Tag: John Coltrane

Not Knowing Squat About Jazz, Indeed

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I’ve had this thing in my inbox for the past few weeks and I’ve been debating whether to post it. It’s really silly. The Internet gives pretty much anyone a forum to write pretty much anything they want. So I got this email with a listing from a blog and it was something like the “10 Greatest Jazz Pianists of All Time,” which was silly enough, but then I saw that the guy did a Top 10 list of jazz albums under the dubious heading “10 essential jazz albums if you know squat about jazz but want to become more versed.” The list is so bad and ridiculous I won’t comment, other than to note the lack of any artist from before the post-Bop era, including Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Anyway, after great hesitation (and strictly for laughs), here it is:

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A Blue Train Wreck?

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TrainThis week’s mailbox brings a note from Don Lucky about this listing: John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. It was listed as an original pressing in VG+ or VG++ condition for both the cover and the record. When the seller says the back cover is VG+, does that mean the whole cover would be considered VG+, even if the front is clean and near mint? Interesting question to ponder. More interesting are the comments from Don Lucky, which are as follows: “It has a nice cover, but it is not the original tone as defined by Fred’s book. The white “Blue Train” should be creme, the “Blue Note 1577” should be a charcoal, the “John Coltrane” green is too bright, and the photo is blue, not green-blue. This one also doesn’t show us the address on the back or list it, so in my mind its a bit of a gamble at that price.” What price was that? How about $1,880.05.

That Lee Morgan record we were watching yesterday, Blue Note 1541, which seemed to be not an original or perhaps a scam, wound up selling for $698.50 with five bidders. I guess we’ll watch the feedback on that one.

 

Three for the $1,000 Bin?

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elmo hopeHere are some jazz vinyl auctions we are watching on eBay, starting with Elmo Hope, Informal Jazz, Prestige 7043. This is an original New York yellow-label pressing, with a promo stamp on the back cover. The record and cover both look to be in M- condition. This record, of course, features John Coltrane and Hank Mobley and was later issued as “Two Tenors.” There will be a lot of interest in this one. There are six days left in the auction, there are already five bids and the bidding is in the $300 range already.

Hank Mobley Sextet, Blue Note 1650. This is an original West 63rd, deep-groove pressing. The record is in VG++ condition and the cover is VG. The bidding is getting close to $700 with three days to go.

Here’s one for the $1,000 bin: Sonny Criss, Go Man, Imperial 9020. This is a weird cover, isn’t it: Two white people, with a lot of nice leg, and no indication that this might be a black artist playing jazz. Anyway, this one was in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $1.292.

 

 

 

Three Tenors

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SonnyThere were many records we were watching this past week on eBay, so let’s get right to it, starting with Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. This was an original deep groove pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. There were just two bids, but the record sold for $542.10. I am a big Sonny fan, as most of you know, and I think this is the only 12-inch Rollins record from the ’50s or ’60s where I am still looking for an original pressing. I’ll keep looking because the price of this one was too much for me.

Not sure when this became a $240 record, but apparently it did: John Coltrane, Live at the Village Vanguard, Impulse 10. This was an original orange-label pressing we presume, although the information in the listing was all screwed up. It was listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover, assuming that was the description for this record. Someone took a chance and won the auction at $239.

And, for the $1,000 bin we have Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This looks to be an original deep groove pressing with the West 63rd address. The record and cover are both in VG++ condition. The record sold for $1,275.

 

 

Four Blue Notes For the $1,000 Bin

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Goin' Up -- That's for sure

                    Goin’ Up — That’s for sure

Let’s look at some rare records that we may have missed on eBay:

Louis Smith, Smithville, Blue Note 1594. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $1,250. That’s not quite the highest price we’ve ever recorded for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, but it’s definitely up there.

This one got a lot of mentions in the comments, but I wanted to point to it specifically in a post so anyone doing a search can easily find it: Freddie Hubbard, Goin’ Up, Blue Note 4056. This was an original pressing that seemed to be in VG+ or better condition for the record and M- for the cover. It sold for, ahem, $1,259. Whenever I’ve thought of this record I’ve thought of it as Goin’ Up, Up, Up based on the front cover, but that’s just a design element, isn’t it? Took me a while to figure that out.

John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Despite the condition, it still sold for $1,113.

Not sure how this one slipped by us from a couple of months ago: Read more

Just Another eBay Day

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Here are a few jazz records we’re watching on eBay, starting with The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volume 2, Blue Note 5057. This is an original 10-inch pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is $175, the auction closes in more than three days and so far there are no bidders.

