Four Jazz Classics, and Nary a Blue Note

Art Farmer copyAnd now for some more jazz vinyl from our eBay watch list, starting with Art Farmer Quintet, Prestige  7017. This is an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition. The price is only at $88 with less than a day left on the auction. Someone may be in line for a bargain (and a great record). In the same vein, and from the same seller, there is Art Farmer and Gigi Gryce, When Farmer Met Gryce, Prestige 7085. This is also an original New York pressing, listed in Ex condition for the record and the cover. Based on the seller’s descriptions, it looks like Ex is a higher grade than VG+. This one is at a bit more than $200.

While we’re on Prestiges, there is:

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A Conclave of Coltrane

tenor conclave jazz vinylJust cleaning out the last of my eBay watch list before moving on to new items.

John Coltrane, Tenor Conclave, Prestige 7074. Notice how I listed this as a John Coltrane record. It is actually one of those Prestige jam sessions featuring Coltrane along with Hank Mobley, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. So Why do I think of it as a Coltrane record? Because that’s where I place it within my collection, under the Coltranes. Where else would you put it? Mobley aficionados aside, Coltrane is the one transformational musician in that group, aside from being, by far, my favorite tenor play among the four of them. So, to me, it’s always been a Coltrane record, and one I am quite happy to own.  This one was in M- condition for the record and probably VG+ or VG++ for the cover. It sold for $350. A bargain for someone, IMHO. This one falls into the same category: John Coltrane, Wheelin’ and Dealin’, Prestige 7131. This one features Coltrane along with Frank Wess and Paul Quinichette. For me, it’s a Coltrane record. This one was in VG+ condition for the record and the cover and sold for $263. Wonder what prices they would be selling for if they were on Blue Note? Double that? Triple?

And now some Blue Notes:

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Oh Little Label of Bethlehem

mal waldronThere’s so much nice jazz vinyl on eBay now my eyes are crossed just looking. This is the first one that caught my eye: Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the record and probably VG+ for the cover. It just sold moments ago for $999.99. It’s funny, because I woke up this morning thinking about doing a post on the Bethlehem label, similar to the ones I did last week on Riverside and New Jazz. Then I realized I am not familiar enough with the entire Bethlehem catalogue to make a really strong list. Not only do I not own this Mal record, I also don’t own the Roland Kirk Third Dimension record, nor the Booker Ervin Book Cooks record, nor the Charlie Mariano Sextet record, nor, as earlier noted, the Jimmy Knepper record with Bill Evans. I am certainly Bethlehem-deprived in my collection. Of the ones that I know and like, my favorites are:

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And Now For Some Prestiges

Yesterday was Blue Note day, today we promised a look at some of the Prestiges.

Jackie McLean, Lights Out, Prestige 7035. This is from the same seller that is selling the Mobley, which is now approaching $3,500 and still hasn’t met the reserve price. The Jackie record looks to be in what I would call VG++ condition for the vinyl and VG+ for the cover. It is an original pressing with the yellow label and New York address. The record is in the $400 price range and has already passed its reserve.

Doug Watkins, Soulnik, Prestige/New Jazz 8238. This looks to be an original purple label pressing with the deep grooves. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is VG++, with a Preview Copy stamp on the back. The start price for this one is around $150 and so far there are no bidders.

John Coltrane, Cattin’ With Paul Quinichette, Prestige 7158. This is an original yellow label pressing with the deep grooves and it is in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The start price is around $300 with no bidders. The seller may be stretching a bit with that start price, but then again . . . . .

 

Updating Some Jazz Vinyl Auctions

Tough to follow up on that great story by Rudolf, so we will just go back to watching eBay and catching up on some of the items we were watching last week, starting with: Paul Quinichette, On the Sunny Side, Prestige 7103. This was an original New York yellow label pressing in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. When we were watching it last week it was in the $230 range and it wound up selling for $328. If you ask me, that’s a bargain for a nice original Prestige from the 7100 series. Of course, not as big a bargain as Rudolf may have paid, but a bargain nonetheless.  From the same general area was John Coltrane, Tenor Conclave, Prestige 7074. This was also an original New York pressing that looked to be in M- condition for the record and cover. It sold for $399.97. One more from that group of Prestiges: Eric Dolphy, Far Cry, New Jazz 8270. This was an original pressing that looked to be in beautiful M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $880.

