I Am a Jazz-aholic

[wesbed]

Since jazz is the only music I've really ever collected, I've always wondered if the addictive tendencies of  jazz are in other types of music, too. In other words if you were to go to a country music or classical or rock forum, would we find collectors  there with similar comments/complaints?  I suspect so.

Methinks I don't need to discover a new interest in classical music.

[sal]

Rediscovery of one's existing collection can, I've found, sometimes be more rewarding than finding that "next" great album.

This is so true. Thankfully, I finally realized this recently, and my buying has greatly decreased. The real gems are already in the collection. Remember, we're in this for the music, not the collecting.

[etherbored]

And perhaps there's some secret desire in all of us to find the ONE CD that will make our hearts content once and for all and put an end to all this nonsense. Unfortunately, no one CD can ever fill that bill.

oh man do you have that right...

i used to live in tokyo and often spent a full day mining the used shops looking for said elusive title. many times i thought i'd found it. nyet. it only served to up the ante significantly.

:rsmile:

-e-

[Noj]

I can quit any time I want to, honest. I swear I'm not addicted. I just want to keep buying cds, that's all. Clearly I'm completely in denial.

[Dennis_M]

  I have CDs, stand-alone CDs, and Mosaic box CDs that still have the shrink wrap on them. Yet I still desire MORE jazz CDs. The more I have, the better I feel.

Let me know if you need any help unwrapping those Mosaic sets. I'll be glad to help.....

[Craig23]

The thing is, starting in January I'm going to start Student Teaching.  Which means I won't be working.  Which means I won't be bringing in any income.  Which means we're living off of my wife's salary.  Which means, not just a CD diet, but an all out CD FAMINE.  No new CDs for at least twelve weeks.  So I've gotta work on that impulse that compells me to buy new CDs. 

I had the same problem last year. Student Teaching. I kept a list for the year I was jobless. Finished student teaching, got a job. Instantly bought half of the recordings on my list. Got laid off. Started another list. Am working as a substitute teacher so I can still chip away at my list. Good luck.

[dave9199]

I started buying jazz Xmas 2001 and I chose the box set route. Eesh! That was a killer. I had a list of 5 or 6 artists I wanted to try out & if I liked them, well there goes the money. What happened was I liked some of the other musicians that played with the leaders so it kept going. Fortunately, as far as jazz is concerned, it's hit an end, but for me, I always manage to find something else to buy; be it new or remastered. As many have read the Jandek thread, though cheap at $80 for 20 cds, that's still the equivilent of a box set. This week I've been obsessed with downloading mp3s of (get this) The Monkees. I burned a cd of everything I really liked by them & cut out the crap (this was about 4 years ago). So I wanted to hear the songs I left off & guess what: "Hey, these songs aren't as bad as I thought they were." Download, download, dishes piling up, ignoring my wife & cats. Last night I thought: "Between what I have on cd & what I've downloaded, that's pretty much the albums that are out. Hell, I might as well just buy the cds used from Amazon." Yep, that's the plan. My palms are sweating as I type this. Anywho, I go from one to the next and ALWAYS manage to find something to buy or relisten to. I absorb stuff so fast it amazes me. From Jandek to The Monkees; if that doesn't show some insanity in my genetics than nothing will.

[Alexander]

Alexander,

What did your therapist say. I'm curious, if it's ok to let us know.

Basically that I should...

1) Remember what's important in my life (my wife and daughter).

2) Recognize that my CD habit isn't destructive unless I'm spending money I don't have (which I sometimes do...damn credit cards!).

3) Focus on enjoying what I have instead of always wanting more.

4) Recognize and celebrate the small victories. Recently, I went into Borders and browsed without buying anything. I broke down and went back and got seven discs later that day, but the point is that I did manage to resist the temptation to buy.

[brownie]

Alexander, I have been a jazz-aholic for too long not to be perfectly aware of that. I don't feel the need to go to a therapist to hear this.

And the money I'll save will go to feed my record purchase habit

[Brad]

Those are good rules to follow. My family thinks I'm fixated on jazz which is true but not to the neglect of other things. There have been many a time I've gone into a Borders and walked out with anything I wanted, especially if the price wasn't right. What we often think we have to have days later we say "did I really need that?"

[garthsj]

I was about to add something to this thread, but suddenly I felt like William Burroughs about to address a group of high school potheads who have only been toking for a year or so ... been there, done 'that' .. doing 'that' still ... for fifty-two years! (I am 64).

Garth

Edited December 11, 2004 by garthsj

[Brad]

I was about to add something to this thread, but suddenly I felt like William Burroughs about to address a group of high school potheads who have only been toking for a year or so ... been there, done 'that' .. doing 'that' still ... for fifty-two years! (I am 64).

Garth

Dude, that's heavy, awesome man

[Alexander]

Alexander, I have been a jazz-aholic for too long not to be perfectly aware of that. I don't feel the need to go to a therapist to hear this.

And the money I'll save will go to feed my record purchase habit

I probably don't need to point out that I don't see a therapist for THIS problem. I see a therapist (every two or three weeks) and this came up during a recent session.

[brownie]

Alexander, I did not take your therapist post at face value

And I am sure you did not take mine that way either

[Alexander]

Alexander, I did not take your therapist post at face value

And I am sure you did not take mine that way either

No, no, of course not. But I realized that when I looked back on my first post, it kind of looked like I DID see a therapist for this problem. No, I see a therapist for all of my other problems!

