Tag: Sonny Clark

Still More Adventures in Jazz Collecting, Part 3

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So I’m sitting on the floor and there’s this two-shelf low cabinet and there’s maybe 300 records in it altogether and I reach for the Coltranes on Impulse and pull them out. They are not obvious originals but each one has a gatefold cover, so there is hope. I open the first one, Ballads. And it is . . . ugh, a very late black label pressing. Then A Love Supreme: late pressing, black and red label. In fact, I go through all of the Coltrane Impulses and there’s not a single original pressing in the bunch. And now I’m fairly convinced that this is just a lovely collection of great music but not one of collectible records. And I am almost ready to give up and give Karen my advice, which is that she should probably go to Infinity Records around the corner and see what they would pay.

And then, in the middle of the Coltranes, there is this record: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. And I remember thinking, why is the Sonny Clark record amid all of the Coltranes? But, of course, Coltrane is a sideman on this record and if the guy was a real Coltrane fan perhaps he organized his records according to his favorite artists and wanted all of his Coltrane records in one place. As a collector who constantly reorganizes and plays with my own collection, I could certainly relate to that. Read more

The Rarest Ever? We’ll Have To See About That

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Here’s an interesting listing on eBay: The Fabulous Guitar of Bill Jennings, King 295-106. This is a 10-inch record in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. One of the things that makes the listing interesting is the statement by the seller that this is the “most rare and collectible 10-inch jazz guitar LP EVER MADE.” That is quite a strong statement, although seller seems knowledgeable, he is also quite hyperbolic, talking about this being the rarest “in the history of mankind.” In any case, I’ve never heard of this LP, but I’m sure it’s quite collectible. I know there are many jazz guitar enthusiasts out there, including my friend Dan, so perhaps we can have some real perspective on this LP. This auction is closing later today, there is a start price of $1,500 and there are still no bidders.

I’ve also got an eye on this one, and a story goes with it: Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This is an original pressing in what is probably VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. It closes in six days and the start price is around $800. The story that goes with it is that I just purchased an original pressing of this record and it is the cleanest copy I’ve ever seen. I’m quite pleased about that. There are other records that were part of this collection and, once I sort it all out, I will share some details. But the M- Sonny’s Crib was one of the highlights, that’s for sure.

Lee Morgan, Hal McKusick and Sonny Clarke (sic)

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

Sonny Clark, Leapin’ and Lopin’, Blue Note 4091. What caught my eye about this one is that the seller kept referring to him as “Sonny Clarke” in the headline and in the text.  I mean, can you look at the album cover? If potential buyers have alerts for Sonny Clark or if they are doing searches, would they not find this LP? Interesting question. This one was in VG condition for the record and M- for the cover. It was an original mono pressing. It sold for $289. My bet is that the misspelling did not impact the final price.

Hal McKusick, Bethlehem 16. This was an original pressing with the deep red label and deep grooves. The record was VG+ or perhaps a little better and the cover was VG++. The start price was $275 and when I looked at this there was one bidder. I was a bit surprised anyone was interested at that price so I kept an eye on it to see if the bidding would go higher. It didn’t.

Lee Morgan, Lee-Way, Blue Note 4034. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing that was in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. As I’ve watched this record through the years, it’s typically topped out in the $500 range, although we’ve seen one in the Jazz Collector Price Guide sell for $847. I expect someday we’ll see this regularly in the $1,000 bin given the quality of the recording, vintage, personnel, etc. Not yet. This one sold for $757.

 

Spring is in the Air and We’re Pining for Blue Notes

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I’m watching a bunch of Blue Notes on eBay, many of which I have in later pressings — Japanese, United Artists — but all of which having me pining for originals. Here are a few:

This is from a seller who has a bunch or rare original Blue Notes closing tomorrow, including: Sonny Clark Trio, Blue Note 1579. This is an original pressing that looks to be in VG++ condition for the record and the cover, based on how the seller describes his grading system. There have already been more than 20 bids and the price is now hovering in the $550 range. Here Comes Louis Smith, Blue Note 1584. This is also an original pressing. The record is VG++ and the cover is M-. The price is now $432. J.R. Monterose, Blue Note 1536. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing.  It is listed in what seems to be VG+ condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. The price is now in the $300 range. There are more from this seller if you want to do a search.

This is from a different seller and is also quite appealing:

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Watching Jazz Vinyl Prices on The Rise

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Here’s some jazz vinyl we were watching on eBay:

Clifford Brown Quartet, Blue Note 5047. This was an original 10-inch Lexington Avenue pressing. The record was in M- condition and the cover looked like it was probably VG++. The price was $900.12. That’s the highest price we’ve ever recorded for this album in the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

Speaking of new highs, this was one from the recent Jazz Record Center auction: Grachan Moncur III, Some Other Stuff, Blue Note 4177. This was in M- condition and sold for $775.43. As we’re seeing pretty consistently, these later original Blue Notes are really increasing in value. I had sold a copy of this record for around $500 a couple of years ago and that was, by far, the highest price we’d seen up to that point.

