This week’s theme: Jazz records recorded on Feb. 4. Featured artists include Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Billy Taylor, Hal McKusick, Art Farmer, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Phil Woods, Jon Eardley, Paul Chambers, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, Louis Smith.
Sorry, again, for the gap between posts but, as I said, the workload has been particularly heavy lately. Thanks to ceedee for his occasional emails keeping me up on things I may have missed. He sent me two this week, the first being: Red Rodney, Signal 1206. This was an original pressing listed in VG++ for the record and VG+ for the cover. The final price was $1,413.99, so I can see why he sent it. That’s the highest price I recall seeing for that record, although a quick search over to Popsike shows that there have been several higher and this one falls right into the normal range, although that VG+ cover would be of concern, at least to me, at least if I was paying $1,400, which I would never do anyway.
Wow, that last post drew quite a compelling discussion. I have yet to listen to that Ted Brown record, but it is definitely on the agenda. In the meantime, there are many interesting records currently for sale on eBay, including:
Jon Eardley Seven with Zoot Sims, Prestige 7033. This is an original New York yellow label pressing. The record is in VG+ condition and the cover is VG++. The start price is in the $300 range and, with nearly three days left in the auction, there are no bidders yet. We would expect this one to sell, but you never know. It is Prestige and not Blue Note, after all.
Kenny Dorham and the Jazz Prophets, ABC Paramount 122. This looks to be an original deep groove pressing. It’s not simple to decipher the condition based on the seller’s description, but I would guess that the record is between VG+ and VG++ and the cover is probably about the same. The start price for this one is $300 and, with less than two days left, there are no bidders.
Speaking of Kenny Dorham:
Back to eBay with a few more recent jazz vinyl auctions, starting with: Chet Baker, Chet, Riverside 299. This looks to be an original pressing in VG+ condition. It sold for $337, which is the highest price we’ve ever recorded for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide (although, admittedly, this is not one that have have often followed). Why such a high price tag for this one? It’s got to be the presence of Bill Evans on piano, right?
Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. This is an original West 63rd pressing listed in VG+ condition with some minor scratches and EXC for the cover, which seems to be equivalent to VG++ based on the seller’s description. It sold for $760. It used to be records had to be in near mint condition, or close to near mint, to fetch those kinds of collectible prices, but no more. There is a huge demand for any of these high-end collectibles in any condition, and certainly in any condition that will give you a good listening experience.
How about another Blue Note:
Goodness, it’s been days since I’ve been on eBay and nearly a week since my last post. Thank you for not complaining, although in the future please feel free to do so. When I get caught up in my regular work, it is nice to be jolted back to Jazz Collector so I can do my fun stuff. So here are some of the jazz records we missed while we were away, starting with: Zoot Sims, Henri Renaud and Jon Eardley, Ducretet-Thomson 250 V 023. This is a 10-inch French pressing from 1956. I have to admit, I have never seen this record before. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG+. There were more than 250 page views, 21 bids and a final price of $2,281.
Sonny Rollins, Volume 2, Blue Note 1558. This was an original pressing with the New York 23 deep groove labels. It was listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover and the listing was accompanied by some nice clear pictures. The final price was $1,227.99. We see a couple of these sell for more than $1,200 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, but this is quite near the top of the market for this record.
Just clearing out my eBay watch list of jazz vinyl as I prepare a long-awaited update of the Jazz Collector Price Guide. I realize I’ve been stuck at 4,971 records for awhile. Hopefully we’ll see that go up soon. Here are some records that will eventually be added to the guide:
Jon Eardley Seven with Zoot Sims and Phil Woods, Prestige 7033. This was an original New York yellow label pressing that was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $442.68. Get a look of Phil and Zoot in those pictures. They look so young.
Charlie Mariano, Bethlehem 25. This was an original red-label deep groove pressing. The record was in M- condition and the cover looked to be VG++. The record sold for $341.
Roland Kirk, Third Dimension, Bethlehem 6064. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The price was $124.75. I’ve never seen or owned this record. I was a big fan of Roland Kirk — he was an amazing performer in front of an audience. A great musician as well. If I were buying records more active these days, perhaps this one would have been on my shelves by now.
One of the great things about doing the Jazz Collector site is that I get to learn along with everyone else. Remember I did that post the other day about the two Teddy Charles Prestige covers and Rudolf replied, as I hoped he would, and he mentioned the Jon Eardley Seven, Prestige 7033, and how Prestige just decided one day that it would no longer be a Jon Eardley record and would now be a Zoot Sims record, Zoot Sims Down East, only they didn’t change the number, they just changed the packaging. And I read that and I thought to myself: Whoops, I think I have both of those records, in different parts of my collection: One under “E” for Eardley and the other under “S” for Sims. Now, here’s the real beauty of the entire situation:
There was a lot of discussion on Jazz Collector last week about 10-inch LPs and we said we’d keep track of some for the price guide. To be honest, based on these prices, we’re not sure if demand is diminished. We do know that prices tend to be inconsistent week to week, so it’s best to keep track over time, which is why we do the Jazz Collector Price Guide, which, so far, has been tracking prices over a five-year period. Anyway, here’s an update on some 10-inch LPs, all of which will go into the Price Guide later this week:
Elmo Hope, New Faces, New Sounds, Blue Note 5029. This was an original pressing in M- condition, both record and cover. It sold for $620.
Jon Eardley in Hollywood, New Jazz 1105. This was also in M- condition. It sold for $232.44.
Here are some items we’ve just added to the Jazz Collector Price Guide.
Kenny Dorham ‘Round Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia, Blue Note 1524. This was a Lexington Avenue pressing in VG+ condition, both record and cover. The price was $447.
Art Farmer Quintet, Prestige 7017. This was a New York pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG. The price was $130. Also, Art Farmer, Prestige 7031. This was an original New York pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was VG. The price was $151.
Curtis Fuller Volume 3, Blue Note 1583. This was an original West 63rd Street
Quite a fair number of nice items on eBay today. At Jazz Collector, we have a few items up there this week, and we’re hoping to post several more. To view our items, you can just click Items For Sale above. We’ve got a couple of decent pieces up there, including Wynton Kelly, Kelly at Midnite, VeeJay 3011. This one is in nice condition and is only priced at about $20 at this point. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide, we’ve seen a promo copy of this record sell for $148. We’re also working on adding an e-commerce module to the Web site, so we can sell collectibles right from here. Stay tuned for an update on that — we should be rolling with it this week.
Here are a few interesting items for sale today:
Kenny Burrell and Art Blakey, On View at the Five Spot Cafe, Blue Note 4021. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing that looks to be in M- condition, both record and cover. The current price is $280.
