I just received an email stating that Mandolin Brothers will be closed the next couple of days in honor of Stan Jay's passing.
Rest in peace, Stan. I hope that wherever you are, you are surrounded by music.
I just received an email stating that Mandolin Brothers will be closed the next couple of days in honor of Stan Jay's passing.
Rest in peace, Stan. I hope that wherever you are, you are surrounded by music.
Glennly
Sinister Stringster
Rest in peace, Stan.
A truly magic man in the music business. I'll always cherish the opportunity to have obtained two mandolins from the greatest music store in the world. RIP Stan... Thanks for making us feel at home on our visits to Staten Island.....
Aldo
If I only had Stan's way with words I could truly speak to how much Mandolin Brothers and Stan Jay meant to me.
Getting to go to the shop and actually meet Stan was the high point of a trip with many high points. I will always be glad that as we were making our retreat from NY I made the effort to stop and experience these icons. I don't know if Mandolin Bros. will continue. His son Eric impressed me and I hope he can make it work for all but Stan was the soul of the place.
To walk into a shop today and be asked if they can help you, just looking? Pick what you like..and know it was truly ok....wow. I would say it's from a bygone era, but I've been going into shops for 45yrs(!) and I can count on one hand how many places I've been into that were that way. They didn't have junk on the wall either. I got to pick mandolins that I'd long wondered about and never seen anywhere else.
Getting to talk to Stan and even got a pic of us together was some great stuff.
You will be missed for a long time Stan. RIP.
Rest in Peace, Stan. Our community is lessened with your passing. Condolences and thoughts to the Jay family.
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Apollonio Acousto-electric bouzouki (in shop)
Mixter 10 string mandola (still waiting 2+ yrs)
Unknown brand Mandocaster (on the way!)
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"Doubt begins only at the last frontiers of what is possible." -- Ambrose Bierce
Adding my two cents. Never met Stan, but did have a couple of conversations. He was a consummate professional and a helpful, generous soul. One of my mandolins (which I bought long distance and never actually touched) hung on the wall at MB for four years or so after Stan accepted it for consignment and had his crew repair it. It just recently sold. I always hoped I could make the trip one day, thank Stan in person for his help, and get to play my D'Angelico ... but alas, this will have to do: Thanks to Stan and the whole MB family for all they've done on behalf of musicians everywhere. So sorry to see him go.
Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.
Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!
Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls
RIP, stan. It's a sad day when a great man passes.
An Icon in an Iconic store.
Very few people change the face of humanity, Stan was such a person.
RIP.
His nonpareil catalog descriptions are forever burned in our collective subconscience. Stan Jay was the pre-eminent purveyor of the pinnacles of plectral pleasure to the playing proletariat!
RIP, Stan. We will miss you.
Last edited by Scott Tichenor; Jun-06-2015 at 3:16pm. Reason: broken link removed
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
This day just get sadder ...
I'm sure his ascent to heaven will be accompanied by the sweet sound of vintage mandolins.
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
Furthering Mandolin Consciousness
Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!
http://www.meislohnsilviefh.com/obits/obituary.php?id=505276 HERE is the online obituary from the funeral home.
Last edited by Scott Tichenor; Jun-08-2015 at 9:09am. Reason: link no longer valid
Bill Snyder
So sad. Stan and Mandolin Brothers were an institution in both the vintage instrument world and music in general. I never made it to the shop or met him, although I was always an avid reader of his instrument descriptions, here and on the mandoweb.com site. Reading his prose did make me feel like I knew a bit about him, though. Condolences to the family, and rest in peace, Stan.
Kit
Guitars, Mandos, Violins, Dulcimers, Cats
Very sorry to hear. My bi-annual trips to Mandolin Brothers are some of my most special times of the year. They always greet with a smile and I always thanked Stan for his fun catalogues and would enjoy perusing them until my next visit and next catalogue. Condolences to Eric who always helps me out and to the rest of the family. May you find some peace in knowing that you have touched the lives of many and there are many around the world who will be thinking of your family during this time of loss.
Collings MF
Stan clearly had a big heart and enjoyed putting 'dream" instruments into the hands of musicians.
Visiting Mandolin Brothers was on my list, but I haven't been back to the East Coast since 1966, so I never got to meet Stan or visit the store. Whenever musician friends were going to New York, though, I always wanted to know what they saw, heard and played at Mandolin Brothers.
It has only been since I got online a couple of years ago and joined the Cafe that I became aware of the real magnitude of Stan's and the store's effect on so very many musicians, including many of modest financial resources.
