Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Fantasy 85019. This is a stereo pressing. Frankly, I’ve never been that interested in this record and never had an original copy, and I don’t know the criteria that would make it an original. I’ve always loved the music, but I didn’t really get interested in the album until I started doing my Jazz Collector Live radio show and podcast, and I was looking for Christmas music to play on the show. In doing further research, I learned that this is the second highest selling jazz record ever, behind Kind of Blue? The question mark is there because I’m not so sure this is accurate.

In any case, I’m preparing to record my next Christmas show this week, so any ideas are welcomed. This particular copy of A Charlie Brown Christmas is listed in good condition for the record and “worn” for the cover. You would think a record in that condition would be a tough sell, but not this one: There are already 10 bidders and the price is getting close to $200, with the auction closing tomorrow.

Finally, I have one more from the Jazz Collector inbox. A reader sent me this note:

“Subject: Bird. Hi. I found what I believe to be a rare Charlie Parker 7” shellac single. It has his name and Dark Shadows printed on one side of the white label and on the other “Garner original” is printed. I can’t find any references to its existence online in this format and was wondering you had come across it before.”

My reply: “No I haven’t. You can safely assume it is from the Dial label. Dark Shadows was a tune Bird did with the singer Earl Coleman. He also did several sides with Errol Garner, who was on Dial at the same time. Could be some kind of test pressing, not sure. I’m not a huge expert on 78 RPM records. You could send me a photo if you want.”

Here’s one of the photos.

Still didn’t ring a bell with me, and I wasn’t interested in this piece for myself, so I suggested the reader reach out to Fred Cohen at the Jazz Record Center. If you’re reading this Fred I apologize — I seem to send a lot of stuff your way. As I said to this particular reader, Fred is far more knowledgeable than I am. The reader did contact Fred and afterward he sent me this reply:

“Fred said the following: ‘Charlie Parker recorded “DARK SHADOWS” for Dial records on February 19, 1947. He recorded three different versions of the song. Yours is probably a dub (transfer) from another source, but without comparing it to the issued takes it would be impossible to know which one you have.'”

And that, I believe, is the end of this particular story, unless someone here has some additional insight.

The post Back in the Wacky World of Jazz Vinyl on eBay first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/impulse/back-in-the-wacky-world-of-jazz-vinyl-on-ebay/feed/ 0 9792 https://jazzcollector.com/uncategorized/catching-up-bill-evans-tina-brooks-hank-mobley-et-al/ https://jazzcollector.com/uncategorized/catching-up-bill-evans-tina-brooks-hank-mobley-et-al/#respond Fri, 28 Nov 2025 16:11:44 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9764 Life has been busy. Artificial Intelligence tells me the adage “man plans, God laughs” is a Yiddish proverb: “Der mentsh trakht, un got lakht.” Who [...]

Life has been busy. Artificial Intelligence tells me the adage “man plans, God laughs” is a Yiddish proverb: “Der mentsh trakht, un got lakht.” Who knew? While I may not believe in the actual wording, I do understand the sentiment. Fortunately, my health has been good, so that hasn’t been an issue. All of which is to say that most of the time that I’ve had to devote  to my passion for jazz and jazz collecting has been put into my radio show and podcast. As I said, I love doing the radio show, so that’s not a problem. But I do sometimes feel guilty about not writing more frequently here at JazzCollector.com, especially when I go through the emails I’ve saved and realize that I’ve been saving some of them for more than half a year. In any case, I will try to catch up now, even if some of the conversations with readers are too dated to do anything about.

Starting back in July, I saved the article Celebrating Hank Mobley, from the Substack column Jazz and Coffee written by Syd Schwartz. I know there are a lot of Mobley fans out there in the Jazz Collector world, so I think you will enjoy it.

From the same author, I saved the following article Explorations With the Bill Evans Trio.  The author had written the liner notes for an audiophile reissue of Explorations, which he revisits in this post. The liner notes, IMHO, are well written and informative.

The new set, called Haunted Heart: The Legendary Riverside Studio Recordings on the Craft label is just out now, with 17 alternative takes and outtakes that have never been issued. I applied for a review copy and never got a reply, so I guess it’s time to just order it – on vinyl, of course – which I will do just as soon as I finish typing this post.

