Tag: Jazz Record Center

Jazz Vinyl From The Jazz Record Center

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The folks at Jazz Record Center have a new eBay auction up now. It’s always interesting to watch their stuff because their strong brand name ensures top market value. Here are a few of the records we’ll be watching from this auction:

Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This is an original deep groove pressing that is in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It has a start price of $750 and already has a bidder, so you can expect that this one may be headed for the $1,000 bin.

Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers, Blue Note 1518. This is a West 63rd Street pressing, whereas the original first pressing would have been Lexington Avenue. I’m curious about this second press Blue Notes, which many of our readers think of as originals, because their prices have gone up quite a bit recently. I just bought a West 63rd copy of the first Miles Davis Blue Note, which I’ll be selling at some point, either on eBay or from my basement. This one is in “near-new” condition and already has a bidder at $100.

I’ve always liked this record and I do, fortunately, have an original pressing: Lou Donaldson, Swing and Soul, Blue Note 1566. This one is also in very nice M- condition and has a bidder at a $350 start price.

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Guest Column: Reviewing The Blue Note Guide

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Mike Falcon has promised a review of the new Fred Cohen book, and here it is:
Blue Note Records A Guide to Indentifying Original Pressings
A Review By Mike Falcon
For as long as I have been collecting Blue Notes there has been a large chorus asking for a complete guide to navigate the complexities of what constitutes a first pressing.  And now they have it.  Frederick Cohen has given us “Blue Note Records, A Guide to Identifying Original Pressings” an authoritative manual on the Blue Note discography.  This includes the EPs, 10” LPs, and all of the pre-Liberty LPs in both Mono and Stereo.
I first went to the Jazz Record Center in 2002.  I had never seen a record store like it.  Everywhere I looked was something interesting and new to me.  I spent a long while thumbing through records looking at the photos and memorabilia on the wall, and thinking that if I ever win the Lotto I’ll be back here first.  I’ve never won the lotto but I’ve been back a few times, always with less money than I would have liked.  I had spoken to Fred a few times and was always impressed by how informative he was.  I would think, “This guy should write a book”.  Well he has.
“Blue Note Records, A Guide to Identifying Original Pressings” is a nicely bound 6 ½” x 9 ½” inch black book with the Blue Train label with red arrows pointing to the various identifying features on the cover.  It’s written more like a compendium or research paper and is not in the narrative form.  It starts with an introduction, preface, and acknowledgements, before getting to the list of illustrations and glossary.  The glossary and illustrations are necessary to understand what you are reading when sorting through the pressing guide.  The illustrations show what is meant by all of the famous Blue Note esotery.  This includes examples of the famous

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JRC Auction: John Coltrane Autograph

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We’ve written off and on here at Jazz Collector about autographs.  Our favorite was the letter from Bill Evans to John Coltrane that was auctioned for $38,000 five years ago. If you want to check that out, click here. We were reminded of this when we received an email announcing the latest auction from the Jazz Record Center and we saw that they are selling a John Coltrane autograph. This one is not so enticing as the Evans letter, but it is a Coltrane autograph and there can’t be too many of those, can there? Anyway, it has a start price of $100 and there is already one bidder. This is one that I think will entice jazz collectors everywhere: A nice, small Coltrane autograph, easy to frame, easy to hang up on a wall, a very nice item to show your friends and family. Hmmmm, perhaps I’m talking myself into something here.

JRC Auction: Nice Vinyl, Rare DSM Book

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We always like to watch the listings from the Jazz Record Center because they generally get top prices and give us a sense of the current state of the market. They have a new auction this week and here are a few of the items:

Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing  in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This is a West 63rd Street deep-groove pressing, which I would think we be an original, but perhaps not. The listing notes that it is an “early deep-groove” pressing, but doesn’t state that it is an original. Can anyone see anything in the listing or picture that would indicate that this is not a first pressing? Anyway, the record is listed in M- condition and has a start price of $1,000. So far there are no bidders.

Duke Jordan, Flight To Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This one is listed clearly as an “original” pressing and it looks to be in beautiful M- condition for both the record and the cover. The starting price is $750 and there are no bidders yet.

