The seller bearlbebop has a bunch of nice records, including original Blue Notes and Prestiges, such as Hank Mobley with Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, Blue Note 1540. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the frame cover. The record is listed in VG+ or VG++ condition and the cover is VG+. The start price is $700 and so far there are no bidders with two days left in the auction. From the same seller, you can bid on Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This is a West 63^rd Street pressing. The record seems to be in the VG++ range and the cover is graded VG+. Bidding is in the $550 range with more than two days left.

Finally, what would be a week on eBay these days without at least some action from the sellers 1molecularrman and Carolina Soul. From 1molecularrman we have Jackie McLean and Company, Prestige 7087. This looks to be an original New York yellow label, with a cutout hole in the cover. The record and cover are both listed as VG+. The auction closes is more than three days and there is one bid at $300.

From Carolina Soul we bring you some Coltrane, starting with John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This is an original black label pressing, listed in VG+ for the record and VG++ for the cover. Bidding is in the $415 range with more than two days left on the auction. In the Coltrane-as-sideman category, we have Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, New Jazz 8217. This looks to be an original deep-groove purple label listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding is in the $430 range. Every time I see this record, I am reminded of the cover that Maarten Kools created for my dog Moose the Mooche, below:

Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This looks to be an original New York 23 pressing. This is another seller with a deep description. From what he describes, I would say VG++ for the record and maybe VG+ for the cover? Previous owner wrote his name on the Side One label, which is never a good selling point. There are six days left on the auction and there is already a bid at the start price of $500. I think this will join the Monterose in the $1,000 bin.

I can usually tell when I’ve been away too long, because there is usually a “miss Al” note from Japhy and a bunch of emails in the queue from CeeDee. Thanks for caring. 🙂

CeeDee indeed sent me several notes regarding the recent auction of Sun Ra records from the seller Carolina Soul, which were also noticed by Jay in a comment on the last post, to the tune of $30,000 in total. These were the links CeeDee sent:

Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra, Planet Earth, Saturn Records from 1966. This was listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. There were 23 bidders, 53 bids and the final price was $3,437.

Sun Ra and His Outer Space Arkestra, A Fireside Chat With Lucifer, Saturn Records. The record was listed as VG++ and the cover was VG+. This one had 20 bidders, 43 bids and a final price of $1,500.

Sun Ra, Lanquidity, Philly Jazz. This one was in VG+ condition for the recrod and VG for the cover. The final price was $1,350.

Whilst on the subject of Run Ra, I received a note from a reader as follows: “Looking for ‘Live at Slugs’ have exhausted ebay and other channels I know of, even Discogs. Wondering if you had any search ideas or a reader that has a copy they would like to sell for a reasonable price.”

I replied that I don’t have any search ideas, but I would put his inquiry into my next post and see what pops up.

Here’s a note from Bonhams Music Auction, with a link to: A Buescher Alto Saxophone Played by John Coltrane.

“I thought you would be interested to see and share with your readers and incredible piece we have included in our Music auction running online here at Bonhams until October 19 – an alto saxophone played by John Coltrane on a Gene Ammons All Stars recording session for Prestige Records at the Van Gelder studio in NJ in 1958. There is a photograph of Coltrane playing the sax in the studio and the sax has been on exhibition at the Grammy Museum, amongst others. A link to the sax in our auction is below. Of you click through the sale, you will also see we have an incredible collection relating to Billie Holiday.”

The starting bid for the Coltrane Buescher alto is $40,000, with the expected price to be in the $50,000 to $70,000 range. The Billie Holiday ephemera is pretty cool, lots of signed stuff, including contracts and correspondence, more than 20 lots worth of stuff The other thing that caught my eye was this tablecloth, with a sketch by John Lennon and signatures by John as well as the other Beatles. It would definitely be a cool thing to own, but the bidding is already at $65,000 on an item that had been expected to fetch $15,000 to $25,000.  Given the history and provenance of the item, plus the fact that it is a drawing by John, there is no price that would surprise me. We may have to start a million-dollar bin for this one. Here’s an article about the tablecloth from The Washington Post.

One more item: The New Jersey Jazz Records Collectors’ Bash, which had been scheduled for Oct. 27-29, has been cancelled. The note states that there weren’t enough confirmed vendors to make the event financially viable and, to top it off, one of the event organizers fractured his ankle and would have been out of commission. The note expresses the disappointment of the promoters and suggests that the Bash will not go on under their auspices. It ends: “If you, or anyone else you know, is interested in taking over the reins, please let me know.”

Too bad. Although I hadn’t been to a Bash in many years, I always found it enjoyable when I went in the past, and I’m sure many Jazz Collectors and dealers look forward to it. Maybe, someone else will take the reins. Perhaps even someone reading this post, although certainly not the person writing it.

