I take issue with what you said about being a “failed” jazz musician. That is not true. All the big names in jazz, the ones whose records we collect, were Olympic jazz gold medalists. It may be true no one remembers who came in second, but the runners up competed too, paid their dues, and expressed their passion. Your years as a jazz musician (regardless of how many gold records you have on your wall) served you well, and they served us all well. I am grateful to you for sharing with me so much of what you know about this music. Every video is like a school lesson, many of which I watch twice. Much of what you share with me, and your thousands of viewers, cannot be learned from a book. It must be lived and slowly ingrained over a long time, while playing, listening, talking, thinking. I see you as a successful musician and a successful teacher. I don’t mean for my comment to be a trivial pep talk, but just to let you know that what you do matters for a lot of people whose faces you’ll never see. So, thank you!
"Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will" Your passion, appreciation, and knowledge of the music that you love really shines through. I go digging and visit my local record shops weekly. The friendships that I have made are priceless. I still love the thrill of the hunt. It seems as if the musiicanship of these brilliant artists has taken a back seat to Stoughton tip-on jackets, 180g, Kevin Gray, blah blah blah. Thank you for focusing on what matters most, the MUSIC.
Thanks for this Ken! Got a turntable again in '19, and had always appreciated jazz but really got into it once I got the table and started visiting local shops. The reissues are fabulous for getting a-hold of the biggest big guns...but the local record store relationship has been the joyful part, bringing a sense of community, discovery and luck. Flipping through the bins is meditative and exploratory. I have a ton of affordable, classic, clean, great-sounding used jazz records thanks to my local shops, alongside the Tone Poets and whatnot. Love your passion!
About 45 years ago when my cousin and I used to sit with Max Gordon at his table at the Village Vanguard he always got a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye when he told us Illinois Jacquet was going to be playing there the next week.
The thrill of the hunt, and finding records I enjoyed are some of the best times I have had. Frequently visited Princeton Record Shop, and The Curmudgeon in Somerville NJ among many great record shops when I lived in the area, as well as through NY, PA, and MA during traveling for work. Thrifting is where I found most of my best classical music, and estate sales have been great for all genres. Don't regret the time spent, even when I didn't find much, as it served me to de-stress and relax.
Ken this was great. Growing up in NYC and my father listening to WRVR on the radio all of the time, playing his jazz albums all of the time, my brother and I were naturally drawn to jazz. I was also fortunate to grow up with Jimmy Heath As a neighbor, playing with his children, playing at the Jazz Mobile workshop and living a 10 minute walk to Louis Armstrong’s home and now a museum. Jazz unlike other genres in my opinion music that touches one’s soul. I still collecting some reissues to compare them with my father’s original pressing and getting the ones he didn’t purchase. So that being said I will start to digging to find those beautiful hidden Jazz gems. Thanks
I have collected jazz for a long time. I keep coming back to Bird and Diz, Coltrane's My Favorite Things, Art Blakey's A Night In Tunisia, Bill Evans's Village Vanguard records, Buddy Rich's Class of '78, Charlie Parker's Savoy Sessions and Verve years albums, Chet Baker Sings, The Atomic Mr. Basie, Brubeck's Time Out, Dexter Gordon's Gotham City, Dizzy's Bahiana, The Artistry of Frddie Hubbard, Mulligan's What Is There To Say?, Morgan's Sidewinder and Search for the New Land, any of my Miles Davis albums, any of my Coltrane albums, Nelson's Blues and the Abstract Truth, Milt Jackson's Sunflower, Monk/Trane, Rollins's Tenor Madness, Getz/Gilberto, Kenton's Adventures in Jazz, Monk's Genius of Modern Music vol. 1 & 2 and Brilliant Corners, and all of my extensive Big Band collection and jazz vocalists collection. And I'm sure I'm leaving out some favorites I can't think of off the top of my head. There's one album I've had since I was 15 years old when it was released, that I have always loved dearly, The Dave Brubeck Trio with Gerry Mulligan & The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Two cuts on there, Blessed Are The Poor and Elementals just absolutely slay me. If anyone finds that record, snap it up just for those two tracks!
Actually, there's another great track on that last album I mentioned, Forty Days. And last year I got Pharoah Sanders Floating Points with the LSO and it's fantastic.
Agreed brother! Yesterday on a whim I drove 75 miles to visit some record stores in Sacramento and landed an original mono Ike Quebec ‘Bossa Nova Soul Samba!’ Out of this world!!
Thanks for sharing Ken. While the Tone Poets and Acoustic Sounds records of the worlds are an immense joy to collect and listen to, I absolutely agree that they represent only one of the many dimensions that jazz albums can be. Getting Somethin' Else from the BN classics or Black Saint from Acoustic Sounds is a great way to build a fledgling collection, but over time we start to develop our own unique preferences for a certain sound and particular players that may not be hot off of the presses, and record stores are totally essential for that. A few months ago I was at the record store I frequent most, found a first pressing of Wayne Shorter's "Schizophrenia" still in the shrink, an album I'd been hunting down for some time! There are some more of my favorite Impulse titles (Chico Hamilton's "The Dealer" and McCoy Tyner's "Today and Tomorrow") that I'll hope to find at a record store some day, if they are not reissued first!
Your channel is a great source of information on jazz, the records you show provides reference of knowledge on the tradition, rooted with some historical perspective. And yes nothing beats crate digging on a record store.
Really enjoyed this, such a good point about discovering new or rare things stepping into a record store. Illinois Jacquet... One of the earlier shoota in my career was recording an interview with him in his home's basement. He was a wonderful gentleman with quite a musical history.. Enjoyed it!
Great video, Ken. Yes, all these stories about collecting Jazz are all different because they’re very personal, but there’s also a common thread, which is this passion for pursuing the music that really speaks to our hearts. It’s always about the journey, because in the end we will find somehow that joy and pleasure that only the dream record will bring.
Terrific video. Like so much how your passion lights up your channel. Your videos have kicked my aging butt back into record stores here in the Triangle. Thanks.
Great video, Ken! Really enjoyed your talk on jazz and jazz records! Loved that you mentioned my hometown store, Bop Shop! That store is incredible and I hope you can experience it soon! For me, I’d love to come down state and check out hudson valley vinyl, along with the Jazz Record Center!
Great video Ken! I love it when you wax poetic on things you’ve found crate digging. Some of your best videos. You should do more. I agree with you on a lot of the new releases. I cannot afford to buy everything I want either, so checking out what’s under appreciated and overlooked in record shops is what keeps me going. I also wish that labels like Blue Note and Analogue Productions etc. would focus on reissuing the major titles like the Music Matters releases once again rather than some of the lesser known sessions. There is huge demand for the cream of the crop which is why the flippers are able to get so much for seminole albums on discogs.
