I have a lot of jazz records. Too many jazz records. Thousands of jazz records. What to do with them all when I’m not playing/reviewing them on my home playback system? Well, that question was answered for me recently in quite an interesting way by the Spin Doctor of our sister site Stereophile — and occasional AP contributor — Michael Trei.
Not so long ago, Mike had set up a $16k McIntosh MT10 Precision Turntable at a Japanese restaurant on the next block up from my Manhattan bachelor crib. He called me later that evening and said, “It’s Tokyo Record Bar. I set up the turntable in the main restaurant downstairs, but they have a Technics/McIntosh/Tannoy system upstairs where DJs spin.” He then took a brief pause before adding the kicker: “And I told them about you.” (This isn’t the first time the Spin Doctor has come to my aid, but that’s another story.)
I followed up by checking in with Max, Tokyo Record Bar’s manager, who invited me over for a trial spin set — four hours with lots of jazz records, good money, and a bar tab. What’s not to love? I thought, “These sushi freaks probably don’t know real jazz like Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Miles, and Coltrane. Let me educate them.” Little did I know they would soon enough be educating me.
As some of you may already know, jazz-listening bars have been popping up across New York and many other U.S. cities seeking to replicate Japan’s jazz kissa culture, where listening is sacred and talking is verboten. U.S. audiences will never quite follow that lead fully, but they are fascinated with vinyl, jazz, and high-end audio systems — all of which populate bars across NYC including Kissa Kissa, Public Records, Laziza, Tokyo Record Bar, and many more.
Anyway, when I first arrived at Tokyo Record Bar, I found that their DJ system was comprised of twin Technics turntables, a McIntosh C49 preamp, McIntosh MC275 power amp, and a large pair of Tannoy Stirling loudspeakers. This system definitely needed some additional tweaking before I got down to doing any spinning on it, however.
Now, if you too want to take a shot at being a vinyl-spinning DJ yourself, take note that these are the kinds of things you should look for before you cue up any of your LPs at any gig. To be blunt, I immediately found that the bar’s two Technics tables were a mess. Not only were they not level — even though both of them sat on pricey IsoAcoustics isolation bases — the anti-skate was way off, the carts weren’t aligned, and the bar had also been pumping a massive subwoofer and wondering why they were getting complaints from their neighbors.
To take care of things, I used my Feickert Universal Protractor to align my now-affixed Ortofon Concorde MKII Club cartridges on both Technics tables, and I used my Riverstone Audio Gauge to set tracking force. And, even better, we turned off that bleepin’ sub! I also found that the tweeter-level positions were wrong on both of the Tannoy speakers — one up, one down. So, I adjusted both to be flat — and we finally came to what I considered to be a good starting point.
Some additional background about me now so you better understand where my jazz-DJing head is at. Years ago, from around the ’80s on into the mid-1990s, I was a professional drummer, traveling up and down the eastern seaboard playing dance hits, Top 40 hits, and the like, before retiring from the road to study jazz. That, in turn, brought me to New York City to study even more jazz, and gig. And gig I did, playing in big bands, jazz trios, vocal-led quintets, and the occasional pass-the-hat-show in Central Park. I assumed I was a good arbiter of what makes people move and groove. (Or at least how to run up a hefty bar tab.)
My first round of DJing jazz vinyl occurred at Devon Turnbull’s space on Greene Street in Soho. People came to hear Devon’s grand setup that was housed in the back of the USM Modular Furniture showroom as much as hear my assortment of jazz LPs. Devon’s system reflects his taste for Bell Labs, Western Electric, single-ended triode (SET) amps (designed by Herb Reichert), and high-sensitivity loudspeakers with vintage (or vintage-style) drivers. The showroom sells Ojas bookshelf speakers (both as Brooklyn-made complete models and as DIY kits, and both with JBL drivers), amps, tubes (including Western Electric 300Bs), turntables, esoteric tonearms (including Dynavector), cartridges, and Ojas cables. It’s a fascinating space that creates memorable audio moments.
Oh, and I also DJed a lone Sunday afternoon at Port Sa’id in the West Village, where I learned lilting jazz doesn’t move a giant space. (That was my first and last gig there, by the way.)
Now that you’re all caught up on my jazz-DJ bonafides, here’s how it all went down during my first night at Tokyo Record Bar. Once I was finally ensconced behind those twin Technics tables with the system tweaked to my satisfaction, I finally felt comfortable enough to begin weaving my supposed DJ magic. For my first set behind those two Tokyo Record Bar decks, I played Bill Evans, Toots Thielemans, Prestige-era John Coltrane, Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Alice Coltrane’s Journey in Satchidananda, Bobbi Humphrey, Lee Morgan, and Hank Mobley. Sounds promising, don’t you think?
But as the small space filled and the bar began supplying drinks to the restaurant downstairs and to the street-level bar and listening room, I felt at a loss. I could feel that I wasn’t capturing the energy, the atmosphere, or the mojo of that 30-seat room. Plus, I was wearing shorts, which the boss frowned on.
I had to take a moment to reflect on my set choices. I reminded myself that Tokyo Record Bar is a hip spot, where the likes of Leonard Cohen’s niece and Strange Tales actress Hannah Celyn Griffiths make regular appearances. Maybe they’re not A-listers per se, but they welcome the kind of personalities you need to promote the bar and restaurant business these days. I reminded myself that a few mentions in the New York Post, a happy influencer’s report, and some Instagram action all make for pure publicity gold. Just last week, for example, Eating Alone Diaries’ Christina snuck in and snuck out of the joint, mostly unrecognizable in a black trenchcoat and floppy hat.
Duly reinvigorated, I resolved to do better during my next DJ slot there. For my second gig at Tokyo Record Bar, I brought more jazz-funk LPs, as well as some Brazilian grooves and music from esteemed ’70s jazz labels like CTI and Mainstream, plus jazz vocalists with attitude (think Betty Carter).
I was now on a roll. On another night, a table of Brazilians cheered when I played Elis Regina. Thumbs up from a younger crowd responding to the soundtrack grooves of Lalo Schifrin and Jerry Goldsmith gave me additional confidence.
Fast-forward to the here and now, where I’m six weeks into my Tokyo Record Bar jazz DJ gig. I’m comfortable, if not proud. I still seek to slowly bring down my four-hour set from its 9:30p.m. peak to its 11:30p.m. closing. I’ve recently added tracks from Gil Scott-Heron (“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”), some sweet soul from Patti Austin (“This Side of Heaven”), and solar surfing by Lonnie Liston Smith (“Astral Traveling”). Yes, I’m still finding my way to keep the Tokyo Record Bar customers satisfied, but I’ve definitely improved my mind- and body-reading skills. Come on out and see me/hear me spin if you’re here in town, okay?
Next stop. . . the Blue Note!
Author bio: Former musician, former artist, and former legal wastrel Ken Micallef has written numerous hi-fi equipment reviews for Stereophile and Analog Planet, and his byline has also appeared within Mojo, Electronic Musician, and The Grammys. You can also find him at YouTube (Ken Micallef Jazz Vinyl Audiophile).
To hear songs played during one of Ken’s most recent jazz DJ sets, check out the Spotify playlist he made of it here.
If you want to find out more of what Tokyo Record Bar & Tokyo Listening Room is all about, go here.
All Tokyo Record Bar photos in this story by Ken Micallef.
AloJapan.com