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.

The post Old Vinyl, New Bottles, Craft OJCs first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/riverside/old-vinyl-new-bottles-craft-ojcs/feed/ 4 9841 https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/a-cornucopia-of-jazz-vinyl-classics/ https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/a-cornucopia-of-jazz-vinyl-classics/#comments Wed, 26 Feb 2025 19:59:10 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9591 Let’s follow up on some of the items we were watching,  and then look at a few more that are on eBay now. There was [...]

Let’s follow up on some of the items we were watching,  and then look at a few more that are on eBay now. There was that copy of Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590 from Chick Corea’s personal collection, sold by the eBay seller Carolina Soul. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition for the record and the cover. When we last tuned in the bidding was at $3,050. The final, final price was $3,350. From that same auction there was an original pressing of Donald Byrd, Byrd in Hand, Blue Note 4019. This was also from the Chick Corea collection, with the record listed as VG/VG- and the cover graded as VG+. This one sold for $452.99.

We were also watching some jazz vinyl from the Jazz Record Center, including Mal Waldron, Mal/2, Prestige 7111. This was an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. We assessed the record as being in VG++ condition, based on the description, and the cover as VG++. We threatened to possibly bid on this copy, since we don’t have an original, John Coltrane is one of the musicians, and, at the time, the bidding was in the $260 range. Alas, we moved on to other events in our life, hence the relatively infrequency of recent posts, and forgot all about Mal/2. The final price was $568.88, which would have been beyond our bidding in any case. Nothing ventured, nothing lost, nothing gained – except I still have my Japanese pressing.

As I am typing this and creating new links, I am on the Jazz Record Center web site and I see they have another auction closing in about five days. Let’s see, here is a deep-groove West 63^rd Street pressing of Lou Donaldson, LD+3, Blue Note 4012. Interesting that they don’t use the word “original” in the description, so perhaps someone can shed light on why this copy would not be an original. In any case, the record and cover look to be in M- or VG++ condition. The bidding starts at $150 and so far there are no bidders.

From the same auction: Workin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7166. This is an original yellow label New Jersey pressing. The record and the cover both look to be in M- condition. The cover is still in its original shrink wrap and, psychologically, it definitely looks cooler in the shrink wrap. Perhaps that is leading to higher bidding? The bidding on this one has already surpassed $400.

Let’s look beyond the usual suspects, at least as far as eBay sellers. Here’s one:  Dizzy Reece, Star Bright, Blue Note 4023. This looks to be an original deep-groove West 63^rd Street pressing. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is VG+, with some writing on the back. The auction closes in about five days from this posting and the bidding is in the $600 range.

One more: Johnny Griffin Sextet, Riverside 12-264. This looks like an original pressing with the small reels and mic logo and the deep grooves. It also has promo stamps on the cover and label. I don’t remember all the factors that go into making these early Riverside’s original, so I could be missing something? Anyway, this copy is listed as VG++ for the record and VG++ for the cover. Nice looking copy. Bidding starts in the $250 range and so far there is no action. If it were a Blue Note with this personnel in this time frame, who knows what it would be. But it isn’t.

The post A Cornucopia of Jazz Vinyl Classics first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]>

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?

Not to be outdone, the Jazz Record Center also  had a mono copy of The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, Riverside 320. This was the original deep-groove pressing with the blue logo and small reels label. The record was probably in M- condition and the cover was EX, with some minor marks. This one sold for $1036, more than $300 more than any previous Wes Montgomery record has ever sold for, again according to Popsike.

J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This was not an original pressing, and I extend my thanks to the reader JazzFan for pointing this out. Granted, it had the Lexington Avenue address on the labels, but it didn’t have the deep grooves. In my experience, this meant that Blue Note had some Lexington Avenue addresses left over during a later era, typically Liberty, and slapped them on a later pressing. I had a Herbie Nichols LP of the same type and tried to sell it on eBay for $100 a few years ago, but there were no takers. This J.R. Monterose record sold for $1,898.90

I was shocked to see one of the Monk records on Columbia sell for more than $1,000: Thelonious Monk, Criss-Cross, Columbia 2038.The record and cover looked to be in M- condition and the final price was $1,237.12. The rationale, such as it is, was that this was a white-label promo copy. My guess is that the folks at the Jazz Record Center were fairly surprised as well, since they only had a $75 starting price for this one.

