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A Watering Hole for the Soul

Photo: Michael Lavorgna

My friend, Michael Lavorgna, was at last week's Monkeyhaus listening party. I hope you'll read his thoughts on the evening. An excerpt:

It's not exactly that these Monkeyhaus events are about friends, music and hifi (which they are). It's more about the actual experience that listening to music on a hifi among friends engenders&#151an appreciation for what music is and what it does to us. Music is a bottomless well; a watering hole for the soul. And while it can be a wonderfully fulfilling solitary experience, our time at the Monkeyhaus…

Tube Toon

Here's an oldie but goodie: a vintage animated Telefunken ad. NOS roolz.

A shame about the period racial stereotyping though.

Hat tip to Cartoon Brew.

Happy Birthday, Ornette Coleman

This still young love affair with vinyl LPs has worked to introduce me to many musicians I had previously neglected.

Ornette Coleman. I can only shake my head in wonder.

Today is his 79th birthday. Tune in to WKCR as they celebrate with a day full of Coleman's beautiful sounds.

The Transformation

That first morning, I woke and immediately began to worry. How would I know what to wear? What if there were train delays? What if there had been some horrible catastrophe requiring that I stay away from Manhattan?

I was having an anxiety attack. It'll be okay, it'll be okay, it'll be okay. It had been some time since I'd had to talk to myself like this. Finally, I climbed out of bed and walked into the living room where my fears were confirmed. The television was gone for good and in its place stood my new Polycrystal equipment rack&#151a generous gift from my…

A Final Word on Tolliver, Moran & Monk

I have a column in today’s Slate, delving more deeply into the Monk at Town Hall concert that I’ve covered in this blog—and the whole concept, and risk, of jazz tributes.

My New Rega P3-24

My new Rega P3-24 sits atop a Polycrystal equipment rack given to me by Jonathan Scull. Radiohead's Kid A never sounded so good.

The LP Rack

The LP rack now stands in place of the small bookshelf. Books: Who needs them?

My Small Bookshelf

I had made room for vinyl LPs on my small bookshelf. It worked out alright, except that the shelf only went ten inches deep, leaving a good two inches of my poor, homeless LPs hanging off into open space. I could not continue to subject them to this sort of abuse. They would need a proper home, and soon.

My Tall Bookshelf

I had made room for LPs on my tall bookshelf, carefully placing vinyl records along the cheap chipboard until the shelf bowed in the center and threatened to collapse. I didn't like this very much at all. I spent days away from home fearing that the shelf would give way. I'd come home from a long day in the office to find The Byrds and Henry Fiol, Herbie Hancock and Sam Beam, all in a jumbled mess of vinyl and plastic and wood and carpet. Yet, more LPs would soon arrive.

My Short Stools

When my LP collection grew larger than space allowed for them on the couch, I started stacking records up against my short stools. A stack of a dozen or so LPs soon became a stack of three or four dozen LPs; soon became impossible to move and stretched from the left side of one stool all the way to the right side of the opposite stool. I had the Pulaski Skyway of vinyl LPs arcing through my small apartment.