INDEX
A Musical Curation that Blends DJ Vibes with Jazz Enthusiasm
The reason I liked this place so much was its music selection and sound quality. The music is wide-ranging, from the newest to the oldest, but despite the broad range, there is a sense of cohesiveness that makes you feel a sense of inevitability. The owner’s tastes are evident, and even though there are different styles and eras, the music is well contained within the framework of the store, which is a very good thing.
There are a few commonalities among the places I have found and liked over the past five years. One is that they have passed through hip-hop and DJ culture, and even if they are playing modern jazz from the 1950s, I am always impressed when I come across music selections that show the sensitivity that comes from having passed through these cultures. Mr. Uno used to be a DJ and liked David Mancuso and DJ Harvey. No wonder the flow of the music selection was natural, and the attention to volume and other details made me feel comfortable. At the same time, the room sometimes plays records with psychedelic hooks that Mancuso and Harvey would have liked. There is a reason for the perfect balance.
Another common characteristic of the places I like in recent years is that they also play jazz from the 1980s and 2000s. Not many places choose to play this type of music, and DJs tend to shy away from it. The records are cheap because they are not popular, but many of them have good content. It was tonlist that reminded me how great Cassandra Wilson’s records were before she signed with Blue Note, and I was surprised by a record featuring Wynton Marsalis. It was at tonlist that I was struck by the recordings of Wynton Marsalis.
Uno modestly says, “I don’t know much about it,” but while he is a DJ in some respects, he also has a context that is not DJ-like in others. The variety of his music selection naturally reveals that he has much to offer.