[porcy62]

Alexander, I did not take your therapist post at face value 

And I am sure you did not take mine that way either 

No, no, of course not. But I realized that when I looked back on my first post, it kind of looked like I DID see a therapist for this problem. No, I see a therapist for all of my other problems!

Is he a good therapist? I am not asking for myself of course, but I have a friend who has a problem...

Edited December 12, 2004 by porcy62

[mmilovan]

I am jazz-aholic, I must admit that loud and clearly. Everytime I have some money earned I’m in local CD shop seeking for what to buy. I can remember myself grabbing CDs in large quantities, even they often are with not so many useful info (remastering of some historic titles “done” by some EU – Holland company), and other anomalies.

Then I have friend who has around 4000 of them.

Then I know many collectors.

Then I have pretty decent collection of older vinyl LPs.

Then I have friends from this board.

I must admit also, never sold on eBay not one single piece form collection. THEY are all mine, mine, mine! All those shiny round disks with tons of music on them.

And I know, I’m sick, stuck in this bad habit forever.

[Leeway]

Africa Brass:

started to cut back (before I had to) because I hated that I was obsessed. It stopped being fun. I don't like to be owned by anything, but I was controlled by my addiction.

I think the biggest lesson I learned that helped me to cut back, was that I can get this stuff in the future (probably with better sound). There's no need to have everything now. I don't have the time to enjoy what I have anyway. I finally remembered that this was supposed to be fun.

I think these are valuable insights. For many years I had a serious book addiction. I broke it by developing a jazz, and especially a jazz LP, addiction (not to mention many classical LPs as well). Basically, changed addictions. Now I'm tapering off on all these addictions. (Although I bought 28 jazz LPs today for $160). I'm trying for a methadone level of addiction B-) . It DOES get to be too much. And when it does, it is no longer fun. At this point, I'm selling off books and CDs that don't hold me. I hope to end up with a core collection of items I love, not just have accumulated.

[Ed S]

I've slowed down my buying dramatically over the past couple of years. I still look for the odd Blue Note that is released that I don't have, but I don't buy upgrades or things I already have on Mosaic sets. I've never chased Japanese reissues for upgrades or missing titles either. My purchases of reissues of other labels and new artists are very selective and based on artists I want to hear more of or recommendations from here. But I've never developed a "gotta have 'em all" mentality like I - quite honestly - did with Blue Note.

I actually have a pretty good sized post 1985 BN collection as well. But I've stopped being interested in everything Blue Note over the past year. I have to thank Keren Ann for that. With that Blue Note release, my ability to buy into the stretching the boundaries that Blue Note has been doing is ended.

I still look forward to Mosaic releases and have been getting a lot of enjoyment from the last several sets they've done. I've really had time to go through them and appreciate the music with feeling rushed to get to the next disc in my pile.

Another tip of the hat to Dan's A-Z concept. I've been revisiting a lot of my collection lately and really listening to things I have not heard in ages. Also using this as an avenue to thin out some unwanted material.

[wesbed]

The problem I have with jazz, in trying to limit my buying, goes like this -- I was reading the Gil Coggins thread elsewhere on this board. As a result, I listened to the Miles Davis Blue Notes VOLUME 1 and VOLUME 2 (to hear Gil Coggins). Upon listening the Miles VOLLUME 2, I heard what I thought was Charlie Parker. I didn't remember Charlie Parker playing on the session. I read the notes and discovered the saxophone player was Jimmy Heath (on the tenor).

I know who Jimmy Heath is, however, I'm not familiar with the man's sound. I went to the AMG site and read that Jimmy Heath is, in fact, recognized as sounding very much like Charlie Parker. I'm listening to my copy of Freddie Hubbard's HUB CAP (which includes Jimmy Heath) as I type these words.

Now, as a result of how the art of jazz works, I'm interested in obtaining more sessions that include Jimmy Heath.

See? There is no end to the jazz learning, appreciating and buying.

[marcoliv]

i don't have any intention at all to quit from this lovely addiction

in 1995 i went back from my vacations in the US with 95 cds. those were the days when the exchange rate was decent!!

getting imported cds at decent prices here in Brazil is a hard task but with the help of lots of members from Organissimo i´m doing well

Marcus

[medjuck]

As with any addiction, anticipation is part of the joy. I find I'm depressed when I peruse the upcoming releases on Jazzmatazz and don't see anything I lust for. I still remember how great it felt looking forward to both the Mosaic Mulligan Concert Jazz Band box and the Miles Jack Johnson box during the several months between the time of their announcement and their final release-- which as I remember it were almost simultaneous.

[Jeffro]

I admit that on the rare occasions I make it to New York City, I binge at Tower, J&R, and the Jazz Record Center, as well as a number of smaller used and "mom & pop" stores. It can take me months to open and listen to all of them, as I actually have a life aside from listening to music (not to imply that any of you don't!). I know most if not all of them are available online and will likely be available in the future (though not always), but there's something about being able to hold them in my grubby little paws before I buy them, then hauling away the heavy bag(s) and guarding it/them against evil-doers on the subway...

Edited December 14, 2004 by Jeffro