It isn’t often these days that I run across a jazz record that I haven’t seen before, but here’s one: Rene Thomas, Meeting Mister Thomas, Barclay 84091. This was an original Mono pressing from France. The record was listed in VG+ condition and the cover was VG. The final price was $227.50

Following up on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we were watching on eBay. Here are a few from the Jazz Record Center auction

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. Original pressing, M- or VG++ for both the record and the cover. Final price $3,839

Lee Morgan, Indeed!. Blue Note 1538. Original pressing. Probably M- for the record and VG++ for the cover. Starting price at $2,000 and did not sell.

Lee Morgan, City Lights, Blue Note 1575. Deep groove, West 63^rd Street pressing.  Probably M- for both the record and the cover. Final price $1,600.

Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. Lexington Avenue pressing. Probably VG++ for the record and M- for the cover. Looked new in the pictures. Final price $2,682.69.

Lee Morgan, Lee-Way, Blue Note 4034. Original West 63^rd Street pressing, review copy. Probably M- condition for both the record and the cover. May VG++ for the cover, depending upon the anality of the buyer. Final price $1,160.

This is one I was watching that also did not sell: Charlie Parker, For Collectors Only, Alternate Masters, Volume 2, Dial 905. This one looked VG for the record and the cover. Opening bid price was $900 and the buy-it-now price was $1,170. This is another Bird Item I would like to have in my collection. Someday, if the price is right . . .

There are, of course, other sellers, other artists and other records up for auction on eBay now. Here’s on that caught my eye: Charlie Parker, For Collectors Only, Alternate Masters, Volume 2, Dial 905. This is an original 12-inch Dial featuring alternate takes of bebop classics such as Ornithology, Moose the Mooche, Yardbird Suite, a Night In Tunisia, and more. This is one you don’t see very often, and one I’ve never owned. According to Popsike, copies of this record have surpassed the $2,000 price point. This one is listed in VG condition for the record and the cover. The opening bid price is $900, with a buy-it-now price of $1,170. I just did a bunch of radio shows/podcasts on Bird, and all this music is fresh in my head, as are the stories of Bird’s tumultuous time with Dial Records and his fraught relationship with the label’s owner, Ross Russell. As much as I would like to own this album, I will have to continue searching for one at a price that fits my sensibilities, if that makes sense.

We were also watching some jazz vinyl from the Jazz Record Center, including Mal Waldron, Mal/2, Prestige 7111. This was an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. We assessed the record as being in VG++ condition, based on the description, and the cover as VG++. We threatened to possibly bid on this copy, since we don’t have an original, John Coltrane is one of the musicians, and, at the time, the bidding was in the $260 range. Alas, we moved on to other events in our life, hence the relatively infrequency of recent posts, and forgot all about Mal/2. The final price was $568.88, which would have been beyond our bidding in any case. Nothing ventured, nothing lost, nothing gained – except I still have my Japanese pressing.

As I am typing this and creating new links, I am on the Jazz Record Center web site and I see they have another auction closing in about five days. Let’s see, here is a deep-groove West 63^rd Street pressing of Lou Donaldson, LD+3, Blue Note 4012. Interesting that they don’t use the word “original” in the description, so perhaps someone can shed light on why this copy would not be an original. In any case, the record and cover look to be in M- or VG++ condition. The bidding starts at $150 and so far there are no bidders.

From the same auction: Workin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7166. This is an original yellow label New Jersey pressing. The record and the cover both look to be in M- condition. The cover is still in its original shrink wrap and, psychologically, it definitely looks cooler in the shrink wrap. Perhaps that is leading to higher bidding? The bidding on this one has already surpassed $400.

Let’s look beyond the usual suspects, at least as far as eBay sellers. Here’s one:  Dizzy Reece, Star Bright, Blue Note 4023. This looks to be an original deep-groove West 63^rd Street pressing. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is VG+, with some writing on the back. The auction closes in about five days from this posting and the bidding is in the $600 range.

One more: Johnny Griffin Sextet, Riverside 12-264. This looks like an original pressing with the small reels and mic logo and the deep grooves. It also has promo stamps on the cover and label. I don’t remember all the factors that go into making these early Riverside’s original, so I could be missing something? Anyway, this copy is listed as VG++ for the record and VG++ for the cover. Nice looking copy. Bidding starts in the $250 range and so far there is no action. If it were a Blue Note with this personnel in this time frame, who knows what it would be. But it isn’t.

