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Here’s an interesting beauty: Lester Young, Norgran, 1022. This is an original deep groove yellow label pressing, with a “For Demonstration Only Not For Sale” stamp placed prominently on the beautiful David Stone Martin cover and again on both sides of the labels. The record is graded in M- condition and the cover is Ex. The auction closes in a couple of days and the start price is about $775, with no bidders yet. I’ve always found the Norgran/Verve Pres records to be hit and miss, music wise, although the packages are always attractive. I came across a Sonny Rollins interview on YouTube the other day where he was talking with reverence about this stage of Pres’s career, so it is causing me to re-assess. Check out the clip – Sonny talks about Pres playing Three Little Words and how Sonny used to play it every single night. I can vouch for that, because in the early and mid 1970s, I used to go to see Sonny every night at the Vanguard or the Half Note in midtown, and every single night he would play Three Little Words.

In case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t been posting as frequently as I used to at Jazz Collector. 🙂 A few weeks ago in a post called Random Notes from the Jazz Collector Inbox, I posed the question: “What’s the verdict on the current crop of OJC” pressings from Craft recordings. I received a thoughtful reply the other day from reader Alun Severn from the UK. He writes as follows:

“What’s the verdict on the current crop of OJCs? Maybe I’ll pick one up, just to report back to you all. 

Well, it’s a confusing situation, I think. I can see no real logic evident in what gets pressed as a premium Craft OJC at around $35+, and what gets pressed as a bog-standard OJC reissue at around $20 or so. The premium ones I refer to are the Kevin Grey/Stoughton-jacketed ones with the obi strip.

In my experience, the premium obi-stripped ones are superb. I have bought a number and have yet to have a problem of any kind. The bog-standard OJC reissues are another matter entirely. I have returned at least one because it arrived warped and dirty. I can clean dirty records, and do, but I will not accept warped records. I’ve had one or two that certainly sounded no better than a mid-80s Fantasy distributed OJC, and possibly not as good. And I’ve had a couple (Moonbeams and How My Heart Sings come to mind) that to my ears sound excellent.

Conclusion:  I have become very wary of the bog-standard OJC reissues but if here in the UK I can find the premium obi-stripped ones at not too inflated a price then I get them without hesitation knowing that they will be as good and as any of the premium remasters Kevin Gray is currently involved with.

I hope this helps. Regards,   Alun”

Thank you, Alun. Very helpful, indeed. At least to me.

The post A Jazz Vinyl Potpourri: Blue Notes, Pres, OJCs first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/a-jazz-vinyl-potpourri-blue-notes-pres-ojcs/feed/ 9 9691 https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/catching-up-on-some-high-end-blue-note-vinyl/ https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/catching-up-on-some-high-end-blue-note-vinyl/#comments Thu, 14 Dec 2023 13:38:14 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9343 Time to follow up on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note [...]

Time to follow up on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original West 63^rd Street pressing offered by the Jazz Record Center. It looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. When we spotted this there were four days left in the auction and the bidding was at $1,600. The final price was $2,753. Still a market for the high-end stuff from reputable sellers, right? From the same auction there was Sheila Jordan, Portrait of Sheila, Blue Note 9002. This was an original New York USA pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $306. Keeping up with the Jordans, I guess.

More  from the same auction: The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing that looked to be in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. The final price was $2,555, with 11 bidders and 17 bids. Those Lexington Avenue labels with the scripted lettering still give me chills. And another: Joe Henderson, Inner Urge, Blue Note 4189. This was an original New York USA pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and cover, with the cover protected by the original shrink wrap. Thirteen bidders, 29 bids and a final price of $1,028.91.

Condition still counts (sometimes): Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. This was an original West 63^rd Street pressing  that had a start price of $2,000. The condition was “solid VG” for the vinyl, with some tics on the playback. The cover was VG++. The record did not sell this time around. I’m sure it will be back, if it is not back already.

Finally, Sabu, Palo Congo, Blue Note 1561, sold for $698. Jazz or not jazz, that seems to be the question. Either way, it’s a cool Blue Note cover, and a cool New York 23 label.

The post Catching Up on Some High-End Blue Note Vinyl first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]>

Here we go. A record with a bid. Three bids, in fact: Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This is an original West 63^rd Street pressing offered for auction by the Jazz Record Center. The record and cover both look to be in M- condition. The auction closes in a little more than four days and the bidding is at $1,600. If there’s one high-priced item from the Jazz Record Center, I would expect more to come. Let’s keep searching.

