Here are some more random jazz records we are watching this week on eBay, starting with Steve Lacy, Soprano Sax, Prestige 7125. This is an original yellow label pressing with the New York address. The record looks to be in VG++ condition and the cover also looks like it is VG++. The start price is in the $100 range and, so far, there are no bids. I’ve never heard this record, nor have I ever owned it, but I would like to. A copy recently sold for around $480, which would be out of my comfort zone anyway, even if I were inclined to buy on eBay. Read more
Tag: Sonny Rollins
Cool Struttin’ With Some Bop and Blues
We mentioned the passing of Jack Sheldon last week and now someone in the Jazz Collector world will get to honor him by purchasing one of his rarer and most highly sought LPs, specifically The Jack Sheldon Quartet, Get of Out Town, Jazz:West LP 1. This is a 10-inch record listed in VG++ condition for the record and VG+ for the cover, although the picture looks more like VG to these eyes. There are 13 bids and the price is in the $170 range with less than a day left on the auction. We’ve written about this record once before, back in 2018, when a copy in worse condition than this one – with a G cover – sold for $450. At the time, we had never seen a 10-inch Jazz:West LP and, to be fair, we’ve still never seen one live, only on eBay. I just checked Popsike, and $450 was the top price for this LP, matched almost exactly a year ago by a nearly mint copy. Read more
New Year’s Vinyl, One More Time
I’m clearing out whatever backlog I have in my watch list, so I can start the year fresh.This one is from back in November: Dave Burns, Vanguard 9111. This was an original mono, promo record with deep grooves and white label. The record and cover were both listed in M- condition. The final price was $166. I’m not exactly sure why I was watching this or even saved it for so long, but I can guess that I was wondering how much longer an album like this can remain of interest to collectors? Vanguard was not a premium label and Burns was not a premium artist, although he always accorded himself well on recordings and in live performances, when I had the rare opportunity to see him play. There still seems to be demand for his two original Vanguard LPs, based on Popsike results, so I guess part of the question answers itself: Yes, there is still demand. For how long? Anyone’s guess. Read more
How Do You Listen?
Lots of philosophical/existential comments on the previous post, which we all love, or at least some of us, or at least me. I have another one: What do you actually listen to and how do you listen? For myself, I have two primary listening modes. One is really listening, which is sitting down with no other distractions, no devices, no cell phones, no iPads, no books or magazines, putting a record on the turntable, actively listening and concentrating solely on the music. When I do this, vinyl is the only choice and I would say, at this stage of my life, I don’t do this as often as I would like and, when I do, my choices are typically records that I already know and music I am familiar with. I can’t tell you exactly why, but I think it is because I don’t do this frequently enough and, when I do listen to my favorite records, it feels like I am reuniting with old friends, and it’s a great feeling. The other night, for example, I had about three hours I was able to devote to listening, which was a somewhat extraordinary event. I didn’t put a single record on the turntable that wasn’t an old friend. I started with Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street; moved on the Sonny Rollins Plus Four; Roland Kirk, Volunteered Slavery, the live side at Newport; Thelonious Monk, Criss-Cross; Dave Brubeck plays Bernstein, the West Side story side; then I was in the mood for a vocal, so I went with Ray Charles and Betty Carter. It was a lovely way to spend an evening and, after doing so, I vowed to myself to do it more often. Read more
Jazz Vinyl, Highs, Lows and In-Betweens
Let’s clear out some of the jazz vinyl we’ve been tracking on our eBay watch list, starting with a few from the Jazz Record Center auction that ended earlier this week, including Curtis Fuller, Bone and Bari, Blue Note 1572. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing that looked to be in M- (or close) condition for both the record and the cover. The final price was $1,136. I thought that might be approaching a high point for this record, but it’s not even close. According to Popsike, the top price for this record was $2,550, and there have been at least four other copies that have sold for more than $1,500. It is possible to think that the buyer got a “bargain” at $1,136?
Old Jazz Vinyl and a Young Jazz Singer
Catching up on eBay, starting with Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1564. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The bidding is in the $250 range with three days left on the auction. How about Art Taylor, Tailor’s Wailers, Prestige 7117. This is an original yellow label with the New York address. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition, although the seller does mention “minimal noise,” which is better than lots of noise, but you do have concerns when there is mention of any noise at all. To be fair, I guess minimal noise does relate to some VG+ records, since VG+ is somewhat of a catchall description. Anyway, the start price for this record is $250 and so far there are no bidders. Read more
Jazz Vinyl, Autographs, Questions, Obits and Memories
I’m watching a few items from the Jazz Record Center eBay auction that is closing later today, starting with Max Roach, Jazz in ¾ Time, Mercury 80002. This is an “original” Stereo pressing, quotation marks to signal that the original stereo pressing is not the same as the original album. The Stereo pressing was issued later than the original mono, and with two fewer tracks. What makes this more interesting to me is the Max Roach dated autograph on the cover. Pretty nice. It’s also a favorite record of mine. My father had a copy that he played often, and, of course, look at the personnel, Roach, Rollins, Dorham, Ray Bryant, George Morrow and another pianist named Billy Wallace, whose credentials, I have to admit, I had to Google. Here’s an interesting thread. Anyway, I’m thinking of even bidding on this record in honor of dad, who would have been 94 next week. Read more
Jazz Collector Heavy Hitters Edition
I’ve been watching a few heavy hitters on eBay, starting with Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia 1355. This was an original promotional copy with the white and red six-eye label. The record and the cover were both listed in VG+ condition. The final price was $1,009. The promo copies of Kind of Blue have spiked in the time we’ve been doing Jazz Collector. They are now often appearing in the $1,000 bin and sometimes in the $2,000 in as well. Hey, an original promo copy of probably the most popular jazz record of all time, is a pretty cool thing to own, IMHO. Speaking of the $2,000 bin—or, to be more specific, the nearly-$3,000-bin—there was Tommy Flanagan Overseas, Prestige 7134. This was an original New York yellow label pressing. Based on the seller’s description, it sounded like the record was in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. The final price was $2,970. Read more
Prez to Rollins to Trane and More
Thanks for all the great comments and discussion on Saxophone Colossus. I think the consensus is blue cover, GEM, AB hand engraved, all of which I have on both of my copies. JLike our friend Lennib and other commenters, I love these discussions and get a lot out of them. Now, on to more records. Join me while I clear out some of the older items on my eBay watch list, starting with one I’d threated to bid on, but somehow lost track of along the way: Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowing in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This was an original New York 23 pressing. This was one I thought had been under-graded based on the seller’s description. Read more
A Colossus Question, Blue Notes, And . . . .
Sorry, once again, for the long gap between posts. As this has become somewhat of a regular occurrence, I feel I owe some kind of explanation now that regulars such as Japhy and DaveS are calling me to task, rightfully so. I will do so in the next couple of days, but now that I’ve put aside some time to post, I feel obligated to go back to eBay and talk about jazz records as opposed to my own personal peccadillos, such as they are. So, here we have Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This is a New Jersey yellow label pressing listed in M- condition for the record and perhaps the same for the vinyl. The bidding is in the $442 range with five days left. Not bad for a New Jersey pressing. I do have a question about Saxophone Colossus. I have a duplicate copy and a few weeks ago got into a discussion with one of our readers who was looking to make a trade.
April is Jazz Month
