Tag: Donald Byrd

High Tide for Jazz Vinyl

20 comments

Ella and Louis, Verve 4003. This was an original pressing with the orange and yellow label. It was listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The seller was Carolina Soul. The final price was $465, the highest we’ve ever seen for Ella and Louis. Music doesn’t get any better than this, IMHO. Pretty good cover too, wouldn’t you say? I didn’t realize this had become this highly valued as a collectible but, hey, if I didn’t have a copy of this record I’d be fine to pay the going rate. Maybe even sell one Blue Note and get two or three copies of Ella and Louis, just in case.

Read more

Lexingon Avenue, to West 63rd, To St. Louis

5 comments

Let’s look at various items sitting in my watch list for various reasons, starting with The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume One, Blue Note 1505. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was probably in VG+ condition and the cover was probably VG+ as well, based on the pictures. The final price was $610. I flagged this one because my recollection was that this record wasn’t among the Blue Notes you would expect to see in the $1,000 bin, being a pre Van Gelder Blue Note that was a compilation of music originally issued on 78-RPM or on 10-inch vinyl. I wasn’t surprised to see the $600 price tag because nothing would surprise me these days and because, hey, it’s an original Lexington Avenue Blue Note, and just holding one of these in your hands is a thrill. Not to mention the presence of Clifford Brown and Charles Mingus, among others, on the record. I did check in with Popsike and discovered that The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume One has, indeed, had a presence in the $1,000 bin, selling for more than $1,500 back in 2010, well before the most recent market spike. Read more

Miscellaneous Music and Musings

9 comments

Back from a road trip that took me from The Berkshires to Chapel Hill to DC to New York and back. Didn’t stop in a single record store along the way and returned home to find that there are now two new record stores a few hundred feet apart in the little town of Great Barrington near my home. One of the record stores opens next week, the other opened this past weekend. I stopped by the one that has opened and it has the feeling of a guy clearing out his house, basement, garage and attic of a lot of stuff. But there were definitely records to view and buy, particularly if you are into vocals. I came upon a lot of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, but I can’t vouch for the conditions. As of now, there is no organization to the store, everything seems to be thrown in at random. I did find three 10-inch records to buy: Lars Gullin on Vogue, James Moody on Emarcy and Frank Rosolino on Capital. They seemed in decent enough condition at the store, but when I took them out of the car I realized I would have to sneak them into the house because they smelled of mildew. I may go back to check out the store again, but I’ll be careful. Maybe next time I’ll take off the mask so I can make use of my sense of smell before buying anything. As for the other store, I’ll check it out when it opens and get back to you with a report.

Read more

Rare Jazz Vinyl, Pristine and Not

9 comments

On my eBay watch list this week are some rare Gene Ammons records from our friend Rudolf, including Gene Ammons All Stars, Jammin’ With Gene, Prestige 7060. This is an original New York pressing that looks to be in pristine, nearly new condition. The bidding is at $106 with more than four days left on the auction. I don’t often listen to these jam session type records, but whenever I do, I am pleasantly surprised. Of course, it does help to have musicians like Ammons, Jackie Mclean, Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, Doug Watkins and Mal Waldron. Rudolf, if you are watching Jazz Collector my question is: Are you selling duplicates or are you digging deeper into your own collection, perhaps starting with the A’s? While we’re on the subject, here’s another: Gene Ammons, Funky Hi-Fi Jam Session, Prestige 7083. This is another original New York promo copy that also looks to be in pristine condition. Where can you possibly find records like these in that condition, like buying them new in a record store in the ’50s. Bidding on this is at about $102, also with more than four days left. Read more

Blue Note Temptation

3 comments

I haven’t bid on a record on eBay in a long time, so long I can’t remember when, so long that I no longer have access to any sniping software. But today, I am strongly considering making a bid on something. If I was greedy, I wouldn’t share my intentions here, but I don’t have high hopes of winning the record because I don’t think my bid will be nearly sufficient. For the record (pun intended), the record is Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This looks to be an almost original pressing with one New York 23 label and it is listed in VG++ condition for both the record and probably VG+ for cover. Read more

This is New; And So Is That

11 comments

Pardon the interruption. Since I last posted, I’ve driven back and forth to Chapel Hill, written about a dozen papers for work and even tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. It’s been busy here and I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time on my records or on Jazz Collector. Having said that, I plugged back into eBay this morning and pulled a few records to share with you, starting with Kenny Drew, This is New, Riverside 236. This is an original white label pressing and it looks to be in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. This is a nice quartet/quintet record featuring Donald Byrd and Hank Mobley. Put it on Blue Note with this personnel from this era and you have a record that would be a regular in the $1,000 bin. On Riverside, the bidding is in the $275 range with the auction closing later today. Read more

Another Sides

7 comments

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

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

16 comments

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

Ornette, Intrigue, Esquire and More

18 comments

Today we will get back to the normal business of watching and commenting on jazz vinyl for sale and we will also pose some reader questions and comments. Let’s start with Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz To Come, Atlantic 1317. This is a deep groove pressing, unplayed, still with its original loose sleeve. The start price is around $200 and the auction closes today with no bidders. This record caught my eye because in my other room just down the hall I have a copy of this record still with its original seal unopened. Oh, yes, and the record happened to be owned by Ornette himself. Oh, yes, and it is part of a collection that I recently purchased and am looking to sell in toto. Intrigued? I will be providing more details soon, because, as always, there was an adventure and a story that goes with it. In the meantime, if anyone is interested you know where to find me, alatjazzcollectordotcom. Read more

Grails, Holy Grails and Actual Jazz Records

8 comments

Nice discussion on the previous post. Here are a bunch of rare jazz records on my eBay watch list as I prepare to take a brief holiday. Let’s start with Donald Byrd, Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill, Transition 17. The seller uses one of our least favorite terms, “Holy Grail,” which wouldn’t apply to this record even if it was suitable language, if you get my drift. Anyway, this looks to be an original pressing with the booklet. The record is listed in Ex condition and the cover looks to be a fairly generous VG. The bidding is in the $1,300 range with more than four days left on the auction, so you could see this in the $2,000 bin when all is said and done. The top price for this record, according to Popsike, has been about $3,840. I was fortunate when I purchased the collection in Baltimore to get a beautiful clean original copy of this record.

Read more

1 2 3 4 5 … 12