Over the weekend I stumbled upon another neat little record store: 2nd Hand Tunes on Dempster just West of Chicago Ave in Evanston. It was a happy find because I had no idea it was there and I can't say that the other independent record store in Evanston (that I know of) is lacking in charm. This place has a huge amount of used stuff and it's mixed in new stuff. They have a great system where they put the cd inserts into a plastic holder that fits two or three inserts. This means they can fit a staggering amount of albums per bin. Aside from that, they sell cool t-shirts and have a limited but decent vinyl section. Finally, the place has a pleasant attachment to musical kitch, so there are bags made with LPs and plenty of novelty turntables.

I bought the new Brian Wilson record, That Luck Old Sun, with libretto by Van Dyke Parks. It's great stuff, but that's to be expected.

I also bought the complete recordings of Robert Johnson. That's just something I've been meaning to get for years.

My best find was a recording of Julius Katchen playing solo piano stuff by Mussorgsky, Liszt, and one tune by Balakirev. I've heard of Katchen, but I can't recall hearing him play. That's a shame because he's an American pianist and he's incredible. I was also unfamiliar with Mussorgsky, and he's amazing too. Katchen has serious chops and while his touch isn't the softest, he plays with such authority and care that you can't help but fall in love.

Whenever I find a new pianist I try and find a recording of them playing Beethoven's Concerto No.4. It's one of those standard pieces that has the kind of virtuosity that Beethoven demanded of his own playing, but it's early enough to not be completely baffling. He's Katchen



A fine performance, but he's best known for his Brahms, which really is off the chain.



I can't find him playing anything from the record I got, but it's really great stuff.