I think you nailed it, Jazz is a creative expression…..doesn’t have to be beautiful but it can convey an idea or emotion as well as social commentary. I feel jazz artists are communicating about life. Beauty out of chaos sometimes.
Bravo, Sir Ken, this was awesome, and you really describe the joy of visiting an actual record store and the enjoyment of finding items that have never been reissued or you'll never see online. Thank you so much, my friend, and Happy Listening!
I agree with you Ken, jazz is a phenomenal means of freedom of expression. it's a music that takes a lifetime to discover. Did I say a lifetime? I think we need 3 or 4 lifetimes to fully discover the riches of jazz. I believe , just listening to all the jazz recoded before 1950 you have well enough to completely mesmerize the heck out of anyone. If you're really listening. So yeah great comments. As for vinyl, I also agree, that most of the time, especially if you have the original first,second or third pressings, you usually have a better sound quality then recent digital re-issued. What's you're appreciation of digitized vinyl?
In big cities like Dallas where I live now record shops where you can find gems are few and far, but I still go to my local record shop and have purchased many as well as a record player.
Great stuff as usual, a couple of my local record stores up here in Montreal are really taking advantage of this vinyl buying craze. They base their prices on Discogs mid to high side then add $15-$20 which they say is what I would be paying for shipping then the local tax @15%. It really pisses me off. I’m sure I’m not alone but when I see something in the store I’ve been looking for I just can’t leave without it. Not sure if others have this same experience in their city’s. Thanks 😎
Great video Ken. I do both... out in the wild and online. The thrill of the chase hunting down new stuff, surprise stuff, taking a chance stuff and bargains is what it's all about... and I have great memories of most LPs I've bought from Record Shops over the years. In the UK we have Record Fairs. In Staffordshire where I live there are 2 or 3 every month on my doorstep. Large rooms with about 15 to 20 stalls with dealers travelling from up to 50 miles to sell there and there are a reasonable amount of new traders turning up each month. They are a treasure trove. Admittedly, 50s/60s US jazz is not something that is plentiful here in the UK, but, quality European Jazz / Avant Garde stuff shows up regularly... I picked up four 70s ECM records last Sunday for an absolute snip - Tomas Stanko, Eberhard Weber. 70s US and UK Jazz fusion is well represented on the second hand market here though. Brill! Are there regular Record Fairs in the States Ken?
Thanks for your informative comment. Record fairs are not a regular occurrence here, even before Covid. There are a couple per year in the New York New Jersey area they’re quite popular.
I like the Tone Poets I have but like you I've been buying BNs for a long time and happy with the originals and early reissues I have. The TP's I have bought are issues that are very difficult to find in the UK. TPs are expensive in the UK too and I have a long list of other records to find.
The best thing about vacations in other cities is CRATE DIGGING. Not only do you find new stuff, but those records become intertwined with memories of the vacation.
Hi Ken! I really appreciate your channel. You always impart a lot of great knowledge. The one thing I would say is in addition to the delight of digging through crates and finding some gems and going to record stores which is really a much more preferable way of buying records, is that buying the online reissues is actually a blessing! It’s a blessing for those of us who don’t have some of those amazing titles that are really difficult to find, and acquiring them with beautiful packaging and beautiful mastering by some of the best people working today. I’m often envious of guys who live in smaller towns and have better used record stores that have more of the stuff I might be looking for. I live in Los Angeles and there are certainly great stores here, (how could there not be?) but often times they’ve been combed over very heavily. I mean in particular for some of the more famous Bluenote, impulse, prestige etc. record titles that everybody wants original copies of. In any case, I’m coming to New York City soon I plan to visit Jazz Record Center. Thank you.
Matthew, same here in NYC. When you come here, make a beeline to Revilla Grooves n Gear in Mill town NJ. New Jersey transit at penn station to New Brunswick, then 10 min Uber ride. UNPICKED!
jazz it´s a style i hear since ever ,my grandfather, my father , i was born listening to jazz and i´m not that much into jazz music but i hear my favorites a lot like buddy the mad drumer, the monk ,etc. or just plain soul music wich is lost and some independent labels re-release those orchestras that young people recorded with all their heart and soul ,have hundreds of titles and also took a look on blue note records and found myself buying recordings from the 40´s or earlier
The hunt for vinyl is all part of the ritual, the same as playing vinyl, which for me is akin to the Japanese tea ceremony in its strict order, routine...and pleasure.
I agree with you about the serendipitous nature of digging around in a bricks and mortar record store, Ken. Only trouble is, here London about two thirds of those stores have closed in the last 15 years. This has been caused by a mixture of online competition, exorbitant commercial rental prices and the inevitable move away from actual artefacts to streaming. This has pushed people like me down the Discogs route.
Hi Ken, I highly suggest visiting the Bop Shop. I might be biased because I’m a Rochester native but hands down one of the best jazz selections I’ve ever seen. I’ll be in NYC soon so I’m hoping to make my first Jazz Record Center visit. Great video and some excellent points!
I have to admit, rock and blues are my true loves, but my absolute favorite genre to dig for is jazz!! As a fairly new jazz collector, I love digging for the Rudy Van Gelder stamp! Doesn’t matter the artist or if it’s blue note, impulse, prestige, or verve. If it has the RVG stamp I want it!
Back in the 1970s, there was a jazz funk band called Flying Island . They have this vinyl album with a song on it called Eddie. The short solo by Joe Farrell on that song is so beautiful.
I got a large part of myCD collection from Academy. Haven't been there much since I retired, amd found TH-cam as I'm not in that area that much any more, but it's a great store.
another great vid Ken, if I want something on line, most of the time, my record store guy gets it for me,I get a great record, he makes a sale. and I save money in s&h. Lucky for me, he is well schooled in all things jazz.
Hello Mr.Micallef, You make the most interesting, provocative and compelling case for collecting all this 33.3 stuff. I'm not personally interested in collecting vinyl but I am fascinated by your descriptive philosophy about personal Audio so I can't let any of your writings pass me by without a concentrated attention. . From a practical reference: I can't imagine anyone ever listening to the 33.3 collection they are amassing but I can understand people ordering and buying aggressively. Thank you for giving me a small peek into your world. You are probably the most gifted writer of Records I've ever read. ( Mr.JA must've had a good Karma thing going when he brought you on ) ! Tony in Florida ( a brrrrrr frezzzzzzing 68F )
as much I'd like to own every audiophile reissue out there, what I like about collecting records is going out not knowing what I'm gonna find and what I'm gonna buy. I find the unknown much more interesting than any must-have classic masterpiece record.
