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Old Vinyl, New Bottles, Craft OJCs

Al — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 16:30:31 +0000

The Christmas holidays have always been a time when I liked to splurge on records. I think it goes back to an experience when I was living on Long Island, and I walked into the Titus Oaks store in Hicksville on the day after Christmas, and the owner/proprietor had just finished putting a bunch of records into the bins, and I was the first to see them, and among the records were original Blue Notes, maybe 15-20 all together, and they were all first pressings in mint, unplayed condition, and they were priced at $5 each. Yes, that really happened. It was the early 1980s, and it was not a dream. I think that experience has stuck with me the rest of my jazz collecting days and I always make sure to check out local record stores during the week before Christmas. As Christmas time approached a couple of months ago, I started feeling that old urge surging through my body. I tried a couple of the local record stores but, alas, no luck. I couldn’t shake the urge, so I went online, as I mentioned in a post back in December (New Old Jazz, Or Old New Jazz, on Vinyl). I went on a little spree. I meant to write about it earlier, but, as you may have noticed, I have not been doing much writing these days. Listening, yes, doing my radio show, yes, but writing, not so much. So, we’ll start catching up now and see if I can inspire myself to sit down and do so more writing in the next week or so.

In my online adventures I stopped at a few places, Blue Note, Craft, and a label called The Lost Recordings. I bought two vinyl reissue records from Craft: The Kenny Drew Trio originally on Riverside and Miles Davis, The Musings of Miles originally on Prestige. I think I paid $39 for Miles and $18 for Kenny Drew. I bought these two records for a couple of reasons. One was to check out the new version of the Original Jazz Classics series. I admit that I hated the original OJCs, which began in 1983. While I appreciated that the music was being made available, I never liked the packaging, i.e., the thin vinyl and thin covers. I would buy the OJCs because they were not overly expensive and they could fill gaps in my collection, but I always sought to replace them with original pressings. Of course. Wouldn’t you? I had reached the point where I didn’t own any more of the original OJCs. When Craft came out with the current OJC series, I reached out to their public relations people to get review copies, but, alas, I was not placed on the list, despite my seemingly stellar credentials as not just the owner of Jazz Collector dot com, but also as the host of the Jazz Collector Radio podcast. In any case, I wasn’t getting any free copies of anything from Craft, so when the urge to buy became too strong, I bit the bullet and ordered these two records, plus the Bill Evans boxed set called Haunted Heart, which I haven’t even opened yet.

I chose the Miles and Kenny Drew records primarily because of my radio show/podcast. I have an original pressing of The Musings of Miles, but I hate bringing some of these $1,000 records into the radio studio if I can avoid it. So I could kill two bird with one stone: I could check out the new Craft OJC Series and have an alternative to bring into the studio when it came time to play the Musings of Miles, which I did on the podcast called Old Vinyl, New Bottles. I bought the Kenny Drew Trio record because I don’t own an original copy and I had decided to do a radio show/podcast on Kenny Drew. When I did do that podcast, Unsung Artists – Kenny Drew on Piano, I was able to use the Craft reissue and play a couple of tracks.

My opinion of the new Craft OJC series is different that that for the original OJCs. I really like these reissues. I liked that they used heavier vinyl, heavier cardboard, and they keep the original packaging. I’m no audiophile, but they sound great to me. There’s a slight mistake on the Kenny Drew packaging band – they refer to it is Kenny Drew’s first as a leader, when, to my knowledge, he had recorded two or three records as a leader prior to this one (a 10-incher on Blue Note, one on Norgran, and one on East-West?). But the band comes off, so it’s merely a packaging thing. For the Miles record, I had always felt that on the original record, Miles’ trumpet on the track “I See Your Face Before Me,” was recorded at too low a volume. I was hoping the reissue would fix that, but it doesn’t. Still, it’s a great record and package. Bottom line, for anyone who doesn’t own an original pressing and wants the music, I don’t think you can go wrong with these OJC vinyl pressings at their prices.

As always, I’m curious as to what others have experienced with these reissues, but I also realize that most of my most loyal readers are not here anymore since I stopped posting regularly and started doing more of the radio shows/podcasts.

BTW, in addition to the Craft reissues, I bought a few new/old Blue Notes. Hopefully, I will be inspired to listen to them and write about them sometime soon.

