A Random Post of Favorite Jazz Vinyl

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This is a completely random post. At the WFMU Record Fair last week I was selling a copy of Miles Davis Steamin’ on Prestige and got into a discussion with a buyer and he said, of the Steamin’/Workin’/Cookin’/Relaxin’ group of albums that Steamin’ was his least favorite. I said, hmm, that’s interesting because Steamin’ is my favorite of the group. He eventually purchased Steamin’ from me and I’m hoping he’s pleased. In any case, I’m sitting here in my home office/music room staring at my records and thinking about some of my favorites from among the artists where I have (1) a lot a records and (2) clear favorites. Looking through the records, I realized for some artists – such as Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley even Horace Silver – I don’t have any single record that stands above the others. If pressed, I could name a favorite, which I will not do for those artists, but which I will do for some of the other artists where the choices, for me at least, are more clearcut. Some may be obvious, some more obscure, some may even be ridiculous to others, but these are the ones I like. Staring at my collection, looking at them in alphabetical order, here goes nothing:

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Tracking Four For the $1,000 Bin

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Here is some jazz vinyl we are watching now on eBay that we expect will end up in the proverbial $1,000 bin:

Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This is an original pressing with the deep grooves and purple label and it is a promo copy as well. The seller has it listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover and the bidding is already more than $700 with five days to go. This will end up in the $2,000 bin, won’t it?

This one may end up there as well: Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone 207. This is an original pressing with the red vinyl. The record is VG+ and the cover is VG++. This one is around $200 and there are still five days of bidding.

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Day Three (Not) At The WFMU Record Fair

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So, after more than an hour of live rock music blasting in my ears, I decided to bag it at the WFMU Record Fair after Saturday, so I packed my records, loaded them in my Prius and drove them home. But what was I to do with them next? There were a dozen boxes of records, probably 700 altogether, plus another 500 or 600 records already in the house or in storage that are to be sold. I’ve bought three collections in the past year, and I have at least that many duplicates or reissues or records I simply don’t want. Previously, I’ve been selling records on eBay, but my real work has gotten quite busy and I’m not doing that anymore, so it seemed I was facing the prospect of just putting all of these records in storage and waiting another year for the next WFMU Record Fair so I could sell 100 of them while getting bombarded with close range music of mass destruction.

It is at times like this when I wish I had a record store.

Then, on Sunday morning at 6 a.m., on what would have been Day Three of the WFMU Record Fair, I woke up startled with a clear revelation. I would

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Day Two At the WFMU Record Fair

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I mentioned that my table was towards the back at the WFMU Record Fair this weekend. There were some clear disadvantages to this location. For one, the front of the room was mobbed and there was a lot of jazz at almost every table, so by the time people made it to my side of the room – if, indeed, they did make it at all – they were pretty jazzed out, and perhaps even all spent out with no more cash in their wallets. The second disadvantage to my location was the unfortunate reality that it was close to where the WFMU people had set up their live broadcast, which meant there was loud music and gab incessantly in my ears from 10 in the morning through the day. All of which was pretty bad.

And then it got worse.

Sometime in the later afternoon, perhaps 3 p.m. or so, they decided to have live music: Yes a rock band, followed by another rock band, each one trying to out-noise the other. Or so it seemed to these delicate, jazz-oriented ears. Loud doesn’t begin to describe what it was like at my table. The Read more

Day One At the WFMU Record Fair

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So yesterday was Day One of the WFMU Record Fair in New York City and I purchased a dealer table to sell of duplicates from my collection and other odds and ends and this was my experience.

There was a time, when I was an compulsive buyer of records – as opposed to now, when I am merely an obsessive buyer of records – when I would purchase a dealer’s table at a record show just so that I could show up early and look at the other dealers’ records before anyone else. I’d get there and hover while dealers of jazz records would be unpacking their wares and I could get first shot at their offerings. Don’t laugh – I got some mighty nice records this way.

Now, however, I am more serene about it. I didn’t get there yesterday until 3:30 and the show opened at four to early arrivals so I barely had time to even look. In fact, I convinced myself that the only reason I was looking at all was so that I could write about it here at Jazz Collector. I even made certain that I would not be buying either compulsively or obsessively or both: I only brought $100.

