The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Friday, June 17

Hello, Hoddlers! Fitzie’s in the middle of his move to our nation’s capital, and in his place you get me! Because obviously y’all never get tired of my writing, right?

Several weeks ago, I finally bit the bullet and did something I had been considering for a while but had been convincing myself wasn’t necessary: I bought a turntable. Specifically, this turntable: a U-turn Audio custom deck with the acrylic plate and an Ortofan cartridge. It’s blue. It’s sexy. I fell in love the moment I opened the box.

Now, look — I’m not a vinyl junkie, and my bargain with myself was that if I went down this particular rabbit hole it was only so far down — I refuse to allow myself to become A Collector™, obsessing over rare finds, spending thousands of dollars on a perfected audiophile setup, purchasing rare discs and then never playing them because that would ruin them. Music is meant to be played. I plan to buy, and completely wear out, the relatively few records I purchase, because what are they for if not to play, and enjoy?

Lately I’ve been on a jazz kick, specifically bebop and small-combo jazz from the 1960s, and I truly believe that jazz is meant to be played on vinyl. That means I’m looking for and listening to the classics — Mingus, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Oscar Peterson — but also discovering some artists that were new, at least to me. I’ve fallen in love with Ahmad Jamal, I recently discovered Bobby Timmons’ solo work, and the great jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby is a treat. But if there’s one single song I can’t stop listening to, it’s today’s Song of the Day.

There are lots of charts that have turned into jazz standards, and this is one of them, but I truly, honestly believe this is one of the most perfect jazz recordings of that era. It’s perfect, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. The whole album is great, but this? This is sublime. I hope you enjoy it too.

Song of the Day: “Stolen Moments” — Oliver Nelson Septet, The Blues and the Abstract Truth