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eBay Auctions from Chick Corea’s Collection (And More)

Al — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 13:50:32 +0000

Back on eBay after a slight delay to spend some family time in New York City (and celebrating my birthday). First thing that popped up when I hit my search the other day was Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This is an original West 63^rd Street pressing listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The sellers are my friends at Carolina Soul and, based on my experience, they tend to grade very conservatively. Not only that, but this record comes from the personal collection of Chick Corea, the auction for which is being conducted by Carolina Soul. Congratulations to them. The bidding on this record is already at $3,050 with more than a day left on the auction. Some readers may recall that I once owned a mint copy of Lee Morgan, which I sold 35 years ago to buy a boat. Yada, yada, yada . . . the boat sank, and I haven’t ever replaced my original pressing of Lee Morgan Candy.

I’ll point out one more from the Carolina Soul/Chick Corea auction: Donald Byrd, Byrd in Hand, Blue Note 4019. This is also an original West 63^rd Street pressing. The record is listed in VG/VG- condition and the cover is graded as VG+. Bidding is at $325, and the auction closes later today. If you’re interested in cool stuff, bidding or just watching, you should take a look at the full auction by Carolina Soul.

Another big eBay seller, the Jazz Record Center, also has an auction going this week, including Mal Waldron, Mal/2, Prestige 7111.This is an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. The record looks to be in VG++ condition and the cover is probably VG+. Bidding is in the $260 range, with the auction closing on Monday. This one features John Coltrane. I have a Japanese copy, not an original. Could I be a bidder? One never knows.

One more: George Wallington Quintet, The Prestidigitator, East-West 4004. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG++ for the record and VG++ for the cover. This one features JR Monterose on tenor sax. My dad owned this record and, fortunately, I still have it. He must have bought it in the bargain bin somewhere, probably spent about a dollar or two on the record. Thanks, Dad. Bidding on this one is at $100, with more than a day left on the auction.

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eBaying With Blue Train and a Rerun of Moose the Mooche

Al — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 19:52:50 +0000

I mentioned that my watch list runneth over and, as it happens, some of the auctions I was watching have runneth over as well. Let’s see what happened, starting with John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was an original deep groove pressing, with side one bearing the New York 23 logo. The seller was Funkyousounds and the neglected to mention the labels. But they were clear to see for anyone looking at the pictures. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. The final price was $5,100. I’ve never thought to ask this before, but have you ever wondered why they called the record Blue Train as opposed to Blue Trane?

Speaking of Coltrane on Blue Note, Funkyousounds also had a copy of Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This one had the New York 23 label on side one, but not on side two. I guess that makes it “less” of an original? The record was listed in M-/VG++ condition with a slight warp. The cover was VG+. The final price was $1,542.79. For comparison, a copy of Sonny’s Crib with New York 23 on both labels has sold for as much as $3,500, according to Popsike.

Jackie McLean, New Soil, Blue Note 84013. This was a deep-groove stereo pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The final price was $510. I suppose I noticed it because it is pretty early in the Blue Note catalogue for an original stereo, assuming it is original.

Finally, we have Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, New Jazz 8217. Another with Coltrane as a sideman. This was an original deep-groove purple label listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $1,204. I can’t look at the cover of The Cats without thinking about the alternative cover that our friend Maarten Kools created for my dog Moose the Mooche. I still crack up each time I see it. Thanks again, Maarten.

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Catching Up: Sonny Clark, Kenny Dorham +

Al — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 18:03:27 +0000

I just logged in to eBay and, lo and behold, what do I see: Another primo auction from The Jazz Record Center, including a Sonny Clark cornucopia. Perhaps we will see some new price records set in the next week. Here are a few to watch: Sonny Clark, Dial S for Sonny, Blue Note 1570. This is an original deep-groove, West 63^rd Street pressing. The record and cover both look to be in M- condition. As you’ve probably noticed with The Jazz Record Center, they seem to eschew putting condition labels on their listings and instead rely on fairly detailed descriptions, such as the one for this record: “The playing surface is in near-new condition with a beautiful luster and just a single inaudible ¼” scuff; one tic on the second track of Side 2.” To me, that describes a record I would label as M-. The start price is $2,000 and the auction closes in about four days. So far, there are 86 watchers but no bidders. The previous high for this record is about $3,500. Let the bidding begin.

