Diggin’ a Pony and More

Pony Jazz VinylHere’s another collectible jazz record that is new to me: Pony Poindexter, En Barcelona, Spiral LP 11. This looks to be an original pressing listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The final price was $495 and there were four bidders. The seller lists it as a European “holy grail,” an expression I have come to hate after all these years on eBay. I did a quick search and found some information on the record: Recorded in Spain in 1972, only issued originally in Spain. The music seems to be available on disc and on download. Is it worth a listen?

I was also watching a few Lee Morgan records, starting with: Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. This was a pressing that had one side Lexington Avenue and one side West 63rd. It looked to be in nice shape, but the seller wanted $1,400. There were no buyers at that price, no surprise to me considering that it is clearly not an original pressing. So the buyer didn’t get any offers at $1,400 and now has a listed at $2,000. Go figure.

This one was in far worse condition:

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A Post About Ballads

Ballads John Coltrane Jazz VinylI go to sleep to music each night. I am still archaic enough to have an iPod and I have created about 50 playlists, all ballads and soft music, and I rotate among them and put them on random play. I find it quite soothing and relaxing and, apparently, so do my usual bedfellows, which would be The Lovely Mrs. JC and the two dogs Marty and Gordon. So last night I was listening and, at random, there came “Who Can I Turn To” by Dexter Gordon and then “Say It (Over and Over Again)” by John Coltrane, and I was listening very closely and both performances were quite lovely and brilliant in their own ways. And, of course, it got me to thinking about who are my favorite ballad players and what are my favorite ballad performances. And, of course, I couldn’t fall asleep because I was mentally going through all of my records and trying to pick out my favorite artists and performances. In the end, before I eventually nodded off, I came up with some thoughts and decided to share them here with you this morning. Read more

A Little Hope For the Hipp

Booker Little Jazz VinylHere’s one you don’t see too often on eBay: Booker Little and Friend, Bethlehem 6061. I guess in this case the friend was Booker’s trumpet. The record and the cover are both in VG+ condition and the start price is $350. Thus far there are no bidders with about a day and a half left on the auction as of this writing. We’ve seen this record sell for more than $700 a few times in better condition than this, so the seller might have expectations of the record selling for this price.

Here’s another seller that is optimistic with a start price of more than $1,400 for this record: Elmo Hope, Meditations, Prestige 7010. This is an original New York yellow label pressing listed in EX+ condition for the record and Ex/Ex+ for the cover. I’m like Bill W. on the previous post. I’m never sure what Ex or Ex+ means, although I’m assuming for this record the condition is either M- or pretty darn close to it.

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What Happens? Records Sell for High Prices

Art Farmer Jazz VinylOnce again we find another record that is unfamiliar to us, this one sent in courtesy of our friend CeeDee: Art Farmer and Phil Woods, What Happens?, Campi SJG 12001. This was an original Italian promo pressing from 1969.  It was listed in M- condition for the record and  VG++ for the cover. It sold for $355. I did a quick search to learn more about the record but pretty much came up empty. That’s why it’s nice to have the Jazz Collector community weigh in with our collective knowledge. So, friends, what’s the story behind this record and the label?

I think a lot of us had our eye on this one: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original original pressing, with the New York 23 on one side. The record and cover were both listed in VG+ condition. The final price was $3,998. There were 11 bidders. Given the rarity of this record, the price of nearly $4,000 seems to be market-appropriate, even with the VG+ condition. Based on the description, I’m sure the buyer is expecting this to be somewhat under-graded, particularly since there can be such a wide span within the VG+ category, don’t you think?

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A New One (to Me), and An Old One With a $5,000 Tag

Joe Pass Jazz VinylIt is always a great pleasure, and often a great surprise, to come upon an album that is completely new to us. After all, we’ve been collecting jazz for more than 45 years, so you’d think there would be no surprises left. Well here’s one: Joe Pass, Better Days, Gwyn Records 1001. This is a stereo pressing from 1971 and I had never seen it, never heard of it and never heard of Gwyn Records. Fortunately, there is Google, and this post from Carol Kaye, the great Los Angeles-based studio bassist who was part of the group of musicians that came to be known as The Wrecking Crew. Apparently it was Kaye herself who conceived of the album and produced it. I’ve never seen it or hear of it, although, to be fair, I am not a collector of Joe Pass records on any level. This one is listed in Ex+ condition for the record and Ex for the cover. The price is in the range of $275 with about a day and a half left on the auction as of this writing.

