Today’s Jazz Vinyl Watch: Prestige, Blue Note(s)

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Here’s some of the rare jazz vinyl we’re watching now on eBay:

Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins, Dig, Prestige 7012. This looks to be an original New York pressing with the gray cover as opposed to the blue cover. I would also assume that this is the “frame” cover, otherwise known as kakubushi. I always preferred the gray cover, of course, since it is the original, and I wonder why Prestige chose to change the color on the subsequent release. Perhaps someone out there knows — Rudolf? This one was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover and is currently in the $150 price range with more than a day to go.

I am no longer in the market for this record, having just acquired an original pressing. Yay! Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This appears to be an original pressing and the condition seems to be somewhere between VG+ and M-. The start price is around $750 and, so far, there are no takers. The second copy, viewed here, looks to be in slightly worse condition, rated as “excellent” by the seller, although he describes light scuffs and the picture shows a back that has some dirt and wear. If I were wagering, I’d say this record and cover are VG+, the way I grade things. This one already has two bids and is at $404 with six days to go.

A Few For the $1,000 (And More) Bin

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Here’s a recap of some of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay:

Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was the one that was in M- condition for the record and VG++ or M- for the cover. It sold for quite a hefty price, $4,600, but not a record high. This guy was bid all the way up to $2,720 and STILL didn’t meet the seller’s reserve price. Wow: Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. The record was described as being in M- condition and the cover was VG++ or M-.

This one, believe it or not, entered the $2,000 bin: Bill Evans, Waltz for Debby, Riverside 399. The seller didn’t actually apply a grade for either the cover or record, but noted that the vinyl was in “great shape” other than for a paper scratch or two. Somewhat reassuring, but not enough for me to wager $2,075, which is what the winning bidder put up. It was a white label promo copy, but still.

Here are a couple more for the $1,000 bin:

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Watching (and Buying) Some Rare Blue Notes

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Like many of you I’m greatly intrigued by the discussion on Why We Collect but, alas, I cannot shirk my normal obsession and obligation to keep an eye on collectible jazz vinyl on eBay. Here are some of the items I’m watching:

Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. Hard to believe, but I never had an original pressing of this record — until now. I have made a little bit of a purchase, including a bunch of Blue Notes. I will give you more details once the full purchase is complete, probably sometime next week. In the meantime, I’m watching this to see if I overpaid. This one is listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It is currently at about $215 with another day to go. I expect this to go for quite a bit more, with the added benefit of Sonny Clark on piano.

This one could set a new record, perhaps: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing listed in near mint for the record and what looks to be at least VG++ for the cover. The seller is reputable and has been posting some very nice items the past few weeks. This one is already more than $3,100, yet it hasn’t met the seller’s reserve. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide we’ve recorded this as selling for $5,600 in the past, the highest price we’ve ever seen for a single jazz record.

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Why Do We Collect?

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Why do we collect? I’ve been giving that a lot of thought lately, trying to figure out what to do with all of my stuff and trying to determine what is worth keeping – and why – and what isn’t. So along comes this interesting article from The New York Times on the very topic. The author, Philipp Blom, is a cultural historian, writer and journalist who lives in Vienna. Here’s the article below. Here’s a link as well, so you can see all of the comments on The New York Times site: Objects of Desire and Dreams

Why do we amass stuff we don’t need? Not all collecting is art collecting and no real collector would acquire things just as a status enhancement or investment. Real collectors are after something else. The objects in their collection are taken out of use, removed from circulation. The real value of a piece lies not in its auction price, but in the importance it has in the collection.

No true devotee would buy a T-shirt worn by Mick Jagger during a concert, chuck it in the washing machine and wear it. A Mick Jagger T-shirt is no longer a T-shirt, it’s a

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A New Batch of Jazz Vinyl For The New Year

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Happy New Year to everyone. Here are a few more items going into the Jazz Collector Price Guide. No links on these.

Jimmy Raney Quartet, New Jazz 1101. I like this one because of the maroon and white label, which you rarely see. There were just a few 10-inch New Jazz LPs, so they are pretty cool, and pretty rare. This one was probably in VG or VG+ condition for the record and the vinyl. It sold for $157.50.

Now a bunch of Blue Notes:

Lee Morgan, Lee-Way, Blue Note 4034. This was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $600.

Lou Donaldson, Wailing With Lou, Blue Note 1545. This was an original West 63rd pressing in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $688.

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. Also an original pressing, of course, this one in VG+ condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $1,343.

Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 4176. This one was in M- condition for the record and VG for the cover. It sold for $200.

Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. Record was M- and cover was M-. Price was $1,465.

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Updating the Jazz Vinyl Price Guide

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I’ve been spending the entire morning catching up on the Jazz Collector Price Guide and, if time allows, this weekend I will make a lot of additions and finally take the database to more than 5,000 records. Quite impressive, if you ask me, since I’ve logged every one of those by myself, by hand, typing in each entry one by one. Here are some of the recent items that will be added and I hope to do another post before the end of the year with some of the older items I may have missed during the past few months.

Brew Moore in Europe, Debut 127. This is the original Danish pressing, quite hard to find. The record was in VG++ condition and the cover was M-. The price was $373.

Here Comes Louis Smith, Blue Note 1584. This is one of those where you had to look carefully at the listing. The record is listed in Ex+/N- condition and the cover as Ex. The picture shows that the cover has tape all around it, so if I were grading the best I’d give it is a VG-. It would also make me wary about the condition of the vinyl, if the seller considers this cover as excellent. Potential buyers had some of  the same concerns, it seems. The record sold for $495.

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Going Up . . . Up . . . Up . . .

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Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl auctions that closed this week.

We need a new explanation for this one: Horace Silver, Song For My Father, Blue Note 4185. Admittedly this is a great, classic record and this was an original mono pressing in near mint condition for both the record and the cover. Why is there a new explanation needed? Conventional wisdom has said that because of the initial popularity of this record, there has always been a relatively abundant supply of original pressings in decent condition. Conventional wisdom may be changing. This particular copy sold for $405. Our previous high for this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was $334 and, at the time, we considered that to be an aberration. What’s this?

And this? Gene Ammons, Blue Gene, Prestige 7146. This was from the same seller and it was also in near mint condition for the record and the cover. You’d normally expect this in the $40-$50 range, maybe a drop higher because of the condition. This copy sold for $164.50.

This next one got quite a high price, but not a surprising one:

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Kennedy Center After Sonny: Who’s Next?

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Now that Sonny Rollins has been honored by the Kennedy Center as one of the leading performing artists of our time, who would be the next jazz musician in line for the honor? One of the obvious ones, not based on his music as much as his contribution to reviving jazz commercially, would be Wynton Marsalis. He’ll get his eventually, but he’s a relatively young guy and should have to wait. Among musicians here are a few names to ponder: Horace Silver, Ornette  Coleman, Wayne Shorter. To me, those are the most viable candidates. I would imagine Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea would also get consideration. None of them, in my eyes, is in the same category as Sonny Rollins but, to be fair, a few years ago the honor went to Benny Carter and I didn’t think he was worthy either. What do you think?

Sonny Rollins Kennedy Center Tribute: Inspiring/Disappointing

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Did you watch the Kennedy Center Honors last night? It was great to see Sonny Rollins being recognized on national television and in front of the President and the world’s artistic community as one of the most important and influential artists of the past half -century. It was certainly moving and well deserved and, knowing how humble Sonny is, it must have been a tribute that he felt deeply. As I fan, I know I did. I had goose bumps just seeing Sonny up there.

Having said that, I found both the biographical tribute and the musical tribute to be really uninspired and disappointing. This was the one opportunity to explain to the country why, among all of the thousands of jazz musicians in the world, it was Sonny Rollins who was being honored on that stage. Even in just a couple of minutes with the opportunity Bill Cosby had in his introduction and in the video tribute, there was so much that could have been said that wasn’t. Here are some of the things I would have said:

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Cool Struttin’, Giant Steps and Other Jazz Classics

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Let’s catch up on some of the interesting rare jazz vinyl we’ve been watching at Jazz Collector. Big Bear apparently put a magnifying glass to this record and found that it was not necessarily an original pressing: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. In addition to the question about the “original-ness” of the record there was also some concern expressed here about the lack of information about the listing. The record wound up selling for $1,913.88 in M- condition, which is probably significantly less than it would have received if it had been offered by a reputable seller with a strong reputation, such as Jazz Record Center or Euclid. Nonetheless, it is still quite a hefty price, particularly if it is not a first pressing. This one came from the same seller and failed to sell: Paul Chambers, Bass on Top, Blue Note  1569. I tried the magnifying glass trick myself but to no avail: Either my magnifier was faulty or my eyes were faulty or, more likely, a combination of the two. I couldn’t figure out if this was original or not. Perhaps other potential bidders had the same problem. Nobody was willing to hit the start price of $500.

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