When I started collecting as a teenager, I would simply take a chance on a record. No research, streaming didn't exist, I mean you just look at the cover, skim any liner notes on the back cover and if it looked cool, bam, take a chance on it! Found some great records in all genres this way. Before my time, in the 1950s, there were listening booths in record shops and they would let people listen before buying. I was a child of the sixties, so I just had to buy cool looking records, go home, and listen for the first time. Of course, school friends who were into records would get together and play records. You could get a listen before buying that way.
[edited for a typo, although I suppose a clothing "sore" could also be a different thing.] Good advice. Two of my favorites were purchased straight off the turntable playing in stores. You definitely remember those purchases. It's like buying what's on the mannequin in a clothing store, but who cares? It's something already basically "selected" for you, so if you like it, why keep looking?
Ken, thanks for this video and your others. I want to raise a technical point that I hope you can address in future videos. During this video the focus kept shifting from you to the records on the shelf in the background. There should be a simple way to move the focus point in your video camera so that it is always on your face. That would be done in association with changing the focus method so that it is set to focus on a single point instead of on the whole image. I say this because it's rather disconcerting to see the focus point changing - esp. when it's something that can easily be addressed. Thanks for all you do!
Not wishing to cause any offence Ken as you are one of the best representatives of the music but the sound is a trifle thin. I say this only as a viewer in the UK who loves the sound of your voice.
Great advices!. I feel the same motivation about percussion sounds, but culturaly i´m more focused into brasilian and cuban stuff. There are great jazzy jewels by Fania records too. thanks.
Great stuff as usual Ken. You have a vast knowledge of the music we love. I'm sure you've seen a lot of Jazz movies as well. It would be great if you could review some that you've seen over the years; both fictional and documentary, maybe movie jazz sound tracks or film scores as well. There are some TV shows that had great music as well, such as the original NYPD series. Thanks
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 In the $2 bin, I found Video All-Stars -- TV Jazz Themes (1956) and Fremer thinks he's the only one who has this, too funny. Also from the $2 bin, Music from M Squad (1959) and it's killer.
Do they change the artwork on those Tone Poets ? Sometimes I think they just repackage stuff every 20 years to sell it all to us again . I was buying Blue Note reissues in 1985 , the Herbie , Wayne and Dexter . Then in the 1990s bought them all again on cd . In the 1990s had a cd issue of Quadraphenia by the Who then it gets another release with bonus track of Pete Townsend demos for that album . That was worth it because the demos were top class and he even did a drum over dub himself for the release. Ok it’s not jazz . I like the idea of taking a journey to buy a record, every country I’ve been too I got something. Japan being the best place but walking round back streets of Athens Greece was a memory . Wished I had got Aphrodites Child the rock single with Demis Rousos . I did get Stanley Clarkes modern Man and
Don't call yourself a failure...if that was the case we would all be failures. I've played the trumpet for 60 years and have heard many compliments but there are thousands of trumpet players far better than I. I'm sure you had many great days and to most of us, you would have sounded great! Look at Miles Davis...sure he was great and an innovator but there were several trumpet players during his time that were far better than he was. Wynton is super humble but if the truth be told, he could play circles around Miles and so could Lee Morgan and today I hear Adam Rapa and he's from another planet. I don't believe anyone would dare call Miles a failure even though he wasted several years, do to a poor lifestyle.
Yeah Ken, Jazz just speaks to some more that others as does record collecting. The collection of 78's I have all came from a work mate's late uncle, he had a basement full, and this guy was not a casual listener, but Jazz obsessed collector. There are his personal records and stuff from radio stations, and juke boxes, some are pristine, and some played to hell, I 'm thinking he took 78's as they were being dumped for LP's. Cataloging what I have is time consuming but I find great stuff in every milkcrate.
Ken, does it bother you that very often it seems to me, when purchasing older used pressings, that even if they're in great shape, that sometimes there is play wear, presumably from a poorly set up turntable, that seems to make the channels uneven? I often adjust the balance to center the image. Do you have to do this?
Hello Moses, human head in Bushwick. Academy records in the East Village. Ergot on second Street at second Ave. And stranded which I think is on fifth street in the East Village. They’re kind of pricey but they have good stuff
I love jazz so much but really can't afford to collect everything I find appealing. I don't have enough Ray Barretto and Ornette Coleman. I don't have any Oscar Peterson but have Plenty of Miles Davis . Could you or anyone suggest one Ray Barretto, one Ornette Coleman and One Oscar Peterson album that's represents each at their musical peak ?
@@dippin1523 For the records I collect (original pressings on Blue Note, Prestige, etc), they have been either appropriately priced or underpriced. The owner, Tom, is one of the best in the business
No such thing as failed musician. You have a talent to play a musical instrument. I love music, my Jazz, The Blues and sixties Soul. I have no talent, I can’t play any instrument. That is a regret I have.
Valid point about going in person, but you have to know it’s very New York centric. Even your trips up the Hudson valley - that’s east coast and in the orbit of NYC. I live in a growing mid sized city in the middle and the availability of quality used jazz records is not zilch, but not far from it. The people who work at the stores do not know anything about jazz. In most places in America if you drive 5 hours, you don’t get any closer to a record store that has an OG or early blue note record or Impulse! or Savoy or MPS or riverside or contemporary. Maybe you’ll find a verve record or two in the used bin. I’ve been through Europe as well and there’s very few shops, except in the biggest cities, where you’ll find even the shittiest jazz records that Academy has in stock. Essentially, I’m agreeing with you that the ideal place is the record shop where you can talk jazz and where they have enough stuff coming in to hold something good for you, but I’m disagreeing in that it’s not realistic for most people. That’s why the very well done reissues that are coming out and are easy to come by are so popular. Not to mention: there’s plenty of online communities where people talk about these records. Consider too that people are just busy, overworked, acting as equal partners to their baby mommas. It’s hard to find time to do what you’re suggesting and easy to find time to click. Especially considering how much great reissue stuff is out there now. Anyway, thanks for the insight into your habits.
If someone cares about records, they go to record stores, they don't simply click and use paypal. And don't give me the overworked crap. Going to record stores should be a vacation. Are there more stores in the NE? Sure. But there are record stores in every medium sized city in the USA. The 40 million NEW records sold in the US last year weren't all sold in NYC. This is a global not a NE phenomenon. And that doesn't even account for the used records
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 ok. very black and white take. it’s hard to understand the day, week, or year in the life of people who live a very different life than you. The thing is, you’re not wrong that record stores are better. You’re just wrong that most people can find stores with a decent selection of used jazz. You’re also wrong that buying records online makes you less of a music or record lover. Try working a 9-5 and coming home to have dinner with your young family and finishing your day at 10 pm after you’ve put the kids to bed, washed the dishes, folded the laundry, fixed the toilet, etc. That describes a lot of people who love listening to jazz and who can really only buy records at night while listening to other records and having a cold one. Don’t be so certain your way is the only way.
