Tag: Art Farmer

More Jazz Records, More Record Prices

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Back to perusing rare jazz vinyl on eBay. Last I looked, I had a bunch of items on my watch list from The Jazz Record Center. They’ve had at least two other auctions of rare jazz vinyl since then, so let’s do a fairly comprehensive overview of some of the more interesting and/or expensive items. We’ll start with Miles, the New Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7014. This was an original New York yellow label with the green cover. The record was listed in “new condition, with a high luster” and the cover was listed in “extraordinary” condition. Sounds like it was as it was sitting on a record store shelf in 1956. This one sold for $2,155. Is that a new high? Let’s head over to Popsike and . . . yes it is, by a lot, nearly $1,000 more than the previous high. Condition counts. See below. Read more

Jazz Vinyl: Where’s the Action?

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Haven’t been on eBay in a while. Have I missed anything? I meant that as a joke, but now that I’m looking I feel like perhaps I have missed something. I’m seeing a lot of records that would have gotten a lot of action, not getting much action at all. I know things always change as auctions get near closing time, but having been off eBay for a few weeks I have to say I am a little taken aback by the lack of activity. Has anyone else noticed this?  In any case, there are many records that are getting bids, so let’s look at a few of those, starting with Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This is an original mono promo copy with the white labels. The record is listed in VG condition, and the cover is also VG, with some writing on the back and a partial seam split. Certainly not the best copy you will find, but there are already 16 bids from 10 bidders and the price is up to $300, so clearly the demand for this one remains pretty high despite the condition. Read more

Another Jazz Vinyl Potpourri

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Time once again to clean out many of the older items sitting in my watch list. Let’s start with this nice 10-inch French Vogue LP: Henri Renaud Quintet with Gigi Gryce and Bobby Jaspar, Vogue 174. This was an original pressing in Ex condition for the record and near mint for the cover was sold by the seller fiftiesjazz, better known among Jazz Collector aficionados as Rudolf, who is an expert on the French Vogue label, as evidenced by this article from our archives of about 10 years ago, “A Comprehensive Guide to French Vogue.” This copy sold for about $202. From the same auction was Thad Jones, Mad Thad, Period 1208. This was an original pressing listed in M- condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $1,569.44. One more: I have to admit, I have never seen this record: Bill Hardman Quintet, Saying Something, Savoy 12170. This was an original pressing with the blood red label. This copy looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $362. Read more

Another Sides

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Here are a couple more sides I’ve had recently on my turntable, starting with Donald Byrd, Fancy Free. We don’t typically review records here at Jazz Collector, primarily because it is not a personal interest of mine. I started my journalism career reviewing jazz records and concerts, but stopped fairly early on because, as a non-musician, I didn’t feel qualified or comfortable criticizing the work of real musicians. I’m not criticizing other reviewers, just explaining how a personal decision set me on a different, and ultimately more rewarding career path, IMHO. If any of you out there feel like doing reviews, I’d be open to posting them on Jazz Collector; I just don’t like writing them myself. Because of this posture, I rarely get any promotional records, even on re-issues of records from the Jazz Collector Era, and even though I have written some reviews focused on the quality of the reissue and the packaging. Mosaic was kind enough once to send me a promotional copy of The Rosemary Clooney CBS Radio Recordings 1955-61 at my request. I gave it a lukewarm review and Mosaic never replied to another email I sent them. C’est la vie. All of which is to say that the copy of Fancy Free I had on my turntable the other night is, indeed, a reissue and was, indeed, sent to me as a promo by the record company, in this case Vinyl Me, Please, Classics. I don’t closely follow today’s market and was unfamiliar with their work. They reached out to me, asked if I wanted a sample copy and I said “sure.” Read more

More Adventures, More Obsessions

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Sorry, I need to complete the story. Given that it was an online auction and many of the bidders probably never saw the condition of the records, I was pretty surprised at some of the prices. For example, Waltz for Debby sold for more than $1,000. Bill Evans Trio Sunday at the Village Vanguard seemed to sell for more than $500, if I recall. Kenny Drew 10-inch Blue Note was more than $300. When I went to pick up my records I asked Kendra, the woman responsible for the auction, if the buyers for those records had visited  the house and seen them on site. Nope, she said. They were bidding based just on the pictures from the auction. Very brave, I thought, but having seen the records myself, I figured the buyers would be pleased. The one record I would thought I could steal, the Art Farmer Quintet Featuring Gigi Gryce, Prestige 7017, just eluded me. Read more

Another Adventure in Jazz Collecting, 10-inch Edition

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After buying, curating and eventually selling the Ornette Collection from Dee, I felt myself gripped in that very old, very familiar, somewhat obsessive feeling of wanting more. Not necessarily more records because, Lord knows, I have enough records. No, it was all about wanting more action. So, I reached out to my friend here in The Berkshires who is planning to sell his collection at some point, but he said he isn’t quite ready yet to part with them. Then, out of the blue, another friend up here sent me a note with a link to an online auction of jazz records that was being conducted locally. The site was something called Caring Transitions, so I clicked the link and this is one of the pictures I saw:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rare Vinyl, eBay Complaints: An Email Grab Bag

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Somebody sent me this link: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York yellow label in nice condition, VG++ for both the record and the cover. It sold for $2,028. Not sure why this particular link was sent to me, but I figured I’d share it nonetheless. Nothing seems out of whack to me, in terms of the eventual price or the provenance of the record as an original pressing. Maybe someone else can find something. You have all been more observant than I have been lately, it seems. Perhaps too many distractions at my end. Maybe I should just retire from work and devote myself full-time to Jazz Collector. 🙂

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A Prestige-eous Day at Jazz Collector

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Let’s look at a few from Prestige and related labels today, starting with Hank Mobley, Mobley’s Message, Prestige 7061. This was an original New York yellow label pressing listed as being in “pristine” condition from a reliable seller. The final price was $715.99, which strikes me as quite a bargain for this record in this condition. Or at least as much as any record for $715 can be a bargain. With this personnel — Mobley, McLean, Byrd, Barry Harris, Doug Watkins and Art Taylor — what would this record go for if it was on the Blue Note Label. I think we’d probably be looking in our metaphorical $2,000 bin.

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