Filling Up the $1,000 Bin

Catching up on the eBay jazz vinyl watch list. Let’s start with one that was sent to me by Japhy: Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This was an original deep-groove. West 63rd Street mono. The record and the cover were both in VG++ condition. The final price was $1,650. Japhy’s note was titled “Swinging for the fences,” and he did my homework for me: “A new high of $1,650 for Jackie McLean Swing, Swang, Swingin’ in reported VG++/VG++ condition. Prior high was $1,283 back in 2005.” Speaking of “Swingin’” new highs, we were watching this one the other day: Read more

Familiar Names and Titles for The $1,000 Bin

Catching up on some more jazz vinyl auctions on eBay, starting with Tommy Flanagan, The Cats, New Jazz 8217. This was an original purple label mono deep groove pressing. The record features John Coltrane among others. The record and cover were listed in M- condition, although the picture of the bag cover is clearly not M-, and is probably just VG+.  The final price was $1,675. Based on Popsike, that is the highest price we’ve seen for The Cats, possibly more than double the previous high.

Whilst we are perusing the $1,000 bin: Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original West 63rdStreet pressing listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The final price was $1,514.89. This one had a start price of about $5,000 but did not sell: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original pressing. The record was listed as M-, but the cover was VG-. It is back on eBay for the same start price. Read more

Just a Few Jazz Records

Lots of interesting jazz vinyl to drool over on eBay right now. Let’s start with Hank Mobley Sextet, Hank, Blue Note 1560. This is an original West 63rd Street deep-groove pressing listed in EX condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The bidding is already over $2,000 with nearly two days left on the auction, as of this writing. The seller is vinyl-house-uk and they have a load of great original pressings for auction this week, including a lot of nice Blue Notes. Here’s one more: Introducing Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1523. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing that is listed in EX/EX+ condition (whatever that is) for both the record and the cover. The bidding is around $1,250. Read more

Random Vinyl with Random Musings

Time to clean out my watch list in time for the holiday weekend. Some of this stuff goes  back a few weeks (or more) but I kept them in the queue thinking that someday I would do exactly what I am doing now. Here goes, starting backwards, from May there was Howard McGhee, Dusty Blue, Bethlehem 6055. This was an original mono pressing that was listed in VG condition for the record and G for the cover. It was in pretty bad shape, yet it sold for nearly $500. I don’t understand what it is about the record or condition that warranted that kind of price, with a bidding war to boot, so perhaps someone here can elucidate me. Read more

Random Rare (And Not So Rare) Jazz Vinyl

Back on eBay and here are a few that caught my eye: Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume 1, Blue Note 1596. This is an original West 63rd Street, deep-groove pressing and, of course, it has the Andy Warhol cover. The record is listed in VG+ condition and the cover is VG++.  The bidding closes in about a day and the price is at $405. The seller is one of my favorite record stores, Round Again Records in Providence, RI. My son went to undergraduate and grad school at Brown, so I used to visit the store quite often and always had a nice conversation with the owner Steve, and always walked away with a few nice records. It’s been a while – Michael finished grad school in 2010 – so it’s nice to see that Steve is still buying and selling records and finding those occasional lovely Blue Note scores. Makes me think about taking a drive over there. Hey, it’s only a couple of hours. One of these days. Read more

A New Year’s Jazz Vinyl Treasure Trove

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. It’s been a while. I will spend the next couple of days catching up on eBay, starting today with some items we missed while we were hibernating over the holidays. First up is one of our all-time favorites: John Coltrane, Soultrane, Prestige 7142. This was an original yellow label pressing with the New Jersey label. The seller was the Jazz Record Center and the record and cover were both listed in M-, near-new condition. The final price was $902. This was the highest price we’ve ever seen for Soultrane, confirmed by a quick link over to Popsike. Only a matter of time before we see this record in the $1,000 bin. Why not? I mean, it’s Coltrane and, IMHO, the best of all his Prestige records. Read more