@@bradleykay I never said my way was the only way. The entire point of the video was to say you should support your local stores. It is the local record store that created the entire record resurgence we are now enjoying.. I understand people have 9 to 5 jobs. I certainly do. But it is record stores that created the resurgence through record store day and by taking a chance and buying lots of used records. They deserve every return they get. The major labels who are now reissuing audio file records everyone loves did not give a rats ass about the vinyl until about three or four years ago. It was entirely the domain of music matters analog productions and used record stores. People get all testy and think they know everything. But if you don’t know the record stores created the bounty you are now enjoying you don’t know anything. People don’t support the local record stores and they go out of business you can be assured that the major labels that are producing these extremely expensive records will double the prices in a minute.
One of my favourite things about vinyl records is that they become the soundtrack to my life. Not only the music, but I will remember where I bought it, who I was with and that you miss out on with streaming
I love your channel, Ken. I live in China, way outside of a major city. It's pretty difficult getting to a record store. I would love to live where you live.
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 Hundreds! My grails right now are my complete Miles at the Fillmore boxset and my John Coltrane Interstellar Space quad pressing!
Cat, skin a cat 😂 Living in the UK I do not buy MOFI's or rock reissues as I have a huge collection of UK 1st pressings, I buy virtually all the new "audiophile" jazz releases as there is virtually no chance of finding them in the "wild" in the UK or they are totally unrecognizable, many American "commentators" forget this simple practicality and criticize us for buying the new releases, I could make the same argument about the rock "audiophile" pressings which I have bought and find depressingly poor
I never said audiophile reissues are available in the wild. They're all primarily mail order direct from the source. I have nothing against those records, only the idea that buying mail order suffices and one never sets foot in a store.
There’s some naïveté here regarding your old presses (acquired when they were affordable) and the idea of going to a used store now and finding an old press that’s (1) moderately priced; and (2) graded even remotely accurately. You’re acting like the owners of the used record stores don’t have internet access themselves to see the market prices for old pressings. There are many used stores where I live; they’re scoured over constantly; the older pressings are high priced and the grades are inflated. I’ve been burned too many times in stores (and online) buying an old press that’s a sonic mess. The reissues are often less expensive and sound amazing. Maybe they lack the warmth or “in your living room” feel of the older pressings, but they’re reliably at least good and usually excellent.
Yeah prices on OG (or early) pressings of the big labels are getting pricier, but Ken's point is well taken: getting into a bricks-and-mortar shop exposes you to a lot of other **kinds and styles** of music than you'd know to order online. That's the key point-Jazz (and Jazz collecting) is *more than* just the BN/Prestige/Impulse! heavy-hitters that are being remastered/re-released. Ken's not saying to not to buy those, but to put ourselves in the position of being delighted and surprised by the unknown (which will expand our knowledge as well-). Personally, I'm getting bored of the growing number of VC TH-camrs who fetishize every new MM/TP, etc pressing and their "stunning" Stoughton jackets, but have little to offer on the history of the art form or musicianship itself...
@@Maquis1943 I understand. Unfortunately, I think I inadvertently deleted part of my own comment! I intended to say that my comments were not about the heavy hitters that are being reissued. The same is true for old presses of the not-heavy hitters. Too often, it’s a crapshoot. I’m almost as old as Ken, and I’ve been going to record stores for decades. I get the surprise element and have been surprised many times by visits to stores. Unfortunately, I think the jazz genre is largely picked over. Yeah, maybe a gem or two after hours of digging, but I still can’t find a decently priced copy of “Search for the New Land” that’s also in decent condition. That’s ok, I stream it. But it bums me out. The same is true for Curtis Fuller’s Quintet and Jazztet albums (not heavy hitters) and Booker Ervin Quintet - Cookin’ (not heavy hitter) and Grachan Moncur’s Some other Stuff (heavy hitter label but certainly not the album).
So, goodbye to your local record store? That's the point of the video. Meet the owners, get to know them, they might help you find what you're looking for. Otherwise, we're all fat and happy and never leave the house cause we can order direct. Then the stores will close. and then what? GOUGING to the max. I'm not the naïve one here. I'm also discussing finding records you otherwise will never see. Maybe you only care about the major players, all the usual stuff. it's called digging for a reason.
Buy from and support your local record stores is the message today. If ordering from Amazon and major labels is your sole source of records you are essentially supporting corporations and ignoring small business. Corporations only jumped on the vinyl resurgence after small record stores, via RSD and buying collections in a then risky market, established the trend. Get out of your home, turn off the computer. You may find something special locally that will never be reissued.
The hunt for vinyl is all part of the ritual, the same as playing vinyl, which for me is akin to the Japanese tea ceremony in its strict order, routine...and pleasure.
I take issue with what you said about being a “failed” jazz musician. That is not true. All the big names in jazz, the ones whose records we collect, were Olympic jazz gold medalists. It may be true no one remembers who came in second, but the runners up competed too, paid their dues, and expressed their passion. Your years as a jazz musician (regardless of how many gold records you have on your wall) served you well, and they served us all well. I am grateful to you for sharing with me so much of what you know about this music. Every video is like a school lesson, many of which I watch twice. Much of what you share with me, and your thousands of viewers, cannot be learned from a book. It must be lived and slowly ingrained over a long time, while playing, listening, talking, thinking. I see you as a successful musician and a successful teacher.
I don’t mean for my comment to be a trivial pep talk, but just to let you know that what you do matters for a lot of people whose faces you’ll never see. So, thank you!
Thomas, that's very sweet of you to say. Made my day. Thank you.
Failed musicians are those who fail to explore even though they have the desire.
@@newyorkfilharmonik110 failed musicians are those who choose to stop playing music, Some have no choice, and they are not failures.
"Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will" Your passion, appreciation, and knowledge of the music that you love really shines through. I go digging and visit my local record shops weekly. The friendships that I have made are priceless. I still love the thrill of the hunt. It seems as if the musiicanship of these brilliant artists has taken a back seat to Stoughton tip-on jackets, 180g, Kevin Gray, blah blah blah. Thank you for focusing on what matters most, the MUSIC.
That's a great quote. Attribution?
I just can't get tired of listening to Ken's wisdom and knowledge about music listening. Congratulations for your videos, Ken!
Thanks for this Ken! Got a turntable again in '19, and had always appreciated jazz but really got into it once I got the table and started visiting local shops. The reissues are fabulous for getting a-hold of the biggest big guns...but the local record store relationship has been the joyful part, bringing a sense of community, discovery and luck. Flipping through the bins is meditative and exploratory. I have a ton of affordable, classic, clean, great-sounding used jazz records thanks to my local shops, alongside the Tone Poets and whatnot. Love your passion!
Hey Ken, nothing beats some quiet time digging through crates of records and coming up with a few jewels - yeah!
