Collection documents the career of noted American jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie, through a donation from his former manager, Charles Fishman.
Scope and Contents:
The collection primarily documents Charles Fishman's tenure as Gillespie's manager, 1985-1993, and is composed of business records. There is also a significant amount of personal material and photographs from the 1940s-1980s, much of which was saved by Mr. Fishman when Dizzy Gillespie wanted to throw these materials away or take them home.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into eleven series.
Series 1: Personal Materials, 1988-1993
Series 2: Correspondence, 1987-2002
Series 3: Business Files, 1979-2001
Series 4: Contracts, 1989-1993
Series 5: Performance Programs, 1984-1987
Series 6: Awards and Honors, 1989-1991
Series 7: Music Manuscripts, undated
Series 8: Photographs, 1941-1993
Subseries 8.1: Dizzy Gillespie, 1941-1992
Subseries 8.2: Albums, 1988-1993
Subseries 8.3: Other Artrists, undated
Subseries 8.4: Negatives, undated
Series 9: Newspaper clippings and magazine articles, 1958-2000, undated
Series 10: Artwork and Posters, 1987-2006
Subseries 10.1: Artwork, 1990-2004
Subseries 10.2: Posters, 1987-2006
Series 11: Audio Visual Materials, 1950-1992
Biographical / Historical:
Born in South Carolina in 1917, John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was a master jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer. In the 1940s, he was one of the principal developers of both bebop and Afro-Cuban jazz. Through the multitudes of musicians with whom he played and who he encouraged, he was one of the most influential players in the history of jazz.
The youngest of nine children, Gillespie was exposed to music by his father, a part-time bandleader who kept all his band's instruments at home, where young Gillespie tried them out. At age twelve, he received a music scholarship to the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina, where he played trumpet in the school band. In 1935, at age eighteen, he moved to Philadelphia and joined his first band, where his clownish onstage behavior and sense of humor earned him his nickname, "Dizzy." Thereafter, he was almost constantly joining and leaving, or forming and disbanding, bands of various size and style, as he set out to first hone his talent, then to develop his own creative innovations and to publish his recordings, and then to fulfill his lifelong desire to lead his own band. Along the way, he played with, collaborated with, encouraged, and influenced, all of the major – and most of the minor – jazz musicians of his age, including Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter, Billy Eckstine, Cab Calloway, and John Coltrane.
In 1937, Gillespie moved to New York, where he joined Teddy Hill's band; with Hill he made his first overseas tour, to England and France. By 1939, he had joined Cab Calloway's band and also had received his first exposure to Afro-Cuban music. In 1940, Gillespie met Charlie "Bird" Parker, Thelonious Monk, and Kenny Clarke and together they began developing a distinctive, more complex style of jazz that became known as bebop or bop. In the early 1940s, Gillespie made several recordings of this new sound. In 1945, he formed and led his own big band, which was quickly downsized into a quintet due to financial problems. He was able to reform the band the next year and keep it together for four years, but it was disbanded in 1950. During this time, he began to incorporate Latin and Cuban rhythms into his work. In 1953, a dancer accidentally fell on his trumpet and bent the bell. Gillespie decided he liked the altered tone and thereafter had his trumpets specially made that way.
In 1956, after leading several small groups, the U.S. State Department asked Gillespie to assemble a large band for an extensive cultural tour to Syria, Pakistan, Turkey, Greece, and Yugoslavia; a second tour, to South America, took place several months later. Although he kept the band together for two more years, the lack of government funding prevented him from keeping such a large group going and he returned to leading small ensembles. In 1964, displaying the humor for which he was well-known, Gillespie put himself forward as a candidate for President.
