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Crosscurrents

The record store at the root of Michael Chabon's Oakland-based novel


Berigan Taylor dropped by KALW to tell Executive Editor (and fellow Jazz fan) Ben Trefny the story behind Berigan’s, a little record shop in Oakland. Berigan’s was the inspiration for Michael Chabon’s new novel, Telegraph Avenue.  Taylor is a life-long record collector and still one of the Bay Area’s biggest jazz enthusiasts. As in, he could probably name every musician on every jazz recording you have ever heard.

BERIGAN TAYLOR: At the time that Berigan’s on Claremont Avenue was active, 1991-2002, we had a unique situation.  There were four used record stores within essentially walking distance of one another.  We were all friends.  And we became a place in the East Bay where we could draw customers.  I had record tourists from San Francisco coming every Saturday, like clockwork, and they would hit all four stores.

Click the player above to listen to the full interview. 

Tags
Crosscurrents jazzOakland
I joined KALW in 2004. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, I helped our news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. I've also helped create numerous training programs — for teenagers, incarcerated people, and early-career journalists — and have taught hundreds of audio producers. I served as interim Executive Director for nearly two years. My work is currently focused on creating original live events, programming, and building partnerships with like-minded organizations.