Popsike: In 2007 a mint copy of Get Happy With Freddie Redd Trio With Guests sold for $1,260. That seems to be the highest price ever for the record, so welcome to the $1,000 bin. There have been five other copies that sold for $500 or more. I didn’t go beyond that, but it is clear that this is a rare record and in demand among collectors.

Wikipedia: Nixa records was founded in 1950 and was the second label in Britain, behind Decca, to release LP records. The label was sold to Pye Records in 1953 and, what do you know, I’m also not familiar with Pye Records. Another search, and Pye was originally a manufacturer of televisions and radios and got into the record business in 1953m when it acquired Nixa.

General search/Discogs: Looks like I should have been aware of Nixa Records, and perhaps I was at one time, memories being what they are after you’ve been collecting jazz records for more than 50 years. They did have quite a number of jazz and blues releases, more than 150, with artists such as Joe Harriott, Chris Barber, Don Rendell, Cleo Laine, Annie Ross and Lars Gullin, plus skiffle, including Lonnie Donegan, and British issues of American blues and folk, such as Big Bill Broonzy and Josh White. I bet the Beatles were listening to some Nixa Records as youths in Liverpool, yes?

It looks like the record was released in the UK in 1958 based on a session recorded in Stockholm in September 1956.

So that’s my lesson to myself for today.

Oh, yes, the copy that is for sale now is listed in EX+ condition for the record and the cover, which we translate into M-, and the bidding is in the $460 range with more than four days left on the auction.

The second copy of Kind of Blue was also a promo copy with the white label and 6-eyes logo and this one would have probably been more to my liking, as the seller graded the vinyl as M- and the cover as VG+, although the seller was not very generous with his words, and not all that accurate either, referring to Kind of Blue as a “blues masterpiece,” which I guess is not completely inaccurate when you really get down to it, as the record is certainly a masterpiece and the word “Blue” is in the title. But it does seem a bit of a stretch nonetheless, don’t you think? In any case, this one sold for $585, which is not unreasonable at all if the record is truly M-, although it is still out of my personal comfort zone, particularly as a price for a fourth copy of any record.

Finally there was this copy of Kind of Blue, which was an original Columbia 8163 Stereo pressing. This one was listed in Ex condition for the record and the cover and sold for $255.10. In that Kind of Blue is, to my knowledge, the highest selling jazz album of all time, it would be interesting to know how many copies Columbia printed in that first mono run, in which the order of Flamenco Sketches and All Blues is reversed on both the cover and the label. I don’t suppose anyone reading Jazz Collector would have the answer to that question, or would you?

“I have a couple of hundred “factory sealed jazz albums from late 50’s to mid 70’s. These are from a store stock I owned. I want to start selling them but I can’t tell a prospective buyer what the label looks like (ex Trumpet Verve). What is best way to offer them for sale? Many have drill holes in cover and you can see that the drill went through the orig plastic.”

And here’s my answer:

“That’s a really good question. The price difference between an MGM Verve and a Trumpeter Verve can be significant, if it’s a Lester Young or Stan Getz, for example. If it’s a Dizzy or Hampton or some other more common artist, it won’t matter as much. You can’t tell by the cutout holes. I don’t have a good answer for you. Some people want to buy sealed records just to say they’ve never been opened.
Others won’t buy sealed records at all because they can’t see the label. Are you planning to sell them on eBay or to a private party?

“I think what I would do is open a few of the Verve records to get a sense. When you are selling them, you can always say that it was sealed and unplayed and that you only opened it to see if it was an original pressing. If the few that you open have the trumpeter logo, you can say on the others that you list that you have similar records of the same vintage and they were originals (or not). Another option is to put a few of them up for sale on eBay sealed, see what you get for them and then ask the buyers if they were original pressings or later issues, such as MGM on some of the Verves. Let me know what you decide, only because I’m curious. Where are the records located? — al”

“PS — do you have any sealed Tal Farlows? My friend was a protege of Tal and I might be interested.”

But on to the goods and here are few things I’ve been eyeing as of late. The first one has been on my list forever and I have had copies a few times, though never in condition I was happy with. French saxophonist Barney Wilen’s first entry into the avant-garde realm, recorded for Vogue in 1966, joins him with vibraphonist-pianist Karl Berger, bassist Jean-François Jenny-Clark and drummer Jacques Thollot, and was released as Zodiac. This copy was listed in NM- condition for the record and EX+ for the cover (or probably a strong VG++) and sat with no bids at $450 (or a buy it now of $650). The low feedback seller and high value item probably kept some away, myself included, but hopefully someday a crisp copy will make its way into the collection.

