London record shops 3

RIP Mole Jazz

Trevor Barre writes: 1983, the year that I moved to London, one of the first things I'd done, being a (relatively) neophyte jazz listener, was to track down the 'pure' jazz emporiums that sold both new and second-hand LPs.

Probably the outlet I miss the most, for reasons geographical as much as anything, is Mole Jazz, situated over several years at first one, then another, shop in central King's Cross. From my very first weeks in London, it provided a recognisable bolthole to the unadulterated world of all periods and styles of jazz.

Overweight blokes of indeterminate age

Indeed, briefly, its distinctive logo (of the mammal concerned, wearing braces and check trousers and blowing an alto sax) not only graced the shop frontage, but also a series of records, produced (briefly) on the Mole Jazz label. This released useful LPs by Art Pepper and Tubby Hayes before going under.

Compared to other jazz shops, the staff at Mole were initally less friendly. However, having run a record shop myself inthe 1970s, it didn't really phase me. It may have been off-putting for some though, as perhaps was the general 'essence de muso' atmosphere. The staff seemed mostly overweight blokes of an indeterminate age, with long hair, who were joined in Version Two by a woman who tended to work in the upstairs of the shop with the surviving vinyl.

Moles grow on you

Mole would grow on you though. It offered a self-contained, hands-on, unhurried experience of exapanding your jazz horizons, with other like-minded people (mostly men, I'm afraid) many with the equivalent of supermarket shopping lists to help them along.

At some point, Mole closed (completely, as far as I can ascertain.

Was it the rates, which no doubt have increased substantially? Is it one more victim of online shopping? Or is it a sign that classic jazz (say Armstrong to Braxton, 1925 to 1990) has lost its popularity? It wouldn't be the first time...

Answers on an inner sleeve, please...

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Message:	1/1
Date and time:	09/06/2009 at 19:50:42
Sender:	Simon Brooks

Manzi's (not the fish restaurant) one of the last record shops with listening booths. Used to pop down from UCS in Frognal to listen to latest releases. The guy that used to run it often turned up announcing acts onstage at assorted concerts. Other great record store: One Stop in South Molten St and Virgin Imports in Sloane Square.