This one you don’t see too often: Sonny Clark Trio, Time 70010. This is an original deep-groove pressing featuring Max Roach on drums and George Duvivier on bass. It also looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding begins at $1,000 and, so far, there are 39 watchers and no bidders. If you are interested, the auction also includes Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579; Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091; and Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576.

Lest anyone think I am shilling for the Jazz Record Center (I’m not, of course), let’s look at some items from other sellers, starting with Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Riverside 291. This looks to be an original pressing listed in M- condition for the record and excellent for the cover. The bidding is at $360, with a little more than a day left on the auction.

I don’t follow the reissues market as closely as I probably should, so perhaps someone can share their knowledge of the Electric Recording Company. I’m asking because I am watching an auction of their reissue of Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, Prestige New Jazz 8025. It looks pretty cool, and I have (stupidly) sold both my original pressing as well as my Japanese reissue, so I am looking for another copy. The start price for this copy is $500 and there are no bidders.

I went to The Electric Recording Co. site and found this:

“British label founded by Pete Hutchison (who co-founded Peacefrog Records) specializing in high-quality, “audiophile” reissues of select classical and jazz originals using vintage – all-valve – mastering equipment using only the original tapes. These reissues reproduce the original LP artwork, label and inner sleeves (as far as copyright will allow) and are all officially sanctioned. Each copy comes with an embossed card insert which is machine-numbered, signed and certified by Pete Hutchinson. All 12″ records come in a sticker-sealed embossed PVC outer sleeve and a folded “banderole” with the ERC catalogue number printed on the top. Each record is then wrapped in ERC-printed paper and also sealed.”

A New York Times article from April 28, 2020, says this:

“The Electric Recording Co., which has been releasing music since 2012, specializes in meticulous recreations of classical and jazz albums from the 1950s and ’60s. Its catalog includes reissues of landmark recordings by Wilhelm Furtwängler, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, as well as lesser-known artists favored by collectors, like the violinist Johanna Martzy.

But what really sets Electric Recording apart is its method — a philosophy of production more akin to the making of small-batch gourmet chocolate than most shrink-wrapped vinyl.

Its albums, assembled by hand and released in editions of 300 or fewer — at a cost of $400 to $600 for each LP — are made with restored vintage equipment down to glowing vacuum-tube amplifiers, and mono tape systems that have not been used in more than half a century. The goal is to ensure a faithful restoration of what the label’s founder, Pete Hutchison, sees as a lost golden age of record-making. Even its record jackets, printed one by one on letterpress machines, show a fanatical devotion to age-old craft.

Thoughts? Experiences? Hype? Is a reissue of Quiet Kenny so incredibly good that someone (me?) should bid $500 or more?

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Eric Dolphy Autographs (?), Blue Notes and Other Stuff

Al — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 15:21:09 +0000

Now that I am back looking at listings on eBay more regularly, I’m reminded of some of the reasons I was turned off a couple of months back. So many sellers who clearly don’t know what they are doing, asking for ridiculous prices. So many records in poor condition and so many sellers clearly misgrading what they are selling. So many come-ons and promotions from eBay, pointing to other listings that I am not interested in seeing, pointing to sellers who are paying extra money to get additional eyeballs. Anyway, that’s my rant. But I’m still here and I’ve found a few items of interest among all of the other BS. Such as Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, Prestige New Jazz 8236. This looks to be an original deep-groove pressing with the purple labels. Moreover, it seems to be signed by Eric Dolphy and Jaki Byard. Of course, it would take an expert to determine if the signatures are legitimate (Dan, are you still out there?), but to these untrained eyes, they seem legitimate. The record is graded VG+ and the cover is VG. The record has been listed previously, the current price is about $160, the auction closes in about five days, and the seller’s reserve price has not yet been met. Interesting, because if the item was in mint condition and did not have the autographs, it would likely sell for a higher price. In my experience, autographs don’t always add to the value of the record and, in many cases, they seem to detract, particularly if they are not easily verifiable.

The same seller has another one ostensibly signed by Dolphy: Mal Waldron, The Quest, Prestige New Jazz 8269. This also looks to be an original deep-groove purple label. The record and cover are both listed in VG condition and the bidding is in the $140 range.

