Hi -Expectations

The joy of hi-fi seems a thing of the past. I, and most people in my circle, have adopted more convenient, modern technology for listening to recorded music though, according to aficionados, we are thereby missing out on the subtleties and rich, warm tonalities of the original recordings. Alas, I no longer possess any vinyl (LPs), nor do I have an analogue, valve-driven amplifier matched to a pair of big, studio-quality speakers, so the notion of listening to all my favourites played in high-fidelity remains a remote, if appealing prospect. But there is hope: I recently discovered a local lounge bar, equipped with a dream hi-fi setup that is available to those who wish to use it. Fantastic! All I needed was to get my hands on some vinyl.

A twenty-year-old nephew came to stay with us last week (well, he crashed for the night after travelling here to attend a gig). His presence reminded me that there was a time when we boomers did the same, travelling far and wide, regardless of inconvenience (to ourselves or others) to follow whichever act was favourite at the time. The only constraint might have been financial, though money was usually found for essential gigs. ‘Being there’ was important because each live performance is a unique experience and, notwithstanding the often-compromised acoustic qualities of some venues, the excitement of taking part in the action trumps passive listening, even to the most perfect recording.

In the current phase of the boomer life-cycle, however, many of us would think twice before venturing from the comforts of home to risk the vagaries of unpredictable live performances and dodgy sound systems. We tend to play it safe by trusting to old favourites or known masters with solid reputations to deliver the goods. Fellow members of the Heatons Jazz Appreciation Society (formerly referred to as the Heaton Moor JAS – erroneously, as has been pointed out to me, since some of the members actually live in adjacent Heaton Chapel) are not immune to this tendency, which may explain their unenthusiastic response to my last suggestion – Laura Jurd with the Ligeti Quartet at Band On The Wall. The resulting turnout was two, me included.

This time, I took a different tack and achieved a better result: Jazz Classics on Vinyl – a bring-your-own selection of records session at the hi-fi lounge in town. Even the venue’s events manager was enthusiastic, waiving the hire fee in exchange for advertising the event as open to the public. HJAS members in possession of vinyl prepared a programme based on their collections and we invited friends to come along (some of whom declined on the grounds that it would be “too serious”, despite assurances to the contrary). On the night, we had a good turnout – though, disappointingly, only three only walk-ins. (Jazz, it seems, remains unpopular, even when it is classic and on vinyl.) But there was an unexpected blow to my expectations: on arrival the manager casually informed me that the hi-fi system was out of order. The amplifier had blown up, the replacement had not come in time for our event and we would have to make do with the house PA system. Announcing this to the members, I was met with mostly sympathetic responses, such as “I wouldn’t know the difference,” “I’m hard of hearing anyway,” and “That’s a bummer, man!” Nevertheless, I was disappointed.

However, as the evening proceeded, the drinks went down and the crowd became ever more convivial, I was able to regard the huge, silently looming, wooden speaker cabinets with diminishing bitterness. The main event was – as it should be – sharing the pleasures of music with an appreciative audience, hi-fi, lo-fi, any-fi.