Finding Jazz Vinyl “Bargains?”

JR copySince I’ve been offline for a bit, let’s catch up on some of the items we were watching when we left, and then we’ll move on to some new items in the next post. Lots of Blue Notes today, starting with J.R. Montrose, Blue Note 1536. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for just $667. I say “just” because we’ve seen this record sell for quite a bit more, in even worse condition than this one. I imagine the buyer is quite happy with this purchase.

Lee Morgan, City Lights, Blue Note 1575. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing that was listed inn M- condition for both the record and the cover. This one sold for $775 and that’s another “just” because this record has surpassed the $1,000 mark several times in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. Are we seeing a temporary dip in the market as we head into the summer? I don’t follow exchange rates closely — is that an issue that would drive prices down?

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Le Jazz Vinyl Et Plus

Barney Wilen Jazz VinylI thought I’d have more to say about the death or Ornette Coleman, but I really don’t. I am not an expert on his music and was never really a fan, although I typically liked what I heard, at least from his early years. So I’m going to go back to what I normally do here, which is watch records on eBay, starting with a pair of French records from a French seller: Barney Wilen, Tilt, Swing 30.058. This is an original pressing from 1957. It is listed in VG+ condition for the record and M- for the cover. The price is in the $400 range with less than two days left, but it has not yet reached the seller’s reserve price. Nice cover, but don’t know the record. Readers? Another one that is quite rare, but unfamiliar to my ears:

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Blue Note Vinyl and A Blue Note Loss

Fuller2 copyLet’s begin the day with some Blue Notes on my own personal want list, starting with Curtis Fuller, The Opener, Blue Note 1567. This looks to be an original pressing with the West 63rd address, deep grooves, RVG and ear. The record is listed as M- and the cover is VG++. The price is currently around $450 with more than three days to go. This record, in this condition, I fully expect to sell for more than $1,000. This is another one of those records that I owned and sold about 35 years ago to buy a boat. You know the story: The boat sank and I’ve still never replaced the record.

Lee Morgan Sextet, Blue Note 1541. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover is VG++. This one is in the $460 range and I also expect it to sell for more than $1,000. This was

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Catching Up On Some Rare Jazz Vinyl

Sonny Clark copyI know I haven’t posted in a while when every item in my eBay watch list is no longer active. Here are some of the highlights that I’ve missed, starting with Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd address, deep grooves, etc. The seller listed the vinyl in VG++ condition and the cover as VG+/VG++, but the picture clearly shows that it’s not VG++, so that might cause some concern about the vinyl grading as well. It would concern me, that’s for sure, particularly at that price, which was $2,524. Not that I would ever pay that price anyway, nor would I pass judgment on anyone that would

Here’s another Blue Note that ended up in the $1,000 bin: Lee Morgan, City Lights, Blue Note 1575. This was also an original West 63rd Street pressing. The vinyl was listed in M- condition and the cover was VG++. The final price was $1,081.

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Three for the $1,000 Bin?????

Lee Morgan Jazz Vinyl copyAnother day, another batch of records to watch on eBay. Today let’s start with Introducing Lee Morgan, Savoy 12091. This is an original pressing with the red label. All in all it looks to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. We’ve seen this record sell for more than $500 previous in the Jazz Collector Price Guide and it looks like this copy will set a new high point. The bidding is already more than $560 and there are still four more days left on the auction. This seller often has nice items and his listings wind up making our posts fairly frequently, although we’ve never dealt with him directly. Here’s another one of his nice records on eBay this week:

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The $1,000 Bin is Getting Crowded

Kenny Dorham copyWow, looks at the prices on these two:

Kenny Dorham, Afro-Cuban, Blue Note 5065. This was an original Lexington Avenue 10-inch pressing listed as Ex condition for both the record and the cover. The seller hyped up the condition, suggesting that the record was only played once or twice. It sold for $1,684.

Roland Kirk, Triple Threat, King 539. This was an original pressing that was probably in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It had been listed previously at about $2,000, didn’t sell and was listed again. This time it sold for $1,259.56.

Well, while we’ re filling the $1,000 bin, let’s add a few more: Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original pressing listed in Ex condition for both the record and the cover. There were 17 bidders and 79 bids, which is a pretty high amount. The record sold for $2,604.54.

This came from the same seller:

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I Remember Clifford (And Lee Morgan, Too)

Clifford Brown copySometimes you’re on eBay and you’re browsing and then along comes an item and it’s like, wow, I would really like to have that. And thus it is with me and this item: Brown and Roach Incorporated, Emarcy 36008. This is a Canadian pressing in G condition for the record and the cover. Not too appealing so far, right? Well, here’s the thing: The record is signed. Not just signed, but signed by Clifford Brown. If you think about when Clifford died, 1956, and how young he was, 25, you would have to think that there are very few Clifford Brown autographs anywhere. Not to mention that he is probably one of my top five favorite musicians of all time (actually, I will think further on that subject and do another post on it this weekend). So this record has Clifford’s signature and also signatures by Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, George Morrow and, presumably, Richie Powell. A few things, however, do make the record somewhat less appealing to me. One is I don’t actually collect autographed records as do some other people — hello, there, Don-Lucky. But I would love to have a Clifford Brown autograph. Two is that it seems the owner

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Two for the Jazz Collector Wish List

Hank Mobley copyJaphy sent me a note on the following listing: Hank Mobley Quartet, Blue Note 5066. This was an original 10-inch pressing that was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It was listed as having been from the original owner and was offered at $1,400 or best offer. It was sold for best offer, which keeps it somewhat of a mystery to all of us here. Popsike lists it as $1,200, but we’re not sure how they know that. In any case, Japhy notes that this is the second highest price Popsike has ever recorded for this record. He also suggests that the pictures were underwhelming and the listing lacking in details. I actually think the pictures are pretty good. However, if you blow up the picture of the front cover you can see some minor damage on the lower right corner and some definite seam wear on the bottom, so I’d be hesitant to believe the accuracy of the M- cover. Otherwise, the cover does look quite nice. Beyond all of that,  one of the important take-aways is this: Japhy is considering selling his copy,

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A Trifecta of Rare Jazz Vinyl

Flanagan copyBack on eBay after an extended absence, for which I apologize once again. Took a quick check of some listings and found this: Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This looks to be an original New York pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding ends tomorrow and it is already more than $1,000, perhaps on its way to the $2,000 bin. Interesting thought about this record: Did Prestige ever issue this on the yellow New Jersey label? I don’t recall ever seeing one or hearing about one. I guess it’s possible they just issued it once in the original format, which is what makes it so rare and so treasured by collectors.

Our friend Serge in Canada has several nice records on eBay now, including Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House, Blue Note 1515. This looks to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing in VG++ to M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The bidding is in the $450 range, but it hasn’t yet reached the seller’s reserve price.

My goodness, look what happened to this one:

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How About A Sealed Mobley?

Untitled copyA few more jazz vinyl pieces from the Jazz Collector eBay watch list.

Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing, listed in M- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The auction closes in two days and the bidding is close to $700. Given the current market it would be a real shocker if this doesn’t sell for more than $1,000.

Here’s one with similar personnel from the same era: Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Jazz Message #2, Savoy 12092. This is a sealed copy and this is the seller’s story: He recently purchased a bunch of sealed Savoys and opened one, which was an original red-label pressing. He’s not opening the others, because he is assuming that they are all original pressings. He is saying that he “guarantees” that the rest are original pressings. As a potential buyer, which I am not, I’d be

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