Category: Blue Note

Picturing Some Blue Notes

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Here’s some more jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

When you’re selling on eBay a picture is worth not just a thousand word but potentially a thousand bucks or so. The seller of this record was able to get a great picture of the cover: Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. It has to help generate interest, right? I mean, you look at the picture and you can picture the record in your collection. This was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $1,802.01. That’s the highest we’ve ever recorded for this LP in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, although the record has gone over the $1,000 mark several times.

This seller had the three 10-inch Gil Melle records on Blue Note, including: Gil Melle, 5 Impressions of Color, Blue Note 5063. This one was in VG++ condition for the vinyl and M- for the cover. It sold for $179.05. As for the other two: New Faces, New Sounds, Blue Note 5020 was in VG++ condition for the record and the cover and did not attract a single bidder at a start price of about $150; Volume 2, Blue Note 5033, had a single bidder and sold for $149.99.

Focusing on Some Gaps in the Collection

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Here’s some jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay. Why is it that we — we collectors, that is — focus much more on what we are missing than on what we have?

Bud Powell, The Scene Changes, Blue Note 4009. This is an original pressing that is listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. I was wondering about the kid in the picture on the cover and went to pull out my copy to see if there was mention in the liner notes but, alas, I do not have an original copy of The Scene Changes, much to my chagrin. This one is already at more than $300 with more than a day to go, so this will not be the copy that fills the hole in my collection.

Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This is an original pressing in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG for the cover. It has many days to go, is more than $500 at this point, and has not yet met the seller’s reserve price. Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Pal, Prestige 7068. This one is closing today. The record looks to be in VG++ condition, while the cover is VG.The price is about $230. Hmmmm. Not bad. I kind of like that the cover is not perfect. This would fill a gap. I had both of these Jackie records at one time, but sold them.

Jazz For A Sunday Morning: KD, Byrd, Blue Notes

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Here’s some of the jazz vinyl we’ve missed while we were away:

The Arrival of Kenny Dorham, Jaro 5007. This was an original pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It was a bit of a strange auction — there were only two bids and the winning bid was an even $800. Anyway. There was a lot more interest in this one, with more than 20 bids: Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This was an original deep groove pressing in VG+ condition, which I’d say was questionable based on the description. It sold for $740.

This one nearly made the $3,000 bin: Donald Byrd, Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill, Transition 17. This was an original pressing with the booklet. The record looked to be in M- condition, minus the labels, of course, and the cover looked to be about VG++. The price was $2,926.54, which is still staggering to me.

And what would a day in Jazz Collector world be without a few Blue Notes to admire:

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Vinyl Tracking From the Jazz Record Center

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Here are a few more results of jazz vinyl auctions by the Jazz Record Center last week. Just in case anyone is interested, I have no vested interest in these auctions or special relationship with the Jazz Record Center. I like to watch their auctions as a bellwether because they are probably the most reputable seller in the market.

Working With the Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7166. This was an original yellow label pressing with the New Jersey address. It was a review copy in mint condition. The price was $472.35. There was a time when you could get the Miles Prestige records relatively inexpensively, but not anymore.

Here’s another nice one from Prestige: Stan Getz and Zoot Sims, The Brothers, Prestige 7022. This was an original New York yellow label pressing in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. This one has the frame cover. The price was $234.72. How often are you going to find a record like this in this kind of condition? Nice.

Here’s a Blue Note that, surprisingly, did not break into the $1,000 bin.

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French Zoot, Miles Smiles & An LP That Is Hipp

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After all these years of collecting and visiting record stores, I still get a kick out of seeing records I’ve never seen before. Case in point: Zoot Sims All Stars, Barclay 84019. This looks to be an original 10-inch French pressing with a really nice looking cover and label. The seller describes the vinyl as being in M- condition, and the cover is probably VG++. The start price is about $200 and there are five days to go.

Speaking of European pressings, I had never seen this cover of Miles Davis, Porgy and Bess, CBS 62108. Think about how many candid shots of Miles you’ve seen where he’s actually smiling. Here’s one. Very nice cover. This is a stereo pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and cover. So far there are no takers at a mere $19.

From the time I saved the record to when I started writing this post, a gap of about 15 minutes, the price of this record shot up by several hundred dollars: Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 1, Blue Note 1515. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record is in VG condition and the cover is VG++. The price is now more than $600 and will probably keep on rising.

