Jazz up Halloween at CSM: KCSM radio station hosts first ever record swap

KCSM Program Director Alisa Clancy, also a jazz history teacher at CSM and a morning show host, said she’s excited to introduce the inaugural event — particularly as their station has the third largest jazz record library in the nation.

When asked why she and others have such a love for jazz, Clancy’s response was simple.

“It’s our only truly American indigenous musical art form,” Clancy said, noting a younger generation is tuning in to why records have had such a long-standing fan base. “Vinyl is really tangible. You can hold it in your hand, you can read the liner notes, you can smell the record. It’s so much more visceral. You get the whole history rather than just downloading it off the Internet. A lot of my students are really getting into collecting records.”

Announcers will be on-air answering questions and giving small lectures on all things jazz. Although it’s commonly called a record swap, the period for signing up as a vendor has already closed.

Saturday’s event will be held at CSM’s Bayview Dining Room with beautiful panoramic views of the Bay. The onsite coffee bar will also be open throughout the day to serve snacks and drinks.

“It’s in our big beautiful student center up here,” Clancy said. “It’s going to be fun.”

While costumes aren’t required, Clancy said she plans on dressing up and hopes others will enjoy the holiday browsing various collectibles, records and more.

Paul Lind, an 81-year-old with nearly 3,000 records, approached KCSM to host the event and said he too will be selling some of his collection.

Lind said he must part with cherished albums as he’s moving to the East Coast. Unlike some collectors, Lind said he didn’t start out looking to build such a hoard, but he was inspired over the years.

“For me, it’s all about the music. I didn’t think of myself as a collector. But just growing up in the atmosphere, I did listen to a lot of music and got hooked on the modern jazz and bebop era; that sold me on it,” Lind said.

With companies throughout the world reproducing older albums and making vinyl records of newer works, Lind said the industry is extremely marketable.

“I know with LP sales in general, there’s a lot of stuff put out on vinyl and younger people are buying it,” Lind said. “The jazz audience is only about 6 percent, it’s a minor part, but a very growing part.”

Clancy said she’s not positive exactly how many records the library boasts, but knows they played more than 35,000 individual records last year alone. With newer additions of albums having been released, the station will be selling some of their rarities as well.

For those who appreciate jazz but may not have a record player of their own, CDs and other vintage memorabilia will also be up for grabs at the event. But for many, the coveted record covers are where it’s at, Lind said.

“It’s a combination of the music and the format that is something very tangible. And it’s fairly large, 12 inches, and it’s not too durable so it has to be handled with care,” Lind said. “The other half is that people have become very involved in the covers. The covers have become, for many folks, just as important as the music.”

The KCSM Jazz Record Swap is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Bayview Dining Room at the College of San Mateo, 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd. San Mateo. Admission is $5. Visit kcsm.org/jazzswap for more information.