John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This is an original deep groove black label pressing. The record and cover are both in VG+ condition. There’s about five hours left in the auction and the bidding is in the $350 range.

Speaking of rare records by female artists, as we were a couple of weeks ago: Toshiko Akiyoshi, Her Trio, Her Quartet, Storyville 918. This is an original deep groove pressing in Ex condition for the record and VG for the cover. It closes in about 13 hours and, so far, has no bids at a start price of $200.

Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This is a West 63rd deep groove pressing without the New York 23 on the labels. It is in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Pricing is at about $560 with more than two days left to bid.

 

 

 

Listening Again to The “New” Miles Davis Quintet

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One of the great things about having so many collectible records is that I can always dig somewhere into my collection and find a classic record I haven’t listed to in a while. I did that last night, putting The New Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige 7014, on the turntable for the first time in a number of years. It’s a classic and, of course, the first Miles record with John Coltrane. A few things struck me about this record. Miles and Trane were the same age, both 29 when the album was recorded, yet they were at much different points in their careers and in their development. Miles was fully formed and his playing was absolutely confident. Trane’s playing was much more tentative and his style was not nearly as developed as it would become in the ensuing years. You can hear elements of his budding genius, but just elements and otherwise you hear someone still working on finding himself. For the hell of it, right after listening to this LP, I put on A Love Supreme and, obviously the difference was quite stark. Another thing about this record is Read more

Jazz Vinyl: Trane, Zoot and 10-inch LPs

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Let’s catch up on some more interesting jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with John Coltrane, Africa/Brass, Impulse 6. This was an original mono pressing with the orange labels. The record and cover were both in M- condition. It’s not a record we’ve typically covered in the Jazz Collector Price Guide because it rarely gets collectible prices. I guess we’ll start covering it now: This one sold for $493.88. Wow. I’ve had an original copy of this record for a long time, since the 70s in fact, but I also remember a version of a Coltrane Greatest Hits double-record on Impulse where they had Africa but eliminated the Elvin Jones drum solo so they could get more songs onto the package. There was something that always seemed unseemly about that, a violation of some kind of moral code, particularly since Coltrane was no longer alive to object.

I always liked this record, but haven’t listened to in in a while: Zoot Sims in Paris, United Artists 14013. This was an original pressing with the grey labels and was probably in VG+ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $202.51.

Here’s an update on some 10-inch jazz vinyl:

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Three Tenors

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Just spent some time rummaging through the high-end bins on eBay and found quite a few interesting items, starting with: Dexter Gordon Quintet, Dial 204. This is an original 10-inch pressing listed in near M- condition for the record and M- condition for the cover. Seller took beautiful clear pictures and the record is quite tempting to this Dexter Gordon and 10-inch LP fan. But the start price is around $350 and, tempting as it may be, it is not tempting enough to entice me at that price. Nobody else is enticed yet, either, but I do have a feeling this one will sell.

This is another nice one that is also lacking bids at the moment: Sonny Rollins, Way Out West, Contemporary 3530. this is an original promo copy in M- condition for both the cover and the record. Looks like a real gem, also with nice pictures from the seller. There is a start price of about $500 and a buy-it-now price of about $700. If any copy of Way Out West would set a new price high, this would seem to be it, an original promo in M- condition. But the start price is up there. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide we’ve never recorded a copy of this record selling for more than $300.

One more:

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Beautiful Records, No Action

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Watching the latest auction from the Jazz Record Center on eBay, with a bunch of Blue Notes and other nice collectibles, including: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This is a deep groove West 63rd Street pressing without the New York 23 on the label. I guess that means is isn’t an original first press, but is clearly an early pressing. I’d be quite pleased to have this baby in my collection, particularly since it is in new new M- condition for both the record and the cover. The start price for the record is $500 and so far there are no bidders. Just for comparison, we’ve seen copies of Sonny’s Crib sell for more than $3,000 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Surprised that this one also doesn’t have any action yet: John Coltrane, Coltrane, Prestige 7105. This is an original New York yellow label pressing also in beautiful condition, probably unplayed. It’s Coltrane’s first album as a leader. The start price is $500. Our top price for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide is $1,281. I can’t see any reason why this beautiful copy won’t approach that, but so far there’s no bidding. Perhaps there are a few bidders lurking in the weeds.

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