The first thing I did was check the time that the auction closed: 6:50 p.m. my time on the East Coast. Perfect. I would definitely be home. But, just in case, I decided to see what was available in the sniping department, since that is the method I would often use in the past when I was buying regularly on eBay. I did a search of “sniping software for eBay” and a bunch of options came up: EZsniper, BidSlammer, eSnipe and a few others. I decided to try a service called GIXEN, mainly because it was free. I figured, if I’m going to bid on a record every 10 years, I may as well not pay for a sniping service. I went to the GIXEN site and signed up. It was surprisingly easy, and I didn’t have to give a credit card or anything. Good start.

I went to eBay, found the item number for The Unique Thelonious Monk and plugged it into my new GIXEN account. At the time, the bidding was about $105 with two bids. I wanted to win the record because I really did want the record, and I figured it would be a better story to tell if I did win it. But I also didn’t want to pay top dollar. After all, neither the record nor the cover was in mint condition. So, I tried to come up with a number that would give me a good chance to win but wouldn’t make me feel bad about winning. I figured I would be comfortable with $400 for the record. And If I lost it at that price, so be it.

I took a quick look over at Popsike and, to my surprise, the record has sold for more than $1,000 once, and has sold for more than $400 maybe 15 or 20 times.  I figured $400 would give me a fighting chance, considering that the description said that the first track on each side begins with “sporadic tics” and the picture shows that the cover is in maximum VG++ condition, with clear wear on the bottom seam. So maybe more like VG+. I put in a bid for $411 on GIXEN with about eight hours left on the auction. I put an alarm in my phone for 6:40, 10 minutes before the auction was scheduled to close. My plan, if I was home and unencumbered, was to remove the GIXEN bid and bid live at my computer, watching the last 10 minutes of the auction to see what happens. I didn’t fully trust GIXEN, having never used it before, plus I wanted to see what it felt like again to bid live after all these years. I also didn’t want to be bidding against myself.

At 6:35 p.m. I turned the alarm off my phone and went to the computer.  I clicked on the link to The Unique Thelonious Monk. The bidding was barely higher than it had been earlier, perhaps $130. I wanted to make sure I could still get a bid in, so I put in a number, maybe $150. eBay told me that there was already a higher bid. That was a feature that was not available last time I participated in an auction. Interesting. So, I put in $180. eBay told me that would be the highest bid. This was with about 10 minutes left in the auction. I didn’t actually make the bid, but I felt that was useful information. With about two minutes left in the auction, $180 would have still been the highest bid. I figured I’d probably still have a shot with my bid of $411, so I put that number in and began the countdown. With six seconds left, I hit the button for $411. With two seconds left eBay came back to tell me that I was outbid. Too late for me to change to a higher bid even if I had wanted to do that, which I didn’t. I tried and lost. The winning bid was $416. Who knows how high the winning bidder would have been. He was probably using sniping software, perhaps even GIXEN, and could have bid as much as $1,000 for all I know. I didn’t mind losing the record at that price, and I feel like I had another mini adventure to share with everyone here at Jazz Collector.

BTW, while preparing this account this morning, I looked over the other Jazz Record Center auctions that ended yesterday. OMG, they are insane. A Monk Columbia record selling for more than $1,000? A later pressing J.R. Monterose on Blue Note with no deep grooves selling for nearly $2,000. Seems like I’ve been away too long and in just a couple of months the market has gone completely nuts. Or perhaps it is just because it’s the Jazz Record Center? Whatever it is, I feel like I am now back in action, so perhaps you will begin to see me posting more frequently again. If you’ve been away for a while, as I have been, welcome back.

JR Monterose, The Message, Jaro JAM 5004. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $1,007. Not a record . . . well, yes, it’s a record, but not a record price. That would have to top $1,275. And, from the same seller, Miles Davis, Relaxin’, Prestige 7129. This, too, was an original New York yellow label. The final price was $967. The highest price for Relaxin’ was $1,685, per Popsike. One more: Miles Davis, Cookin’, Prestige 7094. Another New York yellow label original, VG++ for the record and VG+ for the cover. Final price was $843. Very close to the previous high of $877.