I was thinking about this record just yesterday. All of my work calls now are on Zoom, which means my clients can see my records in the background when I do these calls. Yesterday one of the clients was asking me about the records and I mentioned Jazz Collector. She asked me what was the most valuable record in my collection. I had to stop and think for a bit, but the answer I came back with was Cool Struttin’. Of course, she had never heard of Sonny Clark, but, beyond this site and our relatively small coterie, who has? I don’t own an original pressing of Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568, and I sold my copy of Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, many years ago. Plus, my copy was only VG anyway. Beyond those, I couldn’t think of a record that has consistently sold for a higher price than Cool Struttin’. And I do have a very clean copy. Am I missing something obvious? Maybe Blue Train has surpassed Cool Struttin’ in the pantheon? Perhaps one of the early Lee Morgan Blue Notes? Anything else in those nether regions?

The shrink wrap and out-of-date inner sleeve give me some pause, but the seller does mention the ear as well as the deep grooves, which seem visible in the photos. Anyway, this one has been on my want list for a while and I am a little flush with cash having just finished writing the book and not having been to a restaurant in seven months. The bidding now is in the $400 range, so there may be room to go up without having to cross over into the $1,000 bin. The auction closes in about five hours from this writing. I’m setting my alarm as I type.

Here’s another of those cool Esquires from England: Donald Byrd, Byrd’s Eye View, Esquire 32-103. This looks to be the original English pressing of one of Byrd’s Transition LPs. The vinyl is listed in Ex condition and the cover is Ex or Ex+. I still don’t know what that really means, but the pictures look really clean. Bidding is in the $150 range with about four days left in the auction. Here’s another from the same seller: Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, With John Coltrane, Esquire 32-156. This is a first pressing from the U.K. listed in Ex condition for the record and Ex or Ex+ for the cover. Bidding is in the $140 range with four days left. And, while we’re here, that 10-inch Sonny Rollins Quintet Esquire LP I wrote about last time is back on eBay. I had hoped that there would be a price drop from the $195 start but, alas, that is not to be. Perhaps the seller will find that eBay is lovelier the second time around.

He said VG+ for the vinyl but described it as nearly perfect. Also, VG- for a cover that sounded at least VG to me, although looking more closely at the picture, VG- may be the thing. Anyway, the bidding was in the $400 range and I thought I might take a shot. It sold for $710, but we’ll never know how high the winning bidder bid, since he only had to top the second highest bid. If someone offered me this record for $710 in this condition would I take it? Probably, based on my belief that the record is in better condition than VG+.

That New Jersey pressing of Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079, which started the previous discussion, sold for $934 in M- condition. So we are getting very close to the $1,000 bin for New Jersey pressings. I like it. Who wouldn’t want a yellow label Saxophone Colossus with the original cover?

We were also watching:

John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, Impulse A-77. This was an original white promo copy listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $1,083.77. Not quite a record, but a $1,000-binner nonetheless.

Phil Woods, Woodlore, Prestige 7018. This was the one in VG condition for the record and cover. It sold for $449. Then there was Woodlore in M- condition for the record and VG for the cover. This one had no bidders when we first looked at it and we were once again tempted. Never mind. It sold for $1,391.

Walter Davis Jr., Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018, original pressing, VG++ for the record and the cover. Final price was $905.67

Lester Young Trio, Mercury MG-C-104. This was an original 10-inch record with the David Stone Martin cover. The record and cover seemed to be in M- condition. The final price was $720, which, to me, was surprisingly high on a couple of levels. One, there seems to be less demand for 10-inch records overall and, two, Lester is kind of in that pre- Blue Note/Prestige category for collectors. Of course he is a genius and his influence immeasurable, but as far as the collector mentality, I have expected Lester to slip a bit. I’m glad he hasn’t. For the record, as I type this I am in my small studio apartment and, hanging to my left is one of my favorite jazz portraits of all time, a signed copy by the photographer, Bill Gottlieb. If you look carefully at the photo below you may be able to see my reflection in the President:

We were about to reach a deal when he said he had just wanted to confirm that the “original” copy I was offering had the cover with the greenish tint as opposed to the bluish tint. I looked at my copes and both were more bluish than greenish, although they both had all of the other trappings of an original pressing, including the New York address, deep grooves, etc. I looked on Popsike and, sure enough, there were copies of Saxophone Colossus with covers that were more green than blue, kind of like the original Miles, Prestige 7014. My question is, does the greenish cover have that much more cachet to collectors than the blue cover? I personally don’t recall ever holding one with the green cover, so I assume it is quite rare, yet I also see copies of the blue cover selling for $2,000 to $3,000. In fact, if you look at Popsike, you will see that the highest price paid for a Colossus was $3,080, and that was for a blue cover version. The highest price for a green cover was $2,415. Rollins aficionado that I am, is this a nuance I simply missed over the years? As a collector, do you how much do you care about the tint on the cover, assuming that it may have been a legitimate first-off-the-presses issue of one of the most important records of the Jazz Collector Era.

