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Alive and Well (And Live on the Radio)

Al — Sun, 11 Jun 2023 11:12:59 +0000

It’s been a looooooooong time between posts, so let me catch you up on what’s been going on around here. Overall, I’ve been extremely pleased with the way things have gone in my dealings with Carolina Soul. They have been professional in every respect. Very communicative, clear, consistent. They have been prompt with payments, and have answered any questions I’ve had with clear explanations. As for differences of opinion that we may have had on grading: I respect what they do and how they do it. I heard from several winners of the auctions that they agreed with me that some of the records were undergraded. Yet, Carolina Soul also experienced a number of returns. In fact, about 20 of my records that were returned are on eBay right now. For example: Andrew Hill, Black Fire, Blue Note 4151. I’ll provide a more complete list at the end of this post.

In addition to selling about 600 records through Carolina Soul, I had mentioned in a previous post that I had another 3,500 or so records I was hoping to sell to a local dealer/friend/acquaintance. That transaction also happened and he came to the house with a colleague and picked up the records a few weeks ago. I sent him an email asking how he has been doing with the records, but haven’t heard back yet. In any case, I’ve shrunk my collection by about 4,000 records and feel great about it. I’ve done a couple of reorganizations since then, and I find that the collection is less overwhelming and I’m able to enjoy the records more, and listen to them more frequently and attentively.

Another reason I’ve been more attentive to the records is that I am now hosting a radio show here in my local community in The Berkshires. It is called Jazz Collector Live and it is on WTBR-FM Pittsfield. I’ve taped three shows so far and, last I heard, the first show is scheduled to debut tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. I realize the show is called Jazz Collector Live and, in fact, it is not live. To me, it’s like John Coltrane Live at Birdland or Sonny Rollins Live at the Village Vanguard. The show was live when I recorded it, so that makes it a live recording. Anyway, the show will appear “live” tonight and you will be able to stream it or download it in a few weeks, once I have a few more shows under my belt. I’ll talk a lot more about it in future posts and definitely solicit feedback from my friends here. I’ve never done radio before and I’m really enjoying it.

The radio show is a volunteer gig and is a result of me trying to scale back on my work, which has been happening, slowly but surely. For the past six weeks or so (pretty much since my last post on Jazz Collector), I’ve been winding down my existing work assignments and trying to limit new projects that I take on. This has meant that my nose has been to the grindstone with working. It has also taken up a lot of my brainpower and I’ve had less time to devote to posting here. In any case, this past Wednesday I got caught up on all of my work assignments. I still have a new one coming in this week, but I’m really hoping to be working less, especially during the summer. Perhaps that will translate into more time doing Jazz Collector, but I’m experienced enough to know that I’ve thought those thoughts before and it hasn’t necessarily translated into action. So, we’ll see what happens. In the meantime, here’s the list of my records being sold this week by Carolina Soul:

	Item Title
1.	Andrew Hill – Black Fire LP – Blue Note – BLP 4151 Mono RVG Ear NY USA VG+
2.	Blue Mitchell – S/T LP – Mainstream OG Press VG++
3.	Blue Mitchell – The Thing To Do LP – Blue Note BLP 4178 Mono RVG Ear NY USA VG+
4.	Brown And Roach Incorporated – S/T LP – EmArcy – MG-36008 Mono DG
5.	Cannonball Adderley – And The Poll-Winners LP – Riverside OG Press Mono DG
6.	Chet Baker – Sings And Plays LP – World Pacific – PJ LP-1202 Black Label Mono DG
7.	Clifford Brown – Memorial Album LP – Blue Note BLP 1526 Mono DG RVG Ear 767 LEX
8.	Horace Silver – Serenade To A Soul Sister LP – Blue Note – BST 84277 RVG
9.	J.J. Johnson, et. al. – Jazz South Pacific LP – Regent OG Press Mono DG RVG
10.	Jimmy Smith – A New Sound/A New Star LP – Blue Note Mono DG RVG Ear W 63rd VG+
11.	Kenny Dorham – Quiet Kenny LP – Prestige Japan – VIJ-206
12.	Lee Konitz – Inside Hi-Fi LP – Atlantic – SD 1258 Green Label DG VG+
13.	Les Jazz Modes – S/T LP – Dawn – DLP 1108 OG Press Mono DG
14.	Lou Donaldson – Here ‘Tis LP – Blue Note – BLP 4066 Mono RVG Ear NY USA VG+
15.	Lyle Murphy – 12-Tone Compositions/Arrangements LP – Contemporary OG Mono DG VG+
16.	Max Roach – It’s Time LP – ABC Impulse – AS-16 RVG VG+
17.	Miles Davis – Bags’ Groove LP – Prestige – 7109 Mono DG RVG
18.	Sonny Rollins – Night At Village Vanguard LP – Blue Note Mono DG Ear W 63rd VG+
19.	Tal Farlow – Autumn In New York LP – Norgran – MG N-1097 Mono DG VG+