I said I owed you one more Sonny Rollins story and here it is.

There was an announcement: Sonny Rollins would be doing a free solo concert in the garden of the Museum of Modern Art on July 19, 1985. “We’re going,” Danny and I said to one another simultaneously. There were no tickets sold in advance, just general admission, so we figured we’d get there early, probably two hours before the beginning of the concert. When we got there, the line began at the back entrance to the museum on 54^th Street, stretched down to 5^thAvenue, snaked around 5^th Avenue to 53^rd Street, all the way up 53^rd and past 6^th Avenue. For those of you keeping track, that’s probably the equivalent of four or five city blocks, probably a quarter of a mile. And this was two hours before the concert.

We were pessimistic about our chances of getting in, but we dutifully got on line and waited our turn. We moved maybe two or even three blocks after they opened the gates when the announcement came that the venue was closed, sorry, but you won’t be able to get in. Danny said, “Let’s go home.” I said, “Follow me.”

I didn’t tell Danny my plan, just, “Follow me.”

We walked down 53^rd across 5^th Avenue up 54^th. I went up to the admission area and said this. “Hello. I’m press. My name is Bob Porter. I should have two passes for me and my guest.” I said this with a poker face and not a trace of uncertainty. The person looked at me, smiled, and said: “Of course Mr. Porter. Come right in.” We walked in with confidence and as soon as we got in, we tried to blend in with the crowd. No problem. We saw the concert and of course it was awesome, memorialized in “The Solo Album” released by Milestone a few months after the concert.

Where did I get the balls, and why Bob Porter? I got the balls because I needed to see that concert. I had been a journalist for several years, and just knew how to play that game. Why Bob Porter, who was about 8 inches taller than me, and about 75 pounds heavier? Honestly, I knew Bob slightly and his was the first name I could think of as I rounded the corner of 53^rd  and 5^th and devised my scheme. I was just lucky that Bob didn’t show up that night. Come to think of it, I never did thank him. Oh well.

The post Rare Jazz Vinyl, Sonny Rollins, MOMA, Me & Bob Porter first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/prestige/rare-jazz-vinyl-sonny-rollins-moma-me-bob-porter/feed/ 9 9030 https://jazzcollector.com/uncategorized/starting-points-for-rare-jazz-vinyl/ https://jazzcollector.com/uncategorized/starting-points-for-rare-jazz-vinyl/#comments Wed, 07 Sep 2022 16:23:58 +0000 https://jazzcollector.com/?p=9021 I haven’t been watching eBay as diligently during the summer as I normally do, and I haven’t actually sold anything on eBay in more than [...]

I haven’t been watching eBay as diligently during the summer as I normally do, and I haven’t actually sold anything on eBay in more than a dozen years, so this observation may be dated, but . . . . is it just me, or are sellers consistently putting a higher start price on their auctions of rare jazz vinyl? I was just updating my watch list and flagged several titles that had high starting prices and no bidders. At first I assumed it was all from a single seller. But when I opened up the listings, they were all from different sellers. Here are some of those records, starting with Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This was an original red label pressing. If you can read through the seller’s tome and ‘tude, eventually you can find the condition of the record, which was listed as NM-. The cover was described as “pretty nice-very nice” and the picture shows a pretty clean front cover, with wear on the top and some old tape on the back. To me, pretty nice-very nice translates to VG+. The bidding start at $800 and so far there are no takers.

Chet Baker in New York, Riverside 12-281. This is an original blue label pressing listed in M- condition for the record and M- for the cover. The starting price is $500. The seller does mention that there “might be a slight musty smell” which is typically not a very attractive quality for a record in supposedly M- condition.

Dexter Gordon, Go, Blue Note 4112. This looks to be an original New York pressing. The record is listed in Ex condition and the cover is VG+. The starting price is $850. For the record (pun intended) the highest previous price for Dexter Gordon Go was $760, according to Popsike.