There’s always a lot of debate around here on the value of having reserve prices versus just starting an auction with your lowest acceptable price, or some reasonable facsimile. So here’s one that caught my eye:

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A Simple Matter of Condition

Jackie McLean copyCatching up on a few items still lingering on the Jazz Collector watch list, starting with Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This was an original pressing that was listed in VG- or worse condition for the record and VG- for the cover. Despite the condition it sold for $711.80. I have a bit of a hard time relating to a collector who would pay more than $700 for a record that (1) may not even be playable and (2) has a damaged cover that may not even look so good on your shelves. You may recall that I briefly owned a copy of the Jackie record a couple of months ago. That one was in VG condition for the record and VG- for the cover. I wasn’t happy with it and, in the context of the overall package of records, I would have paid less than $711 for it. So maybe the woman who reneged on the deal will do better selling it in that condition to another collector willing to simply own a copy of a really rare record without worrying to much about listening to it. That ain’t me.

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Vinyl Treasures from the U.S. and U.K.

ernie henry jazz vinylHere’s one I’d consider if I didn’t already own a copy: Presenting Ernie Henry, Riverside 222. This is an original pressing with the white label and deep grooves. Wonderful record featuring Kenny Dorham and Kenny Drew, and, of course, Henry, who had a really unique voice that was silenced when he died tragically of a heroin overdose at the age of 31. You don’t see too many white-label versions of this record pop up on eBay. This one is in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is in the $250 range and the auction closes later today. So far, there are no bidders. Here’s another great record that may or may not sell when the auction closes later today: Elmo Hope, Informal Jazz, Prestige 7034. This is an original yellow label New York pressing listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding has already exceeded $600 but that doesn’t mean it has exceeded the seller’s reserve price, which it hasn’t.

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Back in Jazz Vinyl Action

Walter Davis Jr Jazz VinylBack in action after some minor surgery last week. Feeling good and ready to roll with some jazz vinyl on ebay, starting with a couple of Blue Notes from the Jazz Collector Want List that both broke into the $1,000 bin: Walter Davis Jr., Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This was an original pressing that looked to be probably M- for the record and VG++ or VG+ for the cover. There were 15 bidders and the final price was $1,125. Then there was Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This was also an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was listed as M- and the cover was VG++. There were 14 bidders for this one and the final price came in at $1,304. Our friend CeeDee sent us a note about this one, but we were already watching it:

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Classic Vinyl From The Jazz Collector Era

Johnny Griffin Jazz VinylOur friends at funkyousounds are back on eBay with some nice jazz vinyl closing this week, including Johnny Griffin, The Kerry Dancers, Riverside 420. This looks to be an original blue label pressing with deep grooves. The record is listed in VG++ condition and the cover is VG. The auction closes later today and the price is in the $170 range. Donald Byrd, Fuego, Blue Note 4026. This is an original West 63rd Street deep groove pressing. The record and cover both look to be in VG+ condition. The bidding is in the $220 range with one more day to go. One more: Miles Davis, The New Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7014. This looks to be an original pressing with the New York hello label and the original green cover. The record is listed in VG++ condition and the cover is VG+. The price is now in the $300 range, also with one more day on the auction.

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Blue Notes and More

Curtis FullerWe’ll start with a couple of Blue Notes today and segue neatly into some other stuff, including a question from a reader in China. Curtis Fuller, Volume 3, Blue Note 1583. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. I remember this seller having a bunch of Prestiges a couple of months ago. Now, he seems to be selling the Blue Notes. His listings don’t include a lot of photos, so there’s not a ton to go on. This record is in the range of about $115 with just a couple of days to go. I would normally expect it to sell for a lot more than than. We’ll see what happens. Here’s another Blue Note from a little later: Lou Donaldson, Light Foot, Blue Note 4043. This is also a West 63rd Street original, listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The price is also in the $115 range, also with about two days left on the auction.

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