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A Period Piece and More

Al — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:34:44 +0000

As a collector, I have always tended to focus more on musicians than on labels. So, for example, it was more interesting to me to have original Coltrane, Miles or Cannonball records, than to focus on the Blue Note, Prestige or Riverside catalogues. Anyway, the key artists for me have been the key artists for many of you – Miles, Trane, Clifford Brown, Monk, Dexter, Sonny Rollins, and a few more. One of the records that has somehow slipped my grasp after all of these years of jazz collecting is this one: Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. This is an original pressing listed in VG condition for the record and the cover. The start price is $500 and so far there are no bidders. I haven’t been buying in a while, but a record like this would be of interest for sure and would fill in that one Newk hole in my collection. And I always liked that cover.

Speaking of Sonny, here is Sonny Rollins, Tour De Force, Prestige 7126. This looks to be an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. The record is listed in VG condition and the cover is VG++ with a promo stamp on the back cover. The start price is $400 and so far there are no bidders with more than five days left.

This one is closing in a few hours from the time I am posting this: Dexter Gordon, A Swingin’ Affair, Blue Note 4133. This is an original New York USA pressing that looks to be in VG++ or better condition for the record and the cover. The seller got some nice photos of the cover, which always helps. The bidding is at $510. The top price for this record has been about $700, according to Popsike. I’m betting this one surpasses that. From the same seller is Andrew Hill, Compulsion!!!!!, Blue Note 84217. This is an original stereo pressing listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It also closes in a few hours and is in the $250 range.

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Classic Jazz Vinyl — But Will Anything Sell

Al — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 12:52:18 +0000

Finally back from a long break, and the first thing I’m going to do is take a look at what I left behind on my eBay watch list and catch up. This seller has several nice items for sale, including Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This is an original New York yellow label pressing listed in VG++ or M- condition for the record and M- for the cover. You don’t run across too many in this shape. There are two days left on this auction, the bidding is in the $1,350 range and so far it has not reached the seller’s reserve price. This one comes from the same seller and also has not yet reached its reserve price: Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This is an original pressing with the New York 23 labels. The bidding is in the $650 range. Surely, the bidding will move into the four figures, but whether that meets the seller’s price won’t be known until the auction actually closes.

Speaking of records not selling:

When I went away this seller had several nice items I was watching and, of the ones on my watch list NONE of them actually sold. Here are a couple: Art Taylor, Taylor’s Tenors, New Jazz 8219. The record was probably in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+, based on the descriptions. The start price was $554.99 and there were no bidders. Andrew Hill, Smokestack, Blue Note 4160. This looked to be an original pressing with the New York USA labels, the ear and the Van Gelder. The start price was $244.99 and there were no bidders. I see there are some negative comments about this seller among the Jazz Collector readers, although the seller’s eBay rating is 100%. Do you think it’s just that the prices were too high, or is there more to it?

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Tracking Later Blue Note Pressings From the ’60s

Al — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 14:45:11 +0000

As noted in the comments on the previous post, the seller of the questionable Duke Pearson LP has a large number of jazz vinyl listings closing this weekend. In watching the auctions, I’m noting a surging interest in a lot of later Blue Notes, such as these:

Bobby Hutcherson, Components, Blue Note 4213. This looks to be an original mono pressing with the NY USA label. It looks to be in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The price is in the $150 range with more than a day left before the auction closes.

