Mobley 10-Inch For The $2,000 Bin
I’ve been updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide and noticed that I somehow missed writing about the final price of this one: Hank Mobley Quartet, Blue Note 5066. This is a nice 10-inch LP and it was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. When I first wrote about it the price was in the $340 range and there were a few days left on the auction and I kind of put it aside and assumed it would sell for somewhere near $1,000, as did a copy of Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065, its direct predecessor in the Blue Note catalogue. So now I am adding new items to the Price Guide and came back to the Mobley and was kind of surprised to see the final price, which was $2,251. Surprised, but not shocked, since all the Mobley Blue Notes are selling for top dollar these days. Still, this was the highest price we’ve seen so far for any 10-inch Blue Note. Congratulations to the seller, and to the buyer as well. As I said, I’ve been loading
dozens of records into the Price Guide, and quite a large number have sold for more than $1,000, mostly Blue Notes, including: Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559; Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1591; Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568; Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560; Clifford Brown Memorial Album, Blue Note 1526; Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538; Lee Morgan Volume 3, Blue Note 1557; Lee Morgan, City Lights, Blue Note 1575.
…after all these years the albums of “the middleweight….of tenor” are worth more than those of the “heavyweight… ..always being seen as the lesser of John Coltrane or Gordon, he now finally takes revenge! I love his playing, just played Star Bright-Dizzy Reece (BN4023) and Hank is blowing more than beautifully. Makes me a bit sad to think that this great jazz man died pretty lonely, poor and sick at the age of 56! before the big blue note revival and appriciation of my generation really began.
I play more HM than i play Coltrane i must say,..especially his later BN’s.
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I won’t get into a “Trane vs.Mobley” match(although I know it’s not your intention,Maarten!). I will say that although I’m around the same age as HM upon his demise(uh-oh),I was fortunate enough to see him play on what was probably his last appearnce in NYC. It must have been mid-70’s,I think. At The Coronet Club(Brooklyn)-yes,a real dive-but I’m glad I was there. It was before the loft era,pre-Wynton and the small number of listeners was typical of the time. This gig was probably a few years before his passing-even more tragic,as you suggest,because of the coming arrival of the “next generation” of informed admirers.
The last Mobley appearance was in NYC, early 80’s with jazz singer Lodi Carr and probably Duke Jordan on piano. According to some people, MObley’s final years were probably not as tragic abd lonely as it is usually said. He lived alone in Philadelphia, but still had friends and suppport.
Maybe someone with better sources than I have can accurately date the Mobley performance I saw. Whatever the year,the gig was promoted on WKCR’s Jazz Alternatives program(that’s how I knew of it)-The Coronet Club WAS the location,and I remember it being a “one-nighter”. Meanwhile,there are all these lps to listen to…