A New Case of Vinyl Envy

OMG, it’s so freaking easy to get hooked again. I went on eBay on Thursday for the first time in months and now I’m checking every few hours, including 5 AM on a Sunday. It’s re-awakening the old, familiar adrenaline rush of just looking at the records, seeing the prices, and feeling that old collector’s feeling of “boy this is fun.” Then there’s the vinyl envy of the records in great condition that I don’t have, The Unique Thelonious Monk as a case in point. I’m pretty sure I’m going to bid on that record. I’ll keep you posted. In the meanwhile, here are a few more records that have tickled that familiar feeling, starting with another Monk record from the Jazz Record  Center auction: Thelonious Monk, Monk’s Music, Riverside 242. This is an original white label pressing that looks to be in M- condition for the record and at least VG++ for the cover. I have never owned an original white label pressing of this record, and it is John Coltrane (among others) playing with Monk. Bidding is a little bit more than $100, with the auction closing Monday evening.

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Catching Up on Some Rare Jazz Vinyl

Here are a few jazz vinyl auctions we are watching from The Jazz Record Center. All of these auctions close later today. Clifford Brown Memorial Album, Blue Note 1526. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the frame cover. Record is listed as in “near new” condition and the cover is probably M- or VG++, depending how you feel about superficial “dings.” Bidding is at $500.  On one of my Horace Silver radio shows/podcasts I tell the story of how Alfred Lion and Art Blakey drove down to Wilmington, Del., to hear Clifford Brown for the first time and brought him back to New York to record those legendary Blue Note records at Birdland. Great stuff. Read more

Another Jazz Vinyl Perusal

As you can probably tell, I no longer peruse eBay with the same vigor and excitement as I have done in the past, particularly when I was buying or selling jazz vinyl with any regularity, which I have not done for a quite a long time. But I still like to peruse and write about my perusals, so here we go with another live edition of Al perusing rare jazz vinyl on eBay. My normal course of action involves looking at current auctions, starting with highest prices first. Right at the top are three records I have seen before doing this, none of which has sold at the prices asked by the dealers. These are: Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This is an original pressing listed in “excellent” condition for the record and the cover. The start price is $3,500. Chet Baker Sings, Pacific Jazz 11. There is no condition listed for this 10-inch record. Cover looks to be about VG+. Starting price is $1,800. Not a serious seller, IMHO. And from the same seller as Lee Morgan Candy, we have Introducing Lee Morgan, Savoy 12091. This looks to be an original red label pressing, also listed in “excellent” condition for the record and the cover. The start price is $1,500. I’ve been watching these records for a long time on eBay and the fact that there are no bidders at the starting price doesn’t seem to dissuade or discourage the sellers. Read more

Rare Jazz Vinyl On eBay Again

It’s been a long time between visits to eBay for me due to unforeseen circumstances that have been drain on my time and required me to be in New York for a while. Seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, so hopefully I can do my regular posts more frequently, in addition to keeping up with my radio show and podcasts. I’ve been in these circumstances before and expressed similar hopes so let’s see what happens. In the meantime, I’ve been on eBay this morning and put a bunch of jazz vinyl collectibles into my watch list, so here goes, starting with Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record is listed in VG+ condition and the cover is VG. There are 20 bids and six bidders so far, with the auction closing later today. The current price is $515 and I would say this one is a candidate for the $1,000 bin. Read more

Jazz Vinyl Gems, Some With a Little Tarnish

Finally, back on eBay. Contrary to my last experience a few weeks ago when I  asked the question Where’s The Action?, I’m actually seeing quite a bit of activity this week, from buyers and well as sellers. Let’s start with Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065.This is an original 10-inch pressing listed in VG+ condition for the record and VG for the cover, although the picture of the back cover might call that grade into question for discerning buyers. But the seller stands by his listings, and any bidder can see the picture and judge for himself. There are seven bidders and the price is in the $160 range with a little more than a day left on the auction. Read more

Jazz Vinyl: Where’s the Action?

Haven’t been on eBay in a while. Have I missed anything? I meant that as a joke, but now that I’m looking I feel like perhaps I have missed something. I’m seeing a lot of records that would have gotten a lot of action, not getting much action at all. I know things always change as auctions get near closing time, but having been off eBay for a few weeks I have to say I am a little taken aback by the lack of activity. Has anyone else noticed this?  In any case, there are many records that are getting bids, so let’s look at a few of those, starting with Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This is an original mono promo copy with the white labels. The record is listed in VG condition, and the cover is also VG, with some writing on the back and a partial seam split. Certainly not the best copy you will find, but there are already 16 bids from 10 bidders and the price is up to $300, so clearly the demand for this one remains pretty high despite the condition. Read more

Bewitched, Bothered and Befuddled

Time again to clear out some items from the Jazz Collector eBay watch list, whatever that is. Let’s start with Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This is an original pressing that was listed in Good condition for the record and Fair for the cover. The seller suggested that the buyer clean the record “multiple times” before judging the condition. OK. Also, I should mention that the seller’s rating on eBay is 97.7%. When I originally spotted this record, the start price was $1,000 and I was curious to see if it would sell. It didn’t. So the seller relisted it for $500 and it did sell. I don’t have an original copy of Cliff Craft in my collection, but I wouldn’t be interested in one of G/F condition, especially if I had to pay $500 for it. Very happy with my clean United Artists pressing, which I bought for $10 from Red Carraro sometime in the previous century. Read more

More Jazz Vinyl From Europe

Let’s look at a few more original European pressings, starting with Zoot Sims in Hollywood, Esquire 20-040. This is an original 10-inch version of an original 10-inch U.S. Prestige. The record looks to be in M- condition and the cover looks to be VG++. The bidding starts at about $115 and so far there are no bids. I have to admit – I’ve never seen a copy of this record before, either in person or even on eBay. Can’t beat the cover on this one: Gigi Gryce-Clifford Brown Sextet, Jazz Time Paris, Volume 2, Vogue L.D.E. 048. This is an original French pressing. It takes a while to interpret the seller’s description, but I would say this looks to be in VG- condition for the record and VG for the cover. The start price is $100 and so far there are no bidders. The auction closes tomorrow. Read more

Selling on eBay; Not Selling on eBay; Mobley on Film

Clearing out my watchlist and inbox, starting with The Return of Art Pepper, Jazz West 10. This was an original pressing listed in VG+ condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $405. Given the state of the market lately, I would have expected a higher price tag for this one. According to Popsike, there have been two copies of this record that have sold for more than $1,000 in the past, including one that sold for $2,026 in what one could only guess was a fairly massive take-no-prisoners bidding war. Read more

Potpourri From the 10-Inch and UK Vinyl Vaults

Random stuff in our watch list. Let’s start with some original 10-inch vinyl, none of which seems to be getting much action: Howard McGhee Volume 2, Blue Note 4024. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed in VG or VG- condition for the record, and VG+ for the cover. I could actually be in the mix for this one. I have a nice copy of the vinyl with no cover at all. The starting price is about $80 and the auction closes later today with no bidders yet. Seems like a no-brainer, at least to put in some kind of bid. Here’s another 10-inch Blue Note that has more in common than just the label: Gil Melle Quintet, Blue Note 5033. This is also an original Lexington Avenue pressing, from the same seller, listed in VG condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. No bids yet, with a start price of $100. The common element: Both records feature the great Tal Farlow on guitar. Read more

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