This week’s theme: Exploring recent vinyl reissues from Blue Note, Prestige, and Riverside. Featured artists include Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Dave Burns, Ron Carter, Hank Mobley, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Kelly, Art Blakey, Donald Byrd, Frank Foster, Lew Tabackin, Julian Priester, Joe Chambers, Jimmy Ponder, Horace Silver, Stanley Turrentine, Bob Cranshaw, Mickey Roker, Miles Davis, Oscar Pettiford, Sonny Red, Sam Jones, Roy Brooks.

Here’s one more from the same seller: Miles Davis, In a Silent Way, Columbia LP CS 9875. This was a sealed copy and “guaranteed original first pressing.” The final price was $200. Just one more: Roland Kirk, Triple Threat, King 395-506. This looked to be an original first pressing and is a quite hard to find record, although, personally, I might not describe it as “insanely rare” or “rarest jazz!” or “true Holy Grail” or “monster rarity,” but, having spent my career as a journalist, I am not particularly partial to adjectives or adverbs, but that’s just a personal preference. I guess in the world of eBay, whatever works is a credo to live by. The record was listed in VG condition and the cover VG+. The final price was $841.

I can’t say any prices are an aberration anymore because the market is the market, so this is the current market for Charles Mingus, Ah Um, Columbia 8171. This was an original stereo pressing with the red and black 6-eye label. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was VG. The final price was $239.50.

Stanley Turrentine, Hustlin’, Blue Note 4162. This was an original New York USA pressing with what looks like deep grooves. I seem to be having trouble lately remembering which pressings in the latter part of 4000 and 4100 series are supposed to have deep grooves, but I’m pretty sure this is one of the ones that is supposed to have them. Why this and not others that were issued in the same time frame? I’m sure someone out there knows the answer. Maybe Lion and Wolff had a premonition that nearly 60 years later collectors would be obsessed with every detail of every Blue Note pressing and they just decided to mess with our heads and are laughing their asses off from the grave. Does anyone have a better idea? Anyway, the record was probably in VG++ condition, based on the description, and the cover was either VG++ or VG+, depending on how you feel about dirt, staining and yellowing. My proclivities push me in the direction of VG+, but I know there are some of you out there who are more generous. The final price was $306.

Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was a West 63rd Street pressing. No New York 23, but an original nonetheless. The record was in VG++ condition and the cover VG+ or VG++. The final price was $3,830. Stanley Turrentine, That’s Where It’s At, Blue Note 4096. This was an original New York USA pressing with one side deep groove. The record and cover both looked to be in M- condition. The final price was $660. I didn’t realize that Turrentine Blue Notes had reached that level (other than Look Out!) because I don’t often watch them. But I guess they have.

By the way, as I’m writing this, I’m noting that WordPress is having problems allowing me to put in hyperlinks, so if the hyperlinks aren’t working it’s not through lack of effort on my part.

I had an eye on this, more for curiosity than anything else: Moondog, Esquire 32-055. This was the original UK pressing that looked to be in VG++ condition for the record and probably VG+ for the cover. The final price was about $370. I had a couple of Moondog original Prestige records but I wound up selling them. Other than the labels and cool covers, is there anything appealing in the music that I was missing?

Finally there was the holy grail of Roland Kirk, Triple Threat, King 539. This was in VG- condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. When we first posted about this the bidding was in the $400 range. If wound up selling for $1,075.

Seems like any Blue Note is now a collectible, including Stanley Turrentine, Rough ‘N Tumble, Blue Note 4240. This has the New York USA label and it is a mono pressing, so it is an original. Even so, I’ve never really considered this record to be a collectible, and I guess CeeDee didn’t either. That will have to change, now that this copy, in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover, has sold for $232.50.

The Turrentine was from the Jazz Record Center, as was this: Grachan Moncur III, Some Other Stuff, Blue Note 84177. This was an original New York USA Stereo pressing, that looked to be in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. This one sold for $364.99.

One more from the CeeDee files: Kenny Burrell, Prestige 7088. This was an original New York yellow label in just VG+ condition for the record and the cover. I say “just VG+ condition” because the final price seems not to take the condition into consideration, that being $930, which is a lot for this record under any condition.

This one is from the same seller and has also not yet met the reserve price: Horace Parlan, Headin’ South, Blue Note 4062. This looks to be an early pressing, but is it an original? I’m not seeing deep grooves in the picture or on the listing, but this is one of those that was issued right at the borderline of whether Blue Note pressings still have deep grooves. I’m sure someone the question will be answered in the comments. The record is listed at M- for the vinyl and Ex for the cover. The bidding is currently in the $190 range with less than three hours to go.

Stanley Turrentine, Look Out!, Blue Note 4039. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing with the deep grooves, et al, and is currently priced at about $235 with less than 12 hours to go.

Here’s one I’ve never seen or heard of: Hal Stein and Warren Fitzgerald, Progressive 1002. This looks to be an original promo pressing in VG condition for the cover and Ex for the record. This is from a seller in Japan and has a start price of about $500 with no bids as of yet. The auction also closes later today. I did a quick Google search on each player, but perhaps someone out there from the Bay Area can fill us in with more details?

