Okay, so it’s 2023, and I decided I needed to get my act together with my jazz records. I’ve got this massive collection, but it was a total mess. No order, no system, just piles of vinyl everywhere. It was impossible to find anything! So, I finally decided to tackle it.
Getting Started
First, I pulled everything out. Everything. It was daunting, seeing it all spread out. I had records I’d forgotten I even owned! I sorted them into broad categories to start – like, big band, bebop, cool jazz, vocalists, that sort of thing. Just to get a handle on the sheer volume.
The Sorting Process
- First Pass: Broad categories, like I mentioned.
- Second Pass: Within those categories, I went alphabetical by artist. This seemed the most logical.
- Third Pass: For artists with a ton of albums, I arranged those chronologically. It’s just easier to find stuff that way.
It took forever, I won’t lie. Days, actually. And my back was killing me from bending over all those crates. But I kept pushing, listening to some tunes as I went, which helped.
Shelving and Cataloging
Once I had everything sorted, I needed a better shelving system. My old shelves were overflowing and frankly, kind of falling apart. So, I invested in some new, sturdy ones. It made a huge difference, just visually.
Then came the cataloging. I didn’t go crazy with a database or anything. I just created a simple spreadsheet. Artist, album title, year, and a few notes (like if it was a first pressing or something special). It’s not perfect, but it’s way better than what I had before, which was nothing!
The Result
Finally, everything was shelved, cataloged, and organized. It looks amazing, if I do say so myself. And more importantly, I can actually find the record I want to listen to! No more digging through piles. It’s a huge relief, and it’s actually made me appreciate my collection even more.
So yeah, that was my 2023 jazz record project. A lot of work, but totally worth it. Now, time to sit back and enjoy some music!