Watching a Trio of Blue Note LPs

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I have quite a long watch list of jazz vinyl on eBay at the moment, including a bunch that are closing today from the same seller, including: Milt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet, Blue Note 1509. This is an original pressing with the Lexington Avenue address on both labels and, I think, on the cover as well if my aging eyes don’t deceive me. When I looked at this yesterday there were no bids at a $200 start price, but I see today there is at least one bid. Although this is an early 12-inch Blue Note and it is clearly an original, this one tends not to be as valued as some of the other early Blue Notes. Once of the reasons, for sure, is the fact that the tracks here were originally issued on 78 and don’t have the same sound or cachet as the later Van Gelder recordings that were made for the LP format. Also, as great as Milt Jackson was, his records aren’t in the same category as some of the other artists of his era. Must be the vibes. Still, this is a record I would love to have in my collection, particularly this one  — in M- condition for the record and cover. Will I actually bid? I think I may. Stay tuned.

This is from the same seller and is already at quite a high price tag, considering the popularity of this record and the number of copies out there:

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Watching Some High-Priced Vinyl on eBay

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Before we get into some of the records we’re watching on eBay, be aware that we’ve been having some minor glitches on the site with people posting comments. Not all of the comments are getting posted immediately, and sometimes I have to go in manually and approve them. If this happens to you, don’t take it personally. It’s a technical problem, not a change in philosophy. We’re working to fix it and hope it will be resolved soon. In the meantime, back to watching jazz vinyl:

Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This looks like an original pressing with the West 63rd address, deep grooves and all of the other original attributes. It is described as being in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it is accompanied by a nice clear picture, as can be seen here. This one has more than five days to go and already has nine bids and is already priced at about $800. It will sell for a lot of money.

From the same seller comes Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This is also an original pressing and it is also described as being in M- condition. This one is currently at $405. And, while we’re at it, Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This one also looks to be in beautiful condition. It is also in the $400 price range. It will also probably sell for more than $2,000.

Jazz Vinyl Today: A Bevy of Blue Notes

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Lots of Blue Notes on today’s watch list, starting with: Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This was an original pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,370. We’ve seen this one sell for more than $1,300 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, but this is quite a hefty price nonetheless.

Kenny Drew Undercurrent, Blue Note 4059. This one had the West 63rd Street address and, from the looks of the pictures, it had deep grooves on both sides, certainly on Side 2. That would make it original either way, no? This was described as being in VG condition, and the cover certainly looked no better than VG. It sold for $427.

Gigi Gryce/Clifford Brown Sextet, Blue Note 5048. This was an original 10-inch LP that was defined as being in “very fine” condition, which, the seller implies, is actually M- condition. The pictures certainly looked very fine indeed, if not M-.  It sold for $372. 10.

If it’s a Blue Note, and it’s one of the coveted artists, the record or cover does not have to be in great condition to fetch a high price. Case in point:

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Jazz For A Snowy Day

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Hard to believe, but it’s actually snowing here in New York. A perfect day to take a look at what’s on eBay.

Be still my heart: One of the top priorities on my want list, but the price . . . . Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing and it looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It is now priced at $560 and it will close sometime today, probably in the plus-$1,000 range. Too much for me. I have a Japanese pressing of this record and it’s always been a favorite, “If I Love Again,” mmmmmm. Anyone out there who has a spare, I have some good stuff to trade.

How about a couple of Blue Notes with Andy Warhol covers: Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume One, Blue Note 1596. This is described as an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The current price is $520 with just about an hour to go. And, if you want to buy it’s brother: Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume 2, Blue Note 1597. This is from the same seller, it is described as being in the same M- condition as the other one and it is also at $520. Also from the same seller is this beauty: Lou Donaldson, Sunny Side Up, Blue Note 4036. This is an original pressing with the original cover. It is listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover and is currently priced at $338.

 

On The Hunt: Sonny Clark, Jutta, Prez

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Let’s catch up on some more jazz records we’ve been watching on eBay, including these from the Jazz Record Center auction this week.

Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. This was an original West 63rd pressing that looked to be in at least VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,525. We’ve seen Sonny’s Crib and Cool Struttin’ consistently break the $2,000 and even the $3,000 barrier, but this is the highest price we’ve recorded for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.   

Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing that looked to be in beautiful M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The price was $2,678.

Lester Young Collates Number Two, Clef 124. This was an original 10-inch pressing with the nice cover by David Stone Martin. It looked to be in M- condition for the record

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Jazz Vinyl Prices, Running The Gamut

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Here’s some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

Someone got a nice record at a nice price with this one: Stan Levey, Grand Stan, Bethlehem 71. I’d have thought this would be more collectible, what with the presence of Sonny Clark as well as Richie Kamuca. This copy was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover.  It sold for $43.

