Category: Prestige

Listening Again to The “New” Miles Davis Quintet

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One of the great things about having so many collectible records is that I can always dig somewhere into my collection and find a classic record I haven’t listed to in a while. I did that last night, putting The New Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7014, on the turntable for the first time in a number of years. It’s a classic and, of course, the first Miles record with John Coltrane. A few things struck me about this record. Miles and Trane were the same age, both 29 when the album was recorded, yet they were at much different points in their careers and in their development. Miles was fully formed and his playing was absolutely confident. Trane’s playing was much more tentative and his style was not nearly as developed as it would become in the ensuing years. You can hear elements of his budding genius, but just elements and otherwise you hear someone still working on finding himself. For the hell of it, right after listening to this LP, I put on A Love Supreme and, obviously the difference was quite stark. Another thing about this record is Read more

Taking a Chance on Phil

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Ever since I bought that big collection last summer I’ve been very circumspect about buying more records. Something about absorbing a couple of thousand records into the collection has made it less compelling to buy more. Anyway, being circumspect doesn’t mean I’m not interested, I did, after all, purchase that 10-inch Phil Woods record on eBay a few months ago and I did have The Lovely Mrs. JC purchase that beautiful Thad Jones Blue Note for my birthday. So I was perusing eBay and I came upon an interesting listing and it was this: Phil Woods, Woodlore, Prestige 7018. This is a record I’ve always wanted, just a great record from the era. The copy I have had for the past 25 years is a Japanese pressing with Japanese liner notes. Anyway, the listing was very interesting. The seller used the word “GOOD” to describe the record and the cover. In our normal parlance “good” means horrible. It’s the low rating you give to a record that may not even be playable. In this seller’s parlance, however, I got the feeling that “good” may have meant really good, like VG+ or better. The seller doesn’t seem to be a record dealer and he/she seems to be covering his bases and trying not to oversell the records. Anyway, the bidding was sitting at about $150 with a less than an hour to go on the auction, and the gambler in me took over and Read more

A Few Jazz Vinyl Delegations

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Lots of nice jazz vinyl sitting on eBay now. This is one you really don’t see very often: Paul Chambers, A Jazz Delegation From the East, Jazz-West JWLP-7. This is an original pressing listed in Ex condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It’s closing in about four hours and is now in the $900 price range. Here’s another rare one on the same label from the same seller: Kenny Drew, Talkin’ and Walkin’, Jazz-West JWLP-4. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is VG. It closes in about seven hours and is in the $340 range. I do have a question looking at these two listings from Atomic Records. Which one of the records is in better condition? I’m assuming Ex is better than VG+?

Gene Ammons, Hi Fi Jam Session, Prestige 7060. This is an original pressing with the New York address and yellow label. The record and cover are in M- condition. There are four days to go and the start price is around $200. Think it will sell? I do.

And now for some Blue Notes:

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Feeling Groovy?

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Now that we’re back home catching up, here’s an update on some jazz vinyl we were watching on eBay, starting with: Red Garland, Groovy, Prestige 7113. This was an original New York yellow label pressing. The record and the cover were in M- condition. It sold for $516, quite a large number for a Red Garland Trio record. Does anyone out there have knowledge and/or a theory why this one would be so highly prized by collectors. The seller was Atomic Records, so I could have visited the store and waved goodbye to this one last week.

The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 2, Blue Note 5041. This was an original 10-inch pressing. The vinyl as probably VG, based on the seller’s description, and the cover was VG+. Great cover. It sold for $317.

Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $799.99. I mentioned that I was perhaps interested in bidding for this, and I do believe $800 is a fair price. But paying top dollar is not how I’ve ever chosen to build my collection, and no sense starting now.

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When an Original is Not an Original

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I was watching a few jazz vinyl auctions as they closed the other day with some degree of interest because of what I considered to be the clear misuse of the word “original.” Here’s an example: Lee Morgan, Lee-Way, Blue Note 4034. This was labeled as an “original mono pressing from 1964.” What does original mean in this case? It is clearly not a first pressing, since the address on the label is New York USA. The seller is a veteran eBayer and I’ve bought from him a few times and I’ve always had good experiences. So he knows the difference between a real original and a pseudo original. Was a buyer duped in this transaction? Well, there were pictures of the label and the New York USA labels were clearly stated, so if someone thought this was an original first pressing, he was being quite careless and/or was ignorant. It’s hard to tell from the price. The record sold for $136.50, but the back was stained and in VG- condition. My bet is if the listing did not use the word “original” then a second (or third, or fourth) pressing of Lee-Way with a stained back cover would not have sold for more than $100. So the seller probably made a few more bucks and the buyer got a later pressing with a stained cover.

