Ken Micallef is one of the most passionate jazz record collectors I have ever met. He has strong opinions, not all of which I agree with, yet I have managed to forge a solid friendship with him over the years. His outspoken perspective can most readily be experienced on his YouTube channel, which … More→
In the 1990s, the triumph of the compact disc signaled the end of the LP era and the beginning of a new era in record collecting. Giddy for the quality, convenience, and portability of compact discs, music lovers moved away from analog mediums by the troves. While record stores saw an influx of … More→
After over two years of waiting, I finally had the chance to visit Japan. I met my Japanese fiancé, Ako, through Instagram in November 2019. She visited the U.S. for extended stays twice in 2021 but I wasn’t allowed to enter Japan — not even…
(Ed. Note: I originally intended to do a formal interview with Joe and Kevin, but as the day progressed and the friendly vibe between us grew, I became less and less interested in the idea of shifting gears into being “on the record”. So I kept it casual. As a result, this article … More→
Ladies and gentlemen, after several unexpected weeks immersing myself in images and history, I present to you the Deep Groove Mono Classic Jazz Album Art Extravaganza! This design love fest has been broken into two parts with links below. The first is an essay on Modern American design and its origins, and the … More→
While I have never felt apologetic about my sincere adoration for music, sometimes I do struggle with feelings of guilt related to how important collecting is to me. I spend a lot of time thinking about and partaking in this hobby, and my propensity toward anxiety and obsession has made my active participation … More→
For regular readers of this blog, recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder needs no introduction. In fact, aside from the musicians themselves, he is probably more known by jazz record collectors than any other figure in the music’s history. For collectors then, any question of Van Gelder’s importance will surely seem puzzling if not … More→
In my time collecting vintage jazz LPs I have always been curious about jazz from the bebop era, which for the most part was originally released on 78 R.P.M. shellac disks. Listening to digital reissues of music from artists who thrived in the 1940s like Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, and Lester Young was … More→
Before stereo sounded the death knell of the mono format in the late 1960s, mono records were made with the intention of being played with a conical stylus measuring one thousandth of an inch, also known as 1 “mil”, at its longest radius. On the other hand, stereo records have always been made … More→
Since its introduction in the 1950s, the stereo audio format has become an inseparable part of listening to recorded music. This two-channel standard has been implemented on such a universal scale, the terms “stereo” and “audio system” are virtually interchangeable today in everyday language. The original theory of sound recording was a little … More→