Random and Rare Jazz Vinyl

Back to my eBay watch list, starting with Helen Merrill, Emarcy 36006. I put this in my queue without really looking at the listing because the price was  getting up there. It finally sold for $710. When I finally did look at the listing, just now, I was pretty surprised to not see the drummer logo. So this was not an original pressing. It was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover, and having this record in M- playing condition would be nice. We are seeing the rise in value of second pressings pretty consistently now, so I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise, even though, to me, it was. Read more

A Day of Prestige at Jazz Collector

Here are some rare jazz records we are watching this Election Day in the States, starting with Dorothy Ashby, Hip Harp, Prestige 7140. This looks to be an original pressing with the yellow label and the New York address. It must be right at the end of the line for the New York labels. The record and cover are listed in M- condition and the seller, Vinyl-House-UK has a huge stack of nice vinyl for sale this week, closing more than four days from the time I am writing this post.  Definitely worth checking out. The bidding on this Ashby record is in the $270 range. It is one of those original Prestiges that has somehow escaped me all of these years and it is somewhat tempting, given that this pressing looks so clean. My nephew, who is 24, somehow really got into Dorothy Ashby and I would like to share this record with him but, alas, when I looked for it on my shelf the cupboard was bare. I do have Soft Winds, Jazzland 961, so perhaps I will put that on next time I have a few moments to listen. Maybe I’ll also bid on Hip Harp. I feel ready to do something, after not having bought a single record since before the pandemic began. Read more

Back to Jazz Vinyl Reality

Davis Cup Jazz VinylSorry for the long delay between posts. The Lovely Mrs. JC and I took a much-needed vacation and I am just getting settled back in. Didn’t go too far, just to Provincetown on Cape Cod, but it felt like a million miles away. Anyway, I’m going to swing over to eBay now and see what may be of interest to me and, of course, to you loyal readers who keep the site going even whilst I’m away. So, thank you all.

Here’s one from near the top of my want list: Walter Davis Jr., Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in Ex condition for both the record and the cover, which sounds like VG++ to my grading sensibilities and nomenclature. The bidding is in the $470 range with more than a day left, but it has not yet reached the seller’s reserve price.  Read more

Catching up On Jazz Vinyl Auction$$$$$

Rollins Plays for Bird Jazz VinylHere’s an update on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Sonny Rollins, Rollins Plays for Bird, Prestige 7095. This was an original New York yellow label pressing. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. It sold for $430.55. This was one of the records in the batch from the seller carolinasoul, which seemed to capture the attention of a number of readers. A few other items of interest from this auction: Roy Haynes, Out of the Afternoon, Impulse 23. This was an original mono pressing with the orange label. The record was M-. The cover was VG+ and it had a cut-out hole, which always diminishes the record in my eyes. This one was undiminished to others however and sold for $334. Red Garland, All Mornin’ Long, Prestige 7130. This was an original New York pressing with the original cover. The record was VG++ and the cover was VG+ with writing on the back. The final price was $709.99.

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Some Gems From a Gem of a Collection

Johnny Griffin Jazz VinylHere’s a nice one: Johnny Griffin, The Kerry Dancers, Riverside 420. This looks do be an original promo pressing with the white label and the deep grooves. It is listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The bidding is in the $300 range with more than five days left on the auction. The seller notes that it is from the estate of the late Dr. Herb Wong, who was a pretty well known jazz historian, writer and radio host in the San Francisco Bay area. The seller, Funkyousounds, states in the listing that it has acquired Dr. Wong’s entire collection. I noticed a bunch of other auctions from the estate earlier this week. Funkyousounds is based in St.Louis, so I, for one, am curious how they ended up with the collection. Funkyousounds, if you are out there, perhaps you have a story to share with us here at Jazz Collector?

One of the other ones I had noticed from the collection was this:

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A Pair of Semi-Originals From the U.K.

