Tag: Art Blakey

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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Adventures in Jazz Collecting: The Auction, Part 3

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Guess what came in the mail yesterday? Remember that Jazz Auction in which I participated a few weeks ago. Well the records are here and now I can tell you how I did. Remember, I bid blind on these records, based on the written descriptions, and I gambled on quite a few of the packages. I was competing with a bunch of sellers/dealers who were at the scene and had the opportunity to physically view the records. Also, I paid an extra 17 percent above what I bid because that was the fee taken by the auction house. In any case, here are the results, part one of three: Live vicariously through me if you please. The prices listed below include the 17 percent extra fee, so they are the amount I actually paid for each package. Also, the listings as I describe them below are similar to the way they were listed in the auction itself.

Wes Montgomery, Full House. Price: $70.20. This is an original blue-label Riverside

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More Blue Notes, More Record Price Tags

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Prices for Blue Notes — at least those in near mint condition — are continuing to rise, based on some of the latest eBay sales. Take a look at these:

A Date With Jimmy Smith, Volume 2, Blue Note 1548. This was in near mint condition and it was sold by the same seller who sold those pristine JJ Johnson records the other day. This one sold for $792. The record features Hank Mobley, Lou Donaldson and Donald Byrd, but this is still a new high price tag for it, at least for the time we’ve been watching it.

This one was from Euclid Records: The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Volume 1, Blue Note 1531. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. It was listed as M- condition for both

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Watching Some More Second Pressings

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Here are a few items we’ve been watching, none of them an original pressing, each of them selling for a pretty hefty price tag. What I find interesting is that these second pressings of highly collectible records seem to be selling a lot better than original pressings of more moderately collectible records. It seems that certain records are just in demand and second pressings are becoming acceptable to collectors.

Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This was a West 63rd Street pressing. It was listed in VG+ condition for both the cover and the vinyl. The price was $222.50.

Jackie McLean Quintet, Jubilee 1064. This is a reissue of The New Tradition on Ad Lib, although it’s probable not all of the bidders knew this. In any case, this copy was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $182.50.

This next one didn’t get a huge price, but still not bad for a second pressing:

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Catching Up: Morgan, Blakey, Kenny Dorham

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Here are a few records we’ve been watching:

Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. This seemed to be an original pressing listed as being in near mint condition. The price was $741. It’s hard to think of a record selling for $741 as being a bargain but given Blue Note prices lately, this seems kind of low. I had expected it to break into the $1,000 bin.

Because of some of the chatter on the site, we’ve also decided to keep an eye on more second pressings, such as this one: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, The Big Beat, Blue Note 4029. This was a New York USA pressing — not an original — and it was

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A Visit to A Record Store, Part 3

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So many comments to follow up on, but first let me finish my little trilogy about my visit to Infinity Records. Given the market conditions for music the days, it’s easy to assume that the days of the brick and mortar record store are numbered. In the mainstream music market, CDs are collapsing as the medium shifts to an online digital model. In the collectibles market, eBay has become the dominant sales medium. But, for now at least, it seems there is still room for a few places where people can physically walk into a store and purchase music. I happened to be in lower Manhattan a few weeks ago with time to kill and I popped in to J&R Music. It was jam-packed with people. And I was amazed to see the rows and rows and rows of CDs. They even had four bins of new vinyl — lots of recent Blue Note pressings — as well as a wall full of collectible vinyl that featured autographed covers, including Billie Holiday, Dexter Gordon and others.  The key was that they were comprehensive: You got the sense that if there was a jazz CD you wanted, you’d be able to find it there — as opposed to walking into a Border’s or Barnes and Noble, where the music is clearly secondary. There is also room, I think, for good record stores that understand the collectibles market. I spoke to Joe Ostermeier at Infinity — that’s Joe in the picture, standing in front of his wall of records — and he said business is still solid, no major let up as the music world has

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More Blue Note Favorites, Courtesy of Downbeat

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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:

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A Blue Note Favorite: Is It The One?

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Here’s an interesting item I was watching on eBay. Art Blakey, Buhaina’s Delight, Blue Note 4104. This was an original pressing with the NY USA label. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $172.01, which is relatively high for this record. Ever since I got into that Blue Note head a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about doing a post on my favorite Blue Note album, which Downbeat did about a year ago with a bunch of jazz artists. I will try to dig out my copy and do a subsequent post. My problem with choosing my favorite Blue Note is this: Every time I think I come up with the one album, I think about another and, to be honest,  I’m having a hard time settling on one. I will say, however, that this album is a top contender, is definitely a finalist and may even emerge as the winner. We’ll see. Hopefully I will get around to doing the post. I can tell you how much I love this album: Even though

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Catching Up: Blakey on Elektra, Capuchin Swing

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Let’s catch up on a few recent eBay sales.

This one was sold by the Jazz Record Center: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, A Midnight Session, Elektra 120. This was an original mono pressing. Frankly, this is not a record I’ve seen very often and I had no idea what kind of value it had as a collectible. I own a copy, although mine is a stereo pressing. I’ve been going through a lot of my records to catalog them for insurance purposes and because it’s kind of fun in an obsessive compulsive psychotic neurotic kind of way. My copy is in VG+ condition, and I estimated its value at $35. This one was in M- condition and sold for $228. Perhaps I’ll have to adjust my spreadsheet.

I should have been on this one: Jackie McLean, Capuchin Swing, Blue Note 4038. This one was listed a West 63rd but it did not mention

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On EBay Now: Griffin, Red, Blakey, Bird

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EBay is loaded with nice jazz vinyl this weekend. Some of the top sellers are back in action, it seems. Here are some of the items we’re watching:

Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing that is listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. When we looked at this item last night the top bid was only $99. We thought we might be able to steal it for a decent price and we put in a Bidnip bid of about $230. Alas, no such luck for Jazz Collector today. The record is closing in a couple of hours and it is currently at about $425.

This seller has been selling some very nice records that seem to be in absolutely beautiful condition, including this: Red Garland, High Pressure, Prestige 7209. This is an original pressing in near mint condition and, from the picture with the listing it looks absolutely pristine, the cover as well. The current

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