Prices Fluctuate, As Always
In light of all the discussion about things slowing down on eBay, I’m looking for an explanation for this one: Barney Kessel, The Poll Winners, Contemporary 3535. This was an original pressing. The record was M- and the cover VG+. It sold for $79, quite a bit more than you would normally expect. Just wondering, am I missing something?
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no, there is nothing special to this one which explains the high price
Just someone desperately looking for this one. Now he owns it, prices will low down.
For example heres a record that used to sell for BIG prices some years ago. Now he doesnt sell at a very afordable, compared to few years ago :http://cgi.ebay.com/JOE-ALEXANDER-BLUE-JUBILEE-NM-ORIG-LP-JAZZLAND-JLP23_W0QQitemZ350103097549QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item350103097549&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
This is a fairly rare record to get in this type of condition. Also, there are a lot of collectors out there (like myself) who collect West Coast Jazz as an augmentation to some of the New York Jazz they have collected for years. For example, some of the WCJ artists are an interesting arranging contrast to Gill Evans (who I have collected for 30+ years.)
Michel/Erich: I found this one only on a set price sale for $ 69.99 by daveydee. Are you referring to that one? The record is a mix of unknown horns with a name rhythm section. As Al stated, it is the big names that still attract high prices. So a price of $ 70 seems stiff to me.
There is one exception to all this: Eurojazz. I sold 2 weeks ago an original Danish Debut LP in mint condition for $ 1580. DEB 133 – Bent Jaedig. A German seller put one on sale a couple of days ago. I am following it. See under DEBUT. The highest prices I obtained were for Franco Cerri, It. Columbia, François Meunier on Barclay and similar, up to 3000 dollars. But that was one year ago.
correction to my last: this Debut album is listed in EBay under: Bent Axen, not Jaedig. Mine was the same. I had seen it sold last year for about $ 1000. So there is a progression compared to the 1580 I obtained.
Right, but franco cerri, bent axen, françois meunier are not exactly big names; more connoisseur’s name : adn they still get high prices. I remember having paid far more than 70 $ for this Joe Alexander record ! Should have wait!
Michel, Eurojazz is the exception, you are correct. For the Joe Alexander, you were too eager to have it. But how is this album music-wise? I bought it in the early sixties, after the demise of Riverside. It is still unplayed! I am just not tempted to take it out of storage. Tell me I am wrong.
yeah right… too eager ! Long time ago, too much time ago to regret. i have it, period !! fine record but not unforgetable. Give it a spin, you’ll appreciate it probably. Let me know !
Hi Michel, I played the album, and can tell you that it is not bad. Good sound quality, superb Sam Jones and Al Heath. Joe Hunt a bit short of ideas. Solid tenor playing. Timmons as can be expected: soulful. I will keep this album in my collection. These early Jazzlands are full of nice surprises. Would grade the Joe Alexander 13 on a scale of 1 to 20. There is also a Roland Alexander on tenor, issued on New Jazz. I am afraid I have got to test that one as well.
You mean “Pleasure Bent” ? A little disappointing IMO ! Marcus Belgrave is on trumpet.
yes, I mean that one. I have not played it yet. It is sitting there for ages to be undusted. I’ll let you know.
Michel, Marcus Belgrave, IMHO, is a better player than this Hunt on Jazzland. The tenor, Roland Alexander is in a strong Sonny Rollins vein. The record is O.K. with me. The 2 Alexanders offer comparable stuff, honest post bop. If one wants to be negative, one could say that this music is derivative.
Interesting reading this thread.
Rudolph – did you say that you bought a record in the early 60’s and only played it last week?!??!??!!!
With no disrespect – HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?
Make that “Rudolf”, sorry
strange as it seems, I continued collecting, and storing records, whilst away from my home town, without the possibility to play my own vinyl. (there are countries where you would rather avoid travelling with your records, with a risk of never passing them through customs upon departure, apart from humidity, rot, insects etc) My listening experience of own records ends in the sixties. So all the goodies which came from Leon Leavitt et al. or which I bought when travelling, went directly into storage in Europe. Only since I returned back to Europe, after an absence of over 30 years, I have my collection under my roof, with a viable sound system. I still remember the moment when the lorry drove up in front of the house to unload the gems, which for too long had only been virtual.
I see…
it seems real life circumstances have come between you and your records – and maybe it does not apply to my thoughts on this. I was interested because I have rediscovered a few purchases over the years, lost in my modest pile of a thousand or so. It got me thinking about collecting for collecting’s sake, and when do we stop be jazz fans and start being indiscriminate hoarders of stuff? (the site isn’t called jazzfan.com after all).
A new subject for Al perhaps – “Why do we collect?” … or is this closet we are not yet prepared to open?
bethellodge and Al: you are raising a very interesting subject, the thrill of finding a gem hidden somewhere in a bin and the risk of indiscriminate hoarding, both to which I fell victim to.
In Europe at least, this “gem – bin” period is over. There is much charm to it, but I don’t have the courage anymore to go on a hunting spree. And what for? I have so much to discover in my own collection. Recently a friend of mine suggested I listen closely to Doug Watkins on Curtis Fuller’s 1st album for Prestige (‘New Trombone’ # 7107 – it went for $ 394 on EBAY yesterday). Doug’s playing is a revelation, very well recorded by RvG. Since I acquired it in the sixties directly from Bob Weinstock, a deletion for 50 cts, I had played it once on inferior equipment. So my philosophy, primo, enjoy what you have; secundo, get rid of everything marginal which you have hoarded, now that one can still obtain some money. Tomorrow it may be worthless.
I had bought all the Galaxy, Xanadu, and what have you stuff, whilst in Africa. When I put these on the turntable they happened all to be re-mixed with disastrous consequences, the pop sound of the ’70/’80-ies. I took a bild step: I sold all of it off to a Paris dealer who paid me for 1500 of similar vein the price of 8,50 euros per piece. I can now cocentrate on the core stuff with decent sound.
Al: like you, I am always tempted to listen to the records I dug in the ’50, they are like old friends indeed. Some of them I had up to 7 times, I would always buy old friends whenever I saw them and I made good money in selling them off recently. Having old friends in 2 copies seems reasonable, just in case of a “minor mishap” happening, some sort of an insurance policy.
I meant “bold” step in disposing..