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Stereo Jack's In Cambridge, MA not closing!


Kevin Bresnahan

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To keep all discussion about Stereo Jack's conveniently in one thread:

For the next several weeks I will be spinning some of my favorite vinyl that I scored over the years at Jack's.

First up, from the dollar easy listening bin:

The18th Century Corporation - Bacharach Baroque - UA (orange and pink label, stereo)

Featuring Siegfried Schwab of "Vampyros Lesbos" fame.

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I haven't been back to that area since forever and have never been to the store, but Stereo Jack's has been so universally praised by those who know it that it has become legendary for me, and I suspect for many others among the widely dispersed jazz Internet tribe. My sympathies to you and all your customers, Jack. It's a damn shame about that lease.

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  • 3 weeks later...

From the Jazz Programmers' Listserv:

Yesterday I dropped in at Stero Jack's, the legendary jazz record store in Cambridge Ma. Looks like we have a bit of a bit a of a reprieve. Due to technicalities regarding building permits, the pizzeria cannot move in in April or May. We may have the pleasure of having Jack and his crew in the neighborhood a few months more.

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Woo Hoo!!!! Great news... We'll take it!

From the Jazz Programmers' Listserv:

Yesterday I dropped in at Stero Jack's, the legendary jazz record store in Cambridge Ma. Looks like we have a bit of a bit a of a reprieve. Due to technicalities regarding building permits, the pizzeria cannot move in in April or May. We may have the pleasure of having Jack and his crew in the neighborhood a few months more.

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A lot of people have assumed that we are shutting down due to poor business, downloading, or what-have-you, but I can say with some pride that this is not the case. When our current landlord bought the property ten years ago, he informed me that he intended to move his pizza shop, the Harvard House of Pizza, away from his current location into our space, but at the time he was not ready to do so. He also assured me that when it does happen, he would give me plenty of notice. Although he owned this property, he was content to stay where he was, even though he was renting, because the corner location was ideal. After ten years, his landlord (who was also once my landlord, so I know his MO all too well) has made staying pretty near impossiblle, so now he has decided to make the move. This actually comes at an OK time for me, and I'm looking forward to semi-retirement. I intend to keep a presence on line, selling on Ebay, but will no longer have a retail store.

At present, our official closing date will be end of April, but the landlord is going through a complicated mess of red tape getting the proper permits, so we may possibly stick around a little longer.

Thanks to everybody for your thoughts and words, but of course, I'll still be around here!

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Well, with the reprieve, I'm hoping for a deus ex machina and that the store stays open.

Like many of us, I peel the store sticker off of the album when I get home. However, there have been several records I've found recently from Jack's, including a Clifford Brown Mercury album, where I never peeled it. These Stereo Jack's stickers will remain on my LPs through this lifetime.

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  • 1 month later...

I met Jack today. Charlie as well. I cut myself off at a certain point. I think I could have spent $1,000 easy on jazz vinyl alone.

This was a great shop.

I bought a few Warne Marsh albums, Bird on Dial, Coltrane Ballads, Lester Bowie, Herbie Nichols, Gigi Gryce, Live Curtis, Basement Tapes, etc etc and passed on so many great things.

I haven't looked inside the bags since the train ride. My birthday came 29 days early this year.

Thanks Jack.

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