Bewitched, Bothered and Befuddled

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Time again to clear out some items from the Jazz Collector eBay watch list, whatever that is. Let’s start with Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This is an original pressing that was listed in Good condition for the record and Fair for the cover. The seller suggested that the buyer clean the record “multiple times” before judging the condition. OK. Also, I should mention that the seller’s rating on eBay is 97.7%. When I originally spotted this record, the start price was $1,000 and I was curious to see if it would sell. It didn’t. So the seller relisted it for $500 and it did sell. I don’t have an original copy of Cliff Craft in my collection, but I wouldn’t be interested in one of G/F condition, especially if I had to pay $500 for it. Very happy with my clean United Artists pressing, which I bought for $10 from Red Carraro sometime in the previous century. Read more

How Many Original Copies of Rare Jazz Vinyl Have Survived (and Other Existential Questions)

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Let’s check out the Jazz Collector watch list on eBay, starting with Introducing Lee Morgan, Savoy 12091. This is not an original pressing. It has the maroon label with no deep grooves. I was fooled at first because the label looks red in the pictures, but the seller is very clear about what it is. Also, it’s not an original Savoy cover, with the white frame. It is in nice condition, graded M- for the record and near mint for the cover. The auction closes today and the bidding is in the $400 range. Read more

Free Jazz (And More) At a Price

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Like many of you, I was closely watching the auction last week from the seller  Carolina Soul. There were some items in my wheelhouse, such as Lee Morgan Indeed and Tommy Flanagan The Cats, but what caught my attention were the free jazz and other jazz records that were outside my normal area of interest and expertise. I will leave it to others to flesh out more detail – thank you, Clifford, in advance – so I will just share some of the highlights, starting with Don Pullen/Milford Graves in Concert at Yale University. This copy had a hand-painted jacket, the likes of which was unfamiliar to me. The final price was $9,515. Read more

Jazz Holiday Bonus

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We have our friend Japhy to thank for today’s post. My inbox contained the following note under the subject “Jazz Collector Website – Jazz Holiday Playlist.”

Hi Al,A decade or so ago I went on a mission to create the ultimate Jazz Christmas (or Holiday, if you prefer) collection. I dug deep, scoured the darkest recesses of the internet, searched every conceivable keyword on iTunes, etc., and ended up with an 8-CD collection (the days of CD burning!) that I called “Yule Be Swinging”.A few years ago I recreated the collection on Spotify (some tunes weren’t available, and some come and go) as a 10-hour, 152-song playlist. They’re all my personal selections, of course, instrumental and vocal, and I tried to stick to “classic Jazz”. There are certainly countless tunes not represented (e.g., I didn’t just dump the entire Ramsey Lewis record on there), and I tried to avoid having 10 versions of any one song, for example (“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” came close!). Point being, anyone can certainly say, “Man! How can you not have Song X on here?!” And that’s fine; this is just were I landed. That said, I’m always looking for any I missed, obscurities in particular. Read more

Catching Up on Rare Jazz Vinyl

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Let’s catch up on some items we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134.This was an original New York yellow label. The record was listed in VG+ condition and the cover was VG. The final price was $1,610. Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This looked to be an original promo copy with the New York 23 label. The record was listed in VG+ condition and the cover was listed as VG, but the pictures tell a different story for the cover. VG minus would be a stretch. Despite the cover, the record sold for $969. Read more

Blue Note Sunday

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Back to the watchlist grind, starting with Donald Byrd, Byrd in Flight, Blue Note 4048. This looks to be an original mono pressing with the deep grooves, ear, Van Gelder, etc. The record is listed in Ex condition and the cover is VG. The start price is about $900 with eight days left on the auction. According to Popsike, there have been about 10 instances of this record in the $1,000 bin. We’ll see what happens with this VG cover. Another Blue Note: Fred Jackson, Hootin’ ‘N Tootin’, Blue Note 4094. This looks to be an original New York USA pressing, despite what the listing says. The record is listed as VG and the cover as VG+. The start price is $700 and so far there are no bidders, with the auction closing next week. High expectations for both sellers, IMHO, but we’ll see. Read more

Brick-and-Mortar Vs. Online

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These days I can leave my home in The Berkshires and drive in almost any direction and, within an hour or a little more, I can cover three or four or even five record stores. Some of these stores have been around for a while, others seem to have popped up in the last few years to take advantage of the recent boon in vinyl and the growing interest in records from a younger audience. It definitely makes the hobby more fun and interesting, seeing what is happening in these stores and perusing the shelves for items of interest to me, not just as a collector but as the sole proprietor of the Jazz Collector site. I share this as a precursor to some thoughts I had yesterday while shopping in one of the relatively new strores not very far from home. I was in town doing chores and wanted to get the newly remastered Revolver. I could pay less online, but for items like this I like to buy local to support the stores and their owners. In this particular store, I was there the first day when the owner started the business a couple of years ago, and he very little in the way of jazz vinyl. But he has gradually increased the amount and quality of his inventory, and he has definitely upped his prices. Read more

Book’s Book, Cattin’ and Some Arts

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My usual searches on eBay this week are coming up relatively bare. Just a quiet week, I suppose. We can start with a couple of Prestiges: Booker Ervin, The Song Book, Prestige 7318. This is a personal favorite of mine, Booker playing all standards and playing them quite well. This is an original yellow label pressing. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition. The start price is $200, the auction closes in seven days, and so far there are no bids. You can buy it now for $260. This record has sold for more than $300 several times in the past, although I would presume in better condition. This is another Prestige, sort of: Cattin’ With John Coltrane and Paul Quinichette, Esquire 32-101. This looks to be an original U.K. pressing, probably in VG+ condition for the record and the cover.  More than three days left on the auction and so far no bids at about $180. Read more

More Jazz Vinyl From Europe

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Let’s look at a few more original European pressings, starting with Zoot Sims in Hollywood, Esquire 20-040. This is an original 10-inch version of an original 10-inch U.S. Prestige. The record looks to be in M- condition and the cover looks to be VG++. The bidding starts at about $115 and so far there are no bids. I have to admit – I’ve never seen a copy of this record before, either in person or even on eBay. Can’t beat the cover on this one: Gigi Gryce-Clifford Brown Sextet, Jazz Time Paris, Volume 2, Vogue L.D.E. 048. This is an original French pressing. It takes a while to interpret the seller’s description, but I would say this looks to be in VG- condition for the record and VG for the cover. The start price is $100 and so far there are no bidders. The auction closes tomorrow. Read more

Worktime for Jazz Vinyl

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Here’s another one of those cool original UK Esquire issues of a U.S. Prestige: Sonny Rollins Quartet, Worktime, Esquire 32-038. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG++ condition for the cover and VG+ condition for the record. The bidding starts at $400 and so far there are no bidders with more than four days left on the auction. I kind of love this cover, but in looking at it closely, does it make sense? Doesn’t look like work time for Sonny, more like nap time. Or maybe it’s time to wake up and get to work. In any case, trying to look too deeply into covers is often a fruitless exercise, beauty being in the eye of the beholder and, to these eyes at least, this one is a beauty. Read more

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