Also in July, I received a note from a reader as follows:

Subject: Blue Train BLP1577 mono on side 1, stereo on side 2

“Hi, I have a copy of Blue Train, BLP1577, Liberty version, purchased in UK in 1967 that is stamped RVG, BN-LP-1577-A, with 9M on side 1, and RVG Stereo, BN-ST-1577-B on side 2. I have never seen any mention of this combination of mono on side 1, stereo on side 2 before. Have you ever heard of this?”

I replied as follows: “It sounds to me like they used whatever labels they had on hand, rather than the record being stereo on one side and mono on the other. Blue Note was prone to do that, especially during the transition to Liberty. Also, to my knowledge Blue Train was recorded in mono, so if it is stereo, it would be reprocessed stereo. If you want I could put something on my site to see what other collectors think? — al”

His reply: “It’s not the labels that are mixed mono and stereo (they are both BLP1577 – i.e. mono), but the markings on the vinyl record itself. And sure, please share on your site to see if others have come across this. Thanks.”

It’s taken a few months, but here it is if anyone has any thoughts.

Here’s one from August with a happy ending, or so it seems:

Subject: Tina Brooks

“Hi. I have a copy of Tina Brooks true blue first edition is in vgplus condition. On my turntable, one track, true blue, has a series of about eight mild pops. I’m interested in selling it but when I brought it to Fred at the Jazz Record Center he said it has it has a locked groove at that point. Is this something you would be interested in looking at or do you have any advice for me? I know of all the tricks with a toothpick, etc. but it’s such a valuable record. I really don’t wanna fool around with it. Thanks.”

My reply: “I don’t know what a locked groove is, but I’m sure I’ve encountered it.
I used to use a nickel or a quarter, but I would never try something like that on a record like True Blue. I you would like, I can put a note on my site and see if anyone has any ideas and/or if they would be interested. Not sure of an ultrasonic cleaner would help, but a collector I know swears by it. I don’t have one myself.”

His reply: “Thanks for getting back to me. I didn’t know what a locked groove is either, but it’s basically when something keeps the stylus from moving forward and keeps repeating. Well a funny thing happened when I went to pick up the record at JRC… I brought a toothpick with me figuring I would see if I could find something in the groove and get it out, so I asked Fred if he would play the record and we could find the exact spot. Well, it played just like it did on my turntable this time a bunch of pops, but no ‘locked groove’! He tried it on a second turntable and same result. So he’s putting it up for sale now with an appropriate description. Anyway, I just wanted to get back to you and I really appreciate you taking the time to ride with me.”

Here’s one I’ve been saving since September:

Subject: albums test pressing

“ I have a bunch of album test pressings that have not been played.  Gene Ammons July 17, 1996; count basie big band 1994; Johnny Adams June 29, 1995; Johnny d. Lane march 20, 1997; chico freeman spirit sensitive dec 14 1994;  duke ellington mar 31 1994; art pepper plus eleven  may 24, 1994; and some regular albums; these are all in white sleeves with numbers on them.”

My Reply:

“Thanks for reaching out. This is not an area where I have any expertise. My site focuses on albums primarily from the 1950s and early 1960s. In my experience, collectors don’t have a great interest in test pressings, particularly reissues. I don’t think there would be much value in what you have. Having said that, I could mention the items in a post and see if anyone replies. Otherwise, you might be fine taking them to a local record store, depending upon where you are located. If you are in the New York area, the Jazz Record Center would be the place to go.”

Reply: “If you could mention it they are mainly first test press predating other presses. I am actually in rural Idaho.”

The post Catching Up: Bill Evans, Tina Brooks, Hank Mobley, Et Al first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/uncategorized/catching-up-bill-evans-tina-brooks-hank-mobley-et-al/feed/ 0 9764 https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/a-bird-signature/ https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/a-bird-signature/#comments Sun, 23 Mar 2025 14:51:19 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9607 Don-Lucky, if you are out there,  we need you. Or any other autograph experts. I was just perusing eBay on this lovely but chilly Sunday [...]