Here are a couple of Blue Notes that may sell for “reasonable” prices: Donald Byrd, Fuego, Blue Note 4026. This looks to be an original deep groove pressing with the West 63^rd Street address. The record looks to be in VG or VG+ condition (probably VG based on the seller’s description) and the cover looks to be VG++, quite clean. Bidding is around $140 and the auction will close in a few hours from whence this post goes live. Art Blakey, A night at Birdland, Volume 1, Blue Note 1521. This looks to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed in EX condition for both the record and the cover. The cover looks really nice in the picture. Bidding is close to $200 with more than three days left in the auction.

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Catching Up on Some Rare Jazz Vinyl

Al — Mon, 06 May 2024 16:27:16 +0000

Here are a few jazz vinyl auctions we are watching from The Jazz Record Center. All of these auctions close later today. Clifford Brown Memorial Album, Blue Note 1526. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the frame cover. Record is listed as in “near new” condition and the cover is probably M- or VG++, depending how you feel about superficial “dings.” Bidding is at $500. On one of my Horace Silver radio shows/podcasts I tell the story of how Alfred Lion and Art Blakey drove down to Wilmington, Del., to hear Clifford Brown for the first time and brought him back to New York to record those legendary Blue Note records at Birdland. Great stuff.

Clifford Brown Memorial, Prestige 7055. This is an original yellow-label New York pressing that looks to be in M- condition for the record and the cover. The current price is only $200. I say “only” because this looks like the best condition you will ever find this record. Also, does any other artist have two “Memorial” albums? Not just two “Memorial” but on Blue Note and Prestige?

Here are a couple that are not from the Jazz Record Center, starting with Kenny Dorham and the Jazz Prophets, Volume 1, ABC Paramount 122. The record and cover look to be in VG+ condition. Bidding starts at $500 with no bidders yet and the auction closing in about two days.

Dexter Gordon, Dexter Calling, Blue Note 4083. This is described as an original New York USA pressing listed in M- condition for the record and cover. Start price is about $500 with no bidders yet for an auction that closes in about three days.

To follow up on some of the records we were watching:

Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This was an original West 63^rd Street pressing that looked to be in V++ or so condition for the record and the cover. When we looked at this record, the bidding was in the $860 range. We knew it would break the $1,000 mark, and perhaps the $2,000 mark. It came pretty close, selling for $1,939.08.

From the same seller: Johnny Griffin, The Congregation, Blue Note 1580. Again, this was an original pressing in “excellent/superb” condition, with the added benefit of a cover design by Andy Warhol. We anticipated a final price “north of $3,000,” but we were a bit off. The top bid was $2,823.08.

To no surprise, the two Lee Morgan records and the Chet Baker 10-inch record did not sell.

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More Jazz Records, More Record Prices

Al — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 17:41:25 +0000

Back to perusing rare jazz vinyl on eBay. Last I looked, I had a bunch of items on my watch list from The Jazz Record Center. They’ve had at least two other auctions of rare jazz vinyl since then, so let’s do a fairly comprehensive overview of some of the more interesting and/or expensive items. We’ll start with Miles, the New Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7014. This was an original New York yellow label with the green cover. The record was listed in “new condition, with a high luster” and the cover was listed in “extraordinary” condition. Sounds like it was as it was sitting on a record store shelf in 1956. This one sold for $2,155. Is that a new high? Let’s head over to Popsike and . . . yes it is, by a lot, nearly $1,000 more than the previous high. Condition counts. See below.

This one is from the auction that closed this past week: John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. This was an original West 63^rd Street pressing. The record looked to be in M- condition and the cover was listed as “near new condition.” The final price was $2,524. Yes, another record high.

Fred Jackson, Hootin’ ‘N Tootin’, Blue Note 4094. This was an original New York USA pressing. Again, the condition was fairly immaculate, near new and virtually new, with “Review Copy” stamped on the back. This one sold for $1,525, another record high.

Lots of Blue Notes on these lists. Let’s find another label. How about:

Bill Evans Trio, Waltz For Debby, Riverside 399. The record looked to be in new condition, and the cover was probably VG++, based on the pictures. The final price was $1,269.

And Bennie Green with Art Farmer, Prestige 7041. This was an original New York yellow label, with the coated frame cover in “extraordinary” condition. This one sold for $1,830 and I don’t even have to bother to go over to Popsike to know that this is a new record price for this record.