About 45 years ago when my cousin and I used to sit with Max Gordon at his table at the Village Vanguard he always got a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye when he told us Illinois Jacquet was going to be playing there the next week.
The thrill of the hunt, and finding records I enjoyed are some of the best times I have had. Frequently visited Princeton Record Shop, and The Curmudgeon in Somerville NJ among many great record shops when I lived in the area, as well as through NY, PA, and MA during traveling for work. Thrifting is where I found most of my best classical music, and estate sales have been great for all genres. Don't regret the time spent, even when I didn't find much, as it served me to de-stress and relax.
Ken this was great. Growing up in NYC and my father listening to WRVR on the radio all of the time, playing his jazz albums all of the time, my brother and I were naturally drawn to jazz. I was also fortunate to grow up with Jimmy Heath As a neighbor, playing with his children, playing at the Jazz Mobile workshop and living a 10 minute walk to Louis Armstrong’s home and now a museum. Jazz unlike other genres in my opinion music that touches one’s soul. I still collecting some reissues to compare them with my father’s original pressing and getting the ones he didn’t purchase. So that being said I will start to digging to find those beautiful hidden Jazz gems. Thanks
Wow. Great.
Cool story. Jimmy Heath as a neighbor? Wow.
I have collected jazz for a long time. I keep coming back to Bird and Diz, Coltrane's My Favorite Things, Art Blakey's A Night In Tunisia, Bill Evans's Village Vanguard records, Buddy Rich's Class of '78, Charlie Parker's Savoy Sessions and Verve years albums, Chet Baker Sings, The Atomic Mr. Basie, Brubeck's Time Out, Dexter Gordon's Gotham City, Dizzy's Bahiana, The Artistry of Frddie Hubbard, Mulligan's What Is There To Say?, Morgan's Sidewinder and Search for the New Land, any of my Miles Davis albums, any of my Coltrane albums, Nelson's Blues and the Abstract Truth, Milt Jackson's Sunflower, Monk/Trane, Rollins's Tenor Madness, Getz/Gilberto, Kenton's Adventures in Jazz, Monk's Genius of Modern Music vol. 1 & 2 and Brilliant Corners, and all of my extensive Big Band collection and jazz vocalists collection. And I'm sure I'm leaving out some favorites I can't think of off the top of my head. There's one album I've had since I was 15 years old when it was released, that I have always loved dearly, The Dave Brubeck Trio with Gerry Mulligan & The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Two cuts on there, Blessed Are The Poor and Elementals just absolutely slay me. If anyone finds that record, snap it up just for those two tracks!
Actually, there's another great track on that last album I mentioned, Forty Days. And last year I got Pharoah Sanders Floating Points with the LSO and it's fantastic.
Agreed brother! Yesterday on a whim I drove 75 miles to visit some record stores in Sacramento and landed an original mono Ike Quebec ‘Bossa Nova Soul Samba!’ Out of this world!!
Thank you Ken. We are lucky to have passionate collectors like you talking about this amazing music! Long live jazz 🎷
Thanks for sharing Ken. While the Tone Poets and Acoustic Sounds records of the worlds are an immense joy to collect and listen to, I absolutely agree that they represent only one of the many dimensions that jazz albums can be. Getting Somethin' Else from the BN classics or Black Saint from Acoustic Sounds is a great way to build a fledgling collection, but over time we start to develop our own unique preferences for a certain sound and particular players that may not be hot off of the presses, and record stores are totally essential for that. A few months ago I was at the record store I frequent most, found a first pressing of Wayne Shorter's "Schizophrenia" still in the shrink, an album I'd been hunting down for some time! There are some more of my favorite Impulse titles (Chico Hamilton's "The Dealer" and McCoy Tyner's "Today and Tomorrow") that I'll hope to find at a record store some day, if they are not reissued first!
Your channel is a great source of information on jazz, the records you show provides reference of knowledge on the tradition, rooted with some historical perspective. And yes nothing beats crate digging on a record store.
Really enjoyed this, such a good point about discovering new or rare things stepping into a record store.
Illinois Jacquet... One of the earlier shoota in my career was recording an interview with him in his home's basement. He was a wonderful gentleman with quite a musical history.. Enjoyed it!
Great video, Ken. Yes, all these stories about collecting Jazz are all different because they’re very personal, but there’s also a common thread, which is this passion for pursuing the music that really speaks to our hearts. It’s always about the journey, because in the end we will find somehow that joy and pleasure that only the dream record will bring.
Terrific video. Like so much how your passion lights up your channel. Your videos have kicked my aging butt back into record stores here in the Triangle. Thanks.
Wow. thanks.
Horst Jankowski as you may know, had a surprise hit in the sixties with, A Walk In The Black Forest.
Great video, Ken! Really enjoyed your talk on jazz and jazz records! Loved that you mentioned my hometown store, Bop Shop! That store is incredible and I hope you can experience it soon! For me, I’d love to come down state and check out hudson valley vinyl, along with the Jazz Record Center!
Great video Ken! I love it when you wax poetic on things you’ve found crate digging. Some of your best videos. You should do more. I agree with you on a lot of the new releases. I cannot afford to buy everything I want either, so checking out what’s under appreciated and overlooked in record shops is what keeps me going. I also wish that labels like Blue Note and Analogue Productions etc. would focus on reissuing the major titles like the Music Matters releases once again rather than some of the lesser known sessions. There is huge demand for the cream of the crop which is why the flippers are able to get so much for seminole albums on discogs.
I think you nailed it, Jazz is a creative expression…..doesn’t have to be beautiful but it can convey an idea or emotion as well as social commentary. I feel jazz artists are communicating about life. Beauty out of chaos sometimes.
So much of it is heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul.
Bravo, Sir Ken, this was awesome, and you really describe the joy of visiting an actual record store and the enjoyment of finding items that have never been reissued or you'll never see online. Thank you so much, my friend, and Happy Listening!
Eddie! Thank you my friend
A very sound and level-headed approach. Good stuff.
I agree with you Ken, jazz is a phenomenal means of freedom of expression. it's a music that takes a lifetime to discover. Did I say a lifetime? I think we need 3 or 4 lifetimes to fully discover the riches of jazz.
I believe , just listening to all the jazz recoded before 1950 you have well enough to completely mesmerize the heck out of anyone. If you're really listening. So yeah great comments.
As for vinyl, I also agree, that most of the time, especially if you have the original first,second or third pressings, you usually have a better sound quality then recent digital re-issued.
What's you're appreciation of digitized vinyl?
The education from Ken is priceless 🤙🏿
In big cities like Dallas where I live now record shops where you can find gems are few and far, but I still go to my local record shop and have purchased many as well as a record player.
