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Monday Morning Blue Notes

January 16, 2012 Al 5 comments

Lot of interesting jazz vinyl we’re watching now on eBay, so let’s get right into it. This one is closing fairly soon: Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. What’s the market for a rare record like this in not very good condition, actually in VG minus condition? So far the bidding on this one has topped $125. I’d love to have this record back in my collection — yes, I sold a pristine copy 20 years ago — but not in this condition. If I can’t listen to the record, I don’t necessarily need to own it just to fill a space in the collection.

This one is in better condition, but hard to actually give it a grade based on seller’s description. My guess from the description and pictures that it’s what I would grade a VG+ for the record and the cover: Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This one has already topped $800. As I mentioned recently, I am now the proud owner of an original pressing of this record, after all of these years of collection. Amazing how rare these things are, when you think about it. I could have paid top dollar over the years, I guess, to acquire a copy of this record, but in the normal course of things — going to record stores, record shows, garage sales flea markets, looking for records in most cities across the U.S. — in more than 40 years I had never come across an original copy of this record, and many others, for what I considered to be a reasonable price at the time.

Blue Note

Today’s Jazz Vinyl Watch: Prestige, Blue Note(s)

January 10, 2012 Al 17 comments

Here’s some of the rare jazz vinyl we’re watching now on eBay:

Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins, Dig, Prestige 7012. This looks to be an original New York pressing with the gray cover as opposed to the blue cover. I would also assume that this is the “frame” cover, otherwise known as kakubushi. I always preferred the gray cover, of course, since it is the original, and I wonder why Prestige chose to change the color on the subsequent release. Perhaps someone out there knows — Rudolf? This one was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover and is currently in the $150 price range with more than a day to go.

I am no longer in the market for this record, having just acquired an original pressing. Yay! Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This appears to be an original pressing and the condition seems to be somewhere between VG+ and M-. The start price is around $750 and, so far, there are no takers. The second copy, viewed here, looks to be in slightly worse condition, rated as “excellent” by the seller, although he describes light scuffs and the picture shows a back that has some dirt and wear. If I were wagering, I’d say this record and cover are VG+, the way I grade things. This one already has two bids and is at $404 with six days to go.

Down By The Riversides (With A Blue Note)

December 13, 2011 Al 5 comments

Here’s some more jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay.

It’s been a while since we’ve tracked a nice copy of Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This one was an original pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and M- for the cover. It sold for $1,913.

Here’s a nice Riverside: Ernie Henry, Last Chorus, Riverside 266. This looked to be an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $270.

While we’re on Riversides, here’s one two numbers apart: Johnny Griffin Sextet, Riverside 264. This one was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $349.95. My dad used to search high and low for the Riversides in the bargain bins of a couple of record stores along 8th Street in Greenwich Village in the ’60s. I wish he would have bought some of these, but he wound up with a lot of Cannonball, a lot of Wes Montgomery and some Bill Evans. No complaints, really. I still have many of those great records from my dad.

Jazz Vinyl Prices, Running The Gamut

October 27, 2011 Al Leave a comment

Here’s some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

Someone got a nice record at a nice price with this one: Stan Levey, Grand Stan, Bethlehem 71. I’d have thought this would be more collectible, what with the presence of Sonny Clark as well as Richie Kamuca. This copy was in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $43.

Here’s a nice, original, New York yellow-label Prestige that also didn’t command top dollar: Gene Ammons, All Star Sessions, Prestige 7050. This one was in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $76.01.

This one, on the other hand, had no problem fetching top dollar: Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This was an original pressing and it looked to be in M- condition, although the terminology used by the seller was different. Some people clearly agreed that it was M-: This one sold for $1,252.

Jazz Vinyl: Two for the $1,000 Bin, Plus A Couple More

August 31, 2011 Al One comment

Been away from my posting for a few days. Trying to get back into the swing of things, but there were a couple of days of hurricane delays, plus the lovely Mrs. JC is on vacation. Anyway, I vow once again to be posting more regularly, starting today with some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay.