And here’s another: The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record and cover are described as being in “excellent condition,” which I would take to be VG++ in the language that we normally use here at Jazz Collector. There are five bids and the price is $880. This one seems destined for the $1,000 bin, at least.

As I’m searching I’m passing some of the ones I saw last week and didn’t get bids, including Gil Melle, Gil’s Guests; and Sonny Red, Out of the Blue.   Don’t think they’ll do any better this week.

Finally, here’s a Blue Note you don’t see very often: Sabu, Palo Congo, Blue Note 1561.This is an original New York 23 pressing listed in VG condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding is in the $575 range with about three days left on the auction. I’ve never owned this record, never seen a copy other than in pictures, and never listed to the music. But, then again, I’ve only been collecting jazz for about 53 years.

I’m kind of enjoying this process of doing live eBay searches and  posting in real time. I may make a habit of posting this way.

Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This is an original New York yellow label. The record and cover are listed as VG+. Bidding is in the $900 range with more than five days left. From the same seller: Thelonious Monk Trio, Prestige 7027. This is also an original New York yellow. Record and cover are both listed as VG++. Start price is $200 and so far there are no bids.

Now for some of the Blue Notes:

Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 4140. This is an original New York USA mono. Discerning buyers would probably grade the record as VG based on the seller’s description. The cover is listed as VG+. Bidding is in the $150 range with more than five days left. From the same seller: Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This is an original West 63^rd mono pressing. The record is VG+ and the cover is EX. Bidding is in the $700 range.

Cannonball Adderley, Somethin’ Else, Blue Note 1595. This is an original West 63^rd mono pressing, listed in M- condition for the record and EX for the cover. Bidding is at $600 with more than a day left on the auction.

From the seller Carolinasoul we have Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031. This is an original West 63^rd mono listed in VG condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding is in the $160 range with more than six days left. I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that this record, despite being VG, will end up in the $1,000 bin. Pretty safe limb, I think.

The post A Supreme Love Supreme, Prestiges and Blue Notes first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/a-supreme-love-supreme-prestiges-and-blue-notes/feed/ 8 8963 https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/familiar-names-and-titles-for-the-1000-bin/ https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/familiar-names-and-titles-for-the-1000-bin/#comments Mon, 18 Oct 2021 13:04:38 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=8833 Catching up on some more jazz vinyl auctions on eBay, starting with Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, New Jazz 8217. This was an original purple label [...]

Catching up on some more jazz vinyl auctions on eBay, starting with Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, New Jazz 8217. This was an original purple label mono deep groove pressing. The record features John Coltrane among others. The record and cover were listed in M- condition, although the picture of the bag cover is clearly not M-, and is probably just VG+.  The final price was $1,675. Based on Popsike, that is the highest price we’ve seen for The Cats, possibly more than double the previous high.

Whilst we are perusing the $1,000 bin: Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original West 63^rdStreet pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The final price was $1,514.89. This one had a start price of about $5,000 but did not sell: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original pressing. The record was listed as M-, but the cover was VG-. It is back on eBay for the same start price.

When I wrote about this one the first time, the bidding was less than $1,000 with nearly two days left on the auction: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This was an original West 63^rd Street pressing listed in EX/EX+ condition for the record and EX for the cover. The final price was, ta da, $2,670.

The seller, vinyl-house-uk, had a pretty nice haul the week that this one closed. In addition to Shades of Redd, there were original pressings of:

Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582: $1,938, VG+ for the vinyl and EX+ for the cover.

Introducing Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1523: $1,719, EX/EX+ for the record and cover.

Hank Mobley Sextet, Blue Note 1560, $2,753, EX for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover.

The post Familiar Names and Titles for The $1,000 Bin first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]>

Horace Silver Quintet, Blue Note 5062. This was an original 10-inch pressing. The record looked to be in VG+ condition and the cover was probably closer to VG based on the description. The final price was $330. And, while we’re on the subject: Horace Silver, Finger Poppin’, Blue Note 4008. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing that looked to be in M- condition for the record, based on the descriptions. The final price was $218.50.