Here’s another one that’s hard to figure:

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Catching Up With Miles, Sonny’s Crib

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Here are some results from the recent eBay auction by the Jazz Record Center. We were watching some of the Miles Prestige recordings with interest because you may recall last month we saw an original copy of Steamin’ sell for only $75 in very nice condition, which struck us as very low and a bit odd. Especially when an original copy of Relaxin’ sold for nearly $740. I think the results this week from the Jazz Record Center are probably more indicative of the real market. Miles Davis, Steamin’, Prestige 7200. This was an original pressing with the New Jersey address. It had a promo stamp and was listed in “near new” condition, which is certainly M- for the record and the cover. The price was $307.99. Miles Davis, Workin’, Prestige 7166. This was also an original New Jersey yellow label pressing without the promo staff. It was described as similar condition to Steamin’, M- all around, and sold for $305.01. This next one

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A Taste of French Cookin’

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This is another one that came from a reader, CeeDee, who seems to be feeding my newfound habit for European pressings: Miles Davis, Cookin’, Barclay 84077. This is an original French pressing and, I have to admit, it does look pretty cool, particularly for the price. It has a nice cover, deep groove labels, and, in its own way, is an original pressing, or something like it. At least it was an original French pressing. It probably sounds really good too. Anyway, this one was in M- condition for the record and the cover and sold for $24.99. A bargain compared to the U.S. originals of Cookin’, which seem to be in the $300-plus range these days. Unfortunately, I opened the link after the auction closed. Otherwise, this record would have been mine. Of course, even it I didn’t want the record, it would be fun writing about it, just so I could put that headline on the post.

While we’re tasting international flavors, check this one out:

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No Surprise: Colossus in the $1,000 Bin . . . However

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This one was forwarded to me by one of the Jazz Collector readers: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. It was listed as an “original U.S. mono pressing” and the condition was probably VG++ for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $1,009, so welcome to the $1,000 bin. So why did our reader send this to me? Well, there was definitely some kind of aberration in the price and, surprise, it wasn’t too low. See, the record was not an original U.S. mono pressing, unless you consider original U.S. mono pressing to mean that it was originally produced in the U.S., which perhaps if you were to stretch the truth would be a technically accurate statement. In any case, this one was a New Jersey pressing with the yellow label. It didn’t sell for what a New York pressing would typically fetch, but it sold for quite a bit more than what a New Jersey pressing might typically get. Hard to figure if the price was legitimate — someone wanted to pay $1,000 for a second pressing of a great record in nice condition — of if the buyer was careless and/or ignorant. In any case, the responsibility should be with the buyer because there was a clear picture of the Jersey label. But the seller could also have been more circumspect, don’t you think? I wonder if this means early second pressings of some of the really rare ones — such as Saxophone Colossus, or the Sonny’s Crib we’re also watching — will now become regulars in the $1,000 bin. I wouldn’t be surprised.

Beautiful Records, No Action

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Watching the latest auction from the Jazz Record Center on eBay, with a bunch of Blue Notes and other nice collectibles, including: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This is a deep groove West 63rd Street pressing without the New York 23 on the label. I guess that means is isn’t an original first press, but is clearly an early pressing. I’d be quite pleased to have this baby in my collection, particularly since it is in new new M- condition for both the record and the cover. The start price for the record is $500 and so far there are no bidders. Just for comparison, we’ve seen copies of Sonny’s Crib sell for more than $3,000 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Surprised that this one also doesn’t have any action yet: John Coltrane, Coltrane, Prestige 7105. This is an original New York yellow label pressing also in beautiful condition, probably unplayed. It’s Coltrane’s first album as a leader. The start price is $500. Our top price for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide is $1,281. I can’t see any reason why this beautiful copy won’t approach that, but so far there’s no bidding. Perhaps there are a few bidders lurking in the weeds.

Bonjour, Mon LPs

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Just swung over the eBay and, mmmm, there are some nice records for auction right now. Here are a few, starting with: John Lewis and Sacha Distel, Afternoon in Paris, Versailles MEDX 12005. I know, I know, another European pressing. But this is quite a beauty, isn’t it? And great music featuring Barney Wilen on tenor sax. This one is in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The price is already $600 and, no, I am not bidding on it despite my post yesterday. I may be crazy, but I’m not insane. The U.S. Atlantic pressing will definitely suffice for me.

 Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1543. This is an original pressing with the Andy Warhol cover design as well as the Lexington Avenue labels. This was the last of the Lexington Blue Notes. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition and the bidding is in the $315 range with nearly three days to go. It will fetch a hefty price.

The Magnificent Thad Jones Volume 3, Blue Note 1546. This is an original West 63rd pressing with the New York 23 labels. The record is M- and the cover is VG+. Would love to have this but, alas, I will keep searching for a copy that doesn’t cost as much. This one is already more than $400 and there are more than three days left on the auction.

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