Having Fun With Jazz Records

mating callI had fun with my records last night. I had about an hour and a half where I had nothing to do, nothing I wanted to read, and I decided I would just sit and listen to two records fully rapt, eyes closed, no distractions. But what to play? I just went to the shelves and the first record that caught my eye was Mating Call, Tadd Dameron and John Coltrane, Prestige 7070. Why Mating Call? I’m not sure. It’s not a record I’ve listened to often and it’s not on my regular play list. When I want to listen to Coltrane, there are other records that grab my eye. Perhaps I haven’t listened to Mating Call in 10 years, so I wanted to check it out again. And I did. What a great record. This is actually, I think, the first record on which Coltrane was the sole featured horn player. His playing is great, not nearly as adventurous as it would become, but far more confident than on Miles, Prestige 7014. He had either come a long way in the period between those recordings, or the format gave him more room to showcase his gifts. As for Tadd Dameron, Read more

John Coltrane Vinyl For the Ages

John Coltrane Jazz VinyylBack to our life’s mission of watching rare jazz vinyl on eBay. For some reason this morning I noticed several of the Red Garland Prestige records with John Coltrane. These are nice records and  can still be purchased for reasonable prices. The exception is Prestige 7123, which is a Coltrane date and is typically one of the higher priced Prestiges, particularly with the original cover.  Speaking of 7123: John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123. This is an original New York pressing and this is the original cover. It was later issued as Traneing In with another cover. This one is in M- condition for the record and probably VG+ or maybe a little better for the cover. The price is already more than $250 and there are still four days left on the auction.

I noticed two copies of this one:

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From The Jazz Collector Newsroom

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailHere are some news items that have come into my mailbox that may be of interest to loyal readers of Jazz Collector.

You know those cool, inexpensive record shelves produced by Ikea, the Expedit line? Well, if you want any, you better stock up now. They are discontinued, which apparently has caused something of a brouhaha among record collectors. A spokesman for the company says there is a new line in place to replace Expedit, called Kallax. For its part, Ikea is stating that it is updating and improving the Expedit line, but record collectors don’t seem appeased, judging by the outcry. I took a look at the Kallax line, here, and, frankly, I don’t see what the fuss is about. I own one large Expedit unit and if I had to replace it with a Kallax I think I would survive.

There’s a lot of Blue Note activity going on. The company is launching what it calls a 75th Anniversary Vinyl Initiative by which it is

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A Prestige-eous Day

MantecaLet’s start the day with a couple of Prestige records we are watching on eBay, starting with Red Garland, Manteca, Prestige 7139. This is an original pressing with the New York address. When I started collecting, this record was fairly common, but most often with the New Jersey address. You don’t see that many with the New York address perhaps because it was at the end of the New York cycle. The latest number I’ve seen with a New York Address is Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, The Cookbook, Prestige 7141. I’ve never seen a New York Soultrane, which is Prestige 7142. This copy of Manteca is in VG+ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The price is in the $160 range.

Art Farmer Quintet Featuring Gigi Gryce, Prestige 7017. This is an original pressing with the yellow label and New York address. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is Ex. The bidding is now in the $200 range and there’s a bit more than a day left on the auction, as I type this. This is a terrific record, so I would expect the bidding to rise as the auction gets closer to the end.

Here’s a great Prestige record that did not sell:

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A Question of Ridiculous-ness

wes and jimmyI told you there’s always excitement when we’re watching the bobdjukic auctions. CeeDee is back with this note:

SUBJECT: who is paying this kind of bread for these readily found LPs?

BODY TEXT: Al, I give up. I thought I could figure out “what sells and what doesn’t” but I’m finding I have no freakin’ idea!

RECORD IN QUESTION: Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith, Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes, Verve 8766.

CONDITION: Sealed

PRICE: $455

So, for today’s quickie quiz: Which sale is more ridiculous, the Jimmy and Wes one above or the other one cited in the earlier post, namely John Coltrane, The Other Village Vanguard Tapes? This was also sealed and sold for $237.50. Or is there perhaps another that we missed? I vote for Jimmy and Wes being more ridiculous, although it was a close call. At least the Coltrane is a double record and sold for a price that was more than $200 lower than the Jimmy/Wes record.

