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Data as of Aug 14, 2026
Paul Chambers – High Step
1975 · US · Blue Note · Vinyl LP Compilation Mono
Offers · 1
- $40ref VA-CYASBMedia M · MintSleeve VG+🇺🇸 Ships from United States
The Discogs price estimate is a separate reference; offer prices above are sellers’ own.
New to condition grades like NM or VG? Read our vinyl grading guide →
Pressing identification
Match these against your copy to confirm the exact pressing.
- Runout — side A
- BN-LA 451 1BN-LA 451-1- UA
- Runout — side B
- BN-LA 451 2BN-LA 451-2- UA
- Runout — side C
- BN-LA 451 3BN-LA 451-3- UA
- Runout — side D
- BN-LA 451 4BN-LA 451-4- UA
- Manufactured By
- United Artists Music And Records Group, Inc.
Specifications
- Artist
- Paul Chambers
- Genre
- Jazz
- Style
- Bop, Hard Bop
- Year
- 1975
- Label
- Blue Note
- Catalog number
- BN-LA451-H2
- Country
- US
Tracklist
- A1Dexterity6:38
- A2Stablemates5:50
- A3Easy To Love3:50
- A4Visitation4:53
- B1John Paul Jones6:55
- B2Eastbound4:20
- B3Nita6:30
- B4Just For The Love3:40
- C1We Six7:40
- C2Omicron7:15
- C3High Step8:07
- D1Trane's Strain11:00
- D2Nixon, Dixon And Yates Blues8:25
- Producer [Original Session]
- Alfred Lion
- Producer [Original Session]
- Tom Wilson
- Reissue Producer
- Michael Cuscuna
- Art Direction, Design
- Bob Cato
- Photography By
- Chuck Stewart
About this record
Blue Note's 1975 compilation High Step (BN-LA451-H2) draws from three separate Paul Chambers and John Coltrane sessions recorded between 1955 and 1956, with the pressing plant credit to United Artists Music And Records Group stamped in the dead wax. The album includes material previously issued on Jazz West, Score, Imperial, and Transition labels, plus two selections never released before this LP.
Demand sits at 268 collectors wanting it against 1278 who own one, yet only 32 copies are listed for sale across the market at any given moment.
What drives its value
Condition drives the entire market for this mono compilation. A Mint copy commands 44.99 USD, while the same record in NM drops to 40.25 USD—a shift that reflects the fragility of 1975 pressings from United Artists.
The VG+ tier sits at 30.78 USD, and by VG the price falls to 21.31 USD. The lowest asking price across 32 active listings is 11.58 USD, indicating heavy wear or damage on the cheapest stock.
As a reissue rather than an original Blue Note pressing, High Step trades on its content (the newly discovered Boston or Detroit session, the unreleased tracks) rather than scarcity; the 268-to-1278 want-to-have ratio confirms solid collector interest but no shortage. The mono format and autocoupled side structure (A & D on side 1, B & C on side 2) are period-correct for 1975 reissue practice and do not inflate value.
How to appraise this pressing
Verify this pressing by the catalogue number BN-LA451-H2 on the front cover and spine. The dead-wax runout will read BN-LA 451 followed by a side number (1, 2, 3, or 4), confirming the United Artists pressing plant.
The label itself should read Blue Note and carry the copyright notice MCMLXXV United Artists Music And Records Group, Inc. The 13 tracks are split across two sides in the autocoupled arrangement noted in the release notes: sides A and D occupy LP side 1, sides B and C occupy LP side 2. Look for the mono designation on the label; stereo copies do not exist for this release.
Grading hinges on groove wear (play noise in the quieter passages of the Coltrane sessions), label condition (the 1975 Blue Note label stock was prone to ring wear), and jacket integrity. A Mint copy will have no audible surface noise and a pristine jacket; by VG+ the record will show light play marks but remain musically clean, and the jacket will show minimal creasing or seam separation.
Further reading: grading a record, how to sell vinyl.
Listen
Hear the album before you buy.
Official videos via YouTube.
Release notes
Autocoupled: sides A & D are on LP 1, B & C on LP 2
"An inseparable team in creative jazz circles during late '50's. This album includes two Paul Chambers sessions featuring John Coltrane, plus a newly discovered session from that period released here for the first time."
Tracks A1 to B2 recorded at United Western Recorders, Los Angeles, March 1 or 2, 1956. Previously released as on Jazz West, Score and Imperial labels.
Tracks B3 to C2 recorded at Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ, on September 21, 1956. Previously released on .
Tracks C3 to D2 recorded in Boston on April 20, 1955 OR in Detroit in November, 1955 (jazzdisco.org has Boston only). Track D1 was previously issued on an anthology on the Transition label. The remaining two selections are previously unreleased. The session is usually credited to Curtis Fuller, but has also been under the leadership of Paul Chambers.
Publishers: A1: Duchess Music Corp. BMI A2: Andante Music Inc. ASCAP A3: Chappell Music Inc. ASCAP A4: Ecaroh Music Inc. ASCAP B1: Robbins Music Corp. ASCAP B2: no publisher stated B3: Blue Horizon Music Inc. BMI B4: Blue Horizon Music Inc. BMI C1: Blue Horizon Music Inc. BMI C2: Blue Horizon Music Inc. BMI C3: no publisher stated D1: no publisher stated D2: no publisher stated
©℗ MCMLXXV United Artists Music And Records Group, Inc.
Notes sourced from the Discogs database.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between the 1975 Blue Note reissue and the original sessions?
High Step is a compilation that collects three separate recording dates: two sessions from March 1 or 2, 1956 at United Western Recorders in Los Angeles (previously on Jazz West, Score, and Imperial), one from September 21, 1956 at Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey, and a third from either Boston on April 20, 1955 or Detroit in November 1955 (sources differ). Two tracks from the Boston/Detroit session had never been released before this 1975 LP. The compilation was pressed by United Artists Music And Records Group, not the original Blue Note pressing plants.
How much is a VG+ copy worth?
According to the price guide, a VG+ copy is valued at 30.78 USD. This represents a record with light play wear, audible only under close listening, and a jacket with minor creasing or shelf wear. The estimate reflects the reissue status and steady collector demand (268 want it) against the 1278 who already own a copy.
Why is the lowest price only 11.58 USD when VG copies are listed at 21.31 USD?
The 11.58 USD figure represents the absolute floor price across 32 active listings and typically reflects heavily played or damaged stock—records in G+ or lower grades that still play through but show significant surface noise and groove wear. Sellers price aggressively at that level to move inventory. A VG copy at 21.31 USD assumes clean playback and acceptable visual condition, a higher bar that justifies the premium.
Is this a stereo or mono pressing?
High Step is mono only. The label and all documentation specify mono format. No stereo version was pressed in 1975 or later; the original sessions from 1955–1956 were recorded and mastered in mono, and Blue Note did not reissue them in stereo.
What does the autocoupled side structure mean?
The release notes state that sides A and D are on LP side 1, and sides B and C are on LP side 2. This was a cost-saving practice in 1975 reissues: instead of pressing a conventional two-sided LP with sides A and B, the plant combined material from four separate sessions into two physical sides. When you play side 1, you hear tracks from both the Los Angeles and Boston/Detroit sessions in sequence. This structure is normal for this pressing and does not affect value or playback.