I’ll point out one more from the Carolina Soul/Chick Corea auction: Donald Byrd, Byrd in Hand, Blue Note 4019. This is also an original West 63^rd Street pressing. The record is listed in VG/VG- condition and the cover is graded as VG+. Bidding is at $325, and the auction closes later today. If you’re interested in cool stuff, bidding or just watching, you should take a look at the full auction by Carolina Soul.

Another big eBay seller, the Jazz Record Center, also has an auction going this week, including Mal Waldron, Mal/2, Prestige 7111.This is an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. The record looks to be in VG++ condition and the cover is probably VG+. Bidding is in the $260 range, with the auction closing on Monday. This one features John Coltrane. I have a Japanese copy, not an original. Could I be a bidder? One never knows.

One more: George Wallington Quintet, The Prestidigitator, East-West 4004. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG++ for the record and VG++ for the cover. This one features JR Monterose on tenor sax. My dad owned this record and, fortunately, I still have it. He must have bought it in the bargain bin somewhere, probably spent about a dollar or two on the record. Thanks, Dad. Bidding on this one is at $100, with more than a day left on the auction.

Speaking of Coltrane on Blue Note, Funkyousounds also had a copy of Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This one had the New York 23 label on side one, but not on side two. I guess that makes it “less” of an original?  The record was listed in M-/VG++ condition with a slight warp. The cover was VG+. The final price was $1,542.79. For comparison, a copy of Sonny’s Crib with New York 23 on both labels has sold for as much as $3,500, according to Popsike.

Jackie McLean, New Soil, Blue Note 84013. This was a deep-groove stereo pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The final price was $510. I suppose I noticed it because it is pretty early in the Blue Note catalogue for an original stereo, assuming it is original.

Finally, we have Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, New Jazz 8217. Another with Coltrane as a sideman. This was an original deep-groove purple label listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $1,204. I can’t look at the cover of The Cats without thinking about the alternative cover that our friend Maarten Kools created for my dog Moose the Mooche. I still crack up each time I see it. Thanks again, Maarten.

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.

The post Lots of Cool Stuff in this Post first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/lots-of-cool-stuff-in-this-post/feed/ 4 9559 https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/catching-up-sonny-clark-kenny-dorham/ https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/catching-up-sonny-clark-kenny-dorham/#comments Thu, 09 Jan 2025 18:03:27 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9553 I just logged in to eBay and, lo and behold, what do I see: Another primo auction from The Jazz Record Center, including a Sonny [...]

I just logged in to eBay and, lo and behold, what do I see: Another primo auction from The Jazz Record Center, including a Sonny Clark cornucopia. Perhaps we will see some new price records set in the next week. Here are a few to watch: Sonny Clark, Dial S for Sonny, Blue Note 1570. This is an original deep-groove, West 63^rd Street pressing. The record and cover both look to be in M- condition. As you’ve probably noticed with The Jazz Record Center, they seem to eschew putting condition labels on their listings and instead rely on fairly detailed descriptions, such as the one for this record: “The playing surface is in near-new condition with a beautiful luster and just a single inaudible ¼” scuff; one tic on the second track of Side 2.” To me, that describes a record I would label as M-. The start price is $2,000 and the auction closes in about four days. So far, there are 86 watchers but no bidders. The previous high for this record is about $3,500. Let the bidding begin.

This one you don’t see too often: Sonny Clark Trio, Time 70010. This is an original deep-groove pressing featuring Max Roach on drums and George Duvivier on bass. It also looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding begins at $1,000 and, so far, there are 39 watchers and no bidders. If you are interested, the auction also includes Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579; Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091; and Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576.

Lest anyone think I am shilling for the Jazz Record Center (I’m not, of course), let’s look at some items from other sellers, starting with Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Riverside 291. This looks to be an original pressing listed in M- condition for the record and excellent for the cover. The bidding is at $360, with a little more than a day left on the auction.

I don’t follow the reissues market as closely as I probably should, so perhaps someone can share their knowledge of the Electric Recording Company. I’m asking because I am watching an auction of their reissue of Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, Prestige New Jazz 8025. It looks pretty cool, and I have (stupidly) sold both my original pressing as well as my Japanese reissue, so I am looking for another copy. The start price for this copy is $500 and there are no bidders.