J.R. Monterose, The Message, Jaro 5004. This is an original pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. The starting price is $800, with no bidders. This is from the seller 1molecularrman, who has several other nice items on sale now, most of which also had high starting prices but have already attracted some interest from buyers. Or, at least the listing on eBay shows a bid. These include: Miles Davis, Relaxin’, Prestige 7129. This is an original New York pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and cover. There is one bid at $500; and, Thelonious Monk with Sonny Rollins, Prestige 7075. This is also a New York label original, listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The start price was $600 and there is one bidder.

Finally, we are watching a couple of Horace Parlan Blue Notes that are closing today: Horace Parlan, Movin’ and Groovin’, Blue Note 4028. This is an original West 63^rd Street pressing listed in VG+ condition for the record and EX for the cover. Bidding is around $565. From the same seller is Horace Parlan, Headin’ South, Blue Note 4062. This is also an original pressing, listed in VG+ for the record and VG for the cover. Bidding is at $710.

 

The post Starting Points for Rare Jazz Vinyl first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/uncategorized/starting-points-for-rare-jazz-vinyl/feed/ 8 9021 https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/potpourri-of-vinyl-record-shows-old-photos/ https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/potpourri-of-vinyl-record-shows-old-photos/#comments Sat, 08 Apr 2017 14:10:07 +0000 http://jazzcollector.com/?p=7531 Clearing out my inbox one more time, starting with a note from our friend CeeDee with a link to two eBay auctions. First up is [...]

The post Potpourri of Vinyl, Record Shows, Old Photos first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> Clearing out my inbox one more time, starting with a note from our friend CeeDee with a link to two eBay auctions. First up is Kenny Dorham, Una Mas, Blue Note 4127. This was an original New York pressing with the ear and the Van Gelder stamp. This was listed in M- condition for the record and the cover. Why did CeeDee send this to us? I would guess the final price, which was $810. That’s the highest price we’ve ever seen for Una Mas, confirmed by a peek over at Popsike. The second link from CeeDee seems to be an aberration: JR Monterose, The Message, Jaro 8004. This was a Fresh Sounds reissue that would typically sell for about $10 or $20. This one sold for $182.50 and it wasn’t even in mint condition. The seller doesn’t mention that it is a reissue in the listing, but the pictures clearly show that it is. IMHO, the buyer was either careless or clueless or perhaps a combination of the two. In any case, that is quite a tidy sum for a reissue, no?

I got notice in email of the upcoming “43rd Annual Jazz Record Collector’s Bash” scheduled for June 23-24 in Edison, NJ. I used to attend this event regularly, but it’s probably been more than 20 years since I went. Now that I have my home in The Berkshires, spending a weekend at a Hilton Garden Inn in Edison NJ poring through 78s and LPs versus being on the lake is very hard to justify. Anyway, I’m sure it will be fun and, who knows, maybe it will rain the entire weekend and I’ll choose Jersey over The Berkshires. Not likely, but you never know.

Speaking of events, we are getting close to the annual WFMU Record Fair, which will be held in Brooklyn again this year, the weekend of April 28-April 30. I used to be a regular here as well, as a seller, but as some of you may recall, I had either a breakdown or an epiphany (See You In Brooklyn? Not Anymore) and sold all of my duplicates to one of my favorite dealers from Japan. That was two years ago and I have ZERO regrets. I am tempted to bring a bunch of records this year just to pare down my collection but, to be honest, just the thought of loading records into the car, hauling them to Brooklyn, setting up a table and sitting there for three days is about as appealing to me as listening to Donald Trump lie about anything and everything.

Finally, there was an interesting note from a reader whose grandfather was a bass player with Louis Jordan in the 1950s. He sent me a couple of pictures, one of his grandfather playing with Jordan, the second of a young man that he thought might be Charlie Parker. I could see pretty quickly that the man in the second picture was not Bird, so I told him so. There’s still an open question of whether this person was anyone of note. It is not someone I recognize, but perhaps someone here may know. In any case, below are the two pictures:

 

 

 

The post Potpourri of Vinyl, Record Shows, Old Photos first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/potpourri-of-vinyl-record-shows-old-photos/feed/ 17 7531

Donald Byrd, Byrd, Transition 5. This was an original pressing with the booklet. The record was listed in VG condition and the cover/booklet both looked very nice, probably VG++ the way we rank things around here. The price was $1,336.55. I was willing to sell my Byrd’s Eye View on Transition, no booklet, but no one has really taken me up on my offer to shop through my collection in person. Now, I’m starting to pack things up in preparation for the big moves, coming soon — although the “store” is still open.