The post A Bird Signature????????? first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> Don-Lucky, if you are out there,  we need you. Or any other autograph experts. I was just perusing eBay on this lovely but chilly Sunday morning in the beautiful Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts and I came upon this listing: Rare Signed By Charlie Parker + Coleman Hawkins 1947 Norman Granz #6 78-RPM Set. And when you open this listing there, indeed, are signatures bearing the names Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins. They are clearly signed with the same pen at the same time. The question is: Do they seem legitimate? I’m not expert enough to know. The reality is, I think, for the seller and any potential buyer, it would be very difficult to authenticate something signed before Bird died in 1955 if it hasn’t been authenticated already. Plus, this is not a program from the JATP at which they were both in attendance, but a pair of signatures on the record, which came out many months later. So, someone would have brought this record to a concert or club where both Bird and Hawk were at the same time, and would have gotten them both to cooperate for an autograph signing. I don’t have the expertise of Don-Lucky, but color me skeptical. In any case, the seller has an asking price of more than $2,400 and the auction closes later today. My guess is that even if the signatures were fully authenticated, that would still be a price beyond market value, although, I have to admit, if the signatures were authenticated, it would be an item of interest to me personally. A real Bird autograph, actually signed by Bird. Yeah, I could enjoy having that in my collection.

Following up on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we were watching on eBay. Here are a few from the Jazz Record Center auction

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. Original pressing, M- or VG++ for both the record and the cover. Final price $3,839

Lee Morgan, Indeed!. Blue Note 1538. Original pressing. Probably M- for the record and VG++ for the cover. Starting price at $2,000 and did not sell.

Lee Morgan, City Lights, Blue Note 1575. Deep groove, West 63^rd Street pressing.  Probably M- for both the record and the cover. Final price $1,600.

Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. Lexington Avenue pressing. Probably VG++ for the record and M- for the cover. Looked new in the pictures. Final price $2,682.69.

Lee Morgan, Lee-Way, Blue Note 4034. Original West 63^rd Street pressing, review copy. Probably M- condition for both the record and the cover. May VG++ for the cover, depending upon the anality of the buyer. Final price $1,160.

This is one I was watching that also did not sell: Charlie Parker, For Collectors Only, Alternate Masters, Volume 2, Dial 905. This one looked VG for the record and the cover. Opening bid price was $900 and the buy-it-now price was $1,170. This is another Bird Item I would like to have in my collection. Someday, if the price is right . . .

The post A Bird Signature????????? first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/a-bird-signature/feed/ 2 9607

There are, of course, other sellers, other artists and other records up for auction on eBay now. Here’s on that caught my eye: Charlie Parker, For Collectors Only, Alternate Masters, Volume 2, Dial 905. This is an original 12-inch Dial featuring alternate takes of bebop classics such as Ornithology, Moose the Mooche, Yardbird Suite, a Night In Tunisia, and more. This is one you don’t see very often, and one I’ve never owned. According to Popsike, copies of this record have surpassed the $2,000 price point. This one is listed in VG condition for the record and the cover. The opening bid price is $900, with a buy-it-now price of $1,170. I just did a bunch of radio shows/podcasts on Bird, and all this music is fresh in my head, as are the stories of Bird’s tumultuous time with Dial Records and his fraught relationship with the label’s owner, Ross Russell. As much as I would like to own this album, I will have to continue searching for one at a price that fits my sensibilities, if that makes sense.

We were also watching some jazz vinyl from the Jazz Record Center, including Mal Waldron, Mal/2, Prestige 7111. This was an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. We assessed the record as being in VG++ condition, based on the description, and the cover as VG++. We threatened to possibly bid on this copy, since we don’t have an original, John Coltrane is one of the musicians, and, at the time, the bidding was in the $260 range. Alas, we moved on to other events in our life, hence the relatively infrequency of recent posts, and forgot all about Mal/2. The final price was $568.88, which would have been beyond our bidding in any case. Nothing ventured, nothing lost, nothing gained – except I still have my Japanese pressing.

As I am typing this and creating new links, I am on the Jazz Record Center web site and I see they have another auction closing in about five days. Let’s see, here is a deep-groove West 63^rd Street pressing of Lou Donaldson, LD+3, Blue Note 4012. Interesting that they don’t use the word “original” in the description, so perhaps someone can shed light on why this copy would not be an original. In any case, the record and cover look to be in M- or VG++ condition. The bidding starts at $150 and so far there are no bidders.

