Tag: Sonny Clark

eBaying With Blue Train and a Rerun of Moose the Mooche

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I mentioned that my watch list runneth over and, as it happens, some of the auctions I was watching have runneth over as well. Let’s see what happened, starting with John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577. This was an original deep groove pressing, with side one bearing the New York 23 logo. The seller was Funkyousounds and the neglected to mention the labels. But they were clear to see for anyone looking at the pictures. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. The final price was $5,100. I’ve never thought to ask this before, but have you ever wondered why they called the record Blue Train as opposed to Blue Trane? Read more

Lots of Cool Stuff in this Post

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My watch list runneth over. Let’s look at some new items and then catch up on some of the gems I had been watching. Let’s start with Miles Davis Volume 2, Blue Note 5022. This is an original 10-inch Lexington Avenue pressing listed in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. Bidding starts at about $320 and so far there are no bidders with the auction closing in about four days. One of the things that caught my eye about this listing is the  presence of an inserted  booklet called “the blue note story.” Of all the Blue Notes I’ve purchased over the years, and there have been many, I have only seen this insert in one other record, a Sidney Bechet 12-inch LP. the blue note story was written by Leonard Feather and dates back to 1955, as Blue Note was transitioning from the 10-inch vinyl format to the 12-inch vinyl format. Fortunately, I have not only written about it before, I recorded the entire text, all in this post from January 27, 2009 titled, of course, The Blue Note Story. You’re welcome. Read more

Catching Up: Sonny Clark, Kenny Dorham +

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I just logged in to eBay and, lo and behold, what do I see: Another primo auction from The Jazz Record Center, including a Sonny Clark cornucopia. Perhaps we will see some new price records set in the next week. Here are a few to watch: Sonny Clark, Dial S for Sonny, Blue Note 1570. This is an original deep-groove, West 63rd Street pressing. The record and cover both look to be in M- condition. As you’ve probably noticed with The Jazz Record Center, they seem to eschew putting condition labels on their listings and instead rely on fairly detailed descriptions, such as the one for this record: “The playing surface is in near-new condition with a beautiful luster and just a single inaudible ¼” scuff; one tic on the second track of Side 2.” To me, that describes a record I would label as M-. The start price is $2,000 and the auction closes in about four days. So far, there are 86 watchers but no bidders. The previous high for this record is about $3,500. Let the bidding begin. Read more

Podcast: Lou Donaldson Memorial

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This week’s theme: Lou Donaldson Memorial on Blue Note: Featured artists include Lou Donaldson, Clifford Brown, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Percy Heath, Blue Mitchell, Herman Foster, Donald Byrd, Peck Morrison, Arthur Taylor, Dave Bailey, Ray Barrett,Sonny Clark, Curtis Fuller, George Joyner, Gene Harris, Andrew Simkins, Bill Dowdy, Horace Parlan, and more

Catching Up on Some High-End Blue Note Vinyl

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Time to follow up on some of the jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching on eBay, starting with Duke Jordan, Flight to Jordan, Blue Note 4046. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing offered by the Jazz Record Center. It looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. When we spotted this there were four days left in the auction and the bidding was at $1,600. The final price was $2,753. Still a market for the high-end stuff from reputable sellers, right? From the same auction there was Sheila Jordan, Portrait of Sheila, Blue Note 9002. This was an original New York USA pressing that looked to be in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $306. Keeping up with the Jordans, I guess. Read more

Live From eBay, One More Time

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I really enjoyed doing that “live” eBay search last week, so let’s try it again. I’m heading over the eBay now. Searching on Jazz Vinyl Records sorted by highest prices first and auctions only. Here we go. Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing from a reputable seller. The record is graded as a “solid VG” and the cover is probably VG++. Looks like a nice copy, although there are some tics in the playback, as described by the seller. The start price is $2,000 and there are no bidders with more than four days left on the auction. Read more

Jazz Vinyl Miscellany and Mail

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Before getting back to writing about my own experiences doing the recent auction with Carolina Soul Records, let’s return to our normal activity of watching other peoples’ rare jazz vinyl in eBay and taking a peak in the old Jazz Collector inbox. Let’s start with Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing. The record is listed in VG+ condition. The cover is also listed as VG+, but the pictures show it to be no better than VG. It’s from a seller in Thailand who has one feedback. The start price is $1,250 with less than a day left on the auction. We’ll see if anyone is desperate enough to take that kind of risk. Meanwhile, I have a beautiful VG++ copy that may make it to the next round of auctions. Or, maybe not. Read more

Condition is Still Critical . . . Isn’t It?

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Let’s look at some random jazz vinyl we are watching and have been watching on eBay, starting with Joe Henderson, Page One, Blue Note 4140. This looked to be an original pressing, listed in VG or VG+ condition for the record and G+ for the cover with water damage on the bottom. There were 13 bidders for this record and the final price was $439. From the same seller there was Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’, Blue Note 1588. This was an original West 63rd Street deep-groove pressing, listed in VG+ condition for the record and VG for the cover. The final price was $2,475. Over the years, when people have contacted me for advice about selling their collections, I have always emphasized the importance of condition. While it is still of great import, of course, it seems that there has been a shift in the market and collectors are more willing to pay high prices for records in less than great condition. We’ve all been noticing this for a while, I’m sure, so it probably requires an adjustment for those of us buying or selling records to be aware of this pretty fundamental change in what jazz collectors are looking for these days. As with most trends, you wonder if this one will last and will become kind of a new standard in our little world of jazz collecting. Read more

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