Tag: Lester Young

Today on eBay, January 14, 2009

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Yet another slow day on eBay today. It’s interesting because prices remain high, but the number of listings for high-end collectibles has been slow for at least a week now. Perhaps it’s just an aberration. We’ll keep watching at Jazz Collector to see how long it lasts and see if there’s anything more than coincidence to it. Perhaps it’s a rare chance to pick up a bargain or two, based on a few of the items we’re watching, such as:

Donald Byrd, Off To The Races, Blue Note 4007. This looks to be an original pressing. The picture shows a West 63rd Street address on the label, but it shows only one side. Also, the seller doesn’t actually grade the condition of the record, but, based on his description, it looks to be at least VG+, perhaps better. So maybe this will be a bargain for someone. It is now priced at $33.76.  In the Jazz Collector Price Guide, we’ve monitored this record at around $125 in this condition and as high as $344 in M- condition. 

We’ve always like the cover of this next one, with a caveat:

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Collectible Catch-Up

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Here are updates on some of the items mentioned here in Jazz Collector the past few days. We’re not including links, since there are links to each of these in previous posts. We will be entering all of these into the Jazz Collector Price Guide this weekend, so please take a look. 

Mary Paich Quartet Featuring Art Pepper, Tampa 28. This was an original mono pressing, red vinyl, in M-/M- condition. Price: $700

Elmo Hope, Informal Jazz, Prestige 7043. This was an original New York pressing. The record was VG++ ad the vinyl was only in G condition. Price: $261.90

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Today on eBay, Nov. 20, 2008

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Here are some interesting items closing today on eBay: Most of you have probably noticed this one, since it’s a featured listing: Curtis Fuller Volume 3, Blue Note 1583. This is an original pressing. It seems to be in VG+ condition, both record and cover. This one has Sonny Clark on piano and is a pretty nice collectible. The current price is $340. 

If you’re desperate for a copy of Eddie Costa, House of Blue Lights, Dot 3206, there’s one closing soon on eBay for a Buy-It-Now price of $420. The record is M- and the cover is VG+. 

Euclid Records is back again with some nice items, including this one: Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet, Prestige 7020. This is an original New York pressing with the original orange cover. Careful readers will note that Jazz Collector recently posed the question to our audience on the orange cover versus the yellow cover and one of our readers reminded us that if it’s orange it must be original. This one is in near mint condition and is currently priced at $629. 

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Selling Soon on eBay

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In addition to the Mobley record we just mentioned, there are some other nice items closing in the next few hours on eBay. The seller jazzsoulandfunk from Italy has a nice batch of items closing soon, including: Miles Davis, Miles, Prestige 7014. This is an original New York pressing in VG++/VG++ condition. The current price is about $300. Also from this dealer is Lester Young and His Tenor Sax Volume 1, Aladdin 801. This is an original pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. It is now at $325. The best thing to do is to go to one of these records and then click Veiw Seller’s Other Items to see what else this dealer has for sale. There’s a lot of good stuff. At Jazz Collector, we have a few items closing soon, nothing major, but the price seems right. Read more

Bye, Bye Freddie, and Other EBAY UPdates

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Just to catch up on a few items we’ve been watching at Jazz Collector, before we head into Manhattan for the WFMU Record Fair later today. That test pressing of Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040, is no longer available. After being on auction and failing to meet the seller’s reserve price, it sold for $1,500 as a buy-it-now item. Two of the other items we were watching from that seller are still available: Sonny Rollins Quartet, Prestige 137. This 10-inch LP can be had for $99.99; and The Julius Watkins Sextet, Volume 2, Blue Note 5064. This can also be had for $99.99. 

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Some Nice Records, Some High Prices

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If you check on eBay now, there’s a seller from New York who has dozens of interesting jazz records at really, really, really high prices. Here are a few examples: Charlie Mariano, New Sounds from Boston, Prestige 130. This 10-inch LP is in VG/G condition. The buy-it-now price is $149. The Gigi Gryce/Clifford Brown Sextet, Blue Note 5048. This 10-inch LP is in VG+/VG+ condition. The asking price is $899.  Jazz at Massey Hall Volume 1, Debut 2. This 10-inch LP is in VG+/VG+ condition. It has an asking price of $799. And what do you make of this one: Lester Young, Pres  Is Blue, Charlie Parker Records 405. This is in m-/VG+ condition and has an asking price of $159. Did this record become a collectible while we weren’t looking here at Jazz Collector?

Prices: Sonny’s Crib, House of Blue Lights and More

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Working today to update the Price Guide, and here are a bunch of the items I’m putting it. I’m not attaching links to any of these because they’ve all already appeared on the site. If you want to look at the record, just do a search and find the original post.

This one had the highest price of all the ones we’re entering: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG+ condition. Price: $1,524.99

Eddie Costa, House of Blue Lights, Dot 3206. This was an original pressing in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $355 Read more

Pres’ Last Recording

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The Last of Pres

The Last of Pres

Before I get to my post about what’s good on eBay today — and there’s plenty of good stuff — I wanted to single out this LP: Lester Young, Le Dernier Message De Lester Young, Barclay 84 069. This is a first-edition, French pressing and, frankly, I’ve never seen a copy of this in person. It is billed as Lester’s final recording and it has a great Herman Leonard picture of Pres on the cover. If any of our readers can comment on this record, I’d be very curious about some of the details. Thanks.

Ebay Today, Oct. 2, 2008

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Ready for another day on eBay? Here we go:

Yesterday there were a couple of comments on the Norgran label. Here’s one for sale today: Lester Young, Pres and Sweets, Norgran 1043. Not my favorite of the Pres records, but it has a great cover by David Stone Martin. And if you like Sweets, try this: Sweets, Verve 8097. 

Here’s a heavyweight: Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040. If you take a look at our Price Guide, you can see that it’s sold for as much as $1,600 on our watch. We’ll see how it goes here. This one is an original in very nice condition, but not mint. Read more

What is Soul in Jazz?

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Quote of the Day:

      “What is soul in jazz? It’s what comes from within: It’s what happens when the inner part of you comes out. It’s the part of playing you can’t get out of the books and studies.  In my case, I believe that what I heard and felt in the music of my church was the most powerful influence on my musical career. Everyone wants to know where I got that funky style. Well, it came from the church. The music I heard there was open, relaxed, impromptu – soul music.” — Milt Jackson, from the liner notes to the LP Plenty, Plenty Soul, Atlantic 1269, liner notes by Nat Hentoff.

 

One of the criticisms of the Modern Jazz Quartet was that the structure of the band held back the playing of the brilliant vibist Milt Jackson. This was Jackson’s response when he was asked if, indeed, being in the MJQ held him down:

            “No, not actually. It may not sound or look like it when you’re listening out front because it’s all so well planned, but I still get to play more or less what I want to play. I’m relaxed. I’ve always been able to adjust myself to a situation. When I first joined the MIQ, there were times when I looked at the planning as a handicap, but now I’ve come to look on it as an asset. In terms of the business, and musically too. Discipline can be a good thing and having been under discipline can be a help when you do let loose.” — Source: Liner notes to the LP Milt Jackson, Plenty, Plenty Soul, Atlantic 1269. Liner notes by Nat Hentoff.

 

 “Lester was a one or two take man. He’d say, ‘I can’t do anything better than that,’ and usually that was it. His statements were emotional ones and when they were done, they were done.”

            Norman Granz on Lester Young. Liner notes from the album The Lester Young Story, Verve MG V-8308, 1960. Liner notes by Nat Hentoff.

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