A Random Assortment of Jazz Vinyl

eddie costaHere are a few more jazz records we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, Impulse 30. This was an original white label promo copy listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover, although it would be hard to tell from the main picture accompanying the listing. When selling on eBay, always strive for a nice clear picture. Although this one failed in that regard, it didn’t fail to achieve a nice collectible price, which was $316.

This is one I actually bid on: Eddie Costa, Guys and Dolls Like Vibes, Coral 57230. This was an original pressing listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. I own the record, so why did I bid on it? Well . . . it was sitting with no bids with three hours left on the auction and a start price of just $10. The seller didn’t include the important information that Bill Evans is the pianist on this record, which adds to its value and, more importantly, adds to its musical quality, which, of course, is excellent. A really nice record and for my bid of $20, what would be so bad having two copies? Read more

More Insanity, Even Rarer

Wow, did you see the final price of that copy of My Favorite Things? It was $645.

And the Billie Holiday, Lady in Satin, was $338.33.

Here are a couple more from the same seller, hard to explain:

Stan Getz, Sweet Rain, Verve 8693. This was a stereo pressing in excellent condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $102.50.

Stan Getz, Jazz Samba, Verve 8432. This was a stereo pressing, sealed. It sold for $138.50.

Kenny Burrell, Tender Gender, Cadet 772. This was also sealed. It sold for $124.49. What would this normally sell for? Ten dollars? That’s a lot of money for some cellophane.

If you want to have some fun, check out some of the other completed auctions. Read more

Lady in $atin and $tereo

BillieHere are a few more jazz vinyl auctions we are watching on eBay. This one is from the seller bobdjukic and it is always suprising: Billie Holiday, Lady in Satin, Columbia 8048. This is a six-eye stereo pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It is always surprising in that this seller is somehow able to get collectible prices for this record, where no one else can. This one is already at more than $120. And the explanation is . . . ?

This is from the same seller at, at this point, it is actually priced at less than the Billie Holiday record: John Coltrane (et al), Tenor Conclave, Prestige 7074. This looks to be an original New York yellow label pressing. The seller lists the record in VG++ condition and the cover as well, but it seems clear from the pictures of the cover that the real condition is VG+. Perhaps why the bidding is relatively low, at about $115 with a few hours left on the auction.

I now have duplicate copies of this great Blue Note and will be figuring out my next step once I get a chance to grade and listen to both copies:

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Rare Insanity

HankWe will ring in the new year with a few nice jazz vinyl auctions we are watching on eBay, starting with a big one: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is a close-to-original pressing (original in my eyes) in that it has the deep grooves and West 63rd Street addresses on the labels. Some are sticklers and demand that one side have a New York 23 label. This one is in M- condition for the record and Ex for the cover, which is probably VG++ in Jazz Collector parlance. the bidding has already topped $2,500, but it has not yet reached the seller’s reserve price.

The seller bobdjukic as back with another batch of insanely rare records and he brings up an interesting question on this one: John Coltrane, My Favorite Things, Atlantic 1361. He claims this is an original stereo pressing with the blue and green labels and the white fan logo. I’ve actually never know the keys to identifying an original My Favorite Things and I’m certainly not about to trust this guy. Perhaps someone out there can shed some light, mono and stereo? This one is listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price is already more than $100. Three are additional interesting items from this seller, which I will be watching for future posts. Stay tuned.

 

Getting “Hipp” To Some Nice Jazz Vinyl

juttaOkay, back to the business of watching rare jazz vinyl on eBay. I’ve been less diligent about watching (and posting) because 1: I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to the records from the collection I just purchased in Baltimore and 2: Having purchased this major collection and melding it with my collection, the last thing I am looking to do now is purchase any more jazz records. But I realize I have an obligation to our loyal readers here at Jazz Collector, so back to eBay it is. Lots of great items on the board right now, including:

Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House, Volume 1, Blue Note 1515. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It is currently in the $450 range with more than two days left on the auction. The same seller is selling Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 2, Blue Note 1516. This is a not-quite-original. It looks like the original vinyl, in VG++ condition, with a later cover, which looks to be in nice condition, but without a listed grade. Bidding on this one is already more than $200. One more from the same seller:

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