From the same auction: Workin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7166. This is an original yellow label New Jersey pressing. The record and the cover both look to be in M- condition. The cover is still in its original shrink wrap and, psychologically, it definitely looks cooler in the shrink wrap. Perhaps that is leading to higher bidding? The bidding on this one has already surpassed $400.

Let’s look beyond the usual suspects, at least as far as eBay sellers. Here’s one:  Dizzy Reece, Star Bright, Blue Note 4023. This looks to be an original deep-groove West 63^rd Street pressing. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is VG+, with some writing on the back. The auction closes in about five days from this posting and the bidding is in the $600 range.

One more: Johnny Griffin Sextet, Riverside 12-264. This looks like an original pressing with the small reels and mic logo and the deep grooves. It also has promo stamps on the cover and label. I don’t remember all the factors that go into making these early Riverside’s original, so I could be missing something? Anyway, this copy is listed as VG++ for the record and VG++ for the cover. Nice looking copy. Bidding starts in the $250 range and so far there is no action. If it were a Blue Note with this personnel in this time frame, who knows what it would be. But it isn’t.

I’ll point out one more from the Carolina Soul/Chick Corea auction: Donald Byrd, Byrd in Hand, Blue Note 4019. This is also an original West 63^rd Street pressing. The record is listed in VG/VG- condition and the cover is graded as VG+. Bidding is at $325, and the auction closes later today. If you’re interested in cool stuff, bidding or just watching, you should take a look at the full auction by Carolina Soul.

Another big eBay seller, the Jazz Record Center, also has an auction going this week, including Mal Waldron, Mal/2, Prestige 7111.This is an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. The record looks to be in VG++ condition and the cover is probably VG+. Bidding is in the $260 range, with the auction closing on Monday. This one features John Coltrane. I have a Japanese copy, not an original. Could I be a bidder? One never knows.

One more: George Wallington Quintet, The Prestidigitator, East-West 4004. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG++ for the record and VG++ for the cover. This one features JR Monterose on tenor sax. My dad owned this record and, fortunately, I still have it. He must have bought it in the bargain bin somewhere, probably spent about a dollar or two on the record. Thanks, Dad. Bidding on this one is at $100, with more than a day left on the auction.

The following week, doing my regular posting here at Jazz Collector, I came upon this record: Donald Byrd, Fuego, Blue Note 4026. This was a deep groove pressing with the West 63^rd Street address. I had a copy of Fuego for years. I specifically remember buying it at the Titus Oaks store in Flatbush, Brooklyn. I probably paid five bucks for it, but it was in meh condition at best, with a less-than-meh cover. I’d always vowed to upgrade it if I ever found a suitable replacement for a reasonable price. Yada, yada, yada, 40 years later, no suitable replacement at no reasonable price.

Then, in 2023, I decided to shrink my collection and sold a bunch of records through Carolina Soul Records. One of the criteria I used in deciding which records to sell was this: I went through all of my shelves, and if there were records that were in poor condition that I wouldn’t want to put on my turntable, I would sell them and let some other collector deal with them, even if they were original Blue Notes.  Especially if they were original Blue Notes because, as we’ve all learned, even an unplayable original Blue Note can sell for big bucks. Is there a point in owning the record just to own it even if you’re not going to play it? Please don’t answer the question – it is both rhetorical and existential, and, if you’re taking the time to read this on JazzCollector.com, we all know that the answer is yes.

In any case, that Byrd Fuego had always caused me to cringe when I went past it. Something about the tape on the front cover, the dirt on the back cover, knowing that the record was in poor shape. I put in the pile to sell and felt better immediately that it was off my shelf and out of my collection. But there was a hole where it departed, and I knew that hole had to be filled someday.