Here’s a surprising situation, though I guess we can chalk it up to people with money who aren’t necessarily condition-hounds: Albert Ayler’s third LP and second for Danish Debut, Spirits, in what appears at first glance to be a presentable all around EX or VG++. However, a closer look reveals that the back cover slick with liner notes by Ole Vestergaard Jensen is missing and that would knock the grade down quite a bit for me, probably to a VG at best. No matter, it sold for a cool $680 and hopefully the buyer is happy.

From the British jazz files comes this rarity, Neil Ardley’s Greek Variations and Other Aegean Exercises on EMI-Columbia’s Landsdowne series, which I have on CD but was nevertheless one of a few punters that didn’t quite make the high bid. It is an excellent record with a lot of sonic variety and features the pairing of Don Rendell and Ian Carr. This copy was listed in VG++ condition for the record and cover, with sound clips that in my estimation would put the record closer to M-. It’s no surprise that $535 took it home.

Finally, and somewhat cheaper by comparison, was an original Savoy copy of The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra, a classic early 60s non-Saturn session that’s actually quite difficult to find in decent shape (or any shape at all). At least, that’s been my experience. This example was listed as EX for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover, with some evident clear tape issues, and closed at $260. It’s easily gone for twice that according to trusty Popsike, so not a bad price at the end of the day.

As always, happy bidding and even happier listening!

With that in mind, here are a number of European jazz records on eBay that I’ve been watching. First up is the third LP by Finnish saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen, The Original Sin, released on Scandia in 1971. It’s a fantastic slice of Finnish-American (due to the presence of guitarist Lance Gunderson) modal jazz and jazz-rock that has recently been reissued (though even the reissue is hard to find). Koivistoinen also released a couple of superb records on RCA Victor somewhat later, both of which are well worth seeking out. Scandia pressings aren’t known for their high quality, and this one was probably in VG+ or VG++ for the vinyl with the thin cover in VG or VG+ condition. The final price was $477.

A personal favorite in the realm of private-pressed Scandinavian jazz is this first LP by Danish saxophonist Carsten Meinert, To You, released on his own M.S. imprint. A second version exists on Spectator, which Meinert co-founded, with pretty much the same artwork (albeit without a flipback sleeve) and in presumably about the same quantity (not many). It’s solidly in the realm of mid-60s Coltrane and despite being a bit derivative, is in my opinion a fantastic listen. A high-quality authorized reissue was released on Fredriksberg Records in 2015 and is still in print. This original pressing was listed in about VG+ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover and landed at an unsurprising (to me, anyway) $858.

Here’s one for the $1,000+ bin: a very rare Italian jazz LP led by the team of saxophonist Gianni Basso and trumpeter Oscar Valdambrini, co-leading a bossa nova-inspired ensemble through a program of nine standards and originals. Their LPs are quite in demand (as are most early-60s Italian jazz albums) and I’ve never seen Bossa Nova before. This original Ricordi pressing with a simple red, black and white sleeve design (very sound-library in its look) was in VG++ to M- for the record and probably VG or VG+ for the thin jacket, and ended at $1,259.

This rare album from a Belgian-Italian combo was on offer from the same seller, auderesemper (Roberto Castelli), who in my experience has been very reliable, and almost reached the $1,000 bin. The record was made under the leadership of Belgian saxophonist Jacques Pelzer and features trombonist Dino Piana, bassist Benoît Quersin, and others in a small-group setting. While being familiar with the players, I’ve never seen the album before. An original pressing on the small Cetra label, the LP was probably in VG+ or VG++ condition and the very thin cover with beautiful artwork was in VG condition. It netted a cool $920.

Finally, here’s one that would easily stand up to its American counterparts in the category of tightly-arranged hard bop: Italian drummer Gil Cuppini leading quartet, quintet and sextet units through a program of modern jazz classics, including Basso, Valdambrini, bassist Giorgio Azzolini, and saxophonists Lars Gullin and Eraldo Volonté. It’s a really fine album and there are a few different issues of the music. This original Broadway pressing was probably in VG or VG+ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover, and went for a “reasonable” $350.

There are still a lot of interesting jazz records to keep an eye out for, perhaps allowing a bit of respite in our day to day.

