The stimulus...

[Jim R]

I'm in a serious rut when it comes to appreciating and enjoying my jazz collection. There are a variety of reasons for this, and it gets pretty complex to try to analyze it, but basically I've been distracted by a variety of other interests (musical and otherwise, including Brazilian, Blues, Soul, and the occasional return to Rock; scouring the web for great guitars; checking out the Napili webcam and on and on), all facilitated by the wonders of a new iMac and a high speed connection to the web. The availability of downloads, using iTunes to store MP3's, and new discoveries outside the world of jazz has caused me to neglect my jazz CD's even more than I did when I was heavily into trading CDR's of oop vinyl. Basically, things haven't been the same since I first got hooked up to the internet in '98. I do most of my actual CD listening on the computer instead of the stereo (maybe if I was a laptopper, things would be different). I even listen to my favorite radio show (Sonny Buxton's Saturday show on KCSM) via the internet stream. All of this so I can multi-task, explore, research, etc. My stereo just doesn't see a lot of use anymore. Kind of sad, in a way, but true.

Anyway, this is all kind of a side issue. What I'm really curious about is what stimulates all of you in terms of making listening choices. Over the past several years, it seems that I mainly listen to my jazz CD's in certain situations, such as:

a) after acquiring new ones

b) reading a review or analysis of a recording here on the board, and realizing I haven't played it in X number of years ("X" is often anywhere between 5 and 25! )

c) reading a question about some recording here on the board

d) researching the changes to certain tunes that I'm trying to learn

There are probably one or two other things that regularly stimulate me to pull out a CD, but I think these are the primary examples for me. The traditional "Say, I'm in the mood for some Miles", or "I think I'll spin some Monk" somehow all but ceased to occur for me a long time ago.

So, what stimulates you? Are you spontaneous, or do you have a routine (besides Dan's "A-Z" experiment )? If you're spontaneous, do you need an external stimulus of some kind, like a cover photo or a thread topic here, or do you just sit down and think about what you're in the mood for? Do you regularly pull out the recordings of your favorite musicians, or have they tended to fade from your rotation in lieu of listening to your latest discoveries, a new Mosaic set, your stack of new CD's, or a pile of links to YouTube videos you have yet to view? (jk, but maybe that's not so far-fetched) Does "the perpetual hunt" distract you from the music you've always loved the most? (unfortunately, I have to admit that this has been the case for me... but I'm becoming more and more conscious of my need to change that situation). If there are other systems or individual stimuli that y'all employ, by all means mention them.

[btw, apologies for what I'm realizing is probably somewhat of a topic rehash.]

[wesbed]

I'm with you Jim R. In recent months I've found other internet interests and more interests outside of the computer. My jazz listening has slowed way down from what it was a year or more ago.

Two nights ago I was watching a boring DVD on my computer when I saw my collection of Mosaic boxes through the corner of my eye. I turned off the dull movie and inserted a Woody Herman Mosaic disc into my computer's DVD drive. I listened for a while and felt like I'd rediscovered an old friend.

But I still have these other interests. Which is a good thing, really.

The music has been there for me in the past. I know it's still there today and will continue to be there when I fall back to it in the future. I'll be doing the things of my life and, when I least expect it, I'll fall into the jazz again. This happened the last time.

I miss the music but I've found other interests that I've been enjoying too. Having various interests to keep me busy, if I want to be busy, is good. And the music is still good. And the music will be available to me when the time is right.

[jazzbo]

Well, aside from a circumstance keeping me away from my stereo and in another town, I listen as much as I can to my stereo because it sounds so so much more vivid and realistic than my computers and I can't stay away from it!

I've been pulled away to other musics with a lot more force the last two years, but I still reach for jazz at home. It may be habit which stimulates me: I wake and have about an hour to read and listen in the morning before going off to work on a weekday, and can put in even more hours on a weekend, and I put jazz on and sit back with a big steaming mug of organic Mexican coffee and just enjoy myself. My reading and my listening always spur on more reading and listening. It's the story of my adult life. Not as exciting as a Bond novel, but it suits me.

[Dan Gould]

I hate to say it but recently, death announcements are the things that have spurred me to pull things out of the archives.

Otherwise, its been full-on investigation of the blues genre, trying to keep up with what is arriving while also going back to the recent purchases for at least one more, if not two, spins. Ironically, I do not put music on while surfing the web, even though this is clearly time that should profitably be used for listening. The biggest deficit in my listening time comes from working from home. I've been stuck on the same load of CDs in the carrier for way too long.

[Eric]

I listen to music every day, although often I am doing something else. I tend to listen to rock in the am (getting ready for work, driving in) and jazz in the evening (cooking dinner, reading before bed, etc.).

As for which artist, I tend to go in "subgenre spurts". I may be into the organ thing for 2-3 months, then I move on to more avant garde stuff and then maybe some 70s fusion-y stuff. I have wondered if there is any linkage between subgenre and my overall mood, stress level, etc. So far, no discernable connections! I will sometimes "go exclusive" to either rock of jazz, but usually I am listening to both over the course of a few days.

I really do apreciate the size and diversity of my jazz colection - there is always something perfect to listen to.

This board definitely is a stimulant for particular artists. Case in point - recently there were some lukewarm comments about Freddie Hubbard's Blue Note records. I happen to love most of this work, but haven't listened to it hard core in maybe 15 years. So I have been pulling them out over the past few weeks and it has been a blast to reconnect with these old "friends"

Edited December 18, 2006 by Eric

[Quincy]

All sorts of things. Sometimes spontaneous, but sometimes threads here can get me to pick something out. Or I'll be walking downtown and it hit me that I should play such 'n' such when I get home.

Sometimes I'll get stumped by all the possibilities. If that happens usually I'll run my fingers along a section and try to pick something that hasn't been played in awhile. I may end up playing DJ and keep pulling things out, listening to just a track or 2 and moving on until something sticks. I'll do this with vinyl too. Or both formats at the same time. But usually I stick with what I picked.

I have favorites that I return to even though I have a pile of new music that hasn't gotten played yet. I don't let that bother me. The perpetual hunt is that, but I'm trying to calm down and catch up a bit, at least until the next sale or must have new release/reissue. But first I need to buy a few more Deluxe Editions (those Marvin Gayes!) at yourmusic before they raise prices a buck a disc.

As far as computing and music, I must say getting a laptop was a terrific thing. No loud computer fan and now I'm in the stereo room, which is also the warmest room in this drafty old house. Plus I have a hookup from the laptop to the stereo as well, so it's become part of it as well for dimeadozen downloads or internet radio.