So at 3:30 I began roaming the floor with my $100. What struck me was that just about every table had jazz records: Some a box or two, some had many, many boxes. And it was a lot of the stuff

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Back on eBay: Lee, Bird, Newk and Mr. PC

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It’s been days since we caught up on eBay, so let’s take a look and see what’s been going on:

There was this one that came close to the $1,000 bin: Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $919.

We were also watching a bunch of records from the seller bobjdukic, which is always an interesting pastime. In a way you have to admire his ability to promote a 1978 Savoy reissue of Charlie Parker as an original and get someone to pay a fairly decent collectible price. Case in point: Charlie Parker, The Complete Savoy Studio Sessions, a boxed set issued in 1978 by Arista Records. This sold for $112.50. This one seemed to get a fair price: Sonny Rollins With the Modern Jazz Quartet, Prestige 7029. This was a New York pressing with the yellow cover. An original first press would have the orange cover and the kakubshi cover. This one seems to

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See You At the Fair?

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For the past few weeks I have been cleaning and packing and pricing records in anticipation of the WFMU Record Fair, which will begin next Friday at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York. I’ve had a table at this fair a couple of times before. I’m not a dealer, but I have hundreds of duplicates so I use this as a way to get rid of records that I either don’t want to sell on eBay or, more likely, don’t have time to sell on eBay. If you are in the New York area next weekend it’s definitely worth a visit. I’ve always found nice jazz there — usually I buy more than I sell but, hey, I am a Jazz Collector, right? I’ll also have some nice items to sell as well because I’ve bought a couple of collections in the past year and I haven’t been selling on eBay in months, so it will all be fresh new inventory no one has ever seen. Perhaps even a couple of original Blue Notes. The fair starts with early admission on Friday at 4 p.m. and goes through Sunday evening. And if you’re there, you better come say hi, right?

Jazz Vinyl on eBay: Evans The Sideman, Lady Day

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We were talking last week about albums featuring Bill Evans as a sideman. Well here’s one of the very early ones, for sale now on eBay: Lucy Reed, The Singing Reed, Fantasy 3-212. This looks to be an original pressing. The record looks to be in VG++ condition and the cover looks more like VG. The listing doesn’t mention the presence of Evans as a sideman, which would certainly attract bidders: However, the start price of $150 is pretty high, which might be a deterrent. We’ll see if it sells.

As Rudolf notes in the Reader Forum, there are a bunch of records now from the seller bobdjukic, who has been noted here at Jazz Collector many times for his hyperbole and his ability to get people to bid astronomical prices for his records. Here’s one that I have always assumed was a pretty routine record, but after reading his description even I begin to wonder:

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Another Blue Note Day At Jazz Collector

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Here are a few more high priced blue Notes  we’ve been watching on eBay:

Hank Mobley Quintet, Blue Note 1550. This was an original deep groove pressing and it was in VG++ condition for the record and what looked to be VG+ for the cover. It sold for $939.77. Do you think people are buying these Blue Notes at these prices for investment purposes, thinking that they will continue to increase? Or do you think it’s real collectors buying them for the music? Or perhaps it’s something in between: Real collectors buying them for the music, but also looking at them as a solid investment?

Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This was an original Lexington Ave pressing that looked to be in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $776.

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The Return of Art, The Blue Note Story, Blue’s Moods

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Another day, another batch of jazz vinyl on eBay. What’s up there now?

The Return of Art Pepper, Jazz West 10. This is an original pressing. The record is VG++ and the cover is VG-, which is pretty clear from the picture. The price is $240.50. When I first started collecting jazz records all I cared about was the music: The cover didn’t matter nearly as much. Now, however, that I have more music than I will ever listen to, I find that the condition of the covers is of pretty much equal value. Not that I don’t appreciate an original Blue Note with a little wear on the cover. I do. I also appreciate an original Blue Note with a little wear on the vinyl as well.

Remember I wrote that post about The Blue Note Story, a little pamphlet I found in an old Sidney Bechet record? Well, there’s one on sale on eBay now with an original copy of this LP: Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music, Blue Note 5002. This is an original 10-inch pressing and it is listed in what looks to be M- condition. It also has the pamphlet which is way cool. The current price is $201.50. It will go for a lot more.

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