I went to The Electric Recording Co. site and found this:

“British label founded by Pete Hutchison (who co-founded Peacefrog Records) specializing in high-quality, “audiophile” reissues of select classical and jazz originals using vintage – all-valve – mastering equipment using only the original tapes. These reissues reproduce the original LP artwork, label and inner sleeves (as far as copyright will allow) and are all officially sanctioned. Each copy comes with an embossed card insert which is machine-numbered, signed and certified by Pete Hutchinson. All 12″ records come in a sticker-sealed embossed PVC outer sleeve and a folded “banderole” with the ERC catalogue number printed on the top. Each record is then wrapped in ERC-printed paper and also sealed.”

A New York Times article from April 28, 2020, says this:

“The Electric Recording Co., which has been releasing music since 2012, specializes in meticulous recreations of classical and jazz albums from the 1950s and ’60s. Its catalog includes reissues of landmark recordings by Wilhelm Furtwängler, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, as well as lesser-known artists favored by collectors, like the violinist Johanna Martzy.

But what really sets Electric Recording apart is its method — a philosophy of production more akin to the making of small-batch gourmet chocolate than most shrink-wrapped vinyl.

Its albums, assembled by hand and released in editions of 300 or fewer — at a cost of $400 to $600 for each LP — are made with restored vintage equipment down to glowing vacuum-tube amplifiers, and mono tape systems that have not been used in more than half a century. The goal is to ensure a faithful restoration of what the label’s founder, Pete Hutchison, sees as a lost golden age of record-making. Even its record jackets, printed one by one on letterpress machines, show a fanatical devotion to age-old craft.

Thoughts? Experiences? Hype? Is a reissue of Quiet Kenny so incredibly good that someone (me?) should bid $500 or more?

The post Catching Up: Sonny Clark, Kenny Dorham + first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]>

Kenny Burrell with Art Blakey, On View at the Five Spot Café, Blue Note 4021. This is an original Blue Note West 63^rd Street pressing. It features a great band that also includes Tina Brooks, Boby Timmons, Roland Hanna and Ben Tucker. The record is listed in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. Bidding is close to $400 with four days left in the auction.  I was recently talking with a jazz fan who had just turned 90, and he was reminiscing about going to the Five Spot almost every night in the late 1950s, particularly when Monk was playing there regularly. I was hoping to buy some records from this particular gentleman, or at least to peruse his collection. He assured me he had a bunch of original Blue Notes and Prestiges. But he lived in a large house and, after about an hour of searching, we never did find the records. True story.

I see my friends at Carolina Soul are back with an auction, including Dexter Gordon, Go, Blue Note 4112. This is an original New York USA pressing, listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Cover looks fantastic in the pictures. Bidding is at $400 with more than four days left in the auction. When I worked with Carolina Soul a couple of years ago to sell some records from my collection, there was a copy of Dexter Gordon Go in the batch. It was a duplicate, of course. Don’t remember what it sold for, but I do know these original Blue Notes are constantly going up in value, or in the case of a certain Freddie Hubbard LP going Up, Up, Up.

Not to be outdone, the Jazz Record Center also  had a mono copy of The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, Riverside 320. This was the original deep-groove pressing with the blue logo and small reels label. The record was probably in M- condition and the cover was EX, with some minor marks. This one sold for $1036, more than $300 more than any previous Wes Montgomery record has ever sold for, again according to Popsike.

J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This was not an original pressing, and I extend my thanks to the reader JazzFan for pointing this out. Granted, it had the Lexington Avenue address on the labels, but it didn’t have the deep grooves. In my experience, this meant that Blue Note had some Lexington Avenue addresses left over during a later era, typically Liberty, and slapped them on a later pressing. I had a Herbie Nichols LP of the same type and tried to sell it on eBay for $100 a few years ago, but there were no takers. This J.R. Monterose record sold for $1,898.90

I was shocked to see one of the Monk records on Columbia sell for more than $1,000: Thelonious Monk, Criss-Cross, Columbia 2038.The record and cover looked to be in M- condition and the final price was $1,237.12. The rationale, such as it is, was that this was a white-label promo copy. My guess is that the folks at the Jazz Record Center were fairly surprised as well, since they only had a $75 starting price for this one.

What about this one: Thelonious Monk, Big Bank and Quartet in Concert, Columbia 2164. The cover was in the original shrink wrap and the record sealed in an inner sleeve, which is something Columbia seemed to do in those days. The record sold for $510. It had never sold for more than $100 before.

Something’s happening here, what it is ain’t  exactly clear.