When Dexter Gordon first came back and recorded for Blue Note in the 1960s, his first two dates were Doin’ Allright and Dexter Calling. His next recording was as a sideman. To whom was he a sideman, and what was the name of the LP? Extra credit: Who were the other musicians? You can look it up, but it’s more fun if you don’t.
We’d mentioned the other day that we were watching some Blue Notes so today we will catch up on some of the items we’ve been watching.
Wayne Shorter, JuJu, Blue Note 4182. This was an original pressing in M- condition, both record and cover. It was sold by Euclid Records, which generally means it will get top dollar. This one did: It sold for $443.88. We’ve only tracked this record one time previously in the Jazz Collector Price Guide and it sold for $115 in VG++ condition. So this will go into the Price Guide as a new high point for this record.
Kenny Dorham, Afro Cuban, Blue Note 1535. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was VG++ and the cover was pretty beat, listed as G+ or VG-. Despite the poor condition of the cover, the record still sold for $483.
Bennie Green, Back on the Scene, Blue Note 1587. This was an interesting one because the seller
We are up in the lovely Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, sitting on our porch with the lovely Mrs. JC, and looking at jazz records on eBay. Life is not bad. Here are a few items we will be entering into the Jazz Collector Price Guide sometime before the end of the weekend.
John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, Impulse A-77. This was an original stereo pressing with the orange label and gatefold cover. It was in M- condition, both record and cover. It sold or $150. One of the reasons I’m putting this up is that I recently acquired a mono copy in M- to go with my stereo copy, also in M- condition, and I am currently deciding whether to keep both or put one up for auction on eBay, or, perhaps, even sell it here on Jazz Collector. I am open to offers and/or suggestions.
Thelonious Monk, Prestige 7053. This was an original pressing with the cover design by Andy Warhol. It was in VG++/VG++ condition
We’ve been updating the Jazz Collector Price Guide this morning and we just added a fairly large group of records that surpassed the $1,000 price barrier. We’ve mentioned some of these before on Jazz Collector, but it’s interesting to see the group all at once. There are no links attached to these, by the way, so don’t try clicking them. Here goes:
Bent Axen, Let’s Keep the Message, Debut 133. There are actually two copies of this that fit into the category. They were both in M- condition, both cover and record. One sold for $1,790.90 and the other sold for $1,326.
Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. There are two copies of this as well. One was sold by the Jazz Record Center and was in M- condition, both record and cover. It sold for $1,492. the other was in VG++/VG+ condition. It sold for $1,575. Go figure.
Here’s the only one on the list that was a bit of a surprise:
Some more for the Jazz Collector Price Guide. I’m keeping pretty busy with this stuff.
Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was M-. The price was $589.90.
Leonard Feather Presents Bop, Mode 127. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. The price was $80.
Warne Marsh, Music For Prancing, Mode 125. This was also an original pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. It sold for $68.
Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 4176. This one already has received some discussion on the
Ye ask, and ye shall receive. Bethellodge asks on another post that we start a conversation on the topic: “Why do we collect?”
Here’s my story: I started out, probably like most of us, loving the music for the music’s sake. I remember the sound of jazz in my living room, from my father’s collection, and listening to John Coltrane in between classes at Queens College, and going back and discovering Bird and Dexter and Sonny and Clifford and Ella and so many of my heroes. The albums I found early in my searches are so often among my favorites and the albums I put on the turntable most often. Last night I had a half hour to kill and put on Oscar Peterson, West Side Story. It was like getting together with an old friend. In the beginning it was just about the music: Who cared if a pressing was original, as long as I could listen to the music? At some point, however, it became about more than the music, about finding the original pressing and building a collection. In my case, I know part of it is– and always has been — the thrill
We were running out of the house yesterday and we had about 10 minutes to do a quick perusal of eBay, so we did a search of the records ending soonest with the highest prices. This is not a search we normally do, but it was interesting because most of the records that came up were records that could be purchased immediately for a Buy-It-Now price. Most of these were quite high-priced (after all, that was the search criteria), but it’s an interesting way to find something that might be at the top of your want list. In any case, we watched a few of the auction items, and were surprised to see some of the high prices, given what we’re seeing these days with our own auctions on eBay.
This one was the biggest surprise: Dexter Gordon, One Flight Up, Blue Note 4176. This was a mono pressing, New York USA, with one side deep groove. It was listed in excellent condition, record and cover, which we generally translate to VG++ in our terms. The record sold for $415.90, quite a high price for this record. We have previously followed four copies of this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, and it’s never sold for more than $200 in the past. Anyone have any idea why this copy would sell for such a high price in this supposedly down market? I have a NY USA stereo pressing of this record in VG++ condition, and would happily take $200 for it if anyone is interested. Seriously.
Among the other high-ticket items from yesterday, there were:
A few weeks ago we decided to try something new on the site: We put up a record for sale at what we thought was a fairly low price. The record was The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon, Jazzland 929S. This was (and still is) an original stereo pressing. The record and the cover are both in VG++ condition. We put a $25 tag on it, figuring someone would jump on it quickly. But no one did, and still no one has. Part of the reason we were doing this to see if our new e-commerce plug-in was working. We still don’t know. So here’s what we’re doing. We’re lowering the price of the record to $15. If you’re interested, click here and follow the link. We have just the one copy. Once it’s gone, that’s it. Hopefully someone will be interested in a bargain, and hopefully the system will work.
What was Dexter Gordon’s first LP for the Blue Note label? Who were the other musicians? Extra credit if you don’t look it up (as always, we rely on the honor system).
The pianist Argonne Thornton played on classic recordings such as Charlie Parker’s “Now’s the Time” and Dexter Gordon’s “Dexter’s Deck.” He later changed his name. What new name did he take?