Then, I saw this copy on eBay. As I noted in the post (Eric Dolphy Autographs (?), Blue Notes And Other Stuff), I believed the record might sell for a “reasonable” price. The seller had a good reputation, the cover looked really clean and was graded in VG++ condition. Right away, I knew I’d feel much better just looking at that record on the shelf. As for the vinyl’s condition? I wrote at the time that the record looked to be in VG or VG+ condition and probably VG based on the seller’s description. In thinking about bidding on the record, I assumed VG, but was hoping for (expecting?) VG+.

Anyway, I decided to use GIXEN and see what happens. I put in a bid for about $250.  What the heck, it was an original Blue Note with Jackie McLean in his prime, probably a very good record, and if it was in VG+ condition, I would have considered it a bargain. Besides, the whole point in bidding for the record on GIXEN was to serve my starving audience at Jazz Collector with firsthand, on-the-ground, in-the-trenches, personal journalism. Right?

I used GIXEN and forgot all about it. Completely. Until I got a note informing me that I had won the auction at a price of $202.50. Surprise! GIXEN did its job. Now I had to do mine. I paid. The record arrived about a week later, pretty fantastic delivery, considering it came from France during the Christmas season. I finally got around to listening to it yesterday, on my nice system in my living room, with the Linn Sondek record player and the Wilson speakers. The verdict: Well, the seller was accurate. The record looked VG+ or even VG++, but it played at what I would grade VG. Nothing terrible, no big clicks or scratches, just enough surface noise in spots to take it out of the VG+ grade, IMHO. The music itself is good, kind of what you would expect out of a Blute Note from 1959, a little bit of funk, a little bit of blues, all original compositions. I love Jackie, so it’s nice to have a listenable copy of the record again. VG is fine for me. And the VG++ cover. Now, when I look on my shelves through the Donald Byrds, I no longer have to cringe and can just smile, knowing that 40 years later, the hole has been adequately filled. Of course, if I find a cleaner copy, well, need I say more?

The post Back on eBay and Ain’t it Grand first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/uncategorized/back-on-ebay-and-aint-it-grand/feed/ 6 9568 https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/lots-of-cool-stuff-in-this-post/ https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/lots-of-cool-stuff-in-this-post/#comments Fri, 17 Jan 2025 18:22:09 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9559 My watch list runneth over. Let’s look at some new items and then catch up on some of the gems I had been watching. Let’s [...]

My watch list runneth over. Let’s look at some new items and then catch up on some of the gems I had been watching. Let’s start with Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 5022. This is an original 10-inch Lexington Avenue pressing listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding starts at about $320 and so far there are no bidders with the auction closing in about four days. One of the things that caught my eye about this listing is the  presence of an inserted  booklet called “the blue note story.” Of all the Blue Notes I’ve purchased over the years, and there have been many, I have only seen this insert in one other record, a Sidney Bechet 12-inch LP. the blue note story was written by Leonard Feather and dates back to 1955, as Blue Note was transitioning from the 10-inch vinyl format to the 12-inch vinyl format. Fortunately, I have not only written about it before, I recorded the entire text, all in this post from January 27, 2009 titled, of course, The Blue Note Story. You’re welcome.

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/blue-note/catching-up-sonny-clark-kenny-dorham/ https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/catching-up-sonny-clark-kenny-dorham/#comments Thu, 09 Jan 2025 18:03:27 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9553 I just logged in to eBay and, lo and behold, what do I see: Another primo auction from The Jazz Record Center, including a Sonny [...]

The post Catching Up: Sonny Clark, Kenny Dorham + first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> I just logged in to eBay and, lo and behold, what do I see: Another primo auction from The Jazz Record Center, including a Sonny Clark cornucopia. Perhaps we will see some new price records set in the next week. Here are a few to watch: Sonny Clark, Dial S for Sonny, Blue Note 1570. This is an original deep-groove, West 63^rd Street pressing. The record and cover both look to be in M- condition. As you’ve probably noticed with The Jazz Record Center, they seem to eschew putting condition labels on their listings and instead rely on fairly detailed descriptions, such as the one for this record: “The playing surface is in near-new condition with a beautiful luster and just a single inaudible ¼” scuff; one tic on the second track of Side 2.” To me, that describes a record I would label as M-. The start price is $2,000 and the auction closes in about four days. So far, there are 86 watchers but no bidders. The previous high for this record is about $3,500. Let the bidding begin.