Catching on On Some Interesting Jazz Vinyl

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When I last left eBay, about a week ago, here were some of the items I was watching:

Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners, Riverside 226. This was an original pressing with the white labels. It was listed in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover and I recall the seller as being very reputable from previous dealings, as buyer and seller. As I was packing my records to move, I noticed that my copy of Brilliant Corners was a blue-label pressing and it was in maybe VG+ condition. I put this one on my watch list to potentially bid on it, not just as potential fodder for Jazz Collector. I think I would have gone to at least $180 for an original pressing. This one sold for $100, so I missed out.

I also had my eye on this for my own collection, but I knew the price would go way beyond my comfort zone — and it did: Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing and the vinyl was in M- condition. The cover was VG+. It sold for $1,475. One of these days I’ll find a reasonable copy for the right price. Right?

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A Piece of Silver, A Tuba and Two Guitars

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Here’s some of the jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay, starting with: Horace Silver Quintet, Blue Note 5058. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing that looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. We’ve seen this one sell for as much as $537 in worse condition in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. This one has a start price of $99 and it also has a reserve. So far there are no bidders and there are only two days to go. I imagine someone will take a chance on this great record, but who knows.

Never figured out why there wasn’t more of a market for this one: Ray Draper Quintet Featuring John Coltrane, New Jazz 8228. This is a nice record, with Coltrane doing Sonny Rollins’ Paul’s Pal, which appears on Tenor Madness, which also features Coltrane. Perhaps it’s the idea of a tuba player as the lead artist. This one is an original pressing and it is listed in M- condition for the record and the cover. The current price is $111 and there’s only one bidder.

Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Raney, Two Guitars, Prestige 7119. This is an original New York yellow label and it looks to be in VG++ condition for both the record and the vinyl. Wouldn’t mind having a copy of this one, but the price is already out of my range at $292.

 

Tracking Some Original (And Not) Jazz Vinyl

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Here’s an update on some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This was an original pressing with the purple label and deep grooves. The record was listed in M- condition, unplayed, while the cover was VG+. The price was $1,691.78, relatively low for this record considering the condition of the vinyl.

Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Bag, Blue Note 4051. This one was listed as an original because it had the ear and Van Gelder stamp and West 63rd address. However, there were no deep grooves. Original? I think not. So what is it worth in VG++ condition where it’s a sort-of-but-not-quite-original? This one sold for $231.38.

Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone AUL 207. This is another one that looks sort of close to original but may not be. From the picture it does not look like colored vinyl to me, which would add value to this record, right? This one was in VG++ condition for the record and cover and sold for $455. With colored vinyl it sells for over $1,000 and sometimes more than $2,000.

Blue Note Gapping With (And Without) Thad Jones

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So here’s the problem with organizing all of my original Blue Notes in catalogue order. I have the first 12, even the Jimmy Smith,  either original or in one case a West 63rd. So now there’s this gap at 1513. And here, on eBay, is this: That Jones, Detroit-New York Junction, Blue Note 1513. And look at the condition on this one: Beautiful, near mint, with a cover that looks the same. The start price is $700 and it will probably sell for quite a bit more than that. So when I look at my collection, I don’t see the first 12 pressings, all I see is the missing gap, the 1513 hole, and the temptation to throw a bid out on this one is quite appealing. But I won’t. Patience will out. From the same seller, another gap for me: The Magnificent Thad Jones Volume 3, Blue Note 1546. This one is also an original, but the condition is not quite so nice, in the area of VG and VG-. Still, the start price is $250. If I were to fill the gap, and pay close to dollar, I’d want one in better condition.

Some Jazz Vinyl For the $1,000 Bin

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Yesterday we talked about some lower priced collectibles: Today, let’s go in the opposite direction.

Donald Byrd, Byrd Jazz, Transition 5. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition, although the seller described it as being in very good condition. He seemed unfamiliar with the grading system most of us use. The record sold for $2,370.67, so others expected that it is in M- condition as well.

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $1,915.

Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition for the record and VG++ condition for the cover. It sold for $1,650.

Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. This one was in M- condition for the record and VG for the cover. It sold for $1,191.88. I think this is the only Rollins record from the 50s I don’t own in an original pressing. Hopefully one day we can correct that oversight. But not for $1,200.

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