Observers continue to lament the decline of the record store. Especially in New York City, the landscape seems a little barren without record retailers in every neighborhood. We suspect it is the same all over America, except for the obligatory chain retailer in the local mall.

A recent blog column by Winchester on TheImproper.com mentions this trend: “I remember when the Coliseum occupied the space where the Time Warner city sits now. With Virgin gone, Tower a memory, Coconuts, FYE and HMV out too, there just remains the terrific J&R down on Park Row, Bleecker Bob’s, House Of Oldies, the Golden Disc, and, Disc O’ Rama.”

We are quite proud of our sizeable music store at 23 Park Row and we are thriving. We still carry LPs and we stock loads of CDs. People still browse to their heart’s content, and notables show up regularly to look over the broad selection (former Mayor Giuliani was a regular in our Opera section). J&R also offers frequent in-store live performances, highlighted by our consistently high-quality broadcast on WBGO-FM once a month. Check out upcoming live events here. We also sponsor the yearly SummerFest and JazzFest free concerts in City Hall Park (look for JazzFest in late August).

So, drop by the J&R music outlet at 23 Park Row in downtown NYC. There are two floors of CDs and one floor of DVDs for you to look over. And, if you can’t make it to our store on Park Row, check out the music section of JR.com. There’s something for every musical taste.

The secret to world-class pizza is still a secret. But if you want to create very good pizza, we suggest Wimmeley’s PizzaDome. The PizzaDome is an authentic, brick oven with a natural clay dome, small enough to be portable but big enough to make great pizza. The handmade dome is perfect for retaining heat and radiating it evenly over your creation.

You’re still going to have to make the dough and the sauce, but hey, we can’t do everything. Here are a couple of suggestions, though. Many pizzerias will sell you some dough at a reasonable price. If you’re out of reach of a pizzeria, your local supermarket usually has Boboli pizza dough conveniently packaged and ready. Just add sauce and cheese, and you’re all set.

But back to the PizzaDome. It heats up in minutes and then holds the heat. The dome shape allows the heat to circulate freely for even cooking. Six openings let you bake six personal pizzas at once. PizzaDome provides a dough cutter and stainless steel spatulas to make cooking fun and easy.

So put on your chef hat. Get a big apron. Practice your Italian accent. Invite your family and friends over. Show off for your kids. The PizzaDome is the real deal; you’ll really have fun making pizza. The only thing better is eating it.

I first saw Bo Diddley at the Safari Motel in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was Spring Break of 1965 or 1966. Bo and his band set up on the second floor balcony and all of us middle-class white kids danced around the pool. As well as I can remember, Bo just did two songs– “Hey Bo Diddley” and “Say Man” — but he did them for hours.

I often wondered what he thought of us. I know what we thought of him — he was the coolest thing any of us had ever heard. When I got back to college, I bought every album I could get my hands on. To my surprise, the albums had the same spontaneity and humor as his live performance. I must confess that I’ve never listened to Bo Diddley on CD because I’m afraid that the warmth of his sound would be compromised.

But if you have a turntable (or even if you don’t), grab a handful of Bo Diddley records and have a party. Bo’s music lends itself to a party like none other, and from what I have read about Bo the man, he’d be overjoyed that you were partying to his music.

Frank Sinatra grew up in Hoboken, N.J., just across the river from J&R. Crooner, singer, actor, Rat Pack leader, American icon, Ol’ Blue Eyes is rightfully considered a national treasure.

On Tuesday, May 13, Frank Sinatra, Jr. will appear at our Macy’s store, J&R Express, to autograph the brand-new Frank Sinatra collection Nothing But The Best, which is specially priced at $9.99. This is a single-disc compilation of the best of Sinatra’s Reprise years, and features 22 remixed and remastered classics, including the previously-unissued “Body And Soul”. And, as a special bonus, each CD will include a limited-edition commemorative USPS first-day-issue stamp. The stamp is being issued one day before the 10th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s death.

So mark your calendar for May 13. Frank Sinatra Jr. will be autographing his father’s new album, “Nothing But The Best”, at J&R Express, in the basement of Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street in New York City starting at noon. If you can’t make it to Macy’s, stop in to J&R Music World, 23 Park Row, and purchase “Nothing But The Best” in our Pop Music outlet.

In the meantime, check out some of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ best live performances:

Come Fly with Me
Windows Media Player

Luck Be a Lady
Windows Media Player

Ever wish that someone would design a truly waterproof iPod case? Well, wishes come true. Atlantic Inc. has designed the EGO iceBar2, a rugged waterproof case with speakers, designed for the iPod Nano.

When we say rugged, we really mean it. The iceBar2 is actually bulletproof! This tough little case is made of a clear polycarbonate material with reinforced corners and a shock-absorbing compartment for your Nano (second or third generation). A silicon O-ring is positioned along the seam to make sure water does not come in. Full-range neodymium speakers are built into the case. The headphone port is waterproof, but you need to supply your own waterproof headphones. A click-wheel membrane allows you access even in the water. Transparent plastic construction allows you to easily see the screen and controls.

