Eric Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) I used to travel there extensively in the 90s/00s, and always made a point to check out as many record stores as I could. I am headed back out with the family next week and am looking for ideas. I seem to remember some good jazz shops on Telegraph in the Berkeley/Oakland area, have no idea what might still be there. I suppose I could ask "the Google", but would much rather rely on the expertise here ... Oh, and any recommendations for good jazz clubs would be much appreciated. Edited March 14, 2015 by Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ep1str0phy Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Bay Area guy here. These are (in my estimation) the best ones: Grooveyard (Rockridge/Oakland) Amoeba (Berkeley) Amoeba (San Francisco) Everything else is a "Your Mileage May Vary"-type situation. These shops are all worthwhile in different ways: Rasputin (Berkeley) Rasputin (San Francisco/Union Square) Grooves (San Francisco) Recycled Records (San Francisco) Aquarius Records (San Francisco) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Couple dudes I know are associated with Stranded, which I can vouch for in the sense that they are good folks who have killer LPs. That is, if LPs are your mettle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ep1str0phy Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) Stranded is cool. It's a bit smaller than most of the others, but they do get some interesting new stock in fairly often. In LP terms, Grooveyard has all of them beat. It has an insanely fast stock turnover rate and manages to bring in rare stuff that I don't see anywhere else. It's not the best place if you're just looking to pick up an LP copy of a well known title (I'd say that the Rasputin in Berkeley is best for that), but it's the one that a visiting collector might want to check out. Grooves (in SF) is similar, just less extreme in how much crazy stuff comes in. Edited March 14, 2015 by ep1str0phy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I used to drive up and make the circuit (mostly Berkeley/Oakland) on Saturdays back in the 80's and early 90's, starting around dawn at the Ashby St. BART station flea market. There were two or three regular LP sellers (Art Polk was the main guy) there that had some fine wares. I guess many of the stores I used to hit are gone now (is Berigan's still there?), but when Amoeba opened up... wow. That place was (and I'm sure still is) incredible. Bring money! And Rick at Grooveyard is a great guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 If you find yourself in the Glen Park neighborhood of SF, there's a small book and record store called "Bird & Beckett" that has a small inventory of LPs. AND ... they have live jazz on weekends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ep1str0phy Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 If you find yourself in the Glen Park neighborhood of SF, there's a small book and record store called "Bird & Beckett" that has a small inventory of LPs. AND ... they have live jazz on weekends! Those guys are great--I'm actually playing there in September, just did a hit last month. Not an enormous record selection, but a great supporter of the music--we definitely need more places like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 but when Amoeba opened up... wow. That place was (and I'm sure still is) incredible. Bring money! Amoeba (Berkeley, SF, Hollywood) is incredible as a still-standing large-scale music store. But it sure ain't what is used to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzjet Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 I haven't been to San Francisco for about 15 years but there was a nice little shop on the way up to Haight/Ashbury called Groove Merchant. Is it still there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks everybody. Many familiar names, great to see places like Grooveyard are still around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ep1str0phy Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 Have fun, Eric! BTW--last time I checked, Groove Merchant still exists, though it's one of the places I never hit (for some reason). Amoeba has been having a lot of ups and downs in the past few years. The last I heard, the LA store was the one doing the "best," and through various means the others have been able to stay afloat. There's been some diversification into books, collectibles, and so on, but the fact that those three shops have been able to retain such sizable and diverse stocks of both LPs and CDs is remarkable. The three Amoeba stores have the only jazz sections in close proximity that don't make me feel like I've been "cheated" by poor/rote selection. On that note, there truly are scarce few "big" CD outlets left. I could run down the literal handful (maybe 3-4 shops) in the San Fernando Valley (we're talking So Cal now) that still carry anything resembling a worthwhile CD selection. Meanwhile, there is still a brick and mortar Wherehouse Music closer to Palos Verdes--how this place survived (maybe it got franchised out?) is beyond me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 If you find yourself in the Glen Park neighborhood of SF, there's a small book and record store called "Bird & Beckett" that has a small inventory of LPs. AND ... they have live jazz on weekends! Those guys are great--I'm actually playing there in September, just did a hit last month. Not an enormous record selection, but a great supporter of the music--we definitely need more places like that. Nice! Pete Cherches (who some of you may know) had a reading/singing gig there a year or so ago, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 Say hello to my old friend Rick Ballard when you visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Say hello to my old friend Rick Ballard when you visit. I