++ for the record and cover. No takers so far at $100.
Whilst on the subject of The Jazz Record Center, let’s get back to some of the records we were watching previously, specifically those lovely Sonny Clark’s:
Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. Final price: $4,49.44. A new record. Well, not a new vinyl record, but a new record high, topping the previous high by more than $1,000, according to Popsike.
Sonny Clark, Dial S for Sonny, Blue Note 1570. Final price: $4,052. Another record high.
Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091. Final price: $2,703. Surprise: Not another record high. Popsike had a copy selling for $7,300 back in 2018, but I seem to recall that one was in dispute as to whether it sold and at what price. But there was also a copy that sold for $3,601 in 2022.
Sonny Clark Trio, Time 70010. Final price $1,525. Not quite the highest price ever recorded for this record, but the second highest. In 2013 a copy sold for $1,875, again according to Popsike.
Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was not an original pressing, lacking the New York 23 on the label. Still, a lovely pressing to own. The final price was $1,247. A few years ago, I traded a similar copy, in lovely condition, for an original copy of Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd. And I wrote about it here Shades of . . . . . I do remember being slightly admonished by one reader (Mark, if you are still out there) for not getting the right value for my trade, but I think time has shown that they were both of probably equal value based on condition, not to mention that I had two copies of Sonny’s Crib (including an original) and had been searching for an original of Shades of Redd for 40 years.
Moving on . . . as I mentioned at the top, my watch list runneth over, so I should be doing another post over the weekend. I should say that I’m enjoying being back on eBay and posting more regularly, and not just the Jazz Collector Live as I was doing for a while. BTW is anyone listening to the podcasts? I hardly get any feedback.
A couple of other items before I bid adieu. A reader recently sent me a note asking if the listings in my Price Guide are actual sales or just listings. Here is my reply: “They are actual sales. I haven’t updated the Price guide in years because there is a much better site for that.
If you are not familiar with Popsike, you should check them out. They track everything on eBay and are current. I was doing it manually for years, but they have developed software that is far more efficient.”
I also heard from a young reader (age 22), who is looking to make contact with jazz fans who saw live jazz in the 1950s. If you are interested in sharing your experiences – Rudolf? – you can comment on this post or send me an email, or, if you’d like, write a post about your highlights and I will happily publish it here at Jazz Collector. I was born in 1953, and while I did see some jazz in the 1950s — because my Dad was a bit of a nut and took me to jazz clubs before my seventh birthday — I have no real recollections, other than seeing George Shearing and wondering how anyone blind could play the piano, and possibly seeing Miles Davis, which would have meant I may have also seen John Coltrane. But who knows if that is a real memory or just wishful thinking.