Great stuff as usual, a couple of my local record stores up here in Montreal are really taking advantage of this vinyl buying craze. They base their prices on Discogs mid to high side then add $15-$20 which they say is what I would be paying for shipping then the local tax @15%. It really pisses me off. I’m sure I’m not alone but when I see something in the store I’ve been looking for I just can’t leave without it.
Not sure if others have this same experience in their city’s. Thanks 😎
in freaking credible. When I sell on discogs, I use the median price every time. They add to it? Scalpers
Try living in Australia and buying vinyl, shipping costs more than the album itself, and where I am I don't have any local stores
Great video Ken. I do both... out in the wild and online. The thrill of the chase hunting down new stuff, surprise stuff, taking a chance stuff and bargains is what it's all about... and I have great memories of most LPs I've bought from Record Shops over the years. In the UK we have Record Fairs. In Staffordshire where I live there are 2 or 3 every month on my doorstep. Large rooms with about 15 to 20 stalls with dealers travelling from up to 50 miles to sell there and there are a reasonable amount of new traders turning up each month. They are a treasure trove. Admittedly, 50s/60s US jazz is not something that is plentiful here in the UK, but, quality European Jazz / Avant Garde stuff shows up regularly... I picked up four 70s ECM records last Sunday for an absolute snip - Tomas Stanko, Eberhard Weber. 70s US and UK Jazz fusion is well represented on the second hand market here though. Brill! Are there regular Record Fairs in the States Ken?
Thanks for your informative comment. Record fairs are not a regular occurrence here, even before Covid. There are a couple per year in the New York New Jersey area they’re quite popular.
I've got Eberhard Weber Colours - Silent Feet and it's really cool. I love the ECM catalog and I collected a lot of those.
I like the Tone Poets I have but like you I've been buying BNs for a long time and happy with the originals and early reissues I have. The TP's I have bought are issues that are very difficult to find in the UK. TPs are expensive in the UK too and I have a long list of other records to find.
The best thing about vacations in other cities is CRATE DIGGING. Not only do you find new stuff, but those records become intertwined with memories of the vacation.
Hi Ken! I really appreciate your channel. You always impart a lot of great knowledge. The one thing I would say is in addition to the delight of digging through crates and finding some gems and going to record stores which is really a much more preferable way of buying records, is that buying the online reissues is actually a blessing! It’s a blessing for those of us who don’t have some of those amazing titles that are really difficult to find, and acquiring them with beautiful packaging and beautiful mastering by some of the best people working today. I’m often envious of guys who live in smaller towns and have better used record stores that have more of the stuff I might be looking for. I live in Los Angeles and there are certainly great stores here, (how could there not be?) but often times they’ve been combed over very heavily. I mean in particular for some of the more famous Bluenote, impulse, prestige etc. record titles that everybody wants original copies of. In any case, I’m coming to New York City soon I plan to visit Jazz Record Center. Thank you.
Matthew, same here in NYC. When you come here, make a beeline to Revilla Grooves n Gear in Mill town NJ. New Jersey transit at penn station to New Brunswick, then 10 min Uber ride. UNPICKED!
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 Thanks Ken! I will try to get out there if I possibly can!
Good stuff here Ken. Enjoyed it. Thank You for sharing
jazz it´s a style i hear since ever ,my grandfather, my father , i was born listening to jazz and i´m not that much into jazz music but i hear my favorites a lot like buddy the mad drumer, the monk ,etc. or just plain soul music wich is lost and some independent labels re-release those orchestras that young people recorded with all their heart and soul ,have hundreds of titles and also took a look on blue note records and found myself buying recordings from the 40´s or earlier
The hunt for vinyl is all part of the ritual, the same as playing vinyl, which for me is akin to the Japanese tea ceremony in its strict order, routine...and pleasure.
Yes! You think like Devon. More of us should.
I agree with you about the serendipitous nature of digging around in a bricks and mortar record store, Ken. Only trouble is, here London about two thirds of those stores have closed in the last 15 years. This has been caused by a mixture of online competition, exorbitant commercial rental prices and the inevitable move away from actual artefacts to streaming. This has pushed people like me down the Discogs route.
Well said.
Hi Ken, I highly suggest visiting the Bop Shop. I might be biased because I’m a Rochester native but hands down one of the best jazz selections I’ve ever seen. I’ll be in NYC soon so I’m hoping to make my first Jazz Record Center visit. Great video and some excellent points!
I love jazz too. Bebop was a highpoint in American musical art.
Great video- collecting and digging makes for a happy life.
If would great if you make a video about your five best percussion records. Thx for this video
I have to admit, rock and blues are my true loves, but my absolute favorite genre to dig for is jazz!! As a fairly new jazz collector, I love digging for the Rudy Van Gelder stamp! Doesn’t matter the artist or if it’s blue note, impulse, prestige, or verve. If it has the RVG stamp I want it!
Back in the 1970s, there was a jazz funk band called Flying Island . They have this vinyl album with a song on it called Eddie. The short solo by Joe Farrell on that song is so beautiful.
And the cover, looks like nothing else from this time.
I got a large part of myCD collection from Academy. Haven't been there much since I retired, amd found TH-cam as I'm not in that area that much any more, but it's a great store.
The All Night Long movie is great! It's on YT. The LP has been reissued in the UK and I found a copy quite recently.
another great vid Ken, if I want something on line, most of the time, my record store guy gets it for me,I get a great record, he makes a sale. and I save money in s&h. Lucky for me, he is well schooled in all things jazz.
Hello Mr.Micallef,
You make the most interesting, provocative and compelling case for collecting all this 33.3 stuff.
I'm not personally interested in collecting vinyl but I am fascinated by your descriptive philosophy about personal Audio so I can't let any of your writings pass me by without a concentrated attention.
.
From a practical reference: I can't imagine anyone ever listening to the 33.3 collection they are amassing but I can understand people ordering and buying aggressively.
Thank you for giving me a small peek into your world.
You are probably the most gifted writer of Records I've ever read. ( Mr.JA must've had a good Karma thing going when he brought you on ) !
Tony in Florida ( a brrrrrr frezzzzzzing 68F )
Right on Tony!
Interesting video. I have had nothing but problems with craft pressings . Defects warps etc. You mention Mosaic label is worth going after
Loved this one Ken
as much I'd like to own every audiophile reissue out there, what I like about collecting records is going out not knowing what I'm gonna find and what I'm gonna buy. I find the unknown much more interesting than any must-have classic masterpiece record.
When I started collecting as a teenager, I would simply take a chance on a record. No research, streaming didn't exist, I mean you just look at the cover, skim any liner notes on the back cover and if it looked cool, bam, take a chance on it! Found some great records in all genres this way. Before my time, in the 1950s, there were listening booths in record shops and they would let people listen before buying. I was a child of the sixties, so I just had to buy cool looking records, go home, and listen for the first time. Of course, school friends who were into records would get together and play records. You could get a listen before buying that way.
