At the time I placed my bid, close to the end of the auction, the bidding was pretty low, maybe $30 or so. I figured no one else had spotted this record, buried among some Zoot Sims Pablos, and a bunch of other later pressings. I bid $111.11, a nice round number. The winning bid was $116.11. Clearly that was the next top bid, and just as clearly someone else found the hidden gem. I’ll never know what it would have taken to win the record but, really, I didn’t need it. I was happy with the 10-inch records I did get and I do own the record and only wanted to buy it just so I could feel like I got a bargain. Oh, the things we think when our collecting compulsions get the best of us.

Speaking of compulsions, let us close, once again, with Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This time our friend, sometime poster and frequent commenter Clifford sent me a link to this copy from Academy Records. Apparently it was in pristine condition. The price was $1,200 and it was sold by the time I opened Clifford’s email. No matter, I wouldn’t have bought it at that price. Not that it wasn’t a fair price – in fact, Academy probably would have gotten more on eBay. It’s just that I have so many records and I still enjoy the hunt more than any other aspect of collecting. So, I am happy to say, the hunt will continue. Someday I will find a copy at a price to my liking and I will smile a big smile and show the picture of me holding the record here on Jazz Collector. And, if I don’t, then I have my lovely Japanese pressings whenever I want to listen.

Coincidentally, I had done that – listen to Shades of Redd – just a couple of days before Clifford’s email arrived. After all of these years of obsessing and boring all of you, I just wanted to confirm once again that it, indeed, is a great record. As if I needed another listen to confirm what was and always has been real: Yes, IMHO, Shades of Redd is a great record. If you have a copy, check it out for yourself. If not, please join the hunt.

Miles Davis, The Musings of Miles, Prestige 7007. This is an original mono pressing with the New York label from Euclid Records. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG++. The current price is about $130. I’m not sure how many of you ever go through the archives at Jazz Collector, but there are a lot of interesting items from the past that are worth finding. For instance, back in May 2004, I did a small birthday tribute to Miles (he would have been 78) and at the end I listed my Top Five Miles Davis records. I mention this, because this record, The Musings of Miles, was on that list. Click here to check it out.

Euclid Records also has a copy of Thelonious Monk, Monk, Prestige 7053. This is the one with the Warhol cover that recently sold for more than $2,000 in VG condition. This one is in M- condition and is still less than $100. The difference: This one is a New Jersey pressing. Still, it’s a great record and a nice collectible cover.

AcademyLPs, another one of the leading sellers on eBay, has a copy of Cecil Taylor, Jazz Advance, Transition 1. The LP is in VG+ condition and the cover is VG. There is a booklet. Also, the labels have fallen off: Are there any Transition LPs where the labels haven’t fallen off? They must have used the same glue that George Costanza used for his wedding invitations. (Overseas readers: It’s a TV reference most people in the states will get. Sorry about that).