What about this one: Thelonious Monk, Big Bank and Quartet in Concert, Columbia 2164. The cover was in the original shrink wrap and the record sealed in an inner sleeve, which is something Columbia seemed to do in those days. The record sold for $510. It had never sold for more than $100 before.

Something’s happening here, what it is ain’t  exactly clear.

The first thing I did was check the time that the auction closed: 6:50 p.m. my time on the East Coast. Perfect. I would definitely be home. But, just in case, I decided to see what was available in the sniping department, since that is the method I would often use in the past when I was buying regularly on eBay. I did a search of “sniping software for eBay” and a bunch of options came up: EZsniper, BidSlammer, eSnipe and a few others. I decided to try a service called GIXEN, mainly because it was free. I figured, if I’m going to bid on a record every 10 years, I may as well not pay for a sniping service. I went to the GIXEN site and signed up. It was surprisingly easy, and I didn’t have to give a credit card or anything. Good start.

I went to eBay, found the item number for The Unique Thelonious Monk and plugged it into my new GIXEN account. At the time, the bidding was about $105 with two bids. I wanted to win the record because I really did want the record, and I figured it would be a better story to tell if I did win it. But I also didn’t want to pay top dollar. After all, neither the record nor the cover was in mint condition. So, I tried to come up with a number that would give me a good chance to win but wouldn’t make me feel bad about winning. I figured I would be comfortable with $400 for the record. And If I lost it at that price, so be it.

I took a quick look over at Popsike and, to my surprise, the record has sold for more than $1,000 once, and has sold for more than $400 maybe 15 or 20 times.  I figured $400 would give me a fighting chance, considering that the description said that the first track on each side begins with “sporadic tics” and the picture shows that the cover is in maximum VG++ condition, with clear wear on the bottom seam. So maybe more like VG+. I put in a bid for $411 on GIXEN with about eight hours left on the auction. I put an alarm in my phone for 6:40, 10 minutes before the auction was scheduled to close. My plan, if I was home and unencumbered, was to remove the GIXEN bid and bid live at my computer, watching the last 10 minutes of the auction to see what happens. I didn’t fully trust GIXEN, having never used it before, plus I wanted to see what it felt like again to bid live after all these years. I also didn’t want to be bidding against myself.

At 6:35 p.m. I turned the alarm off my phone and went to the computer.  I clicked on the link to The Unique Thelonious Monk. The bidding was barely higher than it had been earlier, perhaps $130. I wanted to make sure I could still get a bid in, so I put in a number, maybe $150. eBay told me that there was already a higher bid. That was a feature that was not available last time I participated in an auction. Interesting. So, I put in $180. eBay told me that would be the highest bid. This was with about 10 minutes left in the auction. I didn’t actually make the bid, but I felt that was useful information. With about two minutes left in the auction, $180 would have still been the highest bid. I figured I’d probably still have a shot with my bid of $411, so I put that number in and began the countdown. With six seconds left, I hit the button for $411. With two seconds left eBay came back to tell me that I was outbid. Too late for me to change to a higher bid even if I had wanted to do that, which I didn’t. I tried and lost. The winning bid was $416. Who knows how high the winning bidder would have been. He was probably using sniping software, perhaps even GIXEN, and could have bid as much as $1,000 for all I know. I didn’t mind losing the record at that price, and I feel like I had another mini adventure to share with everyone here at Jazz Collector.

BTW, while preparing this account this morning, I looked over the other Jazz Record Center auctions that ended yesterday. OMG, they are insane. A Monk Columbia record selling for more than $1,000? A later pressing J.R. Monterose on Blue Note with no deep grooves selling for nearly $2,000. Seems like I’ve been away too long and in just a couple of months the market has gone completely nuts. Or perhaps it is just because it’s the Jazz Record Center? Whatever it is, I feel like I am now back in action, so perhaps you will begin to see me posting more frequently again. If you’ve been away for a while, as I have been, welcome back.

