This image is a general representation of the item and the actual product may differ slightly in terms of color shading, logo placement, borders, or other small details. Used items may have various cosmetic differences as well.
Vinyl should be very clean, but can have less luster than near mint.
Should still shine under a light, but one or two marks may show up when tilted.
Can have a few small marks that may show up easily, but which do not affect play at all. Most marks of this quality will disappear when the record is tilted, and will not be felt with the back of a fingernail.
This is the kind of record that will play "near mint", but which will have
some signs of use (although not major ones).
May have slight surface noise when played.
Additional Marks & Notes
If something is noteworthy, we try to note it in the comments — especially
if it is an oddity that is the only wrong thing about the record.
This might include, but isn't limited to, warped records, tracks that skip,
cover damage or wear as noted above, or strictly cosmetic flaws.
One of the first albums to ever bear the name of Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars – a well-chosen monikker for a record to feature the talents of leading 50s west coasters like Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper, Shelly Manne, Milt Bernhardt, and Herb Geller. The format here is a ... LP, Vinyl record album
A key early entry in the "jazz meets Broadway" genre – and a record that was so successful, it went onto inspire countless imitations! Shelly Manne's working here in a lightly playful trio setting – alongside Andre Previn on piano and Leroy Vinnegar on bass, in a reading of ... LP, Vinyl record album
Benny Carter swings material from the 20s – but the results are a lot better than you might expect! We'll be honest in saying that the cover and theme of this one always made us figure the record was some sort of "old timey" affair – but Benny's surprisingly cool on the ... LP, Vinyl record album
After having a bit of a minor hit with a crime jazz album dedicated to the music of Peter Gunn, Shelly and combo turn towards a less-remembered TV cop show for more music in a similar vein. Checkmate was a short-lived show from the early 60s, but it had a great score by John Williams – one ... LP, Vinyl record album
One of the few sides ever cut as a leader by west coast clarinetist Bill Smith – and a pretty groovy session that has the group performing jazz versions of folk tunes, a gimmick that was used briefly around the same time by players that included Harold Land and Benny Bailey. The quartet ... LP, Vinyl record album
With John Heard on bass and Tony Williams on drums – on titles that include "Phantom Of The City", "But He Knows", "Dark Side/Light Side", and "Blue Nights". LP, Vinyl record album
A very cool album that has Shelly Manne and Jack Marshall going nuts on a bunch of percussion, drums, and other odd instruments! Marshall mostly plays spare acoustic guitar, with some very nutty changes – and Manne proves that he's a very adept percussionist way past his usual west coast ... LP, Vinyl record album
Lovely work from George Cables – one of the strongest piano stars to emerge from the west coast scene of the 70s, and one of the most soulful too! The album features a core trio of Cables on acoustic piano, plus Rufus Reid on bass and Eddie Gladden on drums – and they're joined on 2 ... LP, Vinyl record album
An incredible document of late 60s America – composed and conducted by Gary McFarland, in a style that's much more ambitious than any of his other work! The album's fully titled "America The Beautiful: An Account Of Its Disappearance" – and features "movements" ... LP, Vinyl record album
Heads or tails, it's a winner every time – as the record's one of the last clear moments of genius from keyboardist Bob James in the 70s! The sound here is stepping out a bit more from Bob's earlier sides on CTI, but there's still plenty of great keyboard work to make the album worth seeking ... LP, Vinyl record album
If you read these pages often enough, you'll know that we're big fans of recordings made by American expatriot players while living in Europe during the 60's. The European rhythm sections often bring out new elements of their playing, and the interaction with European soloists hits modes that we ... LP, Vinyl record album