Gillespie continued to tour, perform, record, and to collaborate with a wide range of other musicians throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He continued to encourage new styles and new talents, such as Arturo Sandoval, whom he discovered during a 1977 visit to Cuba. In 1979, Gillespie published his autobiography, To Be or Not to Bop. In the late 1980s, he organized and led the United Nations Orchestra, a 15-piece ensemble that showcased the fusion of Latin and Caribbean influences with jazz. In these later years, although still performing, he began to slow down and enjoy the rewards of his extraordinary talent. He received several honorary degrees, was crowned a chief in Nigeria, was awarded the French Commandre d'Ordre des Artes et Lettres, won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and received both the Kennedy Center Medal of Arts and the ASCAP Duke Ellington Award for 50 Years of Achievement as a composer, performer, and bandleader. Dizzy Gillespie passed away on January 6, 1993.
Related Materials:
Materials held in the Archives Center
Duke Ellington Collection (NMAH.AC.0301)
Paquito D'Rivera Papers (NMAH.AC.0891)
Materials held in the Division of Culture and the Arts
Includes Dizzy Gillespie's iconic "bent" trumpet (1986.0003.01); sound recordings, a button, and a sculpture.
Materials at Other Organizations
Dizzy Gillespie Collection, circa 1987-2000, University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Charles Fishman, Dizzy Gillespie's manager, in 2007.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The Smithsonian Institution Festival of American Folklife, held annually since 1967 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998. The materials collected here document the planning, production, and execution of the annual Festival, produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (1999-present) and its predecessor offices (1967-1999). An overview of the entire Festival records group is available here: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.
Scope and Contents note:
This collection documents the planning, production, and execution of the 1969 Festival of American Folklife. Materials may include photographs, audio recordings, motion picture film and video recordings, notes, production drawings, contracts, memoranda, correspondence, informational materials, publications, and ephemera. Such materials were created during the Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as well as in the featured communities, before or after the Festival itself.
Arrangement note:
Arranged in 5 series.
Series 1: Program Books, Festival Publications, and Ephemera
Series 2: Crafts
Series 3: Pennsylvania
Series 4: Performances
Series 5: Toby Show
Historical note:
The Festival of American Folklife, held annually since 1967 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998.
The 1969 Festival of American Folklife was produced by the Smithsonian Division of Performing Arts.
For more information, see Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.
Festival Speakers and Consultants:
Richard Allen, Louisiana
Guy Carawan, 1927-2015, California
John Cohen, 1932-, New York
Josh Dunson, 1941-, Pennsylvania
Henry Glassie, Pennsylvania
Archie Green, 1917-2009, Illinois
Joe Hickerson, 1935-, Washington, D. C.
Mack McCormick, 1930-2015, Texas
Guthrie (Gus) Meade, 1932-1991, Washington, D. C.
Jim Meyer (Father), Michigan
Ethel Raim, Pennsylvania
Bernice Johnson Reagon, 1942-, Georgia
Mike Seeger, 1933-2009, Washington, D. C.
Ellen Stekert, 1935-, Michigan
Introduction:
The 1969 Festival took place July 1-6 on the National Mall, between Madison Drive and Jefferson Drive and between 10th Street and 14th Street, south of the National Museum of History and Technology and the National Museum of Natural History (see site map). For the second time, a State was featured - in this case, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Two themes were the focus of craft presentations: 1) sheep shearing and wool production and 2) corn culture. These thematic programs were complemented by presentations of basketry, toy-making, doll-making, and other crafts. Daytime and evening concerts presented a panorama of traditional music and dance.
The Division of Performing Arts, directed by James R. Morris, again organized the 1969 Festival. Ralph Rinzler was the Festival Director, assisted by Marian Hope.
The 1969 Program Book included participant lists and schedules.
Forms Part Of:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1969 Festival of American Folklife forms part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival records .
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: Papers
1967 Festival of American Folklife records - [Ongoing]
Related Archival Materials note:
Within the Rinzler Archives, related materials may be found in various collections such as the Ralph Rinzler papers and recordings, the Lily Spandorf drawings, the Diana Davies photographs, the Robert Yellin photographs, and the Curatorial Research, Programs, and Projects collection. Additional relevant materials may also be found in the Smithsonian Institution Archives concerning the Division of Performing Arts (1966-1983), Folklife Program (1977-1980), Office of Folklife Programs (1980-1991), Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies (1991-1999), Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (1999-present), and collaborating Smithsonian units, as well as in the administrative papers of key figures such as the Secretary and respective deputies. Users are encouraged to consult relevant finding aids and to contact Archives staff for further information.