What a great video👍 well done
Great video as always pal 👍
[edited for a typo, although I suppose a clothing "sore" could also be a different thing.]
Good advice. Two of my favorites were purchased straight off the turntable playing in stores. You definitely remember those purchases. It's like buying what's on the mannequin in a clothing store, but who cares? It's something already basically "selected" for you, so if you like it, why keep looking?
Ken, thanks for this video and your others. I want to raise a technical point that I hope you can address in future videos. During this video the focus kept shifting from you to the records on the shelf in the background. There should be a simple way to move the focus point in your video camera so that it is always on your face. That would be done in association with changing the focus method so that it is set to focus on a single point instead of on the whole image. I say this because it's rather disconcerting to see the focus point changing - esp. when it's something that can easily be addressed. Thanks for all you do!
Mr Smith Smith! Yes. I was using a cheaper Samsung 35 instead of my usual Sony lens. It stays better put than the Samsung generally.
Not wishing to cause any offence
Ken as you are one of the best representatives of the music but the sound is a trifle thin. I say this only as a viewer in the UK who loves the sound of your voice.
@@stephenparker4735 Thank you Stephen, I had the invert selection on or something. I appreciate it
Great advices!. I feel the same motivation about percussion sounds, but culturaly i´m more focused into brasilian and cuban stuff. There are great jazzy jewels by Fania records too. thanks.
Love Brazilian.
Great stuff as usual Ken. You have a vast knowledge of the music we love. I'm sure you've seen a lot of Jazz movies as well. It would be great if you could review some that you've seen over the years; both fictional and documentary, maybe movie jazz sound tracks or film scores as well. There are some TV shows that had great music as well, such as the original NYPD series. Thanks
Yes, lots of great TV soundtracks. Too many jazz movies, Bird comes to mind, are an abomination. Kansas City was good.
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 In the $2 bin, I found Video All-Stars -- TV Jazz Themes (1956) and Fremer thinks he's the only one who has this, too funny. Also from the $2 bin, Music from M Squad (1959) and it's killer.
@@continentalgin There you go. Good stuff!
Do they change the artwork on those Tone Poets ? Sometimes I think they just repackage stuff every 20 years to sell it all to us again . I was buying Blue Note reissues in 1985 , the Herbie , Wayne and Dexter . Then in the 1990s bought them all again on cd . In the 1990s had a cd issue of Quadraphenia by the Who then it gets another release with bonus track of Pete Townsend demos for that album . That was worth it because the demos were top class and he even did a drum over dub himself for the release. Ok it’s not jazz . I like the idea of taking a journey to buy a record, every country I’ve been too I got something. Japan being the best place but walking round back streets of Athens Greece was a memory . Wished I had got Aphrodites Child the rock single with Demis Rousos . I did get Stanley Clarkes modern Man and
Great stuff Ken. Used jazz is pretty scarce in uk record shops.
Even UK jazz artist? That’s a pretty long history
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 a bit because it wasn’t a massive market.
Thanks for sharing !
Don't call yourself a failure...if that was the case we would all be failures. I've played the trumpet for 60 years and have heard many compliments but there are thousands of trumpet players far better than I. I'm sure you had many great days and to most of us, you would have sounded great! Look at Miles Davis...sure he was great and an innovator but there were several trumpet players during his time that were far better than he was. Wynton is super humble but if the truth be told, he could play circles around Miles and so could Lee Morgan and today I hear Adam Rapa and he's from another planet. I don't believe anyone would dare call Miles a failure even though he wasted several years, do to a poor lifestyle.
Thank you Christopher
Yeah Ken, Jazz just speaks to some more that others as does record collecting. The collection of 78's I have all came from a work mate's late uncle, he had a basement full, and this guy was not a casual listener, but Jazz obsessed collector. There are his personal records and stuff from radio stations, and juke boxes, some are pristine, and some played to hell, I 'm thinking he took 78's as they were being dumped for LP's. Cataloging what I have is time consuming but I find great stuff in every milkcrate.
Holy cow!
wow. where are they now?
In my basement, I am (slowly) taking pics of the labels and labeling them by Record Label/Matrix #/ Artist
Oh,Yess...Nice
Ken, does it bother you that very often it seems to me, when purchasing older used pressings, that even if they're in great shape, that sometimes there is play wear, presumably from a poorly set up turntable, that seems to make the channels uneven? I often adjust the balance to center the image. Do you have to do this?
Hi Russell, sorry to hear it. That is not a problem that I have seen often.
Failed jazz musician. An honest guy. I respect that.
Nice video Ken. I'm going to be in NY by the end of March. Could recomend some good record stores for jazz, aside of the record center? Thank you.
Hello Moses, human head in Bushwick. Academy records in the East Village. Ergot on second Street at second Ave. And stranded which I think is on fifth street in the East Village. They’re kind of pricey but they have good stuff
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 Thank you, Ken. Much appreciated :)
I think the Stockhausen piece you may be thinking of is Zyklus.
Yes thanks.
I love jazz so much but really can't afford to collect everything I find appealing. I don't have enough Ray Barretto and Ornette Coleman. I don't have any Oscar Peterson but have Plenty of Miles Davis . Could you or anyone suggest one Ray Barretto, one Ornette Coleman and One Oscar Peterson album that's represents each at their musical peak ?
Highly recommend the trip up to Bop Shop
been there overpriced.
@@dippin1523 For the records I collect (original pressings on Blue Note, Prestige, etc), they have been either appropriately priced or underpriced. The owner, Tom, is one of the best in the business
@@evanjames6000 Not what I experienced. I have purchased old blue notes and the like for far less. They can also be rude and obnoxious.
No such thing as failed musician. You have a talent to play a musical instrument. I love music, my Jazz, The Blues and sixties Soul. I have no talent, I can’t play any instrument. That is a regret I have.
Do you ever make it into the Downtown Music Gallery?
not in a while. Bruce is one cool dude
Some of the greatest recordings for me have been the unknown artist
Valid point about going in person, but you have to know it’s very New York centric. Even your trips up the Hudson valley - that’s east coast and in the orbit of NYC. I live in a growing mid sized city in the middle and the availability of quality used jazz records is not zilch, but not far from it. The people who work at the stores do not know anything about jazz. In most places in America if you drive 5 hours, you don’t get any closer to a record store that has an OG or early blue note record or Impulse! or Savoy or MPS or riverside or contemporary. Maybe you’ll find a verve record or two in the used bin. I’ve been through Europe as well and there’s very few shops, except in the biggest cities, where you’ll find even the shittiest jazz records that Academy has in stock. Essentially, I’m agreeing with you that the ideal place is the record shop where you can talk jazz and where they have enough stuff coming in to hold something good for you, but I’m disagreeing in that it’s not realistic for most people. That’s why the very well done reissues that are coming out and are easy to come by are so popular. Not to mention: there’s plenty of online communities where people talk about these records. Consider too that people are just busy, overworked, acting as equal partners to their baby mommas. It’s hard to find time to do what you’re suggesting and easy to find time to click. Especially considering how much great reissue stuff is out there now. Anyway, thanks for the insight into your habits.