Here’s a Blue Note that did not sell:

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Top Prices Are Not Limited To Blue Note

Sometimes you think it’s only — or mostly — the Blue Notes that are going up in value, but it’s quite a bit broader than that. Here are a few cases in point of jazz vinyl for sale on eBay now:

Eric Dolphy, Far Cry, New Jazz 8270. This is an original pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It is quite a lovely record, and rare, and the condition is great, and the picture with the add is quite nice as well. Still, the highest price we’ve ever recorded for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide is around $230. This will sell for quite a lot more than that. The current price is $515 and there’s nearly a day to go.

Blue Mitchell, Blue’s Moods, Riverside 336. This is also an original pressing, with the blue label and the deep grooves. The record is in VG++ condition and the cover is VG+. The current price is around $400 and there are still four days to go before the auction closes.  This one will also set a new record for the Jazz Collector Price Guide. 

And here are a couple of nice Prestiges:

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Off To The Races, The Chase is On

We’ll start today’s jazz vinyl watch with a personal favorite that we don’t see that often on eBay: Charles Rouse and Paul Quinichette, The Chase is On, Bethlehem 6021. This is an original red label pressing with the deep grooves. The record is in near mint/ex-plus condition and the cover is VG+. The current price is nearly $300 and there are about 12 hours to go as of this writing. Great record.

Now we go to a conundrum we have mentioned before: How do you value a sealed record without knowing its provenance and then, once you have it, what do you do with it? In this case the record is: Donald Byrd, Off the the Races, Blue Note 4007. This is a mono pressing and the factory seal is still on it. There is no indication of Liberty on the back cover — it looks like an original back cover. The seller, Euclid Records, one of the most credible in our community, makes no claims about the record’s originality and offers no hype. We’ve seen records like this and they’ve been originals, we’ve seen records like this and they’ve been later pressings, New York USA or Liberty. So what would you bid on this record? And, I assume you would open it as soon as you got it, so is there a huge value in purchasing it sealed? This one is priced at more than $150 and there are still three days to go.

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eBaying With Thad, Sonny Clark, Vice-Pres

Here’s some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

The Magnificent Thad Jones, Blue Note 1527. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the flat edge. The record was in VG condition and clearly had some issues with surface noise based on the seller’s description. The cover was VG+. The opportunity to own an original Blue Note is always enticing. This one sold for $261, not at all unreasonable, but I didn’t pull the trigger. Perhaps next time.

That copy of Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576, finally wound up selling. If you recall, this one was in great, mint condition, but it was not an original. It had the West 63rd label but no deep grooves. The seller was able to get $399.99. More power to him.

This one seems to perhaps be a bit over-graded based on the seller’s description, but it is still a nice original collectible in nice condition. Paul Quinichette, On the Sunny Side, Prestige 7103. This one sold for $213.50.

A Jazz Vinyl Potpourri

Here’s some interesting jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay.

Miles Davis, Relaxin’, Prestige 7129. This was a New Jersey pressing, not an original but a second press. It was in M- condition for the record and somewhere less than M- for the cover, say VG++. We’ve been watching the market for second-press Blue Notes going way up, and here’s a Prestige following the same pattern. This one sold for $202.50. Perhaps condition is playing a factor as well, but this is a nice price for a New Jersey copy of Relazin’. This one came from the same seller: John Coltrane, Soultrane, Prestige 7142. This was a yellow-label New Jersey pressing, which is a first press. I have a copy of Prestige 7141 with the New York address, but I’ve never seen a Soultrane with the New York address. Great record, my favorite of the Coltrane Prestiges. This one was in M- for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $295.

This one is of the same general vintage and only sold for $58.70:

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Catching Up on Some Jazz Vinyl

Let’s catch up on some jazz vinyl we’ve been watching on eBay:

First there were those beautiful 10-inch Blue Notes: Clifford Brown, New Star on the Horizon, Blue Note 5032. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing listed in M- condition for the vinyl and what we would characterize as VG++ for the cover. A beautiful copy. It sold for $535.49. From the same seller was this: Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue  Note 5022. This was in similar condition to the Clifford record and sold for $630.

That brilliant copy of Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners, Riverside 226, did not reach the  $1,000 bin, to my surprise. This was a white-label pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $898.08.

We’ve never seen a copy of this record fetch a higher price:

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