Taking a Chance on Phil

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Ever since I bought that big collection last summer I’ve been very circumspect about buying more records. Something about absorbing a couple of thousand records into the collection has made it less compelling to buy more. Anyway, being circumspect doesn’t mean I’m not interested, I did, after all, purchase that 10-inch Phil Woods record on eBay a few months ago and I did have The Lovely Mrs. JC purchase that beautiful Thad Jones Blue Note for my birthday. So I was perusing eBay and I came upon an interesting listing and it was this: Phil Woods, Woodlore, Prestige 7018. This is a record I’ve always wanted, just a great record from the era. The copy I have had for the past 25 years is a Japanese pressing with Japanese liner notes. Anyway, the listing was very interesting. The seller used the word “GOOD” to describe the record and the cover. In our normal parlance “good” means horrible. It’s the low rating you give to a record that may not even be playable. In this seller’s parlance, however, I got the feeling that “good” may have meant really good, like VG+ or better. The seller doesn’t seem to be a record dealer and he/she seems to be covering his bases and trying not to oversell the records. Anyway, the bidding was sitting at about $150 with a less than an hour to go on the auction, and the gambler in me took over and Read more

Someone Is, Indeed, Out To Lunch

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One of our perplexed readers sent me this: Eric Dolphy, Out To Lunch, Blue Note 84163. This was in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $93, okay for a stereo copy. Except this was not a New York USA pressing or even a Liberty. It was a United Artists pressing, circa the mid-1970s, early 1980s. This happens once in a while, doesn’t it, where these United Artists pressings fetch collectible prices. The buyers are either 1. ignorant; 2. careless; 3. desperate; or 4. all of the above.

This one also came in from a reader, perplexed I think as well, from the high price considering the condition: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was a not-quite-original original because the picture clearly shows the absence of the New York 23 on the label. Beyond that the record is graded VG+, with an audible ticking noise, and the cover was graded VG to VG+. It sold for $2,500.

Some 10-Inch LPs and Some Bird Envy

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Here are some of the results from the Jazz Record Center auctions we were watching, including the one with the cover that has some of our readers weirded out. Let’s start with Kenny Dorham Quintet, Debut 9. This is an original 10-inch pressing, quite rare, that looked to be in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $960.

Charlie Mariano, Mariano, Bethlehem 1022. This was another 10-inch record from the collection of Tom Stewart and like the others the record was in M- condition and the cover probably VG++, with the owner’s name written in ink. This one sold for $355.

Now for the one with the weird cover, Red Mitchell, Happy Minors, Bethlehem 1033. This was from the same collection, M- for the record, VG++ for the cover. It sold for $333.88. So far I haven’t found a copy in my own collection. If I didn’t buy it originally for $50, I can say for pretty sure that it was because of the cover. Not one of my favorites, to be sure.

Speaking of covers, check out the next listing, and we will show a picture of the cover below:

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A Few Jazz Vinyl Delegations

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Lots of nice jazz vinyl sitting on eBay now. This is one you really don’t see very often: Paul Chambers, A Jazz Delegation From the East, Jazz-West JWLP-7. This is an original pressing listed in Ex condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It’s closing in about four hours and is now in the $900 price range. Here’s another rare one on the same label from the same seller: Kenny Drew, Talkin’ and Walkin’, Jazz-West JWLP-4. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is VG. It closes in about seven hours and is in the $340 range. I do have a question looking at these two listings from Atomic Records. Which one of the records is in better condition? I’m assuming Ex is better than VG+?

Gene Ammons, Hi Fi Jam Session, Prestige 7060. This is an original pressing with the New York address and yellow label. The record and cover are in M- condition. There are four days to go and the start price is around $200. Think it will sell? I do.

And now for some Blue Notes:

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The One I Left Behind?

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Some interesting 10-inch LPs, 78s and other items on the new eBay auction from the Jazz Record Center. Here’s a few to watch, starting with Red Mitchell, Happy Minors, Bethlehem 1033. This is an original 10-inch pressing In M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. There’s writing on the back, but the writing is from the previous owner, Thomas Stewart, who also wrote the liner notes for this record. So it has some interesting provenance. It also has the presence of  Zoot Sims and Bob Brookmeyer, which can’t hurt. The start price is $200. My own story with this record: I used to travel to Palo Alto all the time for business. There was a book store that also sold records and occasionally they would get some nice jazz. The prices were a bit high for the time, but not unreasonable. I remember a mint copy of this record sitting on the shelf for $50. I had it in my hand, put it down, had it in my hand, put it down, looked at a few other records, picked it up again. This went on for a while. In my memory I wound up buying the record for $50. Except, I guess I didn’t. I just looked on my shelves and, alas, no Happy Minors. My hope is that I have the record, but I just misfiled it or something. So later, or this weekend, I will go through all of my 10-inch records in search of the one I may have left behind. It’s probably a great record, right?