To be continued . . .

Oh, and Happy Record Store Day.

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Record Record Prices for the Record

Al — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 15:47:06 +0000

I should get that $12,600 copy of Blue Train on the record, pardon the pun: John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was an original pressing with the New York 23 label on Side One and the West 63^rd Street label on Side Two. It was sold by our friends at the Jazz Record Center in New York. The record looked to be in M- condition. There were nine bidders, 24 bids and in the final hour or so the bidding went from $4,300 to the final price of $12,600. Wow. I think this is the highest price I’ve ever seen for a jazz record. Does anyone recall anything that sold for a higher price. Whilst perusing the Jazz Record Center complete listings, I came upon several other high-ticket items that will be of interest to our Jazz Collector community, including:

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This looked to be an original pressing in M- condition, the cleanest copy I’ve seen online. This one had 43 bids and wound up selling for $3,926.

Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, New Jazz 8236. This was an original deep-groove purple label pressing, also in M- condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $1,079.99.

Charlie Parker With Strings, Clef 675. This was an original pressing, also in M- condition. Final price was $1,525.

The Magnificent Charlie Parker, Clef 646. This was an original in M- condition. Price: $1,525.

Charlie Parker, Alternate Masters Volume 1, Dial 904. Another original in M- condition, Price: $787.

I guess reports of the demise of the collectible jazz vinyl record market have been greatly exaggerated.

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Jazz Vinyl: Where’s the Action?

Al — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 22:41:02 +0000

Things have been hectic around here, to say the least. My wife, known to many of you as The Lovely Mrs. JC, had a retinal detachment in August and has since been through three surgeries and two laser procedures. We’ve been driving back and forth between New York and The Berkshires almost every week. Fingers crossed that the third surgery was the charm. In the meantime, I’m thankful I’ve been able to continue doing my radio show on WTBR-FM Pittsfield, which are also the podcasts that appear on the Jazz Collector web site. I have never done anything like this before and it’s giving me a lot of enjoyment. Plus it’s getting me back into the music, even more than the records, which, IMHO, is always a good thing. But there are still records out there and, I assume eBay is still in business, so I will swing over there now and do my first search in well over a month. And what do I find?

Let’s do this in real time. So far, I’m finding a lot of records with really high start prices and zero bids, starting with: Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 1502, original Lexington Avenue pressing. Great looking cover, as you can see. Record and cover are graded in Excellent condition, which the seller describes as “VERY” nice, although not quite mint minus. Start price is close to $1,900 and the buy it now price is close to $2,900.

How about Gil Melle, Gil’s Guests, Prestige 7063? This is an original New York yellow label listed in VG+ condition for the record and what I would call an “iffy” VG cover. How about $900 to start? And here’s a record I once owned but traded away in a very bad deal for me: Sonny Red, Out of the Blue Note 4032. The record and cover are graded VG+, with some surface noise on the vinyl. The start price is about $800.

Doing this in real time, I have completed the first page of 60 listings of jazz records sorted by highest prices on eBay. I kid you not – there is not a single record that has even one bid. Astrud Gilberto, The Shadow of Your Smile, $2,000. No? Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, $400. No?

To be fair, there are some records that will likely be sold and perhaps well into the $1,000 bin. I’m looking at Freddie Hubbard Hub Cap, Blue Note 4073, and . . . . not much more. Let’s move on to page 2. I’m determined to find a record that has at least one bid.

Nothing yet. Passing Chet Baker, It Could Happen to You, Sonny Rollins, Rollins Plays For Bird, both in the $300 range, passing Freddie Redd, The Connection at $250, Miles Davis, Relaxin’ at $250. OK. Now I’m starting to worry that something is wrong with my internet connection or eBay. Nothing? Let’s keep going.

Ding, ding, ding. Nearly 100 records down, our first record that has any bids, and, I must admit, it’s a good one: Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This looks to be an original pressing with the New York 23 labels. The record is graded M- and the cover is graded EX. There are actually 10 bids and the price is currently at about $230 with less than two days left on the auction.

Well, that was fun. Clearly, my absence from posting, has had a dramatic impact on the market.

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Podcast: Ella Fitzgerald, Verve

Al — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 12:07:16 +0000

This week’s theme: Ella

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