First up is one you don’t see often at all, at least in its original form: Japanese guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi‘s debut leading a free-form ensemble, Independence: Tread on Sure Ground, on the Union Records imprint from 1969. The late 1970s reissue with an alternate sleeve image shows up from time to time, but this first pressing with a deep groove label and original jacket artwork is exceedingly rare. Is it rare enough for someone to Buy-It-Now for $1,500 given that the cover is a somewhat tatty-looking VG+ and the LP maybe VG++ or so? Well, this is the second time around for this BIN and there haven’t been any takers, so we will see.

One that I’ve posted about before is the rather elusive French Polydor recording by Marion Brown for the soundtrack to a Marcel Camus film. The LP is titled Le Temps Fou and features fine playing from Brown, Gunter Hampel, Barre Phillips, Steve McCall, Ambrose Jackson and others. It does have one somewhat funky track but most of the record is pure late Sixties improvised music. A seller in Germany had one, which went for $1,005, a hefty price given that the cover was a little iffy at EX–, or a weak VG+ (with some notable damage), and the LP was probably about the same. Hope the buyer is happy.

The same seller had a number of nice LPs that you don’t see on eBay very much, including this bootleg double LP compilation from the International Holy Hill Jazz Meeting held in 1969 near Heidelberg. There are some wonderful performances contained therein by Peter Brötzmann, the Rolf + Joachim Kühn Quartet, Joki Freund, Pierre Favre, and others. I’ve been after a copy for years but I’ve either not set my bid quite high enough or the condition was off. Both issues had me out of the running, with the cool-looking cover in probably VG condition and the LPs in VG+ or so with some edge warp. Nevertheless the set ended at a relatively average price of $500.

The seller also had a copy of this oddball record, The Chitinous Ensemble, directed by cellist-composer Paul Buckmaster (Third Ear Band, Miles Davis, The Grateful Dead), and an odd bit of string-heavy and Eastern-influenced UK jazz-rock featuring Ian Carr. The original LP was released on Deram in presumably rather small quantities in 1971 (luckily there’s a nice CD version on Vocalion). With the LP probably in VG++ condition or so and the cover in a decent VG+ from the looks of things, it closed in just shy of $500.

At any rate, happy collecting and even happier listening!

That’s changed somewhat, as seen in this first commercial issue of Spiritual Unity on ESP-Disk’ with the red-on-white silkscreened cover, booklet, and alternate take of “Ghosts (Second Variation).” It’s a beautiful piece of the recorded history of improvised music, and from what I understand one of the most sonically representative examples of Ayler’s sound. For a copy in VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ condition for the cover (with what looks like slight damage to the upper left seam), the closing price was $800. Perhaps not Blue Note territory, but expensive nonetheless. I attempted to get in the fray but was quickly dispatched and will have to continue chugging along on a clean second-ish pressing (purchased for around $10 almost 20 years ago).

Another prime early Ayler side and a rare sideman appearance is on drummer Sunny Murray’s Sonny ‘sTime Now (sic), issued on poet LeRoi Jones’ Jihad label in 1965 or ’66. Though comparatively easier to find than a first edition Spiritual Unity and with a Japanese pressing circulating as well (which is what I have), it’s still an important 1960s jazz collectible. The seller of the Ayler above had one on offer in VG+ or VG++ condition for the vinyl and cover, including the mimeographed insert. The price at the end was $325.

And just for comparison to the recent auction of the test pressing of A Love Supreme, this seller also had an original mono of the iconic Coltrane album in very nice-looking condition, with the LP in VG++ condition and the cover also in probably VG+ or VG++ condition. The end price was $365, or $65 more than the coverless test issue. That’s a respectable price, if not top dollar.

As always, happy collecting and happier listening (we need the latter especially right now).

Here’s one that really caught my eye recently; Danish drummer Bjarne Rostvold recorded with Kenny Drew, Bent Axen and Allan Botchinsky among others. Probably his rarest side is Jazz Journey, recorded for the tiny label Hit Records with Axen, Botchinsky and Erik Moseholm on bass. It was reissued by Sawano several years ago and even that pressing is fairly pricy. A few originals have turned up over the years, usually in pretty rough condition, and still netted prices north of $500. Well, this copy really went into the stratosphere, closing at $3,700 with the vinyl in presumably VG+ or VG++ for the record and a weak VG+ for the cover. It’s far rarer than a lot of in-demand American modern jazz LPs, so the price seems commensurate… while still out of the range of sanity for me.