I saw this item and immediately thought of Rudolf:

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Mobley Sets New Top Vinyl Price For Jazz Collector

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Time to catch up on a few items. By now, most of you have probably seen what happened with those records we were watching from the Jazz Record Center. The Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568 sold for $5,101, which is the highest price we’ve ever recorded for a jazz record at Jazz Collector. The previous high was $4,036 for a copy of Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, on Ad Lib. A lot of people have already commented on this one, so I don’t have much to add other than what I’ve often said: The market is the market and eBay reflects what the market will bear. This is the going rate for this record in this condition at this point in time. I was wrong, barely on a couple of my predictions. (1) I had opined that two of the other records from this auction would sell for more than $2,000 and only one of them did: Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560, which is the one pictured here. This one sold for $2,347. The one that did not break the $2,000 barrier was:

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A Veritable Cornucopia of 10-Inch Jazz Vinyl

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As is our usual custom, we were perusing the jazz vinyl listings on eBay this evening and we happened to notice an unusually large number of interesting 10-inch LPs for sale, some of which we shall share with you henceforth, including:

Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065. A beauty, no? This one is in M- condition for the record and what looks to be VG+ for the cover. The current price is around $225 and there are three days to go.

Here’s the next one up in the 10-inch Blue Note catalogue: Hank Mobley Quartet, Blue Note 5066. This is an original pressing, of course,and the vinyl looks to be M- and the cover somewhat close to M-. The current price is $338 and there are also three days to go.

Another 10-inch Blue Note? Why not. Here’s The Amazing Bud Powell, Blue Note 5003. This is an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It is being offered by Euclid Records and is currently at about $115.

Here’s the one on the list that will probably sell for the highest price:

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New Jazz Record Center Auction Could Be Big

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Got an email from the Jazz Record Center and they have an auction closing in a couple of days and it could be a doozy. Here’s one of the items we’ll be watching closely, to see if it perhaps sets a new record for Jazz Collector: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing and it’s in M- condition: In fact, it’s listed as “near new.” The combination of one of the rarest records, a Blue Note at that, and the most trusted seller, is definitely worth watching. So far, the record has a start price of $2,500 and there are no bidders.

Here are a couple more we’ll be watching from the same auction:

Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone 209. This is an original red vinyl pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover seems to have been repaired, but is also listed as very clean. This one has a start price of

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A Few More For the $1,000 (and $2,000) Bin(s)

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This one has been breaking the $1,000 barrier pretty consistently: Louis Smith, Smithville, Blue Note 1594. This copy seemed to be in VG+ condition for the record and VG condition for the vinyl, based on the seller’s description. Still, it sold for $1,148.

Jazz Record Center had a few more in the $2,000 bin, including: Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This one was in beautiful M- condition and sold for $2,650.07. One of the nice things Fred often does in the listings is provide little details that help to expand our knowledge of the market. In this case the little tidbit is that there is no address on the cover because Prestige at the time was transitioning from New York to New Jersey.

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Updating the $1,000 Bin, Thanks To JRC

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As I’m catching up on the eBay action I’ve been missing the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that the Jazz Record Center recently made quite a large contribution to the $1,000 bin. Here are some of the choice items, all Blue Notes:

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This was an original pressing that looked to be in new, pristine condition. It sold for $2,905.55.

Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was an original pressing. The vinyl appeared to be in new near-mint condition, while the cover had a few minor issues, perhaps VG++. The price was $1,954.49.

Hank Mobley, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This was an original pressing that also looked to be in near mint condition. The price was $1,580. Where does he find these records in such immaculate condition?

There was also this: Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This was

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Back on eBay and The Bidding is Busy

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Hey, everyone. Seems since I came back everyone stopped using the Reader Forum. It would be a shame if that trend continues, because I find it very useful and, at times, more interesting than my own posts. Nevertheless, I am back and I am back to posting and I am back to looking at records every day on eBay. Which means today I am looking at pretty nice auction from Fred Cohen at the Jazz Record Center, which many of you were also watching in the Reader Forum. Here are some of the choice items, closing soon:

Donald Byrd, Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill, Transition 17. This is an original pressing, labels unattached (of course) with the booklet in beautiful condition. The current price is $1,791. I’m saying the record sells for $3,300. Anyone want to take the over or the under?

There’s also this on Transition:

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