will. I have a distinct memory of going there in the late 90s/early 00s and speaking with him. I remember him telling me about putting out a large slug of Mosaic boxes one day and and selling every one of them within hours. We are staying in Berkeley for one night, so this will definitely be a stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Say hello to my old friend Rick Ballard when you visit. I will. I have a distinct memory of going there in the late 90s/early 00s and speaking with him. I remember him telling me about putting out a large slug of Mosaic boxes one day and and selling every one of them within hours. We are staying in Berkeley for one night, so this will definitely be a stop. I remember a night in the '70s pushing his car to get it started so we could make a beer run for a bunch of crazed, indie record folk. Please remind him of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 If you go to B&B around dinner-time, I recommend Gialina around the corner for GREAT pizza! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Thanks again everyone and Chuck I will make a point to visit with Rick. Very excited about the trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Rick Ballard ruined my life. Okay, I'm kidding. But, back in the 70s/early 80s, two things happened: (1) I was a broke and (2) Rick Ballard Imports became a tremendous source for imported LPs. All those little gold labels still in my collection. Once he opened his first retail place in industrial Oakland, I'd drop by and he'd have a list of recordings recently obtained with "my name on it". I've gotten over it and still visit when I get to the Bay Area. Great guy. Similar but (way) different: RIP Tom Madden, another Bay Area jazz retail legend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Rick Ballard Imports became a tremendous source for imported LPs. All those little gold labels still in my collection. Once he opened his first retail place in industrial Oakland, I'd drop by and he'd have a list of recordings recently obtained with "my name on it". That's where he was located when I met him also. Remember his weekend consignment sales? Good memories and bad for me. That was my earliest experience with LP buying as a competitive sport. A few greedy people could sour the experience. But Rick was always cool, and a really genuine guy. Kept me on his mailing list for years after my visits became infrequent, and always recognized me with a smile when I did show up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) I used to drive up and make the circuit (mostly Berkeley/Oakland) on Saturdays back in the 80's and early 90's, starting around dawn at the Ashby St. BART station flea market. There were two or three regular LP sellers (Art Polk was the main guy) there that had some fine wares. I guess many of the stores I used to hit are gone now (is Berigan's still there?), but when Amoeba opened up... wow. That place was (and I'm sure still is) incredible. Bring money! And Rick at Grooveyard is a great guy. Art was a really good friend of mine, 30+ years. Many great hours/days/years spent listening to "beboppers" at his home and from the portable turntable in the back of this his panel truck at the Berkeley Flea. Sadly, he passed away last November 29th at 85 (I believe). He never seemed anywhere near that old - in body, mind or spirit. RIP, Art. Edited March 17, 2015 by BeBop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 I used to drive up and make the circuit (mostly Berkeley/Oakland) on Saturdays back in the 80's and early 90's, starting around dawn at the Ashby St. BART station flea market. There were two or three regular LP sellers (Art Polk was the main guy) there that had some fine wares. I guess many of the stores I used to hit are gone now (is Berigan's still there?), but when Amoeba opened up... wow. That place was (and I'm sure still is) incredible. Bring money! And Rick at Grooveyard is a great guy. Art was a really good friend of mine, 30+ years. Many great hours/days/years spent listening to "beboppers" at his home and from the portable turntable in the back of this his panel truck at the Berkeley Flea. Sadly, he passed away last November 29th at 85 (I believe). He never seemed anywhere near that old - in body, mind or spirit. RIP, Art. Ah, I'm sorry to hear that, but it would have been a (pleasant) surprise to me if he were still living, I hadn't seen him in so long. 85 is a nice run. I never went to Art's house, but I spent a hell of a lot of time with him at the flea market. What a cool guy. Did you know Kevin (I've forgotten his last name), the other regular LP guy who put so many records in his trunk that his car's rear end was almost dragging? This would have been mid-80's to early 90's, I think, when I was hanging out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 So I had a chance to visit Rick Ballard and Grooveyard. He is doing well and the place was jam-packed with great stock. I could not stay nearly as long as I hoped, but did have a nice chat with Rick. One anecdote was interesting - his move from being 100% wholesale to adding the retail store. He described the wholesale business as being a grind whereas he enjoyed the retail side much more as he became acquainted with his (often long-time) customers. Warm, friendly, funny guy! Chuck - I relayed your story to Rick. His recollection was that it occurred in San Francisco at an annual independent record dealers event. He described those events as fun, with the housepitality rooms being particularly hospitable And not to embarrass you Chuck, but he described you as being one of the finest guys in the record business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted March 23, 2015 Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 Thanks for the report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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