Falling a little afield from the jazz or free-jazz realm but still of interest to collectors of improvised music is this wonderful LP assembled by electronic music and sound library composer Basil Kirchin, featuring improvisations with Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, and and uncredited cellist and percussionist mated to a fascinating array of tape-manipulated field recordings. Worlds Within Worlds is a very special record and probably one of the weirdest albums to come out on UK EMI/Columbia (there’s a second volume with the same title on Island, released a few years later). This copy is listed in “EX” or probably VG++ for the record and VG+ for the cover, which looks to have suffered a bit of water damage at some point though I guess it’s still presentable. The bidding has it just shy of $300 with a day to go, though it will probably top twice that.

A bit more in the realm of classic American jazz (hard bop) but still not well-known by any stretch is a sextet LP led by drummer Dave Bailey for the small Jazz Line/Jazztime label, Bash!, featuring an all star lineup of figures like Curtis Fuller, Tommy Flanagan and Kenny Dorham. It’s certainly not a common record and usually when it comes up for sale it’s been put through the ringer. Boston area seller Stereo Jack’s had one in probably VG++ condition for the record and VG+ condition for the cover, and it ended at a cool $1,259 – certainly the highest price I’ve seen it at auction. Hope the buyer is satisfied with the condition.

At any rate, as always, happy collecting and happier listening!

One that surprised me today was this copy of trumpeter Don Cherry’s second LP as a leader and first for Blue Note, Complete Communion. It’s a classic mid-60s avant-garde jazz album with Cherry’s music played beautifully by Gato Barbieri, Ed Blackwell and Henry Grimes. That said, $678 for a mono copy in presumably VG++ condition for the record and cover seems downright ridiculous. I’ll happily keep on trucking with a $25 stereo early edition in similar shape.

The same seller, our old Italian friend bullsite2000, got a cool $350 for the very rare Sun Ra/LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) LP A Black Mass, issued privately on Jones’ Jihad imprint in two small runs with color or black and white printing around 1968. The b&w copy he had was listed in probably VG– condition for the record and I’d say VG for the cover. Truth be told, examples in better condition almost never show up, but that’s still a chunk of change for a mere play copy.

One that I’m watching and that may enter the $1,000 bin (and thus outside of my price range) is a fantastic LP led by alto saxophonist Marion Brown for French Polydor, Le Temps Fou, an unused soundtrack for a Marcel Camus film. The personnel include members of his working European band at the time such as Gunter Hampel, Steve McCall, Barre Phillips and Ambrose Jackson. There is one ostensibly “funky” track but the music is generally pretty far-out. The bidding is already over $250 with a couple of days left in the auction. The LP itself is probably VG+ or VG++ and the cover looks to be about a VG++ and you don’t see it often in any shape.

In any event, happy bidding and happier listening!

As my collecting interests have generally been shifting to the other side of the pond(s) over the years, even in mainstream jazz, things like this record tend to be of interest. Moseholm directed the Radiojazzgruppen in Copenhagen, which performed weekly workshop broadcasts and occasionally toured elsewhere in Europe. The music was generally composed by members of the group and others in the local Copenhagen jazz scene – for example, trumpeters Hugh Steinmetz and Palle Mikkelborg, or reedist Sahib Shihab. This, their second LP for the Danish Debut imprint, was listed as VG for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover and one has to assume that the record itself was pretty well used (especially considering that Debut pressings aren’t the highest quality). It’s a very rare album in any condition and hopefully the buyer was satisfied at $350.

Speaking of Sahib Shihab, the same seller also had a copy of the reedist’s excellent Debut LP, Sahib’s Jazz Party, on offer. However, this was a bit of a mongrel with a Dutch Fontana cover (the original Debut had a sticker over the Fontana logo) and vinyl from a late 1960s German reissue, which was retitled Conversations. My assumption is that somebody had a nice cover with a broken or destroyed record and a coverless copy of the German pressing and mated them together. Nevertheless, with the vinyl in M- condition and the cover in VG++, the seller got a cool $710. I guess my Japanese repress will have to do.

One of my favorite US jazz records from the late 1960s is the second LP under tenor saxophonist Marzette Watts’ leadership. A student of trumpeter-composer Bill Dixon, Watts was also an abstract painter and later a recording engineer for many loft-jazz sessions in the 1970s. Dixon produced The Marzette Watts Ensemble for Savoy and conducted a rendition of his “Octobersong” that starts off the LP. The rest of the album features spirited small-group playing, not too ‘free,’ and a gorgeous version of “Lonely Woman” with lyrics written and sung by Patty Waters. Our friend nobbyknucks had one listed in M- condition for the record and VG– for the beautiful textured cover, which netted $315.

Hopefully everyone is finding records of interest out there and, just as importantly, squirrelling away time to listen to them!