Here are two Blue Notes from my want list: Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This looks to be an original New York 23 pressing. The seller describes the vinyl as nearly perfect, yet he rates it VG+. He describes the cover as VG-, but based on the description it looks more like VG to me. It’s not a dealer I know, but he has 100% feedback. Perhaps he is undergrading? In any case, this one is in the $400 range with less than two days left. Would it be worth a shot to fill in a gap in the Jazz Collector Collection? Hmm, could be. Horace Parlan Quintet, Speakin’ My Piece, Blue Note 4043. This looks to be an original West 63^rdStreet pressing listed in VG++ for the record and the cover. The bidding is in the $160 range with more than five days left on the auction. A copy of this record recently sold for more than $1,300. While I wouldn’t anticipate this copy matching that one, I would expect the bidding to climb quite a bit higher than $160.

Then there was Hank Mobley, Mobley’s Message, Prestige 7061. This was an original New York pressing listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The final price was $559. I’ve seen a lot of records from this seller in Thailand, many of which either don’t receive bids or receive bids that seem below market value, such as this one. He has 100% feedback with more than 1,400 transactions. I feel like I’m missing something.

This one closes in a couple of days: Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington, Riverside 201. This is an original pressing with the white label and original cover, quite hard to find in good shape, the first of the Riverside 200 series. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is Ex. Bidding is now in the $250 range. I remember maybe 25 years ago I had a copy of this in my hands at the Jazz Record Center and Fred offered to sell it to me for $100, a very generous gesture even at the time. But, alas, money was tight and/or I still had an issue paying more than $30 or $40 for any record, so I passed. Needless to say, in all of the collections I’ve purchased and the stores I’ve visited over the intervening years, I haven’t found another copy yet. But I’m still breathing, which means I’m still looking.

That Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note 4031 record that we were watching sold for $1,154.89, which was quite a bit less than I expected. The record was M- and the cover was VG++. Interesting to see how many of you consider this to be one of Hank’s best efforts.

From the same auction:

Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Bag, Blue Note 4051. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record looked to be M- and the cover probably VG++. The final price was $1,225.

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was a New Jersey yellow label pressing that looked to be in M- condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $549. A few years ago I would have been surprised to see a second pressing get that high a price, but the market has changed a lot. No surprise at all.

Sonny Rollins, Tenor Madness, Prestige  7047. This was an original New York yellow label that looked to be in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The final price was $829. Interesting to see that there is still such a huge gap between Prestige and Blue Note. I know the Blue Notes were more slickly packaged and more carefully produced but, hell, this is Rollins and Coltrane recorded together for the only time and this particular copy in nice condition is still not in the $1,000 bin. If it had been released by Blue Note . . .?

The Jazz Record Center  has an auction closing in two days, including John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This is what Fred calls a “P” pressing, although I’m not sure what the “P” actually stands for. It is the one with the deep grooves, ear, RVG stamp and West 63rd Street address, but no New York 23 on one side. I’ve always assumed this is a second press? Anyway,

the start price for this record is $500 and there is a bidder so the record will be sold. From the same auction is John Coltrane Plays the Blues, Atlantic 1382. This is an original mono pressing with the red and purple labels. Frankly, I’m not sure how to distinguish between the various Atlantic pressings to determine what is, or isn’t an original, but I always trust Fred because there is no one more knowledgable. This record is in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is $100 and there is also a bidder, so this one will sell as well.

Here is another Blue Note from my want list that will likely remain on my want list until I find a less expensive copy, which may be forever the way prices are going up: Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This looks to be an original pressing with the New York 23 labels. The record is listed in VG++ condition and the cover is VG+. There are more than two days left in the auction and the bidding is in the $275. I certainly would not be surprised if this one were to approach or enter the $1,000 bin.

Now for the two that are new to us:

Annie Ross, Annie by Candlelight, Nixa 504. This looks to be an original Canadian 10-inch pressing. Not only have I never seen this record, I’ve never heard of the Nixa label. Anyone want to help us out with some info? This record is listed in excellent condition and the cover is described as very good. The start price is about $220 and so far there are no bidders.

This is a French pressing we’ve never seen: Rene Thomas, Meeting Mister Thomas, Barclay 84091. This looks to be an original pressing from 1963. The record is listed in Ex minus condition and the cover looks to be excellent. The bidding is in the $130 range but it has not yet reached the seller’s reserve price.

Here’s a listing lacking in either knowledge or integrity: Hank Mobley, No Room For Squares, Blue Note 4149. This is listed as a “Blue Note Jazz LP Original Pressing,” while the listing clearly shows that this is a mere Liberty pressing. The seller has a start price of about $150 and so far there are no bids. We assume it will stay that way, but you never know. Look at the bidding on that Hank Mobley Blue Note 1568 reissue that got out of hand before the seller graciously decided to pull the listing. Not sure if he did that because he was expecting problems, or because he realized something wacky was going on. But, the listing did clearly state it was a reissue, so he didn’t need to do that. Or did he?