[Dixielandjazz] Fw: Classical & Jazz 2nd-Hand CDs

[Fr M J (Mike) Logsdon]

Might be of interest.

-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Bert Bailey <b.bailey at rogers.com>
Sent: Aug 23, 2004 1:13 PM
To: CLASSICAL at HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM
Subject: Classical & Jazz 2nd-Hand CDs

In recent years, some of my favourite haunts have been second-hand CM
CD shops, often a source of surprising treasures at good prices.

My local store (The Turning Point: no website, alas) gets interesting
estate sales now and then.  This summer it got ahold of a collection
that's now acquainted me with Roger Sessions (the VC + 5 symphonies),
Rodion Shchedrin (clo concerto, a PC + pf works), 3 nla Piston symphonies,
MacMillan's PC, etc.  I go almost every other day to see what trickles
out.

As I was leaving on holidays to England this summer, I got a tip about
a 2nd-hand CD shop in the city of York, which we planned to visit.
'Classical & Jazz' (76 Micklegate, tel 01904 625482) claims to be the
largest store of 2nd-hand, rare and deleted classical CDs in Britain --
including London!  I think the attendant, Jay Williams, mentioned 7,000
CM CDs.

Service was swift and energetic, not to say manic: Jay's a CM devotee
either with the energy of a hyperactive teen or he's seriously overdosing
on coffee and can't help multi-tasking up and down the shop's 3 storeys
in search of, well, just about anything.  In no time flat, while various
other customers smiled down at music he'd just found them, I was also
gazing in disbelief at what he'd dug up for me: 4 rare CDs by Hoddinott,
Holloway, McCabe and Mathias.  Factoring in my sale of 3 indigestible
CDs I'd taken with me for the purpose, these 'pre-enjoyed' recordings
cost me just under 20GBPounds.  Not bad.

Best news yet: there's a website, http://www.classicalandjazz.net/, and
it's got a good search mechanism.  Information about the CDs is a little
scant, but there's enough to go elsewhere on the Net to double-check the
contents.  Prices aren't exactly cheap -- but what is, in England?  (only
cheese and chocolates, I'd say).  On the other hand, shipping costs are
reasonable: to Canada it's just 2GBPounds for the first CD, and 80p for
each additional CD. Not bad, again.

What's listed on the site, I gather, is not complete; one's best off
writing to find out precisely what they've got.  They have an unusual
requests feature ('Customer Wants') that gives them a record of items
missing from your collection, so you'll get notified if they get them
in.

Anyone else get a kick out of 2nd-hand CD shops?

Bert Bailey, in Ottawa