If someone cares about records, they go to record stores, they don't simply click and use paypal. And don't give me the overworked crap. Going to record stores should be a vacation. Are there more stores in the NE? Sure. But there are record stores in every medium sized city in the USA. The 40 million NEW records sold in the US last year weren't all sold in NYC. This is a global not a NE phenomenon. And that doesn't even account for the used records
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 ok. very black and white take. it’s hard to understand the day, week, or year in the life of people who live a very different life than you. The thing is, you’re not wrong that record stores are better. You’re just wrong that most people can find stores with a decent selection of used jazz. You’re also wrong that buying records online makes you less of a music or record lover. Try working a 9-5 and coming home to have dinner with your young family and finishing your day at 10 pm after you’ve put the kids to bed, washed the dishes, folded the laundry, fixed the toilet, etc. That describes a lot of people who love listening to jazz and who can really only buy records at night while listening to other records and having a cold one. Don’t be so certain your way is the only way.
@@bradleykay I never said my way was the only way. The entire point of the video was to say you should support your local stores. It is the local record store that created the entire record resurgence we are now enjoying.. I understand people have 9 to 5 jobs. I certainly do. But it is record stores that created the resurgence through record store day and by taking a chance and buying lots of used records. They deserve every return they get. The major labels who are now reissuing audio file records everyone loves did not give a rats ass about the vinyl until about three or four years ago. It was entirely the domain of music matters analog productions and used record stores. People get all testy and think they know everything. But if you don’t know the record stores created the bounty you are now enjoying you don’t know anything. People don’t support the local record stores and they go out of business you can be assured that the major labels that are producing these extremely expensive records will double the prices in a minute.
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 fair points there
what about the blues? did not jazz come from the blues? Am I wrong?
Blues came from Mississippi delta. Jazz came from New Orleans starting with Congo Square. Jazz contains blues elements.
One of my favourite things about vinyl records is that they become the soundtrack to my life. Not only the music, but I will remember where I bought it, who I was with and that you miss out on with streaming
Exactly.
I love your channel, Ken. I live in China, way outside of a major city. It's pretty difficult getting to a record store. I would love to live where you live.
Wow that’s amazing. Do you have jazz records in your collection?
@@kenmicallefjazzvinylaudiop6455 Hundreds! My grails right now are my complete Miles at the Fillmore boxset and my John Coltrane Interstellar Space quad pressing!
Couldn't agree more on record stores. Audiophile reissues have no personality and don't simply present music like originals.
You used a different mic, the low end is absent. It's not better or worse, just different.
Hhmmm. Thanks for letting me know
Cat, skin a cat 😂 Living in the UK I do not buy MOFI's or rock reissues as I have a huge collection of UK 1st pressings, I buy virtually all the new "audiophile" jazz releases as there is virtually no chance of finding them in the "wild" in the UK or they are totally unrecognizable, many American "commentators" forget this simple practicality and criticize us for buying the new releases, I could make the same argument about the rock "audiophile" pressings which I have bought and find depressingly poor
I never said audiophile reissues are available in the wild. They're all primarily mail order direct from the source. I have nothing against those records, only the idea that buying mail order suffices and one never sets foot in a store.
👌👌
Waaaaaycism … if you say it enough it takes the meaning out of it.
probably you were a bad drummer,most of the talented people doing well,no matter what race they are. Including white drummers.
There’s some naïveté here regarding your old presses (acquired when they were affordable) and the idea of going to a used store now and finding an old press that’s (1) moderately priced; and (2) graded even remotely accurately. You’re acting like the owners of the used record stores don’t have internet access themselves to see the market prices for old pressings. There are many used stores where I live; they’re scoured over constantly; the older pressings are high priced and the grades are inflated. I’ve been burned too many times in stores (and online) buying an old press that’s a sonic mess. The reissues are often less expensive and sound amazing. Maybe they lack the warmth or “in your living room” feel of the older pressings, but they’re reliably at least good and usually excellent.
Yeah prices on OG (or early) pressings of the big labels are getting pricier, but Ken's point is well taken: getting into a bricks-and-mortar shop exposes you to a lot of other **kinds and styles** of music than you'd know to order online. That's the key point-Jazz (and Jazz collecting) is *more than* just the BN/Prestige/Impulse! heavy-hitters that are being remastered/re-released. Ken's not saying to not to buy those, but to put ourselves in the position of being delighted and surprised by the unknown (which will expand our knowledge as well-). Personally, I'm getting bored of the growing number of VC TH-camrs who fetishize every new MM/TP, etc pressing and their "stunning" Stoughton jackets, but have little to offer on the history of the art form or musicianship itself...
@@Maquis1943 I understand. Unfortunately, I think I inadvertently deleted part of my own comment! I intended to say that my comments were not about the heavy hitters that are being reissued. The same is true for old presses of the not-heavy hitters. Too often, it’s a crapshoot. I’m almost as old as Ken, and I’ve been going to record stores for decades. I get the surprise element and have been surprised many times by visits to stores. Unfortunately, I think the jazz genre is largely picked over. Yeah, maybe a gem or two after hours of digging, but I still can’t find a decently priced copy of “Search for the New Land” that’s also in decent condition. That’s ok, I stream it. But it bums me out. The same is true for Curtis Fuller’s Quintet and Jazztet albums (not heavy hitters) and Booker Ervin Quintet - Cookin’ (not heavy hitter) and Grachan Moncur’s Some other Stuff (heavy hitter label but certainly not the album).
So, goodbye to your local record store? That's the point of the video. Meet the owners, get to know them, they might help you find what you're looking for. Otherwise, we're all fat and happy and never leave the house cause we can order direct. Then the stores will close. and then what? GOUGING to the max. I'm not the naïve one here. I'm also discussing finding records you otherwise will never see. Maybe you only care about the major players, all the usual stuff. it's called digging for a reason.
Buy from and support your local record stores is the message today.
If ordering from Amazon and major labels is your sole source of records you are essentially supporting corporations and ignoring small business. Corporations only jumped on the vinyl resurgence after small record stores, via RSD and buying collections in a then risky market, established the trend. Get out of your home, turn off the computer. You may find something special locally that will never be reissued.
@@Maquis1943 Thanks!
The hunt for vinyl is all part of the ritual, the same as playing vinyl, which for me is akin to the Japanese tea ceremony in its strict order, routine...and pleasure.