This one also made it to the $1,000 bin: Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing, quite lovely, and it was in what looked like VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,300. Just seeing pictures of those Lexington Avenue labels gets the heart kind of racing.

While we’re on Blue Note Lexingtons, how about this one from the same seller: J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This also looked quite lovely, probably VG++ condition for the record and the cover. It sold for $1,200.

Kenny Dorham, ‘Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia, Blue Note 1524. This was an original pressing that was listed in M- condition for the record and excellent condition for the cover, which is, what, VG+, VG++? This one sold for $1,315.

People have already commented on this one elsewhere on Jazz Collector, but it seems reasonable to me, given the state of the Blue Note market: Cannonball Adderley, Somethin’ Else, Blue Note 1595. This looked like an original pressing and was in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,250.

This one came from the bobjdukic batch and, given the condition, sold for a fairly whopping price tag: Lee Morgan, Indeed!, Blue Note 1538. It was listed as “insanely rare” (of course), but it was also listed in VG to VG-minus condition for the vinyl, which would definitely indicate surface noise. The cover was VG+ and the price was an even $1,000, which, I suppose, is a sign of something  to conspiracy theorists.

Here was an original copy of Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079, the barely missed the $1,000 bin. This looked to be in VG+ or VG++ condition for the vinyl and probably around VG+ for the cover. It sold for $948,

This too was bobjdukic and insanely rare: J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This copy was in VG+ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $946.

John Coltrane, Coltrane, Prestige 7105. This was an original New York pressing. The record was listed in VG++ condition, but the cover was VG-minus. It sold for $787.

As noted, the lovely bobdjukic is back with a lot of superbly hyped records, including: J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This looks clearly to be an original pressing and it is listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. It closes at the end of the week and is already at $510. This will certainly be in the $1,000 bin soon. From the same seller, among others, is John Coltrane, Lush Life, Prestige 7188. I mention this because I have a friend looking for a nice original pressing of this record. This one looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It is now at $100. I’m sure you all know the great story behind this record, about the trio side which was only a trio side because Red Garland forgot to show up for the date.

This is from another seller: Lee Morgan, City Lights, Blue Note 1575. This one looks to be VG++ for the record and perhaps VG+ for the cover, although part of the top right corner is off. The current price is $485 and there are about three days left.

Kenny Dorham and the Jazz Prophets Volume 1, ABC Paramount 122. This is an original pressing that looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The current price is $228 and there is only one bidder.

Duke Jordan, Flight To Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This looks to be an original pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG+. The start price is $699 and there are no bidders, but still six days to go. We’ll keep an eye on it for you, as is our custom.

Here’s another non Blue Note for the $1,000 bin: Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone 207. This was an original red vinyl pressing. The record was listed as VG++ and the cover was VG+. The price was $1,137.

This one really got top dollar, more than you would normally expect to see for a Jazzland LP:

Charlie Rouse, Takin’ Care of Business, Jazzland 19. This was an original orange label pressing that was in M- condition for both the vinyl and the cover. It sold for $201.50, the highest price we’ve seen for this record.

way, we did a few interesting posts on J.R. Monterose this past summer, including a bit on the history of the J.R. Monterose in Action LP. You can find all of this stuff, including the earliest known clip of JR, just by doing a search using the search function at the top right of this page.

Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. Like most of the others in this group, this was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $3,342.99.

J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. Condition: M- for record and cover. Price: $2,247.22

Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. Condition: M-. Price: $1,175

Hank Mobley With Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, Blue Note 1540. Condition: M-. Price: $1,705.

Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. Condition: M-. Price: $2,247.

Bill Evans, Waltz For Debby, Riverside 399. Condition: M-
Price: $1,500.

As noted, this is just a small sampling. There will be more to come. It would be great if some of the winners of this vinyl will report back to us on the condition and whether these records are, indeed, as pristine as they seem.