This one you don’t see too often: Sonny Clark Trio, Time 70010. This is an original deep-groove pressing featuring Max Roach on drums and George Duvivier on bass. It also looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding begins at $1,000 and, so far, there are 39 watchers and no bidders. If you are interested, the auction also includes Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579; Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091; and Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576.

Lest anyone think I am shilling for the Jazz Record Center (I’m not, of course), let’s look at some items from other sellers, starting with Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Riverside 291. This looks to be an original pressing listed in M- condition for the record and excellent for the cover. The bidding is at $360, with a little more than a day left on the auction.

I don’t follow the reissues market as closely as I probably should, so perhaps someone can share their knowledge of the Electric Recording Company. I’m asking because I am watching an auction of their reissue of Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, Prestige New Jazz 8025. It looks pretty cool, and I have (stupidly) sold both my original pressing as well as my Japanese reissue, so I am looking for another copy. The start price for this copy is $500 and there are no bidders.

I went to The Electric Recording Co. site and found this:

“British label founded by Pete Hutchison (who co-founded Peacefrog Records) specializing in high-quality, “audiophile” reissues of select classical and jazz originals using vintage – all-valve – mastering equipment using only the original tapes. These reissues reproduce the original LP artwork, label and inner sleeves (as far as copyright will allow) and are all officially sanctioned. Each copy comes with an embossed card insert which is machine-numbered, signed and certified by Pete Hutchinson. All 12″ records come in a sticker-sealed embossed PVC outer sleeve and a folded “banderole” with the ERC catalogue number printed on the top. Each record is then wrapped in ERC-printed paper and also sealed.”

A New York Times article from April 28, 2020, says this:

“The Electric Recording Co., which has been releasing music since 2012, specializes in meticulous recreations of classical and jazz albums from the 1950s and ’60s. Its catalog includes reissues of landmark recordings by Wilhelm Furtwängler, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, as well as lesser-known artists favored by collectors, like the violinist Johanna Martzy.

But what really sets Electric Recording apart is its method — a philosophy of production more akin to the making of small-batch gourmet chocolate than most shrink-wrapped vinyl.

Its albums, assembled by hand and released in editions of 300 or fewer — at a cost of $400 to $600 for each LP — are made with restored vintage equipment down to glowing vacuum-tube amplifiers, and mono tape systems that have not been used in more than half a century. The goal is to ensure a faithful restoration of what the label’s founder, Pete Hutchison, sees as a lost golden age of record-making. Even its record jackets, printed one by one on letterpress machines, show a fanatical devotion to age-old craft.

Thoughts? Experiences? Hype? Is a reissue of Quiet Kenny so incredibly good that someone (me?) should bid $500 or more?

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Not to be outdone, the Jazz Record Center also  had a mono copy of The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, Riverside 320. This was the original deep-groove pressing with the blue logo and small reels label. The record was probably in M- condition and the cover was EX, with some minor marks. This one sold for $1036, more than $300 more than any previous Wes Montgomery record has ever sold for, again according to Popsike.

J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This was not an original pressing, and I extend my thanks to the reader JazzFan for pointing this out. Granted, it had the Lexington Avenue address on the labels, but it didn’t have the deep grooves. In my experience, this meant that Blue Note had some Lexington Avenue addresses left over during a later era, typically Liberty, and slapped them on a later pressing. I had a Herbie Nichols LP of the same type and tried to sell it on eBay for $100 a few years ago, but there were no takers. This J.R. Monterose record sold for $1,898.90

I was shocked to see one of the Monk records on Columbia sell for more than $1,000: Thelonious Monk, Criss-Cross, Columbia 2038.The record and cover looked to be in M- condition and the final price was $1,237.12. The rationale, such as it is, was that this was a white-label promo copy. My guess is that the folks at the Jazz Record Center were fairly surprised as well, since they only had a $75 starting price for this one.

What about this one: Thelonious Monk, Big Bank and Quartet in Concert, Columbia 2164. The cover was in the original shrink wrap and the record sealed in an inner sleeve, which is something Columbia seemed to do in those days. The record sold for $510. It had never sold for more than $100 before.

Something’s happening here, what it is ain’t  exactly clear.