Category: Record Shows

Another Mini Adventure At the Central Berkshire Record Show

4 comments

Speaking of buying records . . . there was a record show in my neck of the woods this weekend. It was advertised as the first ever Central Berkshire Record Show and it was in a little town called Dalton in Western Massachusetts. I arrived early and paid the additional VIP fee to get first crack at the records, just in case there were any rare Blue Notes to be had. But I was not among the first to arrive and I was pleased to see that the show was pretty crowded. There were more than 20 dealers and the aisles and tables were pretty full during the whole time I was there. I kept a low profile, as is my natural tendency. I found a few decent records at fair prices, as you can see in the photo. The Jaki Byard was a pretty pleasant find because (1) I don’t have a copy of the record and (2) it was an original pressing and (3) the price was about $50 and (4) the seller had it marked as VG which was extremely conservative. To me, record looks M- and the cover is VG+. Checking Popsike, I see that the record, Jaki Byard, Here’s Jaki, New Jazz 8256,  has sold for more than $200 several times, so I feel like I got a good deal. Hey, that’s what it’s all about. Read more

Jazz Vinyl on eBay and In Edison New Jersey

2 comments

I assume some of you noticed that I’ve been posting less frequently lately. I hope that situation changes and I can get back to what used to be my normal routine of posting every day, or at least attempting to post every day. I have been swamped with work and have had less time to think about jazz records, let alone do the work required to create interesting posts. I know that sounds like blasphemy in this narrow vinyl world that we typically obsess about here at Jazz Collector, and, indeed, it does feel a bit untethered to not be poring over eBay or pulling out gems from my collection and putting them on the turntable. All of which is a roundabout way of saying that I have a lot of email to catch up on. 🙂 Let’s start where we so often start: With our friend CeeDee, who has sent me several links that I am anxious to clear out of my inbox, including Johnny Coles, The Warm Sound, Epic 16015.

Read more

Report From the WFMU Record Fair

19 comments

record fairSorry I haven’t been posting regularly. I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of apologizing for this lately. I do have a lot of real work, but that is no excuse, right? I will try to do better. Last week I was also engaged with preparing for the WFMU Record Fair at the 69th Regiment Armory on 26th Street in Manhattan. I had a table on Friday, and arrived around 2 p.m. for my setup, so I was able to walk around a little. There were a couple of tables that had some nice jazz records, but by the time I got there, several of the dealers from Japan had already swooped in on them and were pulling out the best pieces. I have come to know these dealers over the years and I like them very much and am happy for their success in getting records because I realize they are working on relatively low margins, spending money to come to the States every few months and criss-crossing the country in search of records that may or may not be marked up sufficiently when they return to Japan.  Read more

Update: Record Shows, Vinyl Revival, Blakey

6 comments

Art BlakeyLet’s catch up with some of the items in our inbox.

I just received a note that the 40th annual Jazz Record Collector’s Bash will take place June 27 and June 28 at the  Hilton Woodbridge in Iselin, N.J. Not a lot of details yet, but there are always sellers with lots of records and there are usually films and discussions and music as well. I used to attend regularly and scored some nice records, but I haven’t been in years. June 27 and June 28 are prime bass-fishing season up in The Berkshires, so nature calls. I will, however, be at the WFMU Record Fair, which will take place this year May 30-June 1 in New York City. I will have a booth for Friday only, selling some of the duplicates from my recent score in Baltimore. Normally I would also be bass fishing on that particular weekend, but I have a personal engagement in Manhattan, so I’m stuck. But I’ll also have some nice records with me.

Read more

A Couple of Events for Jazz Collectors

3 comments

Allow me to lay off eBay for a moment to inform you of a couple of upcoming events that may be of interest. Coming up first is the Jazz Record Collector’s Bash, June 21 and 22 in Iselin, New Jersey, at the Hilton Woodbridge. It has been many years since I attended one of these but, hey, there are jazz dealers with records for sale, so it’s always worth a shot. They also show films and have other activities. I do have a fondly remembered record score at one of these events, a story I have told, probably whenever I’ve written about the event before. The crux of it is there was this guy with a bunch of nice records, many Prestiges and Swingvilles, and a 10-inch Sonny Criss on Clef, and they were all $5 each and I was the first one to arrive at his table. ‘Nuff said.