A few others from the Jazz Record Center: Read more

Feeling Groovy?

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Now that we’re back home catching up, here’s an update on some jazz vinyl we were watching on eBay, starting with: Red Garland, Groovy, Prestige 7113. This was an original New York yellow label pressing. The record and the cover were in M- condition. It sold for $516, quite a large number for a Red Garland Trio record. Does anyone out there have knowledge and/or a theory why this one would be so highly prized by collectors. The seller was Atomic Records, so I could have visited the store and waved goodbye to this one last week.

The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 2, Blue Note 5041. This was an original 10-inch pressing. The vinyl as probably VG, based on the seller’s description, and the cover was VG+. Great cover. It sold for $317.

Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $799.99. I mentioned that I was perhaps interested in bidding for this, and I do believe $800 is a fair price. But paying top dollar is not how I’ve ever chosen to build my collection, and no sense starting now.

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Now Hear Thi$$$$$

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Sorry to disappoint so many of you who sent me advice and good wishes, but I spent two days in Los Angeles and did not visit a single record store. I did go to the pier at Santa Monica, where the sights were lovely, and I did attend my first baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Perhaps next time the allure of jazz vinyl will be too compelling to pass up. I also apologize once again for the infrequency of my posts. Now that I am back home again and off the road, I will try to be more consistent in meeting my normal objective of at least one post a day. While I was gone, CeeDee was vigilantly watching eBay and sent me a note with a “did you see thi$$$$$” subject matter. The object of thi$$$$ email was: Freddie Hubbard, Hub-Tones, Blue Note 4115. This looked to be an original New York pressing in what looked to be VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $602.25 and CeeDee was obviously quite surprised. To me, this is the new normal. Watching eBay prices soar over the years and, in particular, watching the increasing prices of records in the 4100 series, it is only a matter of time before records such as this start approaching the $1,000 mark. There’s a limited number of these original pressings in nice condition and collectors want them.

Live From LA: Blue Notes

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We continue our Western swing and we are now in Los Angeles where we may have time to peruse a record store or two today. Any recommendations? In the meantime, we are back on eBay and watching some jazz vinyl with great interest, seeing as how we won a few bucks in Vegas, starting with a few Blue Notes:  Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing with the New York 23 labels. The record is listed in VG++ condition and the cover is VG+. The bidding closings later today and is currently in the $400 range. Hmmm. This is a gap in my collection.

Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. This is also an original pressing and it is listed as Ex+ for the record and Ex for the cover. This one closes tomorrow and the bidding is in the $500 range. This is also a gap in my collection, but I have a feeling this one is going to go for $700-plus, too rich for my blood.

Dizzy Reece, Star Bright, Blue Note 4023. This is another original pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover is in M- condition. The start price is about $400 and so far there are no bidders with three days to go.

 

 

A Couple of Nice Ones, A Monk Autograph?????

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Sorry for sporadic posting schedule this week. Been crazy with work and now I am in Las Vegas, of all places. I’ll do my best. Here are some nice records that have been sold on eBay in my absence, starting with:

Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This was an original pressing in what was described as “fantastic” condition, which we would assume would be M-. It sold for $713.

This one got a nice price, not quite like the one last month: John Lewis and Sacha Distel, Afternoon in Paris, Versailles 12005. This was an original French pressing in VG condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $345. Clearly, this record is moving up in desirability among collectors.

This one didn’t sell yet, but it’s quite interesting: Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music, Blue Note 1511. This looks to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing with a very clear autograph of Monk on the cover. Whether the signature is legitimate, we’ll leave that to our readers. Don Lucky — what do you think? Oh, yes. The price is about $2,000.

 

 

 

Danish Jazz, Anyone? Blue Notes, Anyone?

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Here’s one that almost made it to the $3,000 bin: Sahib Shihab and the Danish Jazz Radio Group, Oktav OKLP 111. This was an original Danish pressing listed in Ex condition for both the record and the cover, with just a single photo on the listing. The bidders must have had a lot of confidence in the seller because the record sold for $2,965. Last time we saw that record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide it sold for $1,953. This seller had quite a week. This next one went deep into the $3,000 bin: Presenting Jazz Quintet 60, Fontana TL 687.527. This was another Danish original, from 1963, and it featured, among others Bent Axen and Neils Hennings Oersted Pedersen. It was described as being in pristine condition and sold for a whopping $3,617.89. Imagine buying these records in the mid ’60s for, what, the equivalent of five bucks or so each, and now selling the two of them for $6,500? What’s more, if you look at the seller’s completed auctions, you see another record that sold for $2,240: Jazz Quintet 60, Metronome 15124.

Here are a few nice Blue Notes:

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