The 25 Most Valuable Blue Note Records Ever Sold On Discogs

#4

Cool Struttin‘

Sonny Clark

1958

Cool Struttin’ is Sonny Clark’s undisputed masterpiece, marrying earthy swing to crisp, modern contours. Trumpeter Art Farmer and alto saxophonist Jackie McLean front a rhythm section of Paul Chambers and “Philly” Joe Jones, while Clark guides the group with relaxed authority and immaculate time.

The title track struts a perfect line between swagger and cool; “Blue Minor” sinks into dusky harmonies; “Sippin’ at Bells” rides a sly Latin pulse; and “Deep Night” closes in noirish hush. Framed by Reid Miles’ iconic cover and loaded with endlessly sample-ready grooves, Cool Struttin’ remains one of Blue Note’s most reissued LPs, although this original variant is the most treasured.

Sold for $4,444

#2

Soul Station

Hank Mobley

1960

Hank Mobley never set out to overturn jazz convention, and that restraint is exactly why Soul Station feels so right. The session finds Mobley fronting a dream rhythm section: pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey, fresh from a Miles Davis club engagement the night before. Kelly’s sparkling comping, Chambers’ spring-loaded walk, and Blakey’s feather-touch ride create an undergirding so supple that Mobley can unspool his warm, centered tenor lines with conversational ease.

The buoyant opener “Remember” stakes out the album’s effortless swing, “Dig Dis” struts on a soulful backbeat, and the reflective title track distills hard bop to its essence — mid-tempo, blues-laden, and irresistibly melodic. Soul Station confirmed Mobley’s stature as a composer of unhurried gems and remains one of Blue Note’s most playable and rewarding offerings, so much so that it’s first pressing is tied as the second most expensive release sold.

Sold for $4,500

#2

Candy

Lee Morgan

1958

One of the great ‘what if’ stories of jazz, trumpeter Lee Morgan burned fast and bright until his murder at the age of 33. A prodigy who played with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, and most notably, Art Blakey as one of the Jazz Messengers, while still a teenager, the trumpeter became a Blue Note staple, playing the lead of sideman on dozens of the label’s releases. At 20 years old, he released Candy, backed by a mammoth rhythm section of Sonny Clark on piano, Art Taylor on drums (who kicks off the record with a mighty brush fill), and Doug Watkins on bass.

While Morgan’s records make up nearly one-fifth of this list, Candy tops them all. Released in 1958, the record didn’t receive a Blue Note reissue until 1971, making it the original run extra elusive. If you want an early version, the original is the only way. The copy that sold for $4,500 was the only one to sell on Discogs in Near Mint condition with original inner sleeve, making it worth almost $2,000 more than the second most expensive copy.

Sold for $4,500

#1

True Blue

Tina Brooks

1960

Following Benny Harris‘ recommendation to Alfred Lion, Tina Brooks earned his stripes as sideman on several Blue Note projects, like Freddie Hubbard‘s Open Sesame (which he alleged was recorded one week before True Blue), Kenny Burrell‘s Blue Lights Vol. 1, and Jimmy Smith‘s House Party. After proving his chops, he recorded True Blue, the only record as band leader he’d release in his lifetime, despite recording several others for the label (they would eventually get posthumous releases).

Nearly all first-edition Blue Note records are valuable, but True Blue towers above the others in desirability. Partially due to its mythos as being the only record with Brooks at the helm in his lifetime, and partially because of its rarity (it’s speculated by fans across jazz forums that the label pressed less than 1,000 copies), Brooks’ masterpiece has cemented its status as a white whale for many jazz collectors.

Sold for $7,333