Category: Blue Note

Random Rarities

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Randomness from an eBay watchlist. John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, Impulse 77. This looks to be an original mono pressing. The record and cover are both graded as M-, although the picture seems to show wear on the cover, unless that is just a reflection from the camera. In any case, there are five days left on the auction and the bidding is already in the $325 range. Out of curiosity, I popped over to Popsike to see if A Love Supreme had ever made it into the $1,000 bin and the answer is that yes, indeed, it has, a few times, maxing out at $1,225. You kind of get the feeling because the album is such an icon, that the value will continue to go up. Is this the highest price we’ve seen for any Impulse? I can’t think of one off the top of my head.  I put it in this post primarily because I wanted to show a picture of the cover, which always puts a smile on my face. Read more

Prestiges, Blue Notes and a Boyd

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Where was I? Oh, yes, I had a watchlist on eBay that I haven’t looked at in two weeks. Let’s see what’s there. Phil Woods et al, Four Altos, Prestige 7116. This was an original New York yellow label pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover, although I’d say VG+ for the cover. My feeling about cover gradings is if there is a seam split, then VG++ is a bit too optimistic. But that’s me. Anyway, this was a promotional copy and a pressing from a library, which always gives me pause because who knows how the record was handled all these years. This one sold for $451.99. Now the four alto players on this record are Woods, Gene Quill, Sahib Shihab and Hal Stein. And my question is this, for those of us, like me, who mostly organize records alphabetically by artist: Is there any collector out there who files this record under anyone else besides Phil Woods?

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Rare Blue Notes in All Shapes, Sizes and Formats

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Record temptation came and went. The Blue Note 78s from the Jazz Record Center sold for $910 and, by the time the auction came around, I had forgotten all about them. I seem to be less obsessive in my old age. I think this is a good thing. The Lovely Mrs. JC certainly does. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have topped $910 even if I had remembered. There was also this odd item from the same auction: Rare Blue Note Salesman’s Folio. This was a spiral-bound portfolio with promoting Blue Note releases from August 1967, with a “salesman’s demonstration record.” I have to admit, I’ve never seen one of these. It sold for $1,009.99. Imagine if there was a pre-Liberty portfolio, or one from the ‘50s? Read more

Record Temptation, Then and Now

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I had my eye on this one and someone also mentioned it in a comment on the previous post: Bill Evans, New Jazz Conceptions, Riverside 223. This was an original white label pressing with the original photo cover. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover was VG++, although perhaps VG+ may have been more accurate given the tape/tape residue on the back cover. Nevertheless, you rarely see the front cover this clean, and it’s such a gorgeous cover, you wonder what they were thinking at Riverside when they changed it. Anyway, this particular copy sold for $3,629, with the buyer and other bidders no doubt entranced by the clean picture of the cover. A quick click to Popsike tells us that this is by far the highest price ever paid for this record. Read more

Aiming High for Rare Jazz Vinyl

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As prices of rare collectible jazz records have continued to rise over the years, I’m noticing that more sellers on eBay seem to be using the strategy of starting their auctions at higher prices, often prices that are higher than what would seem to reflect the prevailing market limits. I’m not sure if this has always been the case, or it is just something that is striking to me because I tend to look at higher priced records in doing the Jazz Collector site. For those of you who’ve been here long enough to recall, I wasn’t always focused just on the higher priced records. However, as I’ve had less time time to devote to the site over the years, and as I stopped selling records myself on eBay, I find it is a bit easier and less time-consuming to search predominantly at the top end of the market. One of these days, when the real works starts drying up, I’ll try to go back to taking a broader perspective. In the meantime, several of these types of auctions have caught my eye this week, starting with: Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the flat edge and frame cover. The record is listed in VG condition with the admonition that it plays with “some noise.” The cover is VG with seam splits, writing on the back and perhaps some staining. Looks more like VG- to me, but I’m not looking to quibble. The start price is about $1,500. So far there are no bidders with more than three days left on the auction.

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Blue Notes and Brubeck

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Following up on a few of those heavy hitters we were watching on eBay, starting with Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This was an original pressing with the New York 23 labels, listed in M- condition for the record and probably VG+ for the cover. When we first wrote about this record the bidding was in the $500 range and we predicted it would eventually sell for between $1,000 and $2,000, if not more. Didn’t quite make it to $2,000 but came close at $1,809. The same seller had Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes off, Blue Note 1591. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing that looked to be in M- condition for the record and EX for the cover. The final price was $1,425. Read more

Jazz Vinyling on eBay

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Time once again to clear out the eBay watch list, starting with a few from that Jazz Record Center auction from a couple of weeks ago: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was an original pressing with the New York 23 labels. The record looked to be in M- condition and the cover was probably the same. The final price was $2,276. For the record, there have been copies of Sonny’s Crib that have sold for more than $3,000 in the past, according to Popsike. There was also a copy of Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was also an original pressing, probably in VG++ condition for the record and maybe VG+ or slightly better for the cover. The final price was $2,025.

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Blue Notes or Bust

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What jazz collection would be complete without a copy of The Swinging Fats Sadi, Blue Note  5061? I say this in jest because mine is one of those collections that does not have a copy of this 10-inch Blue Note, nor have I ever seen a copy in the real world nor heard a note from the recording. Still, it is an original 10-inch Blue Note, sort of, in the sense that it wasn’t actually recorded for Blue Note but was originally issued on French Vogue, just like the Clifford Brown/Gigi Gryce Paris Sessions and Wade Legge Blue Notes (thanks, again, Rudolf, for spelling that out for us several times in the past). So, if you are looking to fill in this particular blank in your Blue Note collection (I’m not), there is a copy if this record for sale on eBay now. The record is listed as M- and the cover seems close to that and the start price is $350. So far there are no bidders. For the record (pun intended), three copies of this record have previously sold for more than $500, according to Popsike. We’ll see what happens with this one. It is a pretty cool cover. Then again, can you think of a 10-inch Blue Note that doesn’t have a pretty cool cover? Or a 12-inch Blue Note?

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Classic Blue Notes from Jazz Record Center

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Our friends at the Jazz Record Center have quite an auction closing this week, including several of the rarest of the rare Blue Notes, starting with Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is a deep-groove West 63rdStreet pressing, no New York 23 label, but it is still considered an original. This one looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and probably VG+ or VG++ for the cover, depending upon how the buyer might feel about a “professional restoration” and a “lightly audible scratch.” This bidding on this one has already surpassed $2,000 with three days of bidding to go.

Here’s another one already in the $2,000 bin: Read more

Jazz Vinyl to Ring in 2019: Happy New Year

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Happy New Year jazz lovers. Of course we will ring in 2019 with some rare jazz vinyl on eBay, starting with Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington, Riverside 201. This was an original white label pressing with the original cover. When we first looked at this a couple of weeks ago it was sitting in the $250 range. It wound up selling for $1,730.55, which is the highest price, by far, yet recorded by Popsike for this record.

Curtis Fuller, Blues-ette, Savoy 12141. This is an original red label pressing. The record is listed in VG++ condition and the cover is VG. The auction closes in a couple of days and the bidding is in the $380 range. I had a sealed copy of this record in perfect condition. I opened the seal and, surprise, it was an original pressing. For some reason I sold it and the price was less than the $380 that’s already bid on this copy.

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