I also received my notice and contract for the WFMU Record Fair, which will take place

Read more

WFMU Record Fair Coming in Two Weeks

10 comments

The annual WFMU Record Fair is coming up, for those of you in the New York Metro area or planning to visit the New York area. The dates of the show are October 28, 29 and 30 at the usual location, The Metropolitan Pavilion on West 19th Street.  I’ve gone to this show for many years, sometimes as a dealer, and it’s definitely one of the better record shows anywhere, certainly the best in New York. You get jazz dealers from all over the country and they always bring some good stuff because they know there will be a lot of other dealers there, particularly some of the dealers from overseas. Last year I brought several original Blue Notes and Prestiges, doubles from my collection, and they were pretty much sold before the official opening of the show on Friday evening. If you’re going to go and if you’re really seeking the heavy duty records you should

Read more

Jazz Record Collector’s Bash in June

One comment

If you’re in the New York Metropolitan area at the end of June you might want to head over to the Jazz Record Collector’s Bash in Iselin, New Jersey. This is a two-day event, June 24 and 25, and there are dealers with records for sale and vintage video presentations. Last year there were 36 dealers on the first day, according to Art Zimmerman, who runs the event. This event has been going on annually for 37 years, believe it or not, and there’s a history on the Web site at Jazz Record Collector’s Bash. There was a time I used to go regularly, often looking for records, but a couple of times renting a table. I do remember a couple of very nice scores there when I was a dealer: I know I’ve told this story, but there was a guy who had a bunch of beautiful Prestige Swingville and Moodsville in unplayed mint condition and he was selling them for $5 apiece and I was able to get to him before anyone else, so I scooped up most of the good stuff. I also remember that he had a 10-inch Sonny Criss on Clef that I bought for $5 and eventually sold for $175. Thinking about it, I’d love to go again this year, but I fear my schedule may not permit it. If anyone does go, feel free to write a guest column for the rest of us at Jazz Collector.

 

See You At the Fair?

10 comments

For the past few weeks I have been cleaning and packing and pricing records in anticipation of the WFMU Record Fair, which will begin next Friday at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York. I’ve had a table at this fair a couple of times before. I’m not a dealer, but I have hundreds of duplicates so I use this as a way to get rid of records that I either don’t want to sell on eBay or, more likely, don’t have time to sell on eBay. If you are in the New York area next weekend it’s definitely worth a visit. I’ve always found nice jazz there — usually I buy more than I sell but, hey, I am a Jazz Collector, right? I’ll also have some nice items to sell as well because I’ve bought a couple of collections in the past year and I haven’t been selling on eBay in months, so it will all be fresh new inventory no one has ever seen. Perhaps even a couple of original Blue Notes. The fair starts with early admission on Friday at 4 p.m. and goes through Sunday evening. And if you’re there, you better come say hi, right?

WFMU Record Fair: A Brief Report

7 comments

So I did go to the WFMU Record Fair on Sunday. I’ve attached a picture to prove it. I didn’t buy any records. My goal with Record Shows has traditionally been to find bargains. You often get dealers who don’t know anything about jazz vinyl, and sometimes they under-price the records, and sometimes they are just trying to get rid of records, and sometimes they are happy to bargain so they don’t have to take the records home. There have also been many times where I’ve met collectors who really didn’t know the value of their records, and they underpriced everything that they had. I’ve written here about the guy who had a bunch of original Blue Notes and Prestiges and just priced everything at $5, including a mint copy of

Read more

WFMU Record Fair Starts Today

Leave a comment

Just a reminder, the WFMU Record Fair starts today in New York and extends through Sunday. If you are in the area, it’s definitely worth checking out. If you are attending and would like to share your experiences with your fellow Jazz Collectors, please feel free to comment on this post, or send me an email at al@jazzcollector.com and I can give you your own post. As for me, I’m heading out of town today but will be back in time to attend the Record Fair on Sunday. I won’t have a table, but I’ll be roaming around looking at records, and maybe even buying a few as well. I’ll write a report on my findings sometime after the weekend.

1 2