Tag: Thad Jones

Aiming High for Rare Jazz Vinyl

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As prices of rare collectible jazz records have continued to rise over the years, I’m noticing that more sellers on eBay seem to be using the strategy of starting their auctions at higher prices, often prices that are higher than what would seem to reflect the prevailing market limits. I’m not sure if this has always been the case, or it is just something that is striking to me because I tend to look at higher priced records in doing the Jazz Collector site. For those of you who’ve been here long enough to recall, I wasn’t always focused just on the higher priced records. However, as I’ve had less time time to devote to the site over the years, and as I stopped selling records myself on eBay, I find it is a bit easier and less time-consuming to search predominantly at the top end of the market. One of these days, when the real works starts drying up, I’ll try to go back to taking a broader perspective. In the meantime, several of these types of auctions have caught my eye this week, starting with: Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims, Blue Note 1530. This is an original Lexington Avenue pressing with the flat edge and frame cover. The record is listed in VG condition with the admonition that it plays with “some noise.” The cover is VG with seam splits, writing on the back and perhaps some staining. Looks more like VG- to me, but I’m not looking to quibble. The start price is about $1,500. So far there are no bidders with more than three days left on the auction.

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Jazz Vinyl Catchup

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Sorry, again, for the long gap between posts. With Thanksgiving and an abundance of real work, time has just slipped away. I owe you an update on some of the auctions we were watching, so here goes. We’ll start with some of the records from the seller vinyl-house-uk, including Elmo Hope, Informal Jazz, Esquire 32-0139. This was an original British pressing listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover.  It sold for a whopping $925. When we started watching this UK pressings a couple of years ago, the prices weren’t nearly this high. Hope we didn’t start a trend. There were a few other similar pressings in the same auction list that sold for high prices, including these Read more

Two Blue Notes and a Dash of Pepper

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The seller bluenote5 has some interesting and high priced records on eBay now including this one: Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, Stereo Records 7018. So this is not the Contemporary version and it has the original loose plastic seal with a promotional card for the label inside. The seal is unbroken, so the record is in new condition and the cover is probably close to that as well. Here’s the conundrum with this record: When it was first issued on Contemporary it was 1957 and the labels weren’t producing stereo copies yet, at least not to my knowledge. This was probably the first Stereo release of this record, so in that way it is an original. But it was also probably released at least a couple of years after the original mono recording. You can see in the listing that it doesn’t have the red and blue writing on the back that would make it an original on the Contemporary label. I’m sure this copy is extraordinarily rare and nearly impossible to find sealed like this. As for me, Id rather have the Contemporary. BTW, my copy of this record was from the Bruce M. West collection in Baltimore and it also had the loose polybag cover the cover with the Contemporary promotional card inside. I removed the cover — after all, it was almost 60 years old and quite filthy — but I keep the promotional card inside. It was quite cool to see it in this condition, as if it were sitting on the shelf of a record store in 1957 The start price on the sealed Stereo version in this listing is $1,00. So far there are no bidders.  

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Back in Business, Blue Note Style

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Whilst I have immensely enjoyed writing and sharing those personal essays, I know that most of you come to Jazz Collector for the really important stuff, which is keeping track of record prices and sales on eBay, so we can all marvel at how smart and fortunate we were to have bought our records below market value, or we can lament the unfortunate reality that buying the top rare jazz collectibles at today’s market prices is beyond the capacity of many of us, either from a financial perspective or because it offends our basic sensibilities to pay top dollar rather than keep hunting for a bargain, even if it may mean never owning an original pressing of a record that we covet deeply. The point of that rather long sentence is that it is time to get back to business, and since so many of us have a soft spot for Blue Notes, I have decided that today will be a Blue Note day here at Jazz Collector, starting with Wayne Shorter, Ju Ju, Blue Note 4182. This looks to be an original pressing with the New York USA label, Van Gelder and ear. The record and cover are both listed in Ex condition. The price is now close to $400 with more than a day left on the auction. As we have all seen, the price of these later era original pre-Liberty Blue Notes has risen markedly over the past few years. If we haven’t seen these break into the $1,000 bin yet, it looks like that is just a matter of time.

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Whither the 16-RPM Jazz LP?

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miles-davis-16-rpm-jazz-vinylHere are a few collectible rare jazz records we are following this week on eBay, starting with  Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants, Prestige 3. This is the 16-RPM version of the record and it is, of course, an original pressing. The condition doesn’t look so great and the seller is asking for a starting price of $400 so it is not going to be of interest to me as a potential buyer, but I do have interest in the record as an oddity. Does anyone own this record and, if so, have you ever listened to it — indeed, do you have equipment to listen to it? Is the sound better, worse, the same as a 33-RPM record? And finally, does anyone have any idea why Prestige issued this record and several others in the 16-RPM format? Inquiring minds want to know.