Here’s one that says “Org” in the listing, which I assume means original, which is a bit of an overstatement, unless you take the seller at her word and accept that it’s an original New Jersey pressing, which it is, just not an original first pressing: Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, Prestige 7079. It’s a nice Jersey pressing, in M- condition for the record and the cover. And, for a non-first pressing, it will reap a hefty price as it is already in the $400 range.

Here are a couple ending later today:

Stanley Turrentine, Look Out, Blue Note 4039. This looks to be an original West 63rd Street pressing in VG+ or VG++ condition. The bidding is now in the $320 range.

John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio, Prestige 7123. This is an original New York yellow label pressing. The record and cover are both listed in VG+ condition. The price is in the $300 range.

Hank Mobley, Roll Call, Blue Note 4058. This listing mentions almost everything about the record, except with it has deep grooves. Curious. If you look at the pictures it’s not conclusive. If I were interested in this record, which I’m not, I’d certainly query about the deep grooves before bidding. The record looks to be in VG++ condition and the cover is probably VG++ as well, although the labels have some staining, which will be a turnoff to some bidders. Bidding right now is in the $170 range.

Stanley Turrentine, Up At Minton’s Volume 1, Blue Note 4069. This has deep grooves and the ears, but one side is West 63rd and the other side is New York USA. So this would not be an original pressing, but it would probably be an early pressing? Anyway, it’s in VG++ condition and the seller has a start price of about $250. So far there are no bids.

One more odd Blue Note, while we’re at it: Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers, Blue Note 1518. This is not an original, for sure. It has one side with the West 63rd address, the other side with the New York USA label, one side deep groove, one side not deep groove. Who knows when it was issued. This one is in M- condition for the record and the cover and the seller is asking for a minimum of about $170. So far he hasn’t gotten it.

Let’s start with a couple from the Bethlehem label, which doesn’t always get a lot of attention here: Mal Waldron, Left Alone, Bethlehem 6045. This is an original pressing. The vinyl is VG++ and the cover is only VG. The current price is a little over $300 and there are still 10 hours to go on the auction. This next one is a little tough to figure: Charles Rouse and Paul Quinichette, the Chase is On, Bethlehem 6021. I love this record, but this is a stereo pressing with a blue label. Can’t imagine this was issued the same time as the mono pressing, so it much be a later pressing, right, even if it is the first stereo issue?  In any case this stereo pressing is listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It’s closing later today and is in the $150 price range so far.

Here’s a Stanley Turrentine Blue Note doing quite well:

Stanley Turrentine, Up at Minton’s Volume 1, Blue Note 4069. This seems to be an original pressing. It has the ear in the deadwax and it has the West 63rd address, but those do not look like deep grooves on the label. I don’t have Fred Cohen’s Blue Note book here: Should this be deep groove, or is it past the point of deep groove? The price on this one is nearly $180 already.

And once again here is Conte Candoli, Cool Gabriels, Groove 1003. I went decades having never seen this record and now there seems to be at least one a week on eBay. This one is in nice condition and the price is still low: The record and cover are at least VG++, perhaps nicer, and the price is just in the $225 range for now. By contrast, Rudolf’s copy last week finally sold for $1,724. This one, of course, has the cover by Andy Warhol which is the reason it is of such high value.

buyers like me, who rely on sniping software and don’t sit at the computer waiting for auctions to close — probably the majority of major bidders, wouldn’t you expect ?– are kind of off the competitive landscape if they use BidNip. I filed a report with customer service at BidNip and they said they are working on the problem, which seems to be systemwide, but there was no indication of when it might be fixed. So many of the top buyers may be out of luck for awhile. Then again the Turrentine closes in about two and a half hours, ’round about midnight here in New York. Normally past my bedtime, but hmmm…..

By the way, I’ll check out BidNip again either later today or tomorrow morning and post an update in the comments on this post.

Joe Henderson, Page One,  Blue Note 4140. This was an original New York USA pressing with the ear and the  Van Gelder stamp in the dead wax. The record was in VG+ condition and the cover was VG++. The price was $325.

Sam Rivers, Fuschia Swing Song, Blue Note 4184. This was listed as an original pressing with the New York USA label. The condition seemed to be somewhere around VG+, perhaps a little better, based on the seller’s description. The price was $278.

This is of a bit earlier era, but a surprising price (well, as much as any price can be surprising these days): Horace Silver, Blowing the Blues Away, Blue Note 4017. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd label. It was listed in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $202 with just one bidder.

This one got a huge price a few weeks ago, but not this week:

Hank Mobley, No Room For Squares, Blue Note 4149. This was an original New York USA pressing. It was in just VG+ condition for the record and VG for the cover. It sold for $76. An M- copy of this sold recently sold for $1,009. Clearly the condition makes a big difference, but it’s interesting to note that neither the Sam Rivers nor the Joe Henderson LPs mentioned earlier were in M- condition and they fetched some hefty prices.

Finally, thanks to CeeDee for catching this one: Jimmy Smith With Stanley Turrentine, Prayer Meeting, Blue Note 4164. This was an original pressing in M- condition. There were ten bids and, get ready, the price was $696.