Another Mini Adventure At the Central Berkshire Record Show

Speaking of buying records . . . there was a record show in my neck of the woods this weekend. It was advertised as the first ever Central Berkshire Record Show and it was in a little town called Dalton in Western Massachusetts. I arrived early and paid the additional VIP fee to get first crack at the records, just in case there were any rare Blue Notes to be had. But I was not among the first to arrive and I was pleased to see that the show was pretty crowded. There were more than 20 dealers and the aisles and tables were pretty full during the whole time I was there. I kept a low profile, as is my natural tendency. I found a few decent records at fair prices, as you can see in the photo. The Jaki Byard was a pretty pleasant find because (1) I don’t have a copy of the record and (2) it was an original pressing and (3) the price was about $50 and (4) the seller had it marked as VG which was extremely conservative. To me, record looks M- and the cover is VG+. Checking Popsike, I see that the record, Jaki Byard, Here’s Jaki, New Jazz 8256,  has sold for more than $200 several times, so I feel like I got a good deal. Hey, that’s what it’s all about.

The rest of the records I bought were fill-ins, such as the Booker Ervin, Heavy!!!, Prestige 7499. This was priced at about $30 for an original pressing and I was pretty sure the pressing I had at home was a later green pressing. Of course, once I got home and looked at my copy, it is a blue label, so now I have two. Beyond the records in the photo, I came home with a bunch others that were $3 or $4 each, including an original New York label of the Musings of Miles, Prestige 7007. The cover is beat, but the record looks decent. I’ll clean it up and put it on the turntable. For $4, I couldn’t resist. Who could, could you?

Anyway, it was fun going to a record show again. I hadn’t been to one all through Covid and it was nice to be in the action. It was also nice to see that there was a big crowd and a lot of young people. The jazz selection wasn’t bad – I passed up some nice records that I’m sure other Jazz Collectors were able to purchase and enjoy. Next time the show comes to town I’ll let you know in advance. I may even be tempted to get a table of my own. After all, I have now have copies  of Booker Ervin Heavy and the Musings of Miles to sell.