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original New York pressing. The record was described as M- condition and the cover looked to be at least VG++, perhaps M- depending upon your grading system. This one sold for $1,536. We’ve seen this one sell for more than $2,000 several times in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, and once approach $3,000. So perhaps this is a bargain, or perhaps it’s just where the market was on this particular day. The item did have more than 400 page views, which is a significant amount.

Here’s a Riverside that did quite well for the seller, which was Euclid Records: Wynton Kelly Piano. Riverside 254. This was an original Blue label pressing with the deep grooves. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $710. Nice cover on this record, right? Straight from the ’50s.

So this next one made the $1,000 bin after all:

eBaying: Alto Madness & A Pair of Blue Notes

July 8, 2011 Al 8 comments

Here’s some nice jazz vinyl that’s been sold on eBay recently, while we’ve been offline and packing.

Jackie McLean and John Jenkins, Alto Madness, Prestige 7114. This was an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. It was sold by Euclid Records and was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. What a beauty. It sold for $812, a relatively high price for a Prestige of this vintage, but who can argue at this kind of value for a record of this quality in this condition.

Here’s an interesting one: Cliff Jordan, Cliff Craft, Blue Note 1582. This was an original pressing. The seller didn’t actually grade it, but gave some information about the condition, so we get to determine the grading ourselves. There was some surface noise on two tracks of this LP, one of which the seller described as “unpleasant.” The highest grade it would get in our view would be VG+. The more likely grade would be VG. What do you think? The cover looked to be VG++. The price was $676, which would reflect more of a VG+ grading than a VG grading, don’t you think?

This one came from a seller with only three feedbacks, so it’s a little risky, right?

Jazz Vinyl Update: Some Warhols, Blue Notes & Miles

March 13, 2011 Al 8 comments

Here’s some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

This one was described in “like new” condition and, based on the picture and description, it looked like an original pressing: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. The seller said he turned down a “buy now” request and let the bidding continue, which it did, topping off at $1,713.

This one wasn’t in nearly the same condition as Sonny’s Crib: Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This looked to be an original pressing and it was listed in VG+ condition for the record and VG MINUS for the cover. It sold for $1,115.

This is the highest price we’ve ever seen for this record: Miles Davis, Cookin’ Prestige 7094. This was an original pressing that was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $665.

How about a few records with Andy Warhol covers:

Jazz Vinyl For The $1,000 (Blue Note) Bin

July 23, 2010 Al Leave a comment

It looks like this will be a busy weekend for the $1,000 bin. In addition to some of the items from the Jazz Record Center auction, which we will update momentarily, there are also several other items for sale on eBay that are destined to be sold for high prices.

Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This is from a seller in Switzerland who says he is selling off pieces from his personal collection. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and M- condition for the cover. The price is already more than $1,000 and there are still two days to go. From the same seller is this one: Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session, Blue Note 1559. This looks to be similar to the Sonny Clark record in condition: VG++ for the vinyl and either M- or VG++ for the cover. This one is also already more than $1,000.

The Jazz Record Center auctions close today and the bidding has not been fierce on most of the items. This is one, however, that will make it into the $1,000 bin:

On eBay: True Blue, Modern Art, Griffin Signed

July 10, 2010 Al Leave a comment

Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl we’re watching on eBay:

Johnny Griffin, The Kerry Dancers, Riverside, 420. This is an original blue label pressing and it is listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. This record also features an autograph on the cover by Johnny Griffin, apparently from 1995. As we’ve seen before, an autograph can either be an enticement or a detriment, depending upon the collector. For me, I always like having an autographed copy. This one has a few hours to go and is selling in the $250 range. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide we’ve seen a sealed copy of this LP sell for $370, but otherwise the top price was $230, so it seems the autograph is enhancing the value of this LP.

Here’s one destined for the $1,000 bin, assuming it meets the seller’s reserve price:

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