This week’s theme: A collection of jazz waltzes. Featured artists include Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, Hank Mobley, Jim Hall, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, Scott LaFaro, Paul Motion, Gary Peacock, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Dorham, George Morrow, Harold Land, Wes Montgomery, Dave Brubeck, Eugene Wright, Joe Morello, and more.
This week’s theme: John Coltrane, Impulse
Whew, it’s been a long time between posts. Sorry about that. All is well, but there’s been a lot going on here. I’m even back in New York City for a bit. Set up a new turntable here and brought some records back to the apartment, mostly duplicates. Haven’t been following eBay closely, but I should be back in regular action, such as it is, starting today. So, let’s look at some of the jazz records and auctions we’ve missed along the way, starting with Hank Mobley Sextet, Blue Note 1560. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing with the deep grooves, ear, etc. The record and cover both looked to be in M- condition. The final price was $3,036.23. Read more
I realize it’s a long gap between posts when readers send me links to records that have sold recently on eBay. It’s like a gentle reminder that you are still out there, which I appreciate. This link came to my in box yesterday from Aaron: McCoy Tyner, The Real McCoy, Blue Note 4264. This was an original mono Liberty pressing from the seller Carolina Soul. It was listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. I’ve never purchased from them, but based on the prices they get and their descriptions of the records, I have a sense that they are pretty conservative with the grading. Is that true? In any case, this record sold for $336, with the following note from Aaron: “Hi Al, Not sure if you saw the latest auction for an original mono McCoy Tyner The Real McCoy but it brought back memories of your post from 2014 (Really, McCoy?) when it ‘sold for $171.05, quite a high price for a later Liberty.’” To Aaron and all: In hindsight, I probably misjudged the rarity of and interest in this record back in 2014, particularly the original mono version. According to Popsike, there have been many instances of The Real McCoy selling for more than $200, with a top price of $406. Read more
Perusing eBay this morning and came upon this listing: “Ridiculously RARE Blue Note Number 1 Meade “Lux” Lewis Pink and Black label.” It stopped me in my browsing tracks because this is a record I have never had the opportunity to own or even to see in person, only as random and rare listings on eBay. It would be nice to own, the first Blue Note release, but the price tag is quite steep. This copy is listed in E+ condition, which is great for a 78. The start price is at $700 and so far there are no bidders, but I’m sure that will change over the course of the next six days until the auction closes. The seller says there were 200 copies pressed with this label. I don’t doubt him, just wondering where the information came from. Just a couple of weeks ago there was this article about this record on Discover Music, The First Blue Note Record is Released: Meade “Lux” Lewis ‘Melancholy Blues.’ Looking on Popsike, the high water mark for this record in the past was about $2,000, and there have been at least four other recorded instances of the record selling for more than $1,000. Pretty cool. Read more
A reader sent me a link to this auction: John Coltrane, Ballads, Impulse A-32. This was an original mono pressing, I think. It doesn’t actually state the condition of the record, but that’s not what makes this copy particularly interesting, and valuable. It is signed in ink by all four members of the quartet: Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. The record is described as coming from the personal collection of Jimmy Fox, founder of the James Gang. The final price was $5,001.25. Here’s my response to the reader: Read more
Time once again to clean out many of the older items sitting in my watch list. Let’s start with this nice 10-inch French Vogue LP: Henri Renaud Quintet with Gigi Gryce and Bobby Jaspar, Vogue 174. This was an original pressing in Ex condition for the record and near mint for the cover was sold by the seller fiftiesjazz, better known among Jazz Collector aficionados as Rudolf, who is an expert on the French Vogue label, as evidenced by this article from our archives of about 10 years ago, “A Comprehensive Guide to French Vogue.” This copy sold for about $202. From the same auction was Thad Jones, Mad Thad, Period 1208. This was an original pressing listed in M- condition for the record and the cover. The final price was $1,569.44. One more: I have to admit, I have never seen this record: Bill Hardman Quintet, Saying Something, Savoy 12170. This was an original pressing with the blood red label. This copy looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $362. Read more
I’m always pleased to see my little love notes from CeeDee, although I usually expect to see them when I’m hardly posting. That hasn’t been the case this week, but I got a couple anyway, with links to a bunch of records that typically defend the sensibilities. The first such record this week was an auction from December, so I’m curious about the delay. Anyway, Yusef Lateef, Before Dawn, Verve 8217. This was an original pressing with the trumpeter label. The condition looked to be around M- for the record and the cover. This one sold for $350 and, yes, that is an unexpectedly high price for a Yusef Lateef record on Verve, IMHO.
This one also comes from December: Roland Alexander, Pleasure Bent, New Jazz 8267. This was an original pressing with the purple labels and deep groove. The record was in M- condition and the cover was Ex. The final price was $293. High? The last time I went to the WFMU Record Fair in Brooklyn I purchased a mint copy of this record for $50. That was in May 2015. I guess the value has gone up in less than three years. A lot.
Catching up on a few remnant items on my watch list, then will plow forward with some records that are on auction this week, which is also the week of the WFMU Record Fair, which is where I will be on Friday and Friday only.
Bill Evans, Waltz for Debby, Riverside 399. This was an original white-label promo copy listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. The seller’s description made it seem as if he undergraded the condition, but, as a bidder, I would trust the actual grade over the description. So, if you trust the grading, the VG+ promo copy of Waltz for Debby was a $1,025 record.
Duke Pearson, Profile, Blue Note 4022. This looked to be an original pressing with the West 63rd address, deep grooves, ears, Van Gelder. The record and the cover both appeared to be in VG++ condition. The final price was $366. Given what we’ve seen in the market lately, does that seem a little low.
Here’s another Blue Note of the same time frame:
Time to catch up on some more jazz vinyl auctions starting with this one sent by our friend CeeDee: McCoy Tyner, The Real McCoy, Blue Note 4264. This was an original Liberty pressing listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $171.05, quite a high price for a later Liberty, although this one has the advantage of at least looking like a Blue Note from the pre-Liberty era. We’ll ask CeeDee why he felt that this one should be called out for scrutiny?
I had thought this one might make the $2,000 bin, but it fell short: Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,790. This one also made it into the $1,000 bin: Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition for the record and just VG for the cover. It sold for $1,035.
