This Weekend on eBay, Part 1

We promised to point out some of the interesting items coming up this weekend on eBay, with some appropriate (and pithy) commentary, as always. Here’s the first batch. We’ll do follow-up posts as the weekend progresses, so stay tuned:

Once in a while I run into albums I’ve never seen before and here’s one: Bob Gordon, Moods in Jazz, Tampa 26. I know this is a record from the 1950s, but I have to ask about that cover: Is that Sarah Palin doing who knows what to a moose? Click the link for a better view, but this is definitely one weird cover.

Roost seems to be an under-valued label, but we’ve seen this one go for decent prices in the past: Beverly Kenney with Jimmy Rowles and the Basie-ites, Roost 2218. This one is currently under $20, in decent condition. Read more

Some Interesting 10-Inch LPs

So this is what my life has come to: It’s 4 o’clock in the morning and I am sitting in front of my computer entering record prices into a database. The things we do for love. Or obsession. Sometimes I have trouble telling the two apart.

 

Anyway, here are some of the items I’ve been watching on eBay the past few days:

 

Billie Holiday, At Jazz At The Philharmonic, Clef 169. This is a 10-inch LP with a beautiful cover by David Stone Martin. This copy was in M-/M- condition and sold for $610. This is a higher price than I’ve seen this record sell for in the past and I’m wondering if there’s anything about this record, aside from the condition, that drove the price up. There’s one Billie record that supposedly had an illustration by Andy Warhol, but I don’t think this is the one. Does anyone out there want to speculate on an answer?

 

The dealer selling the Billie Holiday LP had a batch of other nice 10-inch records as well. He had a mint copy of Bird and Diz, Clef 512 that sold for $200. I would have loved it, but I’ve just been spending too much money lately. Maybe some other time. The other ones that caught my eye were: Read more

Summer Doldrums?

If it’s Monday, it must be time to check in on the weekend’s activity on eBay. A few high-priced items sold over the past few days, but my general sense is that activity is beginning to slow down for the summer. At the bottom, I’ve listed a few items that failed to meet reserve prices this weekend. In some cases, the reserve prices may have been a bit high, but in others the items were selling for bigger prices just a few weeks ago. We’ll continue to monitor pricing and keep you posted. Anyway, here are some of the items we’ve been watching:

 

Sonny Rollins, Worktime, Prestige 7020.  This was an autographed copy in VG++/M- condition. Price $482

 

Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4081, in M-/VG++ condition. Price: $1,625. Of course $1,625 is a high price for any record, but we anticipated this one might break the $2,000 barrier, considering its rarity and the condition.

 

Curtis Fuller Volume 3, Blue Note 1583. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address on the label in VG++/VG++ condition. Price: $401.88

 

Jim Chapin Ensemble featuring Phil Woods, Prestige 213. This was a 10-inch LP in VG+/VG++ condition. Price: $202.49

 

Sonny Rollins, Sonny Boy, Prestige 7207. This was an original yellow-label in M-/VG++ condition. Price: $79.99

 

Sonny Stitt, 37 Minutes and 48 Seconds, Roost 2219.  This was an original pressing in VG+/VG+ condition. As we anticipated, the price was not too high. Price: $39

 

Miles Davis, Steamin’, Prestige 7200. This was an original yellow label in VG++/VG+ condition. Price: $34.33

 

Mal Waldron, Mal-1, Prestige 7090. This was an original yellow label with the New York address in M-/VG++ condition. Price: $274.99

 

The following items all failed to meet their reserve prices:

 

Richie Kamuca Quartet, Mode 102, in VG++/M- condition. High bid: $178.49

 

Horace Parlan, Speakin’ My Piece, Blue Note 4043, in M-/M- condition. High bid: $158.50

 

Gil Melle Quartet Featuring Lou Mecca, Blue Note 5054. This was an original 10-inch LP in M-/M- condition. High bid: $178.50

 

Sabu, Palo Congo, Blue Note 1561. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address in M-/VG++ condition. High bid: $338

 

We’ll spend some time today looking ahead at eBay for the coming week. We’ll post the results tomorrow on Jazzcollector.com. See you then. — Al

The Tal Farlow Album, Autographed

For those of you keeping score at home, here are some of the items we’ve been watching on eBay:

 

Tal Farlow, The Tal Farlow Album, Norgran 1047. This is an autographed copy in M-/M- condition. Price: $249.95.  This was one of those records I planned to bid on but figured the price would go too high because of the condition of the LP and the presence of the autograph. The first bid was $249.95 and I expected it to go way up from there. But nobody else bid, including me. Read more

Stitt on Roost Via Mosaic

Review of:

Sonny Stitt, The Complete Roost Sonny Stitt Studio Sessions, Mosaic Records MD9-208

By Al Perlman

 

I am an unabashed fan of Mosaic records. No company does a better job mining and repackaging the treasures of recorded jazz. From Mosaic’s beginnings in 1983 the company has focused on producing comprehensive boxed sets that document periods or styles of music from either specific artists or record labels.  From the comprehensive liner notes to the annotated discographies to the intricate remastering of the original recordings, each set is a gem.

What I also appreciate as a Jazz Collector is that the Mosaic releases have always represented a great investment: The company produces limited editions of all its releases (with one or two exceptions) and once the designated number of copies are sold, that’s it, no more are released. This has created a strong Read more