The iceBar2 is waterproof, shockproof, and even bulletproof. So, if you’re looking for a really tough iPod case, look no further.

Reality comes in all shapes and sizes. In this case, it’s 3.5 inches. The brilliantly-detailed TouchScreen display of the Navigon 2100 GPS Navigator offers Reality View™, an accurate 3D view of complicated highway interchanges that even includes road sign text.

There’s plenty more to like about the 2100. The driving directions are spoken, so you can keep both eyes on the road. Street names are given to you verbally. Menus are easy to understand. There are 2D and 3D map views, and preloaded points of interest appear on the map screen. You can quickly find gas or a bathroom for Junior. The Navigon 2100 even provides automatic speed warnings. And all this comes in a stylish, compact package.

If you add the NAVIGON 2100 Real-Time Traffic service, you will be forewarned of congestion. This optional feature offers up-to-date traffic reports to get you to your destination faster and with less stress.

Lots of us are planning vacations this time of year. Pack a Navigon 2100 along with the sandals and suntan oil; you’ll be glad you did.

Picture yourself on your refrigerator. No really, on your refrigerator. The new Audiovox Audio Homebase Message Center can be mounted on your fridge or anywhere that your family congregates.

A central location is necessary because of the many common uses of the Homebase– digital picture frame, digital voice recorder, calendar & clock, and memo pad. The border is magnetic, so you can put up notes, coupons, business cards, etc. And you can leave a personal note, either spoken into the built-in microphone or written on the erasable whiteboard or jotted on a Post-It note. There’s an LED message indicator, too. And don’t forget the picture part. The 7-inch color LCD screen has 512MB flash memory, which will store over 125 high-res photos. Rotate snapshots and portraits of your fabulous family, your car, your house, your pet, or whatever.

The Audiovox Audio Homebase Message Center does lots more than just display your pets. But if you want to display your pets, go ahead, just don’t expect them to leave a response. The Homebase is expected to be in stock in June.

As employees of J&R, we have witnessed some amazing musical performances at our frequent free concerts. We thought it would be fun for each of us to list our Top Ten. As you can see, a wide range of picks was the result, and it just points out the huge number of great shows that have happened over the years. There have been cast members of Broadway shows, large groups with lots of instruments, solo singers, instrumentalists, and our always-high-quality monthly jazz broadcast by WBGO-FM. Outside of the retail store, there were special concerts for kids in City Hall Park, the historic Korn show at The South Street Seaport, Green Day in the park, and our outstanding, long-running JazzFest and MusicFest series. There have also been autograph and book signings galore (Jeff Goldblum, Henny Youngman, and Mayor Giuliani were standouts).

Here are our Top Ten Performance picks:

CHARLIE BAGAROZZA

Cheap Trick
Joan Osborne
Fight
Pat Benatar & Neil Geraldo
Beth Hart
Living Color
Styx
Blondie
Korn
Leslie West

Korn at the South Street Seaport

SUE BRYAN
Ashford and Simpson
Ray Davies
Wynton Marsalis
Green Day
Korn
Talib Kweli
Lena Horne
Herbie Mann
Tony Bennett
Blues Traveler

Green Day Live

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Here’s a thoughtful gift for that person you know who is not quite computer literate. Presto Printing Mailbox delivers email, photos, and printed documents to those who don’t have a computer or Internet connection. The technology is not intimidating, which is perhaps its greatest feature.

Rachelle Friedman, co-CEO of J&R, said it best: “Presto is a breakthrough product that connects J&R’s ‘tech-savvy’ customers with their ‘tech-shy’ family members, bringing them into the electronic family loop.”
How many people do you know that stay in touch with digital photos, email, cell phones, text and instant messaging? Well, many people don’t, including my 90-year-old mother.

The Presto Mail service converts email and attached photos or PDF documents from any computer or email-capable mobile phone into documents that are automatically printed by the Presto Printing Mailbox. Presto connects through an existing phone line. It does not require a computer or Internet connection. Presto subscribers receive their own personalized email address and unlimited email from authorized senders.

So consider the Presto. And keep technophobes in the loop.

You’ve all heard of social networking, right? Well, JR.com has too. There are a couple of networking sites that we’re using that we’d like you to know about, too.

Register and visit our Facebook group. Let us know what you think. And check out Want It!, a Facebook application that is really very cool. Want It! is an app that allows you and your friends to add any of the products we sell on JR.com to a wishlist you can all share with each other. If you have a Facebook account, follow this link and click on the Add Application button. That’s all there is to it.

Twitter is another site that people everywhere are joining to stay in touch. We suggest you explore Twitter. On our page, you’ll find some special offers that are recommended by our buyers. These are added daily.