Andrew Hill, Compulsion, Blue Note 4217. This also looks to be an original mono pressing in similar condition as the Hutcherson LP, M- for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. The bidding on this one is also in the $150 range.

Sam Rivers, A New Conception, Blue Note 4249. This is an original Liberty pressing. It is in VG++ condition. The price is more than $100.

Here are a few more that may surprise you:

Don Cherry, Complete Communion, Blue Note 4226. This is a mono New York USA pressing, one of the last before the shift to Liberty, and is in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. The price is more than $80.

Larry Young, Of Love and Peace, Blue Note 4242. This one has the New York labels and the Liberty cover. It also seems to be in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. The price is $90.

Duke Pearson, Wahoo, Blue Note 4191. This is an original mono New York USA pressing that is listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price is already more than $100.

The post Tracking Later Blue Note Pressings From the ’60s first appeared on jazzcollector.com.

Updating Some Later Pre-Liberty Blue Notes

Al — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:13:00 +0000

Here are some “later” Blue Notes we’ve been watching.

Larry Young, Unity, Blue Note 4221. This was an original New York USA pressing with the ear and the Van Gelder stamp. It was in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. It sold for $231.38.

Pete La Roca, Basra, Blue Note 4205. This is also an original New York USA pressing with the ear and the Van Gelder stamp. It is still in its original shrink wrap and in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was a whopping $494.99, quite a bit higher than the $1.59 Special on the shrink wrap. The way things are going, someday records such as these will be destined for the $1,000 bin, no?

This listing is lacking in information: Grachan Moncur III, Some Other Stuff, Blue Note 84177. This is a stereo pressing, which would seem to diminish the interest and value right off the bat. However, the seller doesn’t mention whether there is an ear or Van Gelder stamp in the deadwax. It is a New York USA pressing. It sold for $61 in what looked to be VG+ condition. Have to believe if buyers knew it was an original it would sell for more: Then again, if it’s not original, would it have sold for this much?

This is another stereo pressing without full information:

George Braith, Two Souls in One, Blue Note 84148. This was a New York USA pressing. The cover was M- and the vinyl VG+. It sold for $43.63.

This one had complete information, and the price reflected it: Andrew Hill, Black Fire, Blue Note 4151. This one also was in its original shrink wrap. The vinyl was M- and the cover looked to be at least VG++ (depends how you feel about someone writing his name on the back cover). It sold for $260. This one came from the same seller: Sam Rivers, Contours, Blue Note 4206. This was a New York USA pressing and, according to the seller, was never pressed with the ear in the deadwax. I have to get Fred Cohen’s book to keep up on all of this stuff. I am planning an excursion to the Jazz Record Center this week. The record looks to be M- and the cover probably VG++. The price was $134.50.

The post Updating Some Later Pre-Liberty Blue Notes first appeared on jazzcollector.com.

More Blue Note Favorites, Courtesy of Downbeat

Al — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:33:16 +0000

I did that post earlier today and mentioned that Downbeat had done a whole feature asking various artists about their favorite Blue Note records. I was able to dig up my copy of the magazine — I don’t have a subscription anymore, but I had purchased this one on the newsstand because of the cover. It was from March of 2009. The cover, as you can see, has Joe Lovano with his favorite Blue Note: Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Free For All, Blue Note 4170. It’s quite gratifying to see his picture with a vinyl pressing, and a mono vinyl pressing at that and perhaps even an original mono pressing. Inside, the magazine asked a variety of other jazz artists to name their favorite Blue Notes as well. Here are their replies:

Randy Brecker: Art Blakey, A Night at Birdland Volume 1, Blue Note 5037. They actually show the original 10-inch LP, but I imagine Brecker didn’t just single out the first volume, but the whole series.

Teri Lyne Carrington: Wayne Shorter, JuJu, Blue Note 4182

Branford Marsalis: Wayne Shorter, Speak No Evil, Blue Note 4194.