I also had my eye on this one and was a bit surprised to see the final price ending up in the $1,000 bin: Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original pressing but it was in just VG condition for both the record and the cover. When I first posted on this record a couple of weeks ago, it was in the $700 range. The final price was $1,125.

The other Byrd is Byrd’s Eye View, Transition 4. The record looks to be in VG++ condition, based on the seller’s description, and the cover looks to be about VG+. There is also the booklet, which is described as being in “perfect” condition. Bidding is in the $525 range and, by the time most of you read this, the auction will probably be closed. This one is a regular visitor to the $1,000 bin, so I certainly won’t be surprised if this copy ends up there as well, considering the condition.

From the world of Blue Note, here are a few records we are watching, starting with Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record looks to be in M- condition and the cover VG++. The price is in the $570 range as I write this, with the auction closing sometime on Monday.

Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record and the cover are both listed in VG condition. The bidding is already at $700 with five bidders and 21 bids and more than five days left on the auction. Looks like this VG record has, for some reason, created it’s own private bidding war. Curious to see what it eventually sells for.

Wayne Shorter, Speak No Evil, Blue Note 4194. This is an original New York USA mono pressing that looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and VG for the cover. The price is in the $250 range and this is another auction that will probably be closed by the time most of you read this.

That item with the supposed Charlie Parker autograph, 7 Early Miles Davis on Dial, 1 signed by Charle Parker, wound up selling for $406.50. After reading all of the comments on that Jazz Collector post, I tend side more with lennib and think that it was more probably than not an original autograph (sorry Don-Lucky), but the lack of any kind of historical record to prove or disprove would probably have prevented me from bidding. Truth is, I wasn’t on eBay, didn’t think to place a snipe bid and forgot all about the auction. I’m also always hesitant to buy 78s on eBay because of the strong potential for breakage during shipping. All things being equal, though, the lot went for $406.50, which is a price that I would have been happy to pay just for the possibility of having a Bird autograph.

One more for today: Ike Quebec, Bossa Nova Soul Samba, Blue Note 4114. This is an original pressing with the New York USA labels. The record is listed in VG++ condition and the cover is VG+. The bidding is in the $300 range with about three days left on the auction. There was a time, perhaps when I first started collecting, that the Ike Quebec Blue Notes did not seem to be as coveted by collectors as some of the other Blue Notes of that period. That time has certainly passed and, as we noted a few weeks ago, the Quebecs have moved up in value quite nicely and have surpassed many of the other Blue Notes of the era. Why? You tell me.

Overall, it seems to me that prices are a bit lower these days than they have been recently. Does it have to do with the strength of the U.S. dollar? I don’t really keep track of monetary exchange values, but I’ve been surprised at some of the bidding. Not to the point where I’m tempted to jump in, but I would have no problem paying $500 or so for that copy of Flight to Jordan, if I didn’t have a copy of my own in better condition.

Here’s another one that should fetch a higher price than the current bidding would indicate: Doug Watkins, At Large, Transition 20. This is an original pressing with the booklet. The record, cover and booklet all look to be in VG+ or so condition. The auction closes later today and the bidding is in the $370 range. We’ll see where the bidding ends up, but I’d also expect this one to be close to the $1,000 range under normal circumstances, if we can ever use such a phrase to describe the Jazz Collector market.

This one surprises me:

Paul Chambers, A Jazz Delegation from the East, Score 4033. This is a red label pressing, probably from 1958, and it features a young John Coltrane, among others. The record is listed in Ex condition and the cover as Ex- or Ex. There is one bid at $400. My problem with this one is that it’s not an original pressing. The original pressing was on Jazz West and this is on Score. I don’t know what relationship there was between the labels, and if Score was even a legitimate label, but I know that if I were to own a copy of this record at $400 or more it would be the Jazz West version and not the Score. Unfortunately, the one I actually do own is the Score. You can’t have everything.

How about this one: Sonny Rollins on Impulse, Impulse 91. This looks to be an original stereo pressing with the orange label. It is signed by Sonny and, having other Rollins autographs, I can pretty much vow that this is authentic. Maybe Don Lucky can also weigh in. The seller doesn’t give much detail on the condition, other than to say it is excellent, and it certainly looks so from the pictures. The starting bid is at $300 and there is no action yet. I imagine Rollins autographs are not all that rare, seeing as how he is relatively accessible, but I will leave it to Don Lucky and others to take my imagination out of it and put in a dose of reality.