Sonny Clark Trio, Time 70010. This was an original pressing rated VG++ for the record and VG+ for the cover, even though the headline stated it was M-. Pretty interesting/deceptive move by the seller. It sold for $699.99.

Look at the price on this original Riverside:

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A Trio of Rare (Original?) Blue Notes

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I’m watching three interesting jazz vinyl listings on eBay from the same seller in Germany. They are:

Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin’ Blue Note 1588. It’s a very weird listing. It uses a canned picture of the record, no labels, no back cover, nothing. It describes the record as a Lexington Avenue label. Huh? As we here at Jazz Collector know, Cool Struttin’ was issued way after Blue Note moved away from Lexington Avenue and Lexington Avenue labels. The record is listed in M- condition and has a buy-it-now price tag of $2,999. The seller has a lot of feedback so I’m not necessarily questioning his credibility, but I certainly wouldn’t bid on this. Perhaps that’s just me.

From the same seller: Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House Volume 1, Blue Note 1515. This also looks like a canned picture. The record is listed in Ex condition and the price is $1,799. Finally, Walter Davis Jr., Davis Cup, Blue Note 4018. This is another one that’s lacking in pictures. It is listed in M- condition. The price is $1,999. Do you think anyone will take a gamble on it? We’ll watch it so see.

Grand Stans

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To keep the discussion on this a little longer. I was perusing eBay last night and there was another copy of Getz/Gilberto, Verve 8545, also a stereo pressing, also in M- condition. It sold for $37, which is higher than normal. The other one from bobdjukic is at $219 and closing later today. While perusing, I also came upon this nice record: Stan Levey, Grand Stan, Bethelehem 71. It was sitting there at $25 and there were no bidders and I was contemplating placing a bid even though I already own a copy in M- condition. I think the seller missed an opportunity here: This is one of those records where if you know it, and you know the identities of the musicians, it becomes much more interesting. Among the musicians on this record are Sonny Clark and Richie Kamuca and it is, as you’d expect, a terrific record. It’s also not so easy to find, certainly tougher to find than Getz/Gilbert0. This one was in VG+ condition and sold for $27. The highest price we’ve ever seen for this record in the Jazz Collector Price Guide is $90.

Some Jazz Vinyl For the $1,000 Bin

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Yesterday we talked about some lower priced collectibles: Today, let’s go in the opposite direction.

Donald Byrd, Byrd Jazz, Transition 5. This was an original pressing that looked to be in M- condition, although the seller described it as being in very good condition. He seemed unfamiliar with the grading system most of us use. The record sold for $2,370.67, so others expected that it is in M- condition as well.

Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This was an original pressing in M- condition for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $1,915.

Sonny Clark, Sonny’s Crib, Blue Note 1576. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition for the record and VG++ condition for the cover. It sold for $1,650.

Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. This one was in M- condition for the record and VG for the cover. It sold for $1,191.88. I think this is the only Rollins record from the 50s I don’t own in an original pressing. Hopefully one day we can correct that oversight. But not for $1,200.

Score One For Jazz Collector

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I wasn’t actually planning to write anything about my recent jazz vinyl acquisitions but, of course, my excitement and enthusiasm took over and I couldn’t resist. I have this idea of writing a Jazz Collector book – I’ve already begun – and the story of some of these record scores is going to be a central theme so I’m trying to save them. However, I mentioned it so now I have to embellish a little bit so I don’t leave you all tantalized. It started with a simple inquiry from a guy in Canada who was asking for advice about selling some records he had inherited. It almost always starts that way. I get inquiries like these three or four times a week. He said he had looked on Jazz Collector and it seemed that some of the records he owned were quite valuable – Blue Notes, he said, and they seemed original. I told him his best bet was to get Fred Cohen’s book, try to gauge the value of the records, and sell them himself on eBay. He said that’s what he was going to do and thanked me. I thought that was the end of it. But it wasn’t.

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Jazz Vinyl Countdown? HAH!

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I just logged onto eBay and as I was signing in this record was closing: Meet Oliver Nelson, New Jazz 8224. It was an original pressing with the purple label and deep grooves, featuring Kenny Dorham on trumpet. It looked to be in M- condition for the record and probably VG++  for the cover. The price was $157.50. I have an interest in this record because I was just looking at a copy in my apartment, where it is among a batch of original records I have just scored. There was a time, many of you will remember, when I was talking of scaling back my collecting and doing a Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown, but I still can’t seem to give up the habit — addiction? — of buying more records. This batch in front of me is quite cool. On the top is an original pressing of Cool Struttin’ by Sonny Clark and just below that is an original pressing of Soundin’ Off by Dizzy Reece. Someday soon I will share the story of this particular score but, in the meantime, I have some records to clean, including Meet Oliver Nelson on New Jazz, worth as much as $157.50.

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