Blue Notes Galore, For a Price

Catching up on a recent interesting Blue Note auction from the Jazz Record Center. Lots of items for the $1,000, $2,000 and even the $3,000 bin, starting with Lee Morgan Volume 3, Blue Note 1557. This was an original New York 23 pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $3,248. This was not the highest price ever for this record, but it’s close. A couple of years ago a similar copy sold for $4,177, according to Popsike. We’ll keep going on these for a bit, continuing with Curtis Fuller, The Opener, Blue Note 1567. This was an original West 63rdStreet pressing that was listed in Mint condition for the record and “virtually new: condition for the cover. This one sold for $2,638, also close to a record high, but not quite reaching the $3,051 for a copy in 2015.

Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. Original West 63rdStreet pressing, Mint condition for the record and the cover, $2,425.

Walter Davis Jr., Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. Original West 63rdStreet pressing. Mint condition for the record and the cover, $2,413.

Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. Original West 63rdStreet pressing, Mint condition, $2,137.

Sabu Martinez, Palo Congo, Blue Note 1561. Original West 63rdStreet pressing, promo copy, Mint condition, $1,580.

Kenny Burrell, Blue Lights Volume 1, Blue Note 1596. Original West 63rdStreet pressing with the Andy Warhol cover. Mint condition for the record, perhaps slightly less for the cover, $1,221.

Lou Donaldson, Wailing With Lou, Blue Note 1545. Original New York 23 pressing, probably VG++ condition for both the record and the cover, $1,225.

That’s it for now. I could go on, but my fingers have gotten sore from typing in all of those numbers.

 

 

 

 

Vinyl Musings and a Plea to Help Kenny Burrell

I spent the last three weeks galivanting around Europe. Alas, no record stores or scores on this trip, not even any live jazz. But, I’m back and checking up on some of the things I missed whilst away, including an auction from the Jazz Record Center that featured Art Pepper, Modern Art, Intro 606. This was an original pressing that looked to be in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The final price was $2,225. The same auction also featured Bill Evans Trio, Portrait in Jazz, Riverside 315. This was an original pressing with the small blue and silver reels logo. The record and cover both looked to be in new, pristine condition. The final price was $1,385. Finally, this is not music I am familiar with, but I’m sure it will be of interest to Clifford and other readers: Maulawi, Strata SRI-104-74. This looks to be an original pressing in M- condition. The final price was $910.

Read more

Are You Ready for the $6,000 Bin?

Got a note from our friend Japhy yesterday pointing me to this: John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was an original pressing with the New York 23 labels and “Review Copy” stamp on the labels. It was listed in Ex+ condition, which I would imagine to be VG++, and the sellers points at that there are some “slightly audible” tics. The cover is listed in M- condition. Not that it matters, but it had a Blue Note inner sleeve with the Tina Brooks album Back to the Tracks, which, to my knowledge, wasn’t released until sometime in the 1980s. In any case, this record sold for $6,343, which is certainly why Japhy would have forwarded it to me. According to Popsike this copy of Blue Train, tics and all, sets a new price record and is the first to surpass $5,000, let alone $6,000.

Read more

Jazz Vinyl to Ring in 2019: Happy New Year

Happy New Year jazz lovers. Of course we will ring in 2019 with some rare jazz vinyl on eBay, starting with Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington, Riverside 201. This was an original white label pressing with the original cover. When we first looked at this a couple of weeks ago it was sitting in the $250 range. It wound up selling for $1,730.55, which is the highest price, by far, yet recorded by Popsike for this record.

Curtis Fuller, Blues-ette, Savoy 12141. This is an original red label pressing. The record is listed in VG++ condition and the cover is VG. The auction closes in a couple of days and the bidding is in the $380 range. I had a sealed copy of this record in perfect condition. I opened the seal and, surprise, it was an original pressing. For some reason I sold it and the price was less than the $380 that’s already bid on this copy.

Read more

1 2 3 4 10