This week’s theme: Tina Brooks as sideman and leader n Blue Note. Featured artists include Tina Brooks, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, Sam Jones, Clifford Jarvis, Freddie Redd, Jackie McLean, Paul Chambers, Louis Hayes, Blue Mitchell, Kenny Drew, Arthur Taylor, Johnny Coles, Wilbur Ware, Philly Joe Jones, Lee Morgan, Sonny Clark, Doug Watkins, Art Blakey.

This week’s theme: Part two of our exploration of jazz tracks that have the name of a woman in the title. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Bill Evans, Eddie Costa, Ray Charles, Paul Desmond, Jim Hall, Art Blakey, Eddie Jefferson, Lee Morgan, Bobby Timmons, Benny Golson, Billy Taylor, Stan Getz, Al Haig, Jimmy Raney, Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes, Barry Harris, Jimmy Rushing, Coleman Hawkins, Jackie McLean, Freddie Redd, Tina Brooks, Nat King Cole, Sweets Edison, and more.

This week’s theme: Jazz tracks that reference U.S. cities and states. Featured artists include Al Cohn, Barry Harris, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Rouse, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich, Rosemary Clooney, John Oddo, Richie Cole, Bruce Forman, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Nancy LaMott, Freddie Redd and many more.

By Stuart Levine

I recently attended a big jazz vinyl record sale held by “Jazz Tokyo,” the flagship store of Japan’s Disk Union retail chain. They do this twice a year during Golden Week, a holiday in Japan, and again at the end of the year. The store had accumulated hundreds of used Blue Notes, putting many on the wall but most in the racks. Gems were at hand and serious crate digging commenced upon the store opening at 11:00 am. My friend, Charles Pearlman, who is the eBay seller known as “Strictly Headies,” flew out from Portland, Oregon. Together, we dug and came away with some impressive titles, two of which were Mobley 1568 and 1550. As for the condition, I’d say 1568 VG+/VG+ and 1550 NM-/NM-

I do believe luck played a part in our successful day there at Jazz Tokyo. You see, I had carried with me a paper fortune earlier acquired from a visit to a Shinto shrine in the neighborhood where I live in Japan. As Charlie and I waited among many others outside the store for it to open, we received random numbers, giving us our positions in line. I got #8 and he #15. Well, since he had traveled such a long distance, I just had to give him my lower number, right? Suffice to say, his favorable position and digging prowess got him the two Mobleys.

But I would be remiss not to mention a box of records Charlie bought on another day from a private collector. There was a pristine stereo Waltz for Debby, Saxophone Colossus with a turquoise-tinted cover (first?) and Jackie McLean’s the New Tradition on Ad Lib. You know the one – with that gorgeous cover.  And clean! Charlie says, “It plays quiet as a mouse pissin’ on cotton.” Damn if they don’t have the records in Japan.

Speaking of 10-inch Blue Notes, here is Jutta Hipp, Jutta, Blue Note 5056. This looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding is a bit over $500, with more than three days left on the auction. The seller is The Jazz Record Center, which is back with another cool auction, this one focused on 10-inch LPs, including a copy of Miles Davis Volume 2, mentioned above, but without added attraction of the blue note story insert. The JRC version looks to be in very nice condition, probably VG++ for the record and cover. No takers so far at $100.

Whilst on the subject of The Jazz Record Center, let’s get back to some of the records we were watching previously, specifically those lovely Sonny Clark’s:

Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. Final price: $4,49.44. A new record. Well, not a new vinyl record, but a new record high, topping the previous high by more than $1,000, according to Popsike.

Sonny Clark, Dial S for Sonny, Blue Note 1570. Final price: $4,052. Another record high.

Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091. Final price: $2,703. Surprise: Not another record high. Popsike had a copy selling for $7,300 back in 2018, but I seem to recall that one was in dispute as to whether it sold and at what price. But there was also a copy that sold for $3,601 in 2022.

Sonny Clark Trio, Time 70010. Final price $1,525. Not quite the highest price ever recorded for this record, but the second highest. In 2013 a copy sold for $1,875, again according to Popsike.

Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was not an original pressing, lacking the New York 23 on the label. Still, a lovely pressing to own. The final price was $1,247. A few years ago, I traded a similar copy, in lovely condition, for an original copy of Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd. And I wrote about it here Shades of . . . . . I do remember being slightly admonished by one reader (Mark, if you are still out there) for not getting the right value for my trade, but I think time has shown that they were both of probably equal value based on condition, not to mention that I had two copies of Sonny’s Crib (including an original) and had been searching for an original of Shades of Redd for 40 years.

Moving on . . . as I mentioned at the top, my watch list runneth over, so I should be doing another post over the weekend. I should say that I’m enjoying being back on eBay and posting more regularly, and not just the Jazz Collector Live as I was doing for a while. BTW is anyone listening to the podcasts? I hardly get any feedback.

A couple of other items before I bid adieu. A reader recently sent me a note asking if the listings in my Price Guide are actual sales or just listings. Here is my reply: “They are actual sales. I haven’t updated the Price guide in years because there is a much better site for that.

If you are not familiar with Popsike, you should check them out. They track everything on eBay and are current. I was doing it manually for years, but they have developed software that is far more efficient.”

