Category: $1000 Records

Blue Notes and Beyond

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I’m back, finally. I see in my absence, Mr. Lee did a good job of keeping the interest alive. I’ve actually removed a couple of posts that had to do with cases filed on eBay. Sorry, Mr. Lee, that’s not something we do here at Jazz Collector.

Let’s start with the tease on the Blue Note documentary. It is called Blue Note Records: Beyond the Blue Notes. I saw it at a special screening at the Tribeca Film Festival. Watching the movie and knowing that I would have to write about it here reminded me why, early in my journalism career, I decided that I didn’t want to be a critic. To be fair, there were some great things about the movie. Nice clips of Monk, the Lion and Wolff story, the artwork (of course) and some great commentary and stories from 91-year-old Lou Donaldson, who lights up the screen every time he appears. Would I recommend the documentary to you, loyal Jazz Collector readers? I don’t need to, do I? You’ll see it no matter what I say, as you should. Within the movie is the story of the music we love as it was recorded and packaged on one of the labels we treasure and collect. Read more

Shades of Tommy Flanagan Overseas

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When I began collecting jazz vinyl as a serious (obsessive?) endeavor, sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s, the record that was identified as the “rarest” or “most collectible” was Tommy Flanagan Overseas. There was no internet in those days and I had never even seen a copy of this record for years, and didn’t hold a copy in my hand until maybe 20 years later, when it was part of a collection that I did not buy. I never owned an original until the Bruce W. West collection back in 2013, so it was a long wait of more than 30 years for me. I’ve always kept an eye on this record on eBay because of its early mythological aura, at least as I experienced it. Over the years I’ve seen as this record has moved into the $3,000 price range on occasion, which is certainly quite a high price, but the aura of this record as the height of jazz collectibility has been eclipsed by other records, particularly Blue Notes, and most specifically Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. Yet Tommy Flanagan Overseas is still high up on the list of valuable and highly sought-after jazz collectibles. I mention all this as a prelude to this listing on eBay now: Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This auction for this copy

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Blasts From the Past

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Sorry I’ve been inconsistent again with my posting frequency. In my real work I’m helping to ghost write a book on cybersecurity and the first volume is closing, so it’s been very busy. Before getting down to the business at hand of looking at records on eBay, I have a question to pose from our good friend Clifford, as follows: “Do you know which came first in terms of Contemporary Records mono pressings of Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section, blue title on the back slick or red title text? I always assumed blue was first, but have seen some with red text referred to as original.” I know that I have an original pressing of this record because when I bought the Bruce M. West Collection (oh, happy memories), there was a copy of Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section with the purchase date, the original loose plastic outer sleeve and a promotional card from Contemporary. It was quite a nice package to have. In fact, I ran a picture with the original post, repeated here. This copy, and my other original pressing, both have the blue title on the back and the red text. Was there a contemporaneous (pun intended) release with red text in the title. That’s the question Clifford is posing. And the answer is?

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A Trio of Rare Jazz Vinyl For Your Perusal

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Back on eBay catching up on a few items, starting with Teddy Charles/Mal Waldron, Coolin’, New Jazz 8216. This was an original purple label deep groove pressing. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover was VG++, although the former owner’s name stamped three times on the back lessens the grade for me. The final price was $478, which is quite a lot for a session led by Teddy Charles. Is this now just the going rate for original New Jazz pressings, or is there something in the personnel — Mal Waldron, John Jenkins, Idrees Sulieman — that makes this record a bit more of interest to collectors than some of the other Teddy Charles dates? This is not a record I have ever owned, so I can’t vouch for the music, but the music seems to hold less sway these days in determining how much collectors are willing to pay. Not a big fan of the cover, BTW, so that wouldn’t helping in piquing the interest of this collector.

