Well jello again. It’s ME. Jack Benny. I know, I know. “Where have you been?!” “I thought this site was dead!” “I thought YOU were dead!” Etc., etc., etc. And those are all fair and valid questions. It’s been a year since I’ve last shown life on here. What a year it’s been, too. But you, dear reader, are not here to read about my personal life; you are here for jazz, vinyl, jazz on vinyl. About that…

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Over the years, I’ve sporadically wondered about the ‘bigger picture’ when it come to record collecting. I’ve written about the internal conflict I had/have concerning my personal taste regarding jazz and how said taste influences what I seek out on vinyl. Recently, due to a series of life changes, I have once again thought about record collecting and its place in my life. This reflection is not due to some poetic revelation. No, my thoughts were inspired by something more practical and straight-forward. Talking to my record-collecting friends that are married, they all mention how, at some point, their wives begin looking at their record collections and each new acquisition with growing bemusement. This inevitably forces a reevaluation of their collecting habits. Hard questions are asked, then answered. As someone who hopes to be married, I decided to get a jump-start on figuring out what the point of my record collecting is. After all, space is finite. I can’t just continue grabbing vinyl for ever. I’m cooking up a post on my thoughts and answers on that topic, so stay tuned!

My vinyl-induced existential crisis hasn’t kept me from stimulating the national vinyl economy, though. Not at all. In fact, this here year 2023 has been the greatest year in my record-collecting life. Why? I have purchased far more records in these eight months of 2023 than I ever have. I’m both proud of that (this is why I went to college! Well, that and to become a productive member of society. But mostly to fund my hobbies) and ashamed of that (so much money…), but it’s the truth anyhow.

For the past two months I’ve been based in the Bay Area of California, and in my spare time I’ve visited the local record shops. In the process, I’ve found a lot of phenomenal things. Records, yes, but also amazing people. Since I don’t have a record player with me, I thought I’d highlight some of record stores I’ve been to and some of the things I found at those stores. Kinda like those old posts I used to do way back in the day. The first post will (hopefully) drop tomorrow, so check back for that.

Oh, and I WILL eventually respond to those emails! I feel so honored that so many of you have reached out in spite of my inactivity, and do my best to get back to you all soon. Life has been pretty wild for those working in healthcare, but I want to get back to writing about jazz and records regularly. It was exactly a year ago today that I made my last post. Here’s to writing more!

And yes, that is me furiously typing away on a typewriter. An Olivetti Studio 44 to be specific.