Sonny Rollins copyThere’s a seller on eBay now with a bunch of the U.K Esquire pressings of the original U.S. Prestige records. I never really had access to seeing these covers until eBay and, I must say, they are quite appealing. I find the artwork on the covers to be really cool. And it helps that the sound on these pressings, at least from what I’ve heard, is comparable to the original U.S. issues. Here are a couple from this auction, staring with: Sonny Rollins, Worktime, Esquire 32-038. This is an original Esquire and it is listed in M- condition for the vinyl and Ex for the cover. There is one bidder at approximately $115 and the auction closes in a couple of days. I know it’s not an original U.S. pressing, but it’s a pretty nice package and pretty rare, to boot. Hard to imagine that an early pressing like this from the 1950s won’t go up in value.

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A Wailin’ Session (And More)

Art Taylor copyI was piling a bunch of very nice records into my Watch List folder and noticed that many were from the same seller, including Art Taylor, Taylor’s Wailers, Prestige 7117. This is an original New York yellow label pressing that looks to be in at least VG++ condition for both the record and the cover, and perhaps even better. The auction closes in three days and the bidding is close to $500. Interesting coincidence: Just a couple of days before noticing this listing I put this record on the turntable and gave it a close listen. I don’t think I’d ever listened to it and I was expecting one of those Prestige jam sessions. It’s not. It’s a well arranged, carefully conceived album with tremendous playing all around. The main group has Donald Byrd, Charlie Rouse, Jackie McLean, Ray Bryant and Wendell Marshall, in addition to AT. I have no idea why Prestige threw in another track by a separate group with John Coltrane, Red Garland and Paul Chambers, but of course it’s wonderful that they did. Coltrane is in nice form, but it’s the rest of the album that is also quite impressive. I highly recommend giving it a listen for those of you lucky enough to own a copy.

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Signed and Sealed: A Rare Combo

Miles copyQuite an interesting set of jazz vinyl we’re watching now on eBay, starting with Miles Davis, Someday My Prince Will Come, Columbia 1656. This one has the rare combination of being both autographed and sealed. The autographs all look legitimate and they are on the back of the cover, featuring Miles, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, Wynton Kelly, Hank Mobley and JJ Johnson. As for the seal, when Columbia issued records in this area they often had an inner sleeve that was sealed. I know this because I recently purchased a copy of a similar record. So in this case, the record is unplayed, and the cover has autographs of some of the greatest icons of jazz. The auction closes tomorrow and the bidding is in the $300 range.

Here’s one that says “Org” in the listing, which I assume means original, which is a bit of an overstatement, unless you take the seller at her word and accept that it’s an original New Jersey pressing, which it is, just not an original first pressing: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. It’s a nice Jersey pressing, in M- condition for the record and the cover. And, for a non-first pressing, it will reap a hefty price as it is already in the $400 range.

Here are a couple ending later today:

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John Coltrane Vinyl For the Ages

John Coltrane Jazz VinyylBack to our life’s mission of watching rare jazz vinyl on eBay. For some reason this morning I noticed several of the Red Garland Prestige records with John Coltrane. These are nice records and  can still be purchased for reasonable prices. The exception is Prestige 7123, which is a Coltrane date and is typically one of the higher priced Prestiges, particularly with the original cover.  Speaking of 7123: John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123. This is an original New York pressing and this is the original cover. It was later issued as Traneing In with another cover. This one is in M- condition for the record and probably VG+ or maybe a little better for the cover. The price is already more than $250 and there are still four days left on the auction.

I noticed two copies of this one:

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A Prestige-eous Day

MantecaLet’s start the day with a couple of Prestige records we are watching on eBay, starting with Red Garland, Manteca, Prestige 7139. This is an original pressing with the New York address. When I started collecting, this record was fairly common, but most often with the New Jersey address. You don’t see that many with the New York address perhaps because it was at the end of the New York cycle. The latest number I’ve seen with a New York Address is Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, The Cookbook, Prestige 7141. I’ve never seen a New York Soultrane, which is Prestige 7142. This copy of Manteca is in VG+ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. The price is in the $160 range.

Art Farmer Quintet Featuring Gigi Gryce, Prestige 7017. This is an original pressing with the yellow label and New York address. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is Ex. The bidding is now in the $200 range and there’s a bit more than a day left on the auction, as I type this. This is a terrific record, so I would expect the bidding to rise as the auction gets closer to the end.

Here’s a great Prestige record that did not sell:

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