Nicholas Payton: Speak No Evil

David Sanchez: Speak No Evil

Greg Osby: Wayne Shorter, Schizophrenia, Blue Note 4297

Chris Potter: Wayne Shorter, Adam’s Apple, Blue Note 4232

Kurt Elling: Wayne Shorter, Night Dreamer, Blue Note 4173

Geri Allen: Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage, Blue Note 4195

Sean Jones: Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage

Terence Blanchard: Herbie Hancock, Speak Like A Child, Blue Note 4297

Uri Craine: Herbie Hancock, The Prisoner, Blue Note 4321

Matt Wilson: Eric Dolphy, Out To Lunch, Blue Note 4163

Dee Dee Bridgewater: Horace Silver, Song For My Father, Blue Note 4185

Dave Douglas: Horace Silver, The Cape Verdean Blues, Blue Note 4220

Bill Charlap: Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers, Blue Note 1518

Christian McBride: Joe Henderson, Mode For Joe, Blue Note 4227

Steve Turre: The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2, Blue Note 1506

Kenny Washington: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588

Larry Grenadier: Sonny Rollins. A Night at the Village Vanguard, Blue Note 1581

Gary Bartz: Sonny Rollins, Volume 2, Blue Note 1558

Antonio Sanchez: John Coltrane, Blue Trane, Blue Note 1577

Ben Allison: Andrew Hill, Black Fire, Blue Note 4151

Mulgrew Miller: Freddie Hubbard, Ready For Freddie, Blue Note 4085

Robin Eubanks: McCoy Tyner, The Real McCoy, Blue Note 4264

Conrad Herwig: Larry Young, Unity, Blue Note 4221

Patricia Barber: Sheila Jordan, Portrait of Sheila, Blue Note 9002

Jason Moran: Bobby Hutcherson, Dialogue, Blue Note 4198

There were a couple of other they were weird and I didn’t include them. If you’re like me, you probably haven’t even heard of half the musicians that are quoted here. I will tell you my finalists:

Art Blakey Buhaina’s Delight

Art Blakey Blue Note 4003

Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd

Horace Silver, Blowin’ The Blues Away

John Coltrane, Blue Trane

Dexter Gordon, Our Man in Paris

Donald Byrd, A New Perspective

At this point, the very strong lean is toward Buhaina’s Delight, but I might put a few others on the turntable today, since it looks like it’s going to be a nice snow day in New York. But, at least I’ve narrowed the field to My Seven Favorite Blue Notes. For now, at least.

The post More Blue Note Favorites, Courtesy of Downbeat first appeared on jazzcollector.com.

Today on EBay: Miles, Monk, Warhol and More

Al — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:20:10 +0000

We’re back after taking the weekend off. The week on eBay gets off to a decent start today, with a few nice items to watch for the Jazz Collector Price Guide. We have a few items of our own closing today, including: Andrew Hill, Compulsion, Blue Note 4217. This is a mono pressing with the New York USA label and is in V++/VG+ condition. It’s only $25, so it might end up being a bargain for someone. We’re also watching these items, from other sellers:

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).

The post Today on EBay: Miles, Monk, Warhol and More first appeared on jazzcollector.com.

Catching up on Some Nice Collectibles

Al — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:38:20 +0000

Here’s a long list of records we’ve been watching:

Hank Mobley, Mobley’s Message, Prestige 7061. This was an original pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $679.58. That’s a pretty steep price for a VG+ record.

Speaking of steep prices for records in VG+ condition: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $1,475

And yet another in VG+ condition: Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG+. The price was $749.99

Zoot Sims, Quartets, Prestige 7026. This was an original New York yellow label in M-/M- condition. Price: $328

Bennie Green, Back on the Scene, Blue Note 1587. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address in M-/M- condition. Price: $392

Sonny Rollins, Tenor Madness, Prestige 7047. This was an original New York pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover VG. Price: $113.50. Not bad.

Hank Mobley and His All Stars, Blue Note 1544. This was a West 63rd Street pressing in VG+/VG condition. Price: $485

Art Farmer Quintet with Gigi Gryce, Prestige 7017. This was an original New York pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $154.32

Red Garland at the Prelude, Prestige 7170. This was an original New Jersey pressing in M-/M- condition. Price: $338.70. This one was somewhat surprising to me in that it went so high, but, as I’ve said earlier, I can’t seem to figure out which of the Red Garlands are most collectible. Or why.

