...First, if you are seeking friendly, helpful, professional service and low prices for classical music and opera compact discs ("CD") and DVD's you must shop at... J&R MUSIC WORLD at Park Row, City Hall...

...J&R Music World, located opposite City Hall, is known for great prices for electronic equipment. Little known is the fact that it has a very good classical music department. The first and most important reason to shop at J&R Music World ("J&R") [visit www.jr.com] is classical music sales associate Jeff Tarlo (telephone 212-238-9000, prompts 2-2-3], recently praised by noted classical music critic Anthony Tomassini of The New York Times in an article in the Arts section of December 28, 2006. Jeff Tarlo is one of the most incredibly knowledgeable, warm and friendly experts on classical music that you can ever hope to find! His taste, I have learned, so invariably conforms to mine that, when it comes to classical music, we could be judicial-voting Siamese twins, such as Brennan-Marshall or Scalia-Thomas-a choice of comparisons based on your personal judicial Weltanschauung.

When I was searching for a CD of Brahms's violin concerto, even though Jeff generally loves the work of superstar Maxim Vengerov, he told me not to get Vengerov on the Teldec label for the Brahms concerto, but to get the one of Itzhak Perlman on the EMI label. To test Jeff, I also bought the Vengerov CD of Brahms. Jeff was so right; I was disappointed with Vengerov's steely-not warm or humane-rendition of the Brahms violin concerto, and I have never doubted Jeff Tarlo again. Having discovered that Jeff and I share the same taste in classical music, I have purchased numerous CDs on the blind trust of Jeff's recommendation, and I have yet to be disappointed. Jeff Tarlo has rubbed elbows with classical music's luminaries. Jeff, aside from a keen appreciation of classical music, knows the stories behind the music. It was Jeff who told me that after Rachmaninoff, who usually played his own works at concerts, heard the great pianist Vladimir Horowitz perform Rachmaninoff's brilliant and difficult Piano Concerto no. 3 [a work that is challenging to the best of piano virtuosos], Rachmaninoff told Horowitz, sincerely, that he played it better than even him. After that night, Rachmaninoff never played his own concerto [number 3] again!

My favorite store involves Jeff himself. He had been invited to and attended a reception honoring British conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner, the afternoon before an evening performance by Gardiner conducting Beethoven's famous symphony no. 9, with its brilliant "Ode to Joy!" chorale. In front of embarrassed onlookers, Jeff mentioned to Gardiner, at the pre-concert reception, that he conducts Beethoven's Ninth Symphony "way too fast!" Sir John gracefully deflected and brushed away the suggestion by saying: "Well, I hop you'll attend tonight's concert." Unfortunately, Jeff could not attend, but he read the review of the concert in The New York Times. The Times's classical music critic gave Sir John a largely favorable review, but expressly noted, practically using the same direct language that Jeff shared with Gardiner earlier, that the entire symphony was "conducted way too fast." The moral of the story: Sir John Eliot Gardiner will think twice before he again discards the suggestion of a classical music salesman.

Please go to J&R, if only to meet Jeff Tarlo, who is generally there except Saturdays and Mondays. If you call on Sunday mornings after 10:45 a.m., Jeff can tell you what classical music labels are on sale for the week. In that regard, J&R has recently decided to put a different classical music label on sale each week. At J&R, classical music and opera CDs are reasonably priced, even without a sale. Also, at J&R, you get CDs in mint, shrink-wrapped condition, especially for gift-giving, without any cuts to or "punch outs" of the jewel case that would indicate, to a recipient, a promotional CD, possibly detracting from the gift. J&R also validates parking with certain purchases.

If you encounter any problem at J&R, two of the finest, professional, customer-friendly managers you could ever hope to find in the retail world are Mr. Jim Drzik at 23 Park Row [where the classical music department is located in the 2nd floor] and Mr. John Valentine at 15 Park Row. They will be glad to help you; Jim, John, and Jeff ["3 J's" to note] are great ambassadors for J&R.