Tag: Thelonious Monk

Four Classics From the Jazz Collector Era

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quiet kennyBack in the business of watching eBay — not much of a business, is it? — and here are some items on the watch list, starting with Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny, New Jazz 8225. This looks to be an original pressing with the purple labels and deep grooves. The record is described as VG++. The seller loses a little credibility when he describes the cover as “VG+  to maybe VG++” when it is clearly VG+ at best. There’s a bit more than a day left in the bidding and the price is only in the $560 range. I say “only” because this record will likely get bids over $1,000 if, indeed, the bidders believe the condition is really VG++. In any case, the price will have to get higher, as it has yet to reach the seller’s reserve.

Here’s a nice one from Atomic Records with a $1,000 starting price: Hank Mobley With Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, Blue Note 1540. This is an original Lexington Avenue flat-edge pressing with the frame cover. It is quite a beauty, in M- or VG++ condition for the record and M- for the cover.

Here are a couple of nice 10-inch Blue Notes priced somewhat optimistically, at least from the sellers’ perspectives:

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SonnyA friend sent me this one a few days ago, assuming, I think, that I would buy it. Ever since, I’ve been debating whether to buy it and/or whether to post it on Jazz Collector for all the world to see. And now, here it is on Jazz Collector: Sonny Rollins Quintet, Esquire 20-080. This is an original 10-inch British pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. It would be quite a nice find under any circumstances, and it would also satiate my newfound addiction to European pressings. But, making it more appealing, the cover is also signed by Sonny Rollins. I must give the owner credit: He had Sonny sign it in 2008. It was a lot smarter having him sign this beautiful original 1955 pressing rather than some later record or, heaven forbid, a CD. Anyway, I have not purchased this record, although it is there for the taking at slightly less than $400. Once I click the “Publish” button to publish this post, I suppose I will be committed to letting it pass. I must be getting frugal or something in my relative old age, because this would be quite a cool record/collectible to own.

Speaking of cool records to own,

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24 Hours on Ebay, Redux

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monkSo while perusing my 24 hours on eBay I found two listings so tempting I had to place a bid. Well, I didn’t have to, but if you’re reading this site you know exactly what I mean. Here’s one of the records: Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music Volume 2. This was clearly an original 10-inch pressing. The seller described it as being in VG++ condition for the record and “very good” for the cover, although the cover looked quite nice in the listing. There were about four hours left in the auction when I came upon the listing and there were no bidders with a start price of $85. I looked again at the listing, and I couldn’t figure out why there was no interest. Then I looked at the shelves in my office and, alas, there is no copy of this record in my collection. Perhaps, I figured, I could get this record at what I would consider to be a reasonable price, which would have been anything under $125 or so. So I put in a snipe bid, waited, waited some more, went onto eBay and, tada, I won the auction at $90. Three bidders came in at the end, but the second highest was only $89. This will be a nice addition to my collection: Another 10-inch Blue Note to fill in a gap. Hopefully my guess about the condition is correct.

I bid on this next record purely for the reason that the bidding seemed to be so low:

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Catching Up With The Jazz Collector Price Guide

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dolphyI am taking advantage of the holiday time to update the Jazz Collector Price Guide, which could use some new records. So for the next couple of days, at least, I’ll be following up on records I mentioned earlier, or some I never mentioned at all and somehow missed the first time around. Here goes:

Boy did I have my eyes on this one: Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk, Prestige 190. This was an original 10-inch pressing in what looked to be VG++ condition for the record and probably VG for the cover. When I was pondering this there were a few hours to go and the price was just in the $110 range. It wound up selling for $430.

Eric Dolphy, Out to Lunch, Blue Note 84163. This was an original stereo pressing in just VG+ condition for the record and the cover, but it was packaged very nicely and we anticipated it would get a nice bid. It did, topping out at $303.

This was a strange one: Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad-Lib 6601. This was an original pressing in VG+ condition for both the record and the cover. When we first wrote about it, we noted that there was a buy-it-now price of $2,000. We figured someone would grab it up at that price. No one did. However, the bidding ended up at $1,975. Seems to me if you were willing to bid as much as $1,975 for the record, just buy it for $2,000 and save yourself the stress and aggravation.

 

A Newk 10-Inch LP, Prized Stereo Blue Notes

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sonnyI should watch this record on Jazz Collector each time it appears on eBay, just so I can put the picture of the cover on the site: Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk, Prestige 190. This is an original 10-inch LP in Ex+ condition for the vinyl and VG for the cover. I would think the record plays really well to be graded Ex+. As you may tell from the longing in my first sentence I do not own a copy of this record. But I would love to. This one is in the $110 range with less than a day to go, although it hasn’t yet reached the seller’s reserve price.

Herbie Hancock, Takin’ Off, Blue Note 84109. This looks to be an original stereo pressing in M- condition for both the record and the cover. Not sure how the stereo compares with the mono, either in sound or in collectibility, but, for me, I’m quite content to have the original mono pressing. This one closes sometime today and is in the range of about $105 with eight bids.