You don’t see too many Gerry Mulligan records in triple figures, but here’s an interesting one: Gerry Mulligan Quartet, Fantasy 3-6. This is an original 10-inch record with red vinyl. The record is listed in VG+ condition and the cover is EX.  Bidding is in the $130 range and there are already 42 bids. The auction is closing within a few hours of this posting.

Finally, I am preparing to record my Christmas radio show/podcast this week and this record caught my eye: Vince Guaraldi, A Charle Brown Christmas, Fantasy 85019. This seems to be an original stereo pressing, although I don’t know enough about it to confirm that this is an original. The seller has it listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover.  The start price is $450. I had never owned a copy of this record until the past few months. It didn’t seem like a real jazz record to me.

However, doing my radio show last year, I discovered I had a dearth of good Christmas music to play. So, when I saw a reissue of this record sitting on the shelves for $20 at Spike’s Record Rack in Catskill, NY a couple of months ago I figured, what the hell, here’s some more music to play on my Christmas show. What I didn’t know at the time was that this record is the second highest selling jazz record of all time, with more than 5 million copies sold, behind only Miles Davis Kind of Blue. Having listened, it’s also a pretty good record. I guess because Vince Guaraldi was so popular with the Peanuts soundtracks and the Cast Your Fate to the Wind record, he was probably underrated as a jazz player. It’s a bit of a takeoff on he old Yogi Berra line about a restaurant: “Nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded.” Am I tempted to get an original copy of A Charle Brown Christmas? Not at all. The reissue I own is just fine.

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.

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.

Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section, Contemporary 3532. This was an original deep groove promo copy. The listing talks about a rare original reverse-frame cover and I’m not sure what that exactly means, but I think I have the same cover, so whatever it is I’m OK with it. This one looked to be in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The final vinyl was $765.

Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 2, Blue Note 1552. This was an original deep groove pressing with the New York 23 label. The record and cover both looked to be in M- condition. The final price was $744, which is up there for a Jimmy Smith date session. Also, Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 1, Blue Note 1551. This is a deep groove pressing with the West 63^rd Street labels. It also looked to be in M- condition for the record and cover. The final price was $180.39. I guess there must be some extra value in that New York 23 label. Amazing, isn’t it, for basically the same music, the premium that the label has in our collector’s world?

Clark Terry, Serenade to a Bus Seat, Riverside 237. This was an original white label pressing, in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $261. Speaking of Riverside, I have two Riverside podcasts on the Jazz Collector site now,  Riverside Part 1 and Riverside Part 2. If you get a chance to listen, please let me know whaat you think. This coming week’s show, live on WTBR-FM Pittsfield on Sunday at 8, features John Coltrane on the Impulse label.

Here’s a 10-inch Blue Note, with the auction also closing later today: Gil Melle Quintet Volume 2, Blue Note 5033. This is notable, among other reasons, for the presence of the great guitar player Tal Farlow. The record is listed in VG+ condition and the cover is VG. The start price is about $400 and so far there are no bids (and not a lot of watchers). I have a copy of this record, but I can’t recall the last time I listened to it, if ever, even though I am a big fan of Mr. Farlow, who, believe it or not, showed up at my sister’s wedding and played some guitar for the crowd. True story and I have the picture to prove it, but that story will have to wait for another day when I am back in The Berkshires.

Chet Baker, It Could Happen to You, Riverside 278. The record and cover are listed in M- condition. The start price is about $300, the seller has a low rating score, there is only one picture, and there is room to question whether the cover is a real M- based on that picture. The record has sold for more than $300 at times according to Popsike. One of the reasons I’m writing about this record is that I played a track on my radio show/podcast last week, where I focused on the Riverside label. Part 2 of the Riverside show should air this evening at 8 p.m. If you want to listen live you can go to WTBR-FM Pittsfield. Just go to “Listen.” If you can’t listen live, I should be able to post the new podcast in the next few days.