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Dolphy Vinyl, Autograph Updates

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Here are a few odds and ends we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with some Dolphy: Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot Volume One, New Jazz 8260. This was an original purple label, deep groove pressing. The record and cover were both listed in V++ condition, although the picture of the back cover would be more VG+ in my eyes. It’s always tempting when the front cover is so nice to try to ignore other blemishes. In my eyes, VG++ is reserved for covers that would otherwise be M- but have a single minor flaw, such as the original owner writing the date on the back, which was the case with all of the records I purchased in the Bruce M. West collection in Baltimore. A cover such as this, with blemishes and tape stains doesn’t quite say VG++ to these eyes, but I’m sure the buyer will be pleased, otherwise, he wouldn’t have bid $612.50.

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A Rare 10-Inch Trio and $3K For Saxophone Colossus

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Been offline for a few days, but back in business. Here are a few records that sold on eBay whilst I was away, starting with Jack Sheldon Quartet, Get Out of Town, Jazz:West 1. This was an original 10-inch pressing. To be honest, this is a record I’ve never seen before and I wasn’t even aware of any 10-inch records on the Jazz:West label. Apparently, there were two, both by Jack Sheldon. This one was in VG+ condition for the record and G for the cover. It sold for $450.45. And the same seller had the second Jazz:West 10-inch LP as well: Jack Sheldon Quintet with Zoot Sims, Jazz:West 2. This one was in much better condition, listed as M- for both the record and the cover. It sold for $560. You would think, based on the condition, there would have been a bigger discrepancy between the prices.

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Heavy Hitters, Day Two

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Let’s get right to it: The Hank Mobley Blue Note 1568 from the Jazz Record Center sold for $7,600. Is that a record for a jazz vinyl record? I think it is. There was an earlier copy of Blue Note 1568 that sold for $11,000, but we later ascertained that was a bogus bid and the sale didn’t actually go through as described. Unless I get better information from someone in the Jazz Collector universe, I’ll assume this is now our apex. Not a surprise, although I had the record pegged more in the $6,000 range. I actually placed a rare bid on the auction, not for the Mobley record, since I knew that would be WAY out of my price range, and it was. No, after seeing Joe L’s comment on the previous post I became somewhat enamored with the idea of owning that test pressing of Horace Silver, Finger Poppin’, Blue Note 4008. Test pressings have never been my thing, but

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Heavy Hitter Day

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Lots of heavy hitters on eBay this week, including a high-end Blue Note auction from the Jazz Record Center that includes this beauty: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original original pressing, meaning side two has the New York 23 address, which makes it the one most prized by the most avid collectors. The record is probably in VG+++ condition and the cover looks to be M-. The auction closes tomorrow and the bidding is now in the $4,000 range with 18 bids and eight bidders. Anyone want to take a guess on the final price for this baby? We’ve seen $9,000 in the past, but my memory is that was not a legitimate bid or sale. I’m guessing this one sells for somewhere in the $6,000 range. Here are a couple more from the same auction:

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Not So Quiet Kenny, And More

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One of our readers sent me the following link: Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This was an original purple label deep groove pressing. The record and cover were listed in M- condition and the seller used the word “pristine” in his description. The final price was $3,617. According to Popsike, that is a new high water mark for Quiet Kenny. The reader added this note: “Of course, this LP is superb music-wise and very rare, so in today’s market maybe the price is justified?” My answer, I guess, is yes, it is justified in today’s market. And, I have to say, every time I think the market has peaked, I am always proven wrong. So, who’s not to say that someday down the road, we’ll be talking about this purchase as a bargain?

This one also fetched quite a price:

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Blue Note 1568: Bah, Humbug

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Buy it now, just $1,200. There’s a copy of Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568 sitting on eBay now with a start price of $4,500 and a Buy it Now price of $12,000. It is an original West 63rd Street pressing and the obsessive collectors among us would argue that it is an original original, meaning it sports the inscrutable New York 23 label on side two. The seller starts off by saying he is not qualified to grade jazz records but he just lucked out and found a collection that included the likes of Hank Mobley Blue Note 1568. Funny, I’ve been collecting jazz records for nearly 50 years now and this particular little bit of luck has never befallen me. In any case, he offers some audio clips of the record that he recorded on a (gasp) Ion USB turntable, which is enough to scare some of you off right there. Read more

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