The world of us folks who appreciate all those "old" instruments has been sadly diminished. But there are innumerable musicians who will think good thoughts about Stan for years to come whenever they pick up and play an instrument that he put into their hands and care sometime along the way.
My deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and friends.
Bob Bass
Very sorry to hear it.
Sad news. The few times I was in there he was exceedingly patient with my novice questions. Never condescending. I can only assume he treated everyone who walked through his doors the same way. A really classy individual.
You can't see your future in a rear view mirror.
I met Stan twice; once to have him appraise my mandolin. He seemed kind and generous. I waited anxiously for, and devoured, his brochures. From this, I knew and will miss him!
Buying instruments from Stan and Hap in the early days of the Mandolin Brothers defined my late teens. Living in NY, I would often take the ferry to SI and to the apartment where Stan and Hap had many fine instruments hanging on the walls. I bought and traded back mandolins, mandocellos, tenor banjos and mandolin-banjos. In the early 70s I bought a pristine, dead-mint Gibson A-4 snakehead mandolin from Stan and a year or so later sold it privately. Somehow Stan found out about the sale and called me at home to chide me about not selling the instrument back to him. He was good-natured about this small transgression in our relationship but at the same time I knew he was letting me know that he seriously cared about the instruments he sold. Not being offered right of first refusal was a betrayal and he let me know that.
In subsequent years I continued to buy instruments from Stan and the Mandolin Brothers, making the trek back to SI from points distant to NYC or purchasing sight-unseen over the phone. Stan was a charming man and a fine teacher in the world of musical acousticana. He introduced me to the many treasures found in wood and wire, as he did with many others. I can't think about my late teens and early twenties in NYC without seeing the Mandolin Brothers center stage in my memories. I've kept the polaroid photos that he wound send out after I called to express interest in an instrument. Stan was a monument in the acoustic instrument trade and he will be greatly missed. Rest in peace my friend.
I never met Stan but, Mandolin Brothers is a bucket list trip for me. I'll miss his wonderful ad copy. His passing dims the light in the instrument world. All my thoughts and most sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Jamie
There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. Logan Pearsall Smith, 1865 - 1946
+ Give Blood, Save a Life +
I'm so lucky to have met Stan on my (very few) trips to SI. He did us all such a fine service, and with such style. He will be missed, but he made a difference, and that is worth celebrating.
I met Stan a few years ago on a trip to NYC. I took the long awaited pilgrimage on the ferry and then grabbed a cab who exactly where to take me. Upon entering I was greeted by Stan who immediately told me to try anything on the walls. After sitting with me while I tried a few mandolins he asked if I would like to see the 1924 Loars he had in the back. Of course I said yes. He brought out 2 and handed them over without hesitation. I have never before or since had such a wonderful experience in visiting any type of store. My heart felt condolences to his family and employees. He was a real mensch. RIP
I met Stan by phone in the early 70's when he and Hap were partners. I called him about a 1918 Gibson A1 I had acquired along with the 1918 Gibson catalog that was tucked in the case. I knew a little about the mandolin, but the catalog opened a window to a world that I didn't know existed. Mandolin orchestras were everywhere. Burlington,Vermont had 9 active mandolin orchestras in 1918. I was mesmerized and wanted to know more.
I heard about Stan and called him, looking for information and instruments. In those days, if you wanted a mandolin, there were very few places to go. I don't remember any of the specifics, but I do remember laughing through the entire conversation.
Over the years, I visited Stan and Bea at the store many times and saw them many more times over the years at NAMM shows representing Rigel and NewMAD. Mostly, I remember laughing through all of our conversations.
Stan was simply brilliant, a verbal gymnast of the highest order, a endless font of knowledge where vintage instruments and players were concerned and a very, very kind and sweet man.
I'll miss you, Stan.
Last edited by Peter Mix; Oct-23-2014 at 7:37pm. Reason: Grammar
Peter Mix
Carbon Fiber & Kevlar Mandolins
Based On Lloyd Loar's Designs
Waterville, VT 05492
Rest in peace, Stan.
The number of these remembrances and the extent of their detail and depth of feeling in them make it clear what a great man Stan Jay was. I regret having passed within a short drive of Mandolin Brothers as many times as I have and never having taken the time to visit. Now it's too late. That's something I'll have to live with, and will surely remind myself of from time to time - and since I'm a take-the-time-to-smell-the-flowers kind of guy, it's going to wear on me just a bit more. If only the store were located in Manhattan, or even Brooklyn, an easy subway ride ... Oh well!
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
Furthering Mandolin Consciousness
Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!
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