Here are a couple more nice Prestiges from the Jazz Collector era:

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Paying For Pres and Other Jazz Vinyl

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Lester Young Jazz VinylThanks for all of the suggestions on getting the mildew odor off the covers of the records. I’m going to try a few of these once I have time, probably next week, and I’ll let you know if anything works. In the meantime, I’m not going back for that sterling collection of 10-inch LPs because the price was just too high, all things considered. I’ll write a post when I have more time, also probably next week. This week I am buried in real work, per usual. Despite my workload, I’ve had a chance to look at some items on my eBay watch list and here are a few things to share with the Jazz Collector community, starting with: Lester Young, Pres, Norgran 1072. This was an original yellow label pressing listed in M- condition for the record and VG++ condition for the cover, although there was some writing on the back. I must admit that I started watching this record

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Of Blue Notes and Want Lists

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Shades of Redd Jazz VinylSorry for the long, unexpected delay between my posts, and thanks to Clifford for jumping in. While I’ve been missing . . . . One of our readers sent me a link to Freddie Redd, Shades of Redd, Blue Note 4045. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address, deep grooves, Van Gelder, etc. The record was VG+, the cover was VG++, the final price was $565.55 This is a pretty good price for this record and under some circumstances a price I might consider, although, in the end, I tend to wait. My feeling is I do have a Japanese copy of Shades of Redd, so if ever I want to listen to it, I have it. And I do believe that somehow, someday, I will find an original pressing at a price that does not offend my sensibilities. That’s just my approach to collecting, and it’s served me pretty well through the years although, to be honest, I’ve been looking for an original copy of Shades of Redd for at least 40 years and haven’t found one yet. I do also tremendously appreciate it when our Jazz Collector readers point me to records that they know are on my want list, so don’t hesitate to drop me a note.

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What’s A Signature Worth, And What If It’s More Than Just An Autograph?

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Joe Henderson AutographHere are a few odds and ends from the Jazz Collector in box. Mark sent us this link: Joe Henderson, In ‘N Out, Blue Note 84166. The back cover is all messed up with writing all over it. Except, here’s the explanation from Mark: “So the seller claims the notes and signature are by Joe..an inquiry made to the seller revealed that this album came from the collection of a fellow who booked shows for the Left Bank Jazz Society in Baltimore.  Apparently there were many signed albums in his collection along with a photograph of Monk and Wynton Kelly sitting on his own couch! Anyway..interesting piece…” I kind of have a soft spot for memorabilia such as this, although I don’t actually collect it. The record and cover looked to be an original stereo pressing. The final price was $275. Not sure if the writing and signature ensured a higher price, or whether it actually diminished the price. I would guess a stereo copy would get less than $275, so someone probably through the writing was worth something. That’s how I would view it.

There was also this signed record, noted by one of our readers:

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See You in Brooklyn?

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Spent the day in Brooklyn yesterday with a table at the WFMU Record Fair, which is being held at the Brooklyn Expo Center in lovely downtown Greenpoint, where my father spent his youth and learned to love jazz. It was a weird day, a bit unlike the other record fairs I’ve attended. Usually, there’s a ton of action before the doors open, with a lot of transactions between dealers, but even more among the dealers and heavy-duty collectors who don’t have tables but purchase expensive early admission passes or pretend to be with dealers that have tables. There was none of that yesterday, and not even a lot of action when the doors opened for early admission at 4 p.m. There was a full crowd at 7, but not a preponderance of jazz collectors.

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Tracking a Trio of Blue Notes

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Lou copyHere’s another one from my want list, and this one may even get a snipe: Lou Donaldson, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet, Blue Note 1537. This is an original pressing with the Lexington Avenue address, deep grooves, ears, etc. The record is listed in M- condition and the cover is just fair, with seam splits. The cover condition doesn’t bother me so much, but the price may. So far this is at about $250 with more than two days left on the auction. We’ll see. I would love to fill this gap in my collection, and I do love this record.

Here’s another one from the same seller: Dexter Gordon, Our Man in Paris, Blue Note 4146. This is probably an original pressing with the Van Gelder in the dead wax, although there is no mention of the Plastylite ear. The bidding is a bit more than $110 and there are also two days left in this auction. If I were to bid on this, which I won’t, I would at least inquire about the ear. Never hurts to ask.

One more Blue Note, while we’re on the subject:

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