I also heard from a young reader (age 22), who is looking to make contact with jazz fans who saw live jazz in the 1950s. If you are interested in sharing your experiences – Rudolf? – you can comment on this post or send me an email, or, if you’d like, write a post about your highlights and I will happily publish it here at Jazz Collector. I was born in 1953, and while I did see some jazz in the 1950s — because my Dad was a bit of a nut and took me to jazz clubs before my seventh birthday — I have no real recollections, other than seeing George Shearing and wondering how anyone blind could play the piano, and possibly seeing Miles Davis, which would have meant I may have also seen John Coltrane. But who knows if that is a real memory or just wishful thinking.

The post Lots of Cool Stuff in this Post first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/lots-of-cool-stuff-in-this-post/feed/ 4 9559 https://jazzcollector.com/podcast/podcast-the-best-of-jazz-collector-live-part-2/ https://jazzcollector.com/podcast/podcast-the-best-of-jazz-collector-live-part-2/#respond Mon, 01 Jul 2024 11:31:48 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9459 This week’s theme: Highlights from the first year of the Jazz Collector Live radio show and podcast, as well as a look ahead at some [...]

Let’s do this in real time. So far, I’m finding a lot of records with really high start prices and zero bids, starting with: Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 1502, original Lexington Avenue pressing. Great looking cover, as you can see. Record and cover are graded in Excellent condition, which the seller describes as “VERY” nice, although not quite mint minus. Start price is close to $1,900 and the buy it now price is close to $2,900.

How about Gil Melle, Gil’s Guests, Prestige 7063? This is an original New York yellow label listed in VG+ condition for the record and what I would call an “iffy” VG cover. How about $900 to start? And here’s a record I once owned but traded away in a very bad deal for me: Sonny Red, Out of the Blue Note 4032. The record and cover are graded VG+, with some surface noise on the vinyl. The start price is about $800.

Doing this in real time, I have completed the first page of 60 listings of jazz records sorted by highest prices on eBay. I kid you not – there is not a single record that has even one bid. Astrud Gilberto, The Shadow of Your Smile, $2,000. No? Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, $400. No?

To be fair, there are some records that will likely be sold and perhaps well into the $1,000 bin. I’m looking at Freddie Hubbard Hub Cap, Blue Note 4073, and . . . . not much more. Let’s move on to page 2. I’m determined to find a record that has at least one bid.

Nothing yet. Passing Chet Baker, It Could Happen to You, Sonny Rollins, Rollins Plays For Bird, both in the $300 range, passing Freddie Redd, The Connection at $250, Miles Davis, Relaxin’ at $250. OK. Now I’m starting to worry that something is wrong with my internet connection or eBay. Nothing? Let’s keep going.

Ding, ding, ding. Nearly 100 records down, our first record that has any bids, and, I must admit, it’s a good one: Cliff Jordan, Blue Note 1565. This looks to be an original pressing with the New York 23 labels. The record is graded M- and the cover is graded EX. There are actually 10 bids and the price is currently at about $230 with less than two days left on the auction.

Well, that was fun. Clearly, my absence from posting, has had a dramatic impact on the market.

Kenny Dorham, ‘Round About Midnight at the Café Bohemia, Blue Note 1524. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was in only VG condition and the cover was only G+. Despite those condition issues the record sold for $2,125.99. From the same seller came Kenny Dorham and the Jazz Prophets, Volume 1, ABC Paramount 122. This was in VG condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. The final price was $450, quite a disparity between this one and the Blue Note, which must be label-related, since the music on both is quite excellent. I wonder if ABC Paramount ever intended to issue a Volume 2 of this record, or maybe even a Volume 3. I have the Japanese pressings of Volume 2 and Volume 3 of the Café Bohemia records, but I don’t think there was ever a Volume 2 of the Jazz Prophets.

Finally we see Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This was an original West 63^rd Street pressing listed in VG condition for the record and VG- for the cover. The final price was $1,259. Glad I have an original after all of those years of searching (Shades Of . . . ).

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.

Here’s another from the UK, different seller: Paul Gonsalves Quartet, Boom-Jackie-Boom-Chick, Vocalion LAE 587. This looks to be an original UK pressing. The record is listed in EX or EX- condition and the cover looks to be about VG+. The start price is about $1,650 and so far there are no bidders. I don’t own a copy of this record. Do the liner notes explain the title? If so, or even if not, does someone out there have an explanation?

Bank to Hank: Hank Mobley, Mobley’s Message, Prestige 7061. This is an original New York yellow label pressing. The seller describes feelable scratches. Not a good sign. Cover looks good from the picture, at least VG+, maybe a stretch to VG++. The start price is $440, but there are no bidders so far. I guess if a beat up, partially eaten copy of Cool Struttin’can sell for nearly $1,200, then perhaps a feelable scratches copy of Mobley’s Message will sell for a big price as well? These days, who knows?

Back to vinyl-house-uk for one more for old time’s sake: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This is an original West 63^rd Street pressing. The record is another one of those EX/EX+ listings and the cover is plain old EX. The bidding is just shy of $1,000 with nearly two days left.