Hello to all! It has been a while since I have been able to write much, and to be honest it has been extremely busy with my doctoral studies and all. However, with October 1st around the corner, those of you who have followed me for many years or know me otherwise will know the significance of that date. For the new people reading this, it is the 39th anniversary of my vintage big band record collection, something I commemorate every year as this music is a passion of mine. Therefore, it is time to bring up to speed what has happened this year.
Despite COVID-19, a divorce, and some other life adjustments I have made this past year, my music collection has had one of its best years of growth in probably 10 years. A lot of good stuff has been added to the collection this year, and that alone is worth note. So, as of the end of September, my collection is at 1644 CDs, 1128 LP records, and 190 DVDs of concerts, motion pictures, "Soundies," documentaries, and other vintage footage. The goal for Year 40 will be 3000 total of all category of items, and we are working on that even now. Therefore, with the stats out of the way, let me bring things up to date as to acquisition highlights.
As of this year, I have focused on a lot less vinyl and more CD and DVD acquisitions. One of the biggest ones this year was a monumental 168-disc set of classic pre-1955 jazz recordings, as well as large collections of individual pioneering bandleaders such as Sam Lanin, Ben Selvin, and Prince's Band. I also acquired full collections of vintage big band and other musical TV shows, such as Lawrence Welk's program (38-disc set), the old "Sing Along With Mitch" programs, and Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey's "Stage Show" programs as well as Ray Anthony and some other items. My collection of "Soundies" has also increased, as I have pretty much all of the available "Swingtime Video Meet the Bandleaders" volumes (of which 11 out of the 100 are available), and some good documentary DVDs of the Mills Brothers and other such groups. My focus has also shifted somewhat as well, as I am also beginning to incorporate vocalists and vocal groups I like - this year brought full collections of Guy Mitchell, Pat Boone, Frankie Laine, Mel Torme, and Julie London, among others. And, I finished acquiring many collections of vocal groups I like - for this year those included the Lettermen, the Chordettes, the Ames Brothers, the MacGuire Sisters, the Lennon Sisters, and a couple of similar groups. Those, and some vintage jazz records - post-1950 jazz, which I have a peripheral interest in and gained a few new items, mostly of pianists Ray Bryant and Vince Guaraldi, and of organist Bill Doggett. For many years I have kept those particular recordings in their own collection, but as of late I have made some decisions to more aptly organize the collection, and wanted to share some of that now.
Although I have kept the vintage jazz recordings as a separate collection from my big band library, I have decided to integrate the 35 or so CD recordings I have of post-1950 jazz into the main collection. I need to delineate what I consider "post-1950 classic jazz," as that can lead to some confusion, but I am doing this according to my designation. Essentially, that genre would include artists such as Theolonius Monk, Dave Brubeck, Vince Guaraldi, Erroll Garner, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, and George Shearing, among others. Roughly, my small collection would start with Miles Davis's 1949 "Birth of the Cool" recording sessions and proceed up to Wynton Marsalis in the early 1980's, although the style itself produced recordings after those years - one notable one in that collection I have would be Johnny Costa's piano solos (Costa, as some may know, was the pianist you hear on the old Mr. Rogers Neighborhood programs - he is a fine pianist), but I would also incorporate John Patitucci (an electric bassist who is probably the only person I listen to that plays that instrument) as well as more unique individuals such as Scott Robinson (he is included because of his mastery of the contrabass saxophone), all of whom produced albums from the 1990s onward. I include them because they are the true successors of the genre, unlike a lot of modern stuff that is called "jazz" in the past 30 years but really is not (one that comes to mind there is Kenny G - he is about as much a jazz artist as Jack Chick is a Catholic priest). I have come to realize that the line is really blurred - particularly in recordings from the 1950's - between jazz and the big band genre, so it only makes sense to incorporate them into the main collection. So, as a sort of winter weekend project in the next few months, I will be logging and adding the small jazz collection I have into the main collection. I am technically already doing this with LP records, so it is only logical that CDs be included in the integration as well.
Another issue I successfully tackled this year was shelving. My CD's have exceeded the shelving I had, so I added a shelving unit to house the remainder temporarily until I get the second cabinet assembled and positioned this winter. At over 1600 now, the CD collection needs to be streamlined more and I have about 5 years' worth of new stuff that needs to be alphabetized with the rest of the collection. Therefore, that will be the focus of organization this year. I am not anticipating much more growth beyond what I have now, as at this point the collection has reached what I expected it to, but housing is important for it and must be maintained.
As for this year's focus coming up, I am going to be investing in less LPs this year due to the fact that there are really not too many more to find. I may pick up a couple of rarities here and there, but do not anticipate a lot of vinyl acquisitions this year. Also, there will be less CD purchases as well, as I will be focusing on some unique collections featuring important instruments in dance band and jazz performance - collections of jazz violin, accordion, Hammond organ, theatre organ, and vibraphone are in the market now, and I plan on acquiring some good collections of those. Also, I am going to focus on some ideal vocalists of the 1940s and 1950s I really appreciate - collections of some such as Ray Charles for instance. If I reach the 3000 goal this year, that will be satisfactory. However, the more direct pursuit of items will not be as intense as it has been, and primarily I will be on the lookout for new stuff that is released as well as tying up a couple of loose ends in the collection. I am at a point now where perhaps I should start making the collection work for me, and will also be exploring ways to do that as a historian and teacher myself. These recordings are excellent, and I love the sound of them, but I also appreciate the historical significance behind them too. In this crazy culture we live in where certain people want to just "cancel" anyone they disagree with, it is important to preserve the good things that these kooks want to destroy. "Cancel Culture" and political-correctness are the sworn enemies of the historian, and they have no place in interests such as mine. Having good taste and appreciating good music and such is not something to cancel, and those who try to are in reality miserable unhappy people who just want to bring everyone down with them. I cannot allow that to happen, and thus it's my small contribution to preservation of the greatness of the past which will ultimately prevail against the nay-sayers and political hacks that want to "cancel" everything they don't like. To those types, I politely say "screw you" and go find something better to do with your time. That is my political statement - of you agree, great; if you don't then you are welcome to bug off. Thank you.
In conclusion, the past year for my collection has been a good one, and am looking forward to the year to come. As Year 40 is coming up, I suppose I should plan something special like maybe a podcast featuring the significant recordings that inspired me to collect this great music. That is something I will consider for next year, and will keep you posted as to if it will transpire or not. Thank you for allowing me to share my insights with you, and happy listening to whatever sounds you have a passion for hearing.
