In my mind, I figured that somewhere in the back, not on the shelves, not open for public viewing, Fred had a reserve of old Blue Notes and Prestiges that he only pulled out for special occasions and special customers. Admit it — don’t you all think that way when you go to the Jazz Record Center: That this is the repository of great jazz records and, like a museum, all the great works pass through at some point? So, after going through all the bins I went back to Fred, who was still engaged in conversation with the lovely Mrs. JC, and asked if there was anything in the back rooms, or under the counter, or somewhere that he was holding back on. After all, this was a special occasion, right? He smiled kind of wanly and said there might be something, what did I have in mind? I figured I’d go for the gold, so I mentioned a couple of nice Blue Notes that I’ve always wanted but, for whatever reason, don’t have as original pressings: Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd and Paul Chambers, Bass on Top. Fred kind of chuckled at the mention of those records and the idea that he would just have them lying around somewhere in the store. “Those are pretty rare records,” he said, with a hint of incredulity, then a bit wistfully: “I wish I had them.”

So, in the end, I wound up purchasing the Blue Note book, a Mosaic boxed set and an EMI-Capitol Music edition of Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This, I hope, is an upgrade of the United Artists pressing in my collection. It was not the score I was seeking, but it was fun going through the bins at the Jazz Record Center and seeing what was there and the pricing and the condition. It’s a great gauge of the market and the thing you learn, as you see on eBay, is that while the market for the high-end collectibles continues to go up, demand for what I would call mid-market collectibles is shrinking, meaning that prices are down. And, for records that are not collectible, you wonder if there is any demand at all. As we were heading out, the lovely Mrs. JC said she was disappointed I didn’t get my score, but quite pleased with our excursion because she had a lovely conversation with Fred, who she said  was warm and charming and quite engaging. I looked at her askance: “You didn’t, perchance, offer to sell him my collection, did you?” I asked.  She smiled and then laughed out loud. But, now that I think about it,  she never did answer the question.

How do you like this one? Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original pressing. The vinyl was listed in M- condition, the cover was listed as excellent, with shrink wrap still on it. The top bid was $2,311 and . . . and . . . and . . . and it still failed to meet the reserve price.

The seller roverd-90 had a nice weekend selling Blue Notes. Here are a few:

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and the cover. It received a top bid of $2,264 and actually sold for that price, since there was no reserve. From the same seller was Lee Morgan, Indeed, Blue Note 1538. This was an original Lexington Avenue, flat-edge pressing. The vinyl was M- and the cover was VG+. The price was $1,915. And then there was this:

Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 1, Blue Note 1515. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing, flat edge, kakubushi cover, the works. It was in M- condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. The price was $1,347.