Eric Dolphy, Out To Lunch, Blue Note 84163. The seller does a nice job of presenting/packing this one, with the nice picture and the original inner sleeve. Makes it look attractive, wouldn’t you say? This is a stereo pressing, looks like an original, with the ear, Van Gelder and New York USA label.  Bidding closes tomorrow and is already over more than $200. So, IMHO, the nice packaging seems to help.

 

 

Nice Records, Quite High Price Tags

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Let’s catch up on some rare jazz vinyl auctions we’ve been watching, starting with: Gene Ammons, HiFi Jam Sessions, Prestige 7060. This was an original New York yellow label pressing. The record and cover were in M- condition. You may recall I posted on this last week when there were no bids and a start price of $200. I was speculating about whether it would sell at all for that start price, and my prognostication was that it would sell. Indeed, it did: for $607. Quite a nice price for a Gene Ammons Prestige, which don’t often sell for such quite a lofty figure. The seller SweeDeeDee had quite a week, with several of his records selling for quite high prices. Here are a couple more: Horace Silver and Spotlight on Drums with Art Blakey and Sabu, Blue Note 1520. This was an original Lexington Avenue pressing in VG++ condition for the record and M- for the cover. It sold for $681. Thelonious Monk with Sonny Rollins, Work, Prestige 7169. This is a New Jersey yellow label pressing, but the record is a reissue, an early reissue, but a reissue nonetheless. It was in M- condition for both the record and the cover and sold for $293. Wow.

 

 

A Couple of Nice Ones, A Monk Autograph?????

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Sorry for sporadic posting schedule this week. Been crazy with work and now I am in Las Vegas, of all places. I’ll do my best. Here are some nice records that have been sold on eBay in my absence, starting with:

Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’, Blue Note 4024. This was an original pressing in what was described as “fantastic” condition, which we would assume would be M-. It sold for $713.

This one got a nice price, not quite like the one last month: John Lewis and Sacha Distel, Afternoon in Paris, Versailles 12005. This was an original French pressing in VG condition for the record and VG+ for the cover. It sold for $345. Clearly, this record is moving up in desirability among collectors.

This one didn’t sell yet, but it’s quite interesting: Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music, Blue Note 1511. This looks to be an original Lexington Avenue pressing with a very clear autograph of Monk on the cover. Whether the signature is legitimate, we’ll leave that to our readers. Don Lucky — what do you think? Oh, yes. The price is about $2,000.

 

 

 

Miles, Monk and a New Face

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Here are some of the items I was watching from the recent auction by the Jazz Record Center, starting with: Wynton Kelly, New Faces – NewSounds, Blue Note 5025. This was an original 10-inch pressing that looked to be in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. The price was $191.38. I should have bid on it. Great music, great cover. How can these 10 inch Blue Notes not be worth more money, given what’s going on with 12-inch Blue Notes?

Miles Davis, Steamin’, Prestige 7200. This was an original New Jersey yellow label pressing that was in probably M- condition for the record and at least VG++ for the cover. It sold for only $75. Weird. Why wouldn’t this get more. It’s actually my favorite among the Miles Prestiges that were all recorded in that one session — Steamin’, Cookin’, Workin’, Relaxin’. By contrast, look at this one from the same auction: Miles Davis, Relaxin’, Prestige 7129. This was an original New York pressing in virtually identical condition to Steamin’. It sold for $393.

I thought this one might fetch a higher price as well:

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Aberration is in the Eye of the Beholder

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Since everyone is getting so worked up over the prices of some of the latest auctions, I decided to take a look at all of the recent completed listings from the bobdjukic sales to get an overall sense of things. There are definitely some aberrations between what we expect to see in the market, and some that fit in just fine with market expectation. Just for fun, I’ll pull out a few more of the aberrations.

Sonny Rollins, What’s New, RCA 2572. I love this record, but I’ve never really looked at it as a collectible. I have several copies, in fact. This was a promo copy in M- condition for the record and VG++ for the cover. It sold for $161.50.

Horace Silver, Song For My Father, Blue Note 84185. This is a stereo pressing. It was listed in VG++ condition for the record and probably VG+ for the cover, although you can clearly see ring wear on the photo. It sold for $385.

Chet Baker, Baker’s Holiday, Limelight 86019. This is an original stereo pressing. The record was in VG++ condition, the cover around VG+. It sold for $136.50.

Thelonious Monk, Monk’s Dream, Columbia 8765. This is a stereo pressing, with 2-eye label. The seller claims it is much rarer than the mono??????? It sold for $152.50.

 

 

 

 

 

Jazz Vinyl With Cool Covers

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I happened to be browsing on eBay last night when several of the auctions we’ve been watching from the seller robertb8640 were closing, so I plucked a few to watch and share, starting with: Thelonious Monk, Piano Solo, French Swing 33.342. I’m definitely developing a thing for some of these European pressings. This is a 10-inch pressing, apparently first issued in France? The record was VG and the cover was VG++. The price was $225.82. Fantastic cover, with a great picture of a pensive Monk.

Johnny Griffin Quartet, Argo 624. This was an original pressing with the very weird split cover. The seller showed some nice pictures of the cover and how it worked surrounding the record. This one was in VG++ condition for both the record and the cover. It sold for $471.88. Is this highest priced of all the Argo records. It is, indeed, according to the Jazz Collector Price Guide.

 

 

 

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