June 2004

Quality Is Job 1
Article By Steven R. Rochlin
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  American automobile manufacturer Ford has proclaimed that "Quality Is Job 1" and judging by their recent efforts with the GT40, it could very well be a Ferrari killer and cost nearly $100,000 less than the Italian stallion. Over the past few years many audiophiles have been reading reviews of impressive equipment, both in sound and build quality, from Asia and Korea.  Spending more money on Product A as compared to Product B does not necessarily mean Product A is better. This same stance can be said for audio review magazines. The price you pay, or lack thereof, does not guarantee the "worth" of their writers. This is one category Enjoy the Music.com™ takes great strides. Specifically,  to insure delivering a truly high class and diverse publication.

Recently we have increased the quality of our classical music section with many thanks to Wayne Donnelly (and covered in a previous editorial). Now we are doing the same with folk/bluegrass/blues and also our jazz sections. i am elated to announce that musician and all around great guy Steven Stone has been promoted to "Roots/Bluegrass/Folk/Americana Music Editor". Steven needs no introduction to anyone who has been reading various guitar or audiophile publications over the past years. In fact Steven and i both share the love of photography, though Mr. Stone attended Boston University's School of Communications where he majored in Photo-Journalism. Mr. Stone's writings have be seen in Boston Magazine, Business Week, Creem, Spin, Stereophile, The Absolute Sound, The New York Times, and Vintage Guitar Magazine [to name a few(!)].

As for jazz, it brings me immense joy to bring none other than Jim Luce to our cast of characters. At age five Jim bugged his mother for guitar lessons. By age 18 he was already a full-time disc jockey for years (and now in his 36^th year as a broadcaster). In the late '90s he became the co-producer of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in New York City, and 2004 is his 11^th year as the producer of the Caramoor Jazz Festival in Katonah, New York. Many of you would feel a man with these credentials is amazing, yet there is more!

Jim Luce has produced over 300 radio documentary programs to honor Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong and is currently wrapping up production on Count Basie's World for NPR. Fact is, in 2001 Jim Luce received the prestigious Peabody Award for NPR's 75^th Anniversary celebration of the music and life of Miles Davis! Jim is both a music lover and, as an extent for his love of music, an audiophile. With his upcoming music reviews and articles, we all can benefit greatly from Mr. Luce's vast knowledge and expertise in jazz. So yes, quality is job 1, yet there is still a few pieces in the "puzzle" missing. 

On that note i am making a public notice that we here at Enjoy the Music.com are looking for only the best quality equipment reviewers. It is no secret within the industry that we have hired some great journalists such as Alvin Gold, Dick Olsher, Wayne Donnelly, etc. There are also reasons why we have not hired certain reporters who have come to us over the years seeking a place for their writings. Here at Enjoy the Music.com™ we do not play politics, we do not hire those who may have ulterior motives, and we most certainly do not hire reviewers who evaluate the same manufacturer over and over again every time a new model is released.

What we are seeking is those who are true to themselves, have a great ear and love of music, and can put their thoughts and feelings into well-written articles in a down to Earth style. We are not seeking unqualified newbies. We are not seeking those with large egos and feel they have something to prove to the world, continuing their illusion (delusion?) of being G-d-like. Many of the reviewers within this industry have either met me or know of my reputation for being fair and honest. At the same time, i allow our writers a good amount of freedom. They are encouraged to seek out lesser known products from upstarts, and also those from "mainstream" manufacturers. Because i highly value the personality of each and every writer and their style accordingly, very little editing is done by yours truly. Those of you meeting the requirements and are interested in writing for Enjoy the Music.com can e-mail me directly by clicking here.

So now you, our loyal readers, have been informed of our intentions. In fact there are other proverbial coals burning in the fire. For now the above is all i can state. The end goal is in offering quality, not just a vast amount of quantity. As of a mere 21 hours ago, before the release of Enjoy the Music.com™'s June issue of our Review Magazine, this website offers 2,406 pages in all containing a staggering 4,678,013 words. In my humble opinion this is a wonderful achievement, yet it means nothing if you have not been able to benefit from our efforts. Of course in the end what really matters is that you...

Enjoy the Music (Louis Armstrong "What A Wonderful World" right now),

Steven R. Rochlin

"I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world"