This week’s theme is a simple one: John Coltrane on Blue Note. Enjoy.

Here’s another nice Blue Note up for sale now on eBay:

Horace Silver Trio and Art Blakey with Sabu, Blue Note 5034. This is an original 10-inch pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover, although the seller doesn’t do himself any favors by grading the cover as M- despite the presence of a seam split on the bottom of the cover, which would kind of negate an M- grading, right? Anyway, the start price for this is around $250 and as yet there are no bidders. I wouldn’t mind a copy of this, seam split and all.

In my mind, I figured that somewhere in the back, not on the shelves, not open for public viewing, Fred had a reserve of old Blue Notes and Prestiges that he only pulled out for special occasions and special customers. Admit it — don’t you all think that way when you go to the Jazz Record Center: That this is the repository of great jazz records and, like a museum, all the great works pass through at some point? So, after going through all the bins I went back to Fred, who was still engaged in conversation with the lovely Mrs. JC, and asked if there was anything in the back rooms, or under the counter, or somewhere that he was holding back on. After all, this was a special occasion, right? He smiled kind of wanly and said there might be something, what did I have in mind? I figured I’d go for the gold, so I mentioned a couple of nice Blue Notes that I’ve always wanted but, for whatever reason, don’t have as original pressings: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd and Paul Chambers, Bass on Top. Fred kind of chuckled at the mention of those records and the idea that he would just have them lying around somewhere in the store. “Those are pretty rare records,” he said, with a hint of incredulity, then a bit wistfully: “I wish I had them.”

So, in the end, I wound up purchasing the Blue Note book, a Mosaic boxed set and an EMI-Capitol Music edition of Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This, I hope, is an upgrade of the United Artists pressing in my collection. It was not the score I was seeking, but it was fun going through the bins at the Jazz Record Center and seeing what was there and the pricing and the condition. It’s a great gauge of the market and the thing you learn, as you see on eBay, is that while the market for the high-end collectibles continues to go up, demand for what I would call mid-market collectibles is shrinking, meaning that prices are down. And, for records that are not collectible, you wonder if there is any demand at all. As we were heading out, the lovely Mrs. JC said she was disappointed I didn’t get my score, but quite pleased with our excursion because she had a lovely conversation with Fred, who she said  was warm and charming and quite engaging. I looked at her askance: “You didn’t, perchance, offer to sell him my collection, did you?” I asked.  She smiled and then laughed out loud. But, now that I think about it,  she never did answer the question.

First the big ones: Walter Davis, Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This was an original pressing and it was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,300. Also, Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This was an original pressing. The record and cover looked to be in VG+ or VG++ condition. The price was $1,032.

Here are a couple that don’t often get collectible prices: Dizzy Gillespie, Afro, Norgran 1003. This was an original yellow label pressing with a cover design by David Stone Martin. It was only in VG condition and sold for $72. That may not be a Blue Note price, but it is still somewhat surprising. Few of the Dizzy record

have cachet as collectibles, even the Norgrans, and this one was not in great shape. Perhaps it is the unusual cover illustration by Stone Martin?

Not sure we’ve covered this one in the Price Guide before: Sonny Rollins, Alfie, Impulse 9111. This seemed to be an original pressing, although it wasn’t clear from the listing, and it seemed to be in M- condition, although that wasn’t clear either. It sold for $51: Not a high-end collectible price, but one that’s starting to creep up. Also on Impulse: John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Impulse 40. This was an original stereo pressing. It was in M- condition and it sold for $197.49. No surprise this LP would get a good price in that condition, but usually the premium is paid for mono pressings.

Miles Davis Sextet, Prestige 182. This was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. We were thinking about bidding on this because the price was right, but in the end we’re getting rid of records, not adding records. We do have to remind ourselves of this, constantly, each time we see a nice item on eBay, which is several times a day. Anyway, this one sold for $102.50. That’s a pretty attractive price and was in my range. This was in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The price was $233.50.

Howard McGhee Volume 2, Blue Note 5024. This was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $234.

Here are a couple of nice 10-inch LPs by Lester Young:

Lester Young, Norgran 6. This was in M- condition for the record and cover, quite difficult to find so clean. It sold for $510. Also Lester Young, Aladdin 706. This was also M-. It sold for $576.

Stan Getz, Split Kick, Roost 423. This was in VG+ condition for both the record and cover. It sold for $90.

Finally, let’s finish with a Blue Note flurry: Jutta Hipp, Blue Note 5056. This was VG+ for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $275. The Prophetic Herbie Nichols Volume 1, Blue Note 5068. This was VG++ for the record and cover and sold for $224. The Prophetic Herbie Nichols Volume 2, Blue Note 5069. this was in similar condition and sold for the exact same price, $224.

Kenny Drew, Undercurrent, Blue Note 4059. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address and just one side deep groove. The record was listed in VG+ condition for both the vinyl and the cover and it sold for $285.

Baby Face Willette, Stop and Listen, Blue Note 4084. This was an original pressing with the NY USA label. the record looked to be in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $200.

This one sold for a big price, but it didn’t seem to be an original pressing:

Eric Dolphy, Out To Lunch, Blue Note 4163. This was a mono pressing with the NY USA label, which would make it original, except it had one side deep groove and one side no deep groove, so perhaps it was not a first press. No matter, it was a beautiful pristine copy and it sold for $554.

Hank Mobley and His All Stars, Blue Note 1544. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The vinyl was M- and the cover was just VG. The price was $482.

Donald Byrd, Byrd in Hand, Blue Note 4019. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Actually, the cover was listed as VG++, but the picture clearly showed it as VG+ and the price more accurately reflected the VG+ cover. The price was $154.99.

Introducing Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1523. This was an original Lexingon Avenue pressing. The vinyl was VG+ and the cover was VG. The price was $308. Also from the same artist: Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume 1, Blue Note 1596. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing and of course it has the cover design by Andy Warhol. The record was listed in VG+ condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $382.

Dizzy Reece, Blues in Trinity, Blue Note 4006. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record and cover were both listed as M- The price was $646.59.

John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. It was listed as M- for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $888.

That’s it for now. I’ll be doing a few more posts on recent prices, so stay tuned.

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

price is about $250, which is already on the high side for this record, but the condition makes it quite rare, indeed. The record does feature John Coltrane on tenor sax, which helps as well, musically as well as in terms of its value as a collectible. The seller has some other nice items that will get top dollar based on their condition, including: Art Blakey And the Jazz Messengers Meet You At The Jazz Corner Of The World Volume 1, Blue Note 4054. This is another original pressing in pristine, mint condition. The current price is $200, already top dollar for this record. But take a look at those pictures and the condition.

Also back is the seller herschel78, who has been consistently selling some nice items in nice condition. There’s another batch on eBay now, including: Charlie Parker, Dial 203. This is an original 10-inch pressing. The record is VG++ (close to M-) and the cover is M-. The current price is $750, and this one will probably break the $1,000 barrier.