Tag: Dexter Gordon

Red, White and Blue Note

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I appreciate all of the advice on what to do with my collection, how much it’s worth, who will buy it, etcetera, etcetera. One of these days, something will happen, but I don’t know when and I can’t imagine I’ll go the Lennib route, at least for as long as I can put Coltrane on the turntable and know that it’s Coltrane that I’ve put on the turntable. In any case, I am watching jazz vinyl with renewed interest and ready to do my normal work here of writing about what I’m watching and, on occasion, writing about what I’m listening to and, on rarer and rarer occasions, what I’m buying. So, let’s start with Red Rodney, Signal 1206. This looks to be an original pressing, listed in VG+ condition for the record and VG- for the cover. Quite a rhythm section on this record with Tommy Flanagan, Oscar Pettiford and Philly Joe Jones. Question: Can anyone think of another record with that rhythm section. Off the top of my head, I can’t. So we have the record VG+ and the cover VG- and a final price of $1,324. Hmm. Read more

Variations on a Vinyl Theme

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Here’s some random jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay, starting with Miles Davis, The New Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7014. This looks to be an original New York yellow label pressing with the original green cover. Coltrane’s first LP with Miles. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition. The bidding is at $56 with five days left on the auction. From the same seller, and also under $100 (for now) is Lou Donaldson, Lou Takes Off, Blue Note 1591. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record is listed in VG condition and the cover is VG++. Bidding is at $51 with five days left. Read more

Filling Up the $1,000 Bin

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Catching up on the eBay jazz vinyl watch list. Let’s start with one that was sent to me by Japhy: Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This was an original deep-groove. West 63rd Street mono. The record and the cover were both in VG++ condition. The final price was $1,650. Japhy’s note was titled “Swinging for the fences,” and he did my homework for me: “A new high of $1,650 for Jackie McLean Swing, Swang, Swingin’ in reported VG++/VG++ condition. Prior high was $1,283 back in 2005.” Speaking of “Swingin’” new highs, we were watching this one the other day: Read more

A Period Piece and More

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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.
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Benson, Bird, Dex and More

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Last week I posted that video of the guy who bought George Benson’s record collection (In The Mailbox: Yikes, Yowzas & George Benson’s Collection). Now we are starting to see some records from the collection coming onto eBay, starting with Dexter Gordon, A Swingin’ Affair, Blue Note 4133. This is an original New York USA pressing featuring Sonny Clark on piano. The record is listed in VG condition and the cover looks to be about VG+. The bidding is in the $125 range with eight days left on the auction. There are already 16 bids and 83 watchers, which will surely increase with this post. It’s a great record and a nice collectible: Does the fact that it was probably owned by George Benson have an impact on the price? If you were considering buying this record, would it matter to you? Read more

Marketing, Language, Hyperbole and Collectible Jazz Vinyl

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Where was I? Oh, yeah, collectible jazz vinyl. The seller vinyl-house-uk has some interesting items for sale on eBay, including the Wardell Gray Memorial Album, Volume 2, Prestige 7009. This is an original New York yellow label listed in VG+ condition for the record and the cover. The bidding is already at about $775 with more than four days left on the auction. This is already the highest price ever for this record, according to Popsike.  In the same lot, the same seller is offering the Wardell Gray Memorial Album, Volume 1, Prestige 7008. This is also an original New York pressing in lesser condition than Volume 2, probably closer to VG all around. The bidding is at about $140. What I find interesting in these auctions is how the seller chose to list/market them. Volume 2 is promoted as “Wardell Gray/Sonny Criss/ Dexter Gordon.” Volume 1 is “Wardell Gray/Al Haig/Tommy Potter.” Do you think those headings make a difference? I absolutely do. Somehow, I’m more interested if Dexter Gordon is on a record versus Tommy Potter. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems to be leading to a record price for a record in just VG+ condition. Read more

Just Another Ho-Hum Day on eBay

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Here are some of the more interesting jazz vinyl collectibles we’ve been watching on eBay. Let’s start with Dexter Gordon, Dexter Calling, Blue Note 4083. This is a mono pressing with the New York USA labels and the RVG stamp in the dead wax. It does not have the Plastylite ear, which, to my knowledge, would probably make it a second press. The seller calls it an original first pressing and states clearly that he will never use any Blue Note guide to assess the generation of any Blue Note pressing. Fair enough. I should note that the seller is Bobdjukic, who, with all due respect, is a tremendously successful marketer on eBay who apparently has a coterie of devoted collectors who trust him and pay top dollar for many of his listings, including this one, which was listed in M- condition for the record and some version of VG++ for the cover. The final price was $1,913.90. According to Popsike that is a new high for Dexter Calling, nearly lapping the previous high price of $1,045. Read more

Condition Still Counts (At Least For These Records)

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Normally my eBay watch list is filled with records I am watching to fulfill my mission here at Jazz Collector. There are very few occasions when I actually bid on records and, if you’ve been keeping track, even fewer occasions when my bids are successful. One of the records in my watch list that was for both Jazz Collector and potential purchase purposes was this one: Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 84140. Somehow in more than 50 years of jazz collecting, this record has never made it onto my shelves, and it is a classic, isn’t it, with Blue Bossa and Recorda-Me and Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson? Anyway, this is an original stereo pressing and, I was thinking, perhaps because it was stereo and not mono, the price might be in line with my sensibilities. The record is in VG++ condition and the cover is M- and when I first spotted the record it was in the $200 range. We are now two hours from closing as I write this and the price is close to $600. I expect it to sell for a bit more than that, so I will just keep looking. I still don’t know why I don’t have a copy. I mean, back when I started collecting I probably could have gotten a Liberty pressing for $5 or so at any of the local record stores. Read more

What Sides Are On Your Turntables?

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What’s everyone listening to in isolation? I can tell you what I’m doing. First off, I’m listening to my records more frequently than I have in a while. I guess being locked down with nowhere to go can be inspirational in that sense. I frequently go to records that I’ve loved but haven’t listened to in a while, or at least records that I haven’t listened to mindfully. Records, versus CDs or streams or anything digital, have sides. l still put on my “go to” sides for a lot of the records, listen to that side, and then move on to another record. Even with the infamous Shades of Redd my temptation was to just listen to Side One, which was my original preference. But, after all of the hoopla I made through the years about finding that record, I would have felt guilty not listening carefully to both sides and was pleased to have done so. Side Two is awesome, the equal of Side One. Read more

Original Blue Notes? $1.57 Each? I’m a Dreamer, Aren’t We All?

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Back on eBay. This seller has a lot of nice records closing today, including: Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This is a West 63rd Street second pressing that looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and probably VG+ for the cover. The bidding is in the $465 range, fairly steep for a non-first pressing. One of the things that caught my eye was the shrink wrap still on the cover. A first pressing wouldn’t have had the shrink, but what struck me was the sticker on the shrink, which said “SPECIAL PRICE $1.57.” Imagine being able to buy this for $1.57. On further examination, the seller has a bunch of other original pressings with the same SPECIAL PRICE $1.57 sticker, including Dexter Gordon. A Swingin’ Affair, Blue Note 4133; Duke Pearson, Wahoo!, Blue Note 4191; and Donald Byrd, A New Perspective, Blue Note 4124, among others. I have a dream where I go back in time and walk into a record store and all of these records are sitting there at $1.57, sealed, and I buy them all, every last one. Read more

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