Here’s another nice Prestige:

Phil Woods, Sahib Shihab, Gene Quill and Hal Stein, Four Altos, Prestige 7116. This is an original New York yellow label pressing with the deep grooves. The record and cover are both listed in VG++ condition. The bidding is in the $120 range with five days left.

And one more: Jack Sheldon, The Quartet and the Quintet, Jazz West 6. I would love to have an original pressing of this record, but not in this condition. The record and the cover are both listed as VG-. And the start price is $200. Given the condition, methinks the seller is being quite optimistic, but we shall see. We’ve seen many Blue Notes in worse condition sell for higher prices, but those are Blue Notes and this is not.

Here’s another Mobley being offered by one of our regular readers/commenters: Hank Mobley Quartet, Blue Note 5066. This is an original 10-inch record. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition and, as an added bonus, the record comes with the brochure “The Blue Note Story,” which I’ve written about in the past. This one closes later today and the bidding is in the $460 range, yet is has not yet reached the seller’s reserve price.

Here are a couple of interesting ones from the U.K.:

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Esquire 32-045. This is an original British pressing listed in M- condition for the record and Ex+ for the cover. The start price is about $315 and so far there are no bidders. From the same seller comes: Moondog, Esquire 32-055. This is also an original first pressing from the U.K. It is listed in M- condition for the record and Ex for the cover. There are already two bids on this record, and the price is in the $250 range. So explain this to me: I once owned the Moondog record on Prestige and listened to it a couple of times, but, clearly, I didn’t get it. I know Charlie Parker was a fan and Moondog was respected in some circles but, face it, he was no Sonny Rollins and the Moondog record was no Saxophone Colossus. So why is there interest in the Moondog Esquire record, but not necessarily Saxophone Colossus? The price difference is only about $65. Which one would you rather have?

Red Garland, A Garland of Red, Esquire 32-046. This is also an original Esquire listed in Ex+ condition for the record and Ex for the cover. There is also one bidder and the record is in the $70 range.

Lou Donaldson, Light-Foot, Blue Note 4053. This was an original deep groove, West 63rd Street pressing. The record was listed in VG++ to M- condition and the cover was a strong VG+. The price was $481.

From the same seller came:

Jackie McLean, Destination Out, Blue Note 4165. This was an original mono and promo pressing listed in VG+ or better condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $388.

So I’ve been writing a bit lately about how some of the European pressings have been catching my eye, such as that 10-inch French Zoot Sims record yesterday and some of the Prestiges that were released on Esquire. And our friend CeeDee sent me a link a few weeks ago to a seller who had a bunch of these pressings, and the prices were pretty low, and I actually put in a bid on a couple of records and wound up with this:

Jackie McLean, Lights Out, Esquire 32-041. This was an original UK pressing that was listed in VG condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. I put in a snipe of more than $60 and wound up buying the record for $25.49. The nice thing about it is, now that I have two places of residence, I can keep my U.S. original pressing in one location, and this nice British pressing in the other. I listened to the Esquire pressing the other day and it sounded great,  probably as good as the original Prestige, although I’m not sure my ears would pick up any slight variations. And the condition of the vinyl, to my pleasant surprise, was better than advertised. The biggest problem, of course, is now that I’ve taken the first step down this path of replicating my original Prestiges with European pressings, where will it end, if, indeed, it ever ends at all. And I’m sure there will be people among the Jazz Collector audience to remind me that once upon a time I set out upon a Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown, which is fading obscurely into a distant memory even as I type this post.

Bud Powell, The Scene Changes, Blue Note 4009. This was an original pressing that as described in excellent condition for the record and the cover, which I will interpret to VG++ when I place this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, which I will do eventually. This one sold for $515.

Guess I’m not going to get a black-label copy of Giant Steps this week. This one had no bidders when we last looked, but wound up attracting three bids and sold for $284.99. C’est la vinyl.

This is a cool one I’ve never seen before:

Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound, Esquire 32-123. This is an original British pressing. The cover is real interesting, a great picture of Dolphy and the mention of bass clarinet, alto and flute. This one is probably in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The start  price is $150 and so far there are no bidders, but there are six days to go. On this one, I also love the cover on the original New Jazz in the states: One of my favorite covers in fact. I wonder what the philosophy was, or perhaps copyright issues, in issuing separate covers in the U.K versus the U.S. Perhaps someone out there will enlighten us.

Another record with a very interesting cover closing today is:

Toshiko Akiyoshi, Her Trio and Her Quartet, Storyville 918. This is an original 1956 pressing that is listed in VG++ condition for both the vinyl and the cover. The current price is $100 and there are two bidders, so this might be gettable for a decent price. It features Oscar Pettiford and Roy Haynes. I’m not an expert on art, but the cover design looks like Joan Miro to me. I will look it up later, or perhaps by the time I get back someone will provide the answer.