Ben Webster, The Soul of Ben Webster, Verve 8359. This was an original pressing with the trumpeter logo. Condition was M-/VG+. Price: $70. We don’t always cover all of the Verve LPs because the prices are not like the Blue Notes and Prestiges, but, personally, we love these a lot of these records and we like to keep an eye on them. This is a nice record, with a very pretty cover.

The Complete 1963-1966 Blue Note Andrew Hill, Mosaic MQ10-161. This was in near mint condition and number 0006 in the limited edition series. Price: $419.44

Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House, Blue Note 1516. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing in what looked to be VG+/VG+ condition. Price: $327.30

Mal Waldron, Mal2, Prestige 7111. This was an original New York pressing in VG+/M- condition. Price: $361.99

Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage, Blue Note 4195. This was an original New York USA pressing in M-/M- condition. Price: $405. I know this is a great record, and a classic, but I don’t recall seeing it sell for this high a price before. Anyone else? I looked in our Price Guide and the highest we had was $203, but we don’t monitor every copy.

Here’s another great record whose price seems to be going up and up and up: Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um, Columbia 8171. This was an original stereo pressing in M-/M- condition. Price: $140.55

Finally, there’s Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 1535. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing in VG+/VG condition. Price: $810.

I’ll be posting more items in the next couple of days, and I’ll be entering all of these into the Price Guide, also in the next couple of days. In the meantime, if you would like to comment on any of these records, and share your opinions/insights about prices, please leave a comment on this post.

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This Weekend on eBay, Part 2

Al — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 12:59:31 +0000

We promised to show you a few more interesting items on sale this weekend on eBay, so here we go. We’ll also follow-up on all of these items during the week to see what happened with them. And, we’ll also include them on our Price Guide, which now includes more than 3,500 entries.

The seller bluenotesound, which I’m pretty sure is affiliated with Mosaic Records, has several interesting Mosaics on sale, including: Andrew Hill, the Complete Andrew Hill Blue Note Sessions 1963-1966, Mosaic MQ10-161. This is number 0006 of a limited edition of 5,000. This seller has several other nice Mosaics, so be sure to look at his other items.

Another seller with some nice items today is the seller roverd-90, including this record: Art Farmer Quintet, Prestige 7017 and this one Hank Mobley and His All Stars, Blue Note 1544.

And the seller Mojee has two real heavyweights: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079 and Hank Mobley, Mobley’s Message, Prestige 7061. If that’s not enough, these seller also has these two nice Prestiges: Jackie McLean, 4, 5 and 6, Prestige 7048 and Zoot Sims Quartets, Prestige 7026

Our final item for now is Benny Green, Back on the Scene, Blue Note 1587. This is an original pressing in beautiful condition. At this point the price is $39.99, but that should change markedly.

The post This Weekend on eBay, Part 2 first appeared on jazzcollector.com.

Ebay Today, Oct. 2, 2008

Al — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:45:28 +0000

Ready for another day on eBay? Here we go:

Yesterday there were a couple of comments on the Norgran label. Here’s one for sale today: Lester Young, Pres and Sweets, Norgran 1043. Not my favorite of the Pres records, but it has a great cover by David Stone Martin. And if you like Sweets, try this: Sweets, Verve 8097.

Here’s a heavyweight: Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. If you take a look at our Price Guide, you can see that it’s sold for as much as $1,600 on our watch. We’ll see how it goes here. This one is an original in very nice condition, but not mint.

Here’s a nice Prestige: John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123. This is an original pressing with the original cover and New York label. It’s in very nice condition. The price, as we write this, is $41. It won’t stay there very long.

Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Pal, Prestige 7068. This one’s not in great shape, but another with a great cover. I had a mint copy of this and few years ago and sold it. This could be a fill-in replacement. You never know. Right now it’s at $9 with one bidder.

Here’s another Jackie in better shape (and for more money): Jackie McLean & Co., Prestige 7087. This is an original NY pressing and is in the $150 price range as of now.

Atomic Records also has this sealed copy of Andrew Hill, Point of Departure, Blue Note 4167. What do you do with sealed records? Once you open them, do they lose value?

The post Ebay Today, Oct. 2, 2008 first appeared on jazzcollector.com.