A couple of months ago, I received an email from longtime reader and sometime contributor to Jazz Collector, Stuart Levine. The email was as follows: “After decades of collecting Jazz vinyl, I made a decision to sell all my LPs with the exception of just a few. And having just moved back to Japan, I must now resist the temptation to buy over here. I’d like to write about the choices I made, which I think will be interesting to your readers. May I do so and send you my writing?”
Of course. The same invitation is open to anyone. Stuart reminded me that it is almost 10 years to the day since we published an earlier article – Adventures in Jazz Collecting, Tokyo Style. Couldn’t help but notice that there were 54 comments on that article. Bravo to Stuart and all of the commenters. Ah, the good old days.
Anyway, the article arrived the other day, along with the title Stuart suggested title, so, without further ado, may we present:
The Records (But Not the Music) Are Over
By Stuart Levine
Well, I did it. I sold my jazz record collection. Now approaching 70, I’m trying to downsize and just not finding the opportunity to listen to my LPs. You see, for years I’ve been living in Japan with my wife and two daughters, while all this time storing my records and audio equipment back on the West Coast. The irony is that I’m in the land (or rather, on the island) whose people love our American art form of Jazz, yet I, myself, can’t listen to my own records. I don’t want to bore anyone with details as to why not, but suffice it to say that living quarters are tight there and sound travels easily. Read more
