Prestige Day: Monk, Webster Young, Dolphy, Jug

Let’s catch up this morning on some Prestige LPs we’ve been watching. There was a time when we pondered the idea of owning the entire Prestige Yellow label catalogue but, thankfully, we’ve give up that particular obsession.

Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins, Prestige 7075. This was an original New York pressing with the promo stamp on the label. It was in M- condition and it was sold by the seller hershel78, who’s been selling some beautiful records lately on eBay. This one sold for $500.

From the same seller was this beauty: Webster Young, For Lady, Prestige 7106. This was an original New York pressing and it too was listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $482.77.

Here’s one that definitely set a new high price:

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The Sound of Sonny Rollins: The Winner Is . . .

Okay, it’s time to announce the winner of Jazz Collector’s latest giveaway. This time, you may recall, we are giving away a copy of Sonny Rollins, The Sound of Sonny, Riverside 241. This is not an original pressing and is an OJC pressing. Yet it is in near mint condition and it is great jazz vinyl featuring some fantastic Rollins from the mid-1950s. We had put this up as a way of honoring Rollins in the wake of yet another snub by the Kennedy Center Honors. Anyway, as with all of our giveaways, all you have to do to be eligible to win is to comment on the Jazz Collector site, anywhere, in response to anything, as long as the comment is made during the duration of the contest. The eligible contestants this time are:

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A Bargain At Under $1,000?

If a record should sell for more than $1,000, perhaps this would fit the bill: Sonny Rollins, Tenor Madness, Prestige 7047. This was a beautiful, New York pressing in mint minus condition, for both the record and the cover. Sonny and Trane together, an early Prestige, great cover. It’s got it all. This one sold for $832. As great a record as this is, this is the highest price we’ve ever recorded for it. The previous high in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was $543.  I actually think this one would have sold for a higher price with a better picture. Someday soon we will be adding a copy of this to the $1,000 been, we are quite sure.

The Incredible Rise of the $1,000 Jazz Record

The $1,000 bin truly doth runneth over  days. It’s quite an interesting phenomenon.

Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This was an original pressing in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. A few years ago, I bought a copy of this on eBay in similar condition for about $300. At the time, I thought I was overpaying. A few weeks ago I sold a separate copy on eBay for about $325. It was in nice condition, with a VG+ cover. This was not a record I ever expected to see in the $1,000 bin. This copy sold for $1,313.

Here’s another one I never expected to see sell for more than $1,000: Cannonball Adderley, Somethin’s Else, Blue Note 1595. This is a nice record, but has never been among the higher-priced Blue Notes. The highest price we had previously recorded for this in the Jazz Collector Price Guide was around $400. This copy was in mice M- condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $1,475.

This one almost entered the $2,000 bin:

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Jazz Collector Honors Sonny With FREE Record

Okay, if the Kennedy Center won’t honor Sonny Rollins, we will. In honor of Sonny’s recent 79th birthday on Monday, we will be giving away a free copy of one of Sonny’s classic LPs from the 1950s: Sonny Rollins, The Sound of Sonny, Riverside 241. Of course, this is not quite an original pressing: It is an OJC reissue. Still it is a great record, it’s in near mint condition, and it’s available free. As with all of our contests, we have one copy of the record and we will hold a drawing to determine the winner. In order to be eligible all you have to do is comment somewhere on the Jazz Collector site between now and when the contest closes, on September 21. You can comment anywhere — perhaps you want to weigh in on whether you agree with me that Sonny is being short-changed by not receiving a Kennedy Center honor. If you comment on the site between now and September 21 we’ll put you in the running for the contest. It’s as simple as that. By the way, if you want to see a funny out-take from my attempt to photograph the record, read the rest of this article.

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Kennedy Center Honors: Where’s Sonny?

If you were to honor one living jazz musician for his lifetime contributions to the music who would it be? To me, the answer is simple: Sonny Rollins. He is one of the all-time greats, a constant innovator, a true master. So I was a bit disappointed again this morning to see that the Kennedy Center, which honors individuals for their contributions to the American performing arts, had once again chosen not to recognize Sonny. They did choose a jazz musician this year, and a deserving one, in Dave Brubeck. But to choose Brubeck over Rollins is, to me, a real stretch. I looked up the list of prior winners and out of 168 previous honorees there were eight who could be considered jazz musicians, or at least jazz-affiliated musicians. The awards were first issued in 1978 and the honoree must be living, so that precluded such likely honorees

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For the $1,000 Bin: Jordan/Gilmore On Blue Note, Saxophone Colossus

It’s time to throw a few more items into the $1,000 bin. These are some of the rare jazz records that have recently crossed the $1,000 price threshold.

Cliff Jordan and John Gilmore, Blowin’ in From Chicago, Blue Note 1549. This was an an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address and deep groove. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover appeared to be at least VG+, perhaps better. The price was $1,199.99.

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This was an original pressing. The record was in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $1,266.66. The item had more than 500 page views, compared to less than 200 for the Cliff Jordan/,John Gilmore LP. The seller, bobdjukik, seems to have a knack for getting people to view his records.

Some More Blue Notes, Some More $1,000 LPs

We casually mentioned the Lexington Avenue version of Sonny Rollins Volume One, Blue Note 1542 and there, lo and behold, is a beautiful M- copy that is ready for the $1,000 bin. This one sold for $1,225.

Also entering the $1,000 bin is Dizzy Reece, Blues in Trinity, Blue Note 4006. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing that was in M- condition, both record and cover. It sold for $1,595.

John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. This was an original pressing n VG+ condition with a light scratch. The cover was listed as excellent-minus, which is, what, VG+ at best? It too is in the $1,000 bin, fetching

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No Summer Slump Yet: Lots Of $1,000 Records

We have quite a large number of items to add to the $1,000 and even $2,000 bins on this beautiful Monday morning in sunny New York. If there is a summer lull in prices on eBay, it hasn’t much made a dent in the prices of some of the high-end collectibles, such as these:

Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1550. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing in beautiful M- condition, for both the record and cover. It was also sold by the seller Roverd-90, who had the Johnny Griffin the other day and also had a few others, such as the Lee Morgan Candy I’ll cover below. Quite a nice week for Mr. Roverd-90. This record sold for $1,825.

As mentioned, Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This is one of the rarest of the rare and was in beautiful M- condition, both record and cover. It sold for $1,900.

We had pointed out the Jazz Record Center’s auction of Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This one was listed as mint condition — not even mint minus and we had predicted that it would sell for at least $2,000 and perhaps as much as $3,000. We were right the first time: This one fetched a price

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New JRC Auction Includes Mint Saxophone Colossus

There’s an auction this week from the Jazz Record Center and it’s always fun to watch their auctions because they generally get top dollar. One of the items we’re watching this week is Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. This one is listed as being in MINT condition — not even mint minus — and the cover is described as “extraordinary.” I have a feeling the price will be extraordinary as well. Right now it is at about $1,200, but I think the first number of the final selling price will be at least a two or quite possibly a three.

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