Here’s a nice, original, New York yellow-label Prestige that also didn’t command top dollar: Gene Ammons, All Star Sessions, Prestige 7050. This one was in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $76.01.

This one, on the other hand, had no problem fetching top dollar: Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This was an original pressing and it looked to be in M- condition, although the terminology used by the seller was different. Some people clearly agreed that it was M-: This one sold for $1,252.

 

Existential Thoughts About Non-Collectible Vinyl

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Had an interesting observation last night. I was going through the jazz auctions page by page, probably 30-40 pages  covering about 1,500 records over a period of more than 24 hours. What struck me was the incredibly large numbers of listings of jazz vinyl that simply won’t sell. Page after page of records that probably don’t have a market at almost any price. And a lot of it was good music — Brubeck, Ellington, Errol Garner, Count Basie, Monk and many, many, many others. Try it yourself and you’ll see what I mean. One of the questions I have is this: Who are all these sellers and what do they think they are doing? It’s not a new thing that the demand for many non-collectible records is declining and, in many cases, the shipping fees are worth more than the records themselves. Still, hundreds of sellers are going through the process and expense of taking pictures, creating descriptions and posting listings on eBay for items that will not sell. How long can this continue? At what point, if ever, does eBay become a more exclusive haven for higher-end collectibles, at least in the jazz vinyl market? The other question to ponder, for someone like me, is this this:

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Tracking New Auction From Jazz Record Center

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We’re watching a few interesting jazz vinyl auctions on eBay now, including a new one from the Jazz Record Center that is ending tomorrow. Here are some of the items, starting with Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover is probably VG++, with some repairs. The start price is $1,500 and there is already a bidder, so this one will certainly sell. The question is whether it will break the $2,000 barrier or even the $3,000 barrier. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide, we’ve recorded at least two instances of this record selling for more than $3,000, so it will be interesting to see what the late action brings. Jazz Record Center is also offering some nice Bud Powell 10-inch LPs, including: Bud Powell Trio, Roost 401. This is described as the “ultra rare” original deep groove pressing on the green and silver labels. When this seller describes a record as “ultra rare” you can bet it really is ultra rare. This one looks to be in beautiful M- condition and has so far been bid up to $461.

Updating the $2,000 Jazz Vinyl Bin

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I’ve been checking out some of the recent higher-priced jazz vinyl auctions on eBay and came across some interesting items, including this one, which is completely new to me: Jazz Quintet 60, Metronome 15124. This is an original 1962 Danish pressing featuring Bent Axen and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (he must have been a teenager) along with Bjarne Rostvold, Allan Botschinsky and Niels Husum. Don’t know anything about the record, other than it must be highly collectible. This copy was in M- condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover and sold for $2,392 with nearly 350 page views. The seller was SweeDeeDee, who had a bunch of nice items on eBay last week.

Here’s a beauty from my friends at Infinity Records on Long Island: Sonny Clark, Dial S For Sonny, Blue Note 1570. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd address, deep grooves, etc., and it was listed in M- condition for the vinyl and what looked to be VG+ for the cover. It sold for $2,100.

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A Young Jazz Singer Worth Checking Out

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I mentioned the play Central Avenue Breakdown the other day and what a pleasant surprise it was. If any of you goes to see it, let us know what you think with a comment on the site. I had another pleasant musical surprise a few weeks ago. I was up at the house in The Berkshires and noticed that there was to be a jazz concert in my community. It was billed as the West 73rd Quartet doing the music of Kurt Weill. I hadn’t heard of the group and, while I have nothing against the music of Kurt Weill, I’ve never had a special affinity for it, compared to, say, Rodgers and Hart, Gershwin, Jerome Kern or Irving Berlin. But it was nearby and it was jazz and it was an interesting setting. So I went. The group, West 73rd, was a piano, bass and drums with a vocalist. The vocalist was Hilary Gardner and she was terrific. She has a pretty voice and a great jazz feel, whether on ballads of up-tempo numbers. She also had a strong stage presence and did a nice job talking about some of the music and bringing it to life. She apparently gigs a lot in the New York area, so you should definitely check her out and see her if you can. The rest of the band was quite strong as well, Frank Ponzio on piano, Saadi Zain on bass, and Vito Lesczak on drums. The music was carefully thought out and arranged and it was quite inventive without taking away from the beauty of the melodies or the message of the lyrics. As for the Kurt Weill music, Read more

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