Restrictions:
Access by appointment only. Where a listening copy or viewing copy has been created, this is indicated in the respective inventory; additional materials may be accessible with sufficient advance notice and, in some cases, payment of a processing fee. Older papers are housed at a remote location and may require a minimum of three weeks' advance notice and payment of a retrieval fee. Certain formats such as multi-track audio recordings and EIAJ-1 videoreels (1/2 inch) may not be accessible. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 or rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Reproduction of a color photograph of an Afro-Cuban man holding a basket of bread on his head. He poses for the photograph standing on the sidewalk and smiling.
General:
Series II, Box 17, Foreign, Cuba--Havana.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Color reproduction of a photograph of an Afro-Cuban police officer mounted on a horse. He stands in the plaza, looking away from the camera and towards two women playing with a little girl. Next to them stands a man looking on as well. Behind the policeman to the left are more people walking in the street.
General:
Series II, Foreign, Cuba--Havana, Box 17.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
This photograph was taken in November 1971 by Eliot Elisofon when he wrote, produced, and directed a four-hour television series for Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting Company) titled Black African Heritage (1973). The series was divided into four segments, lasting 50 minutes each: The Congo, The Bend of the Niger, The Slave Coast, and Africa's Gift. The presentation also includes footage of musical performance by the Senufo people of the Ivory Coast, and of a performance by Cuban-born Mongo Santamaria and his band, using similar instruments.
Local Numbers:
Z 7 USA 1 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
Frame value is 0.
Slide No. Z 7 USA 1 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
This photograph was taken in November 1971 by Eliot Elisofon when he wrote, produced, and directed a four-hour television series for Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting Company) titled Black African Heritage (1973). The series was divided into four segments, lasting 50 minutes each: The Congo, The Bend of the Niger, The Slave Coast, and Africa's Gift. The presentation also includes footage of musical performance by the Senufo people of the Ivory Coast, and of a performance by Cuban-born Mongo Santamaria and his band, using similar instruments.
Local Numbers:
Z 7 USA 2 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
Frame value is 0.
Slide No. Z 7 USA 2 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
This photograph was taken in November 1971 by Eliot Elisofon when he wrote, produced, and directed a four-hour television series for Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting Company) titled Black African Heritage (1973). The series was divided into four segments, lasting 50 minutes each: The Congo, The Bend of the Niger, The Slave Coast, and Africa's Gift. The presentation also includes footage of musical performance by the Senufo people of the Ivory Coast, and of a performance by Cuban-born Mongo Santamaria and his band, using similar instruments.
Local Numbers:
Z 7 USA 9 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
Frame value is 27.
Slide No. Z 7 USA 9 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
This photograph was taken in November 1971 by Eliot Elisofon when he wrote, produced, and directed a four-hour television series for Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting Company) titled Black African Heritage (1973). The series was divided into four segments, lasting 50 minutes each: The Congo, The Bend of the Niger, The Slave Coast, and Africa's Gift. The presentation also includes footage of musical performance by the Senufo people of the Ivory Coast, and of a performance by Cuban-born Mongo Santamaria and his band, using similar instruments.
Local Numbers:
Z 7 USA 10 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
Frame value is 28.
Slide No. Z 7 USA 10 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
This photograph was taken in November 1971 by Eliot Elisofon when he wrote, produced, and directed a four-hour television series for Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting Company) titled Black African Heritage (1973). The series was divided into four segments, lasting 50 minutes each: The Congo, The Bend of the Niger, The Slave Coast, and Africa's Gift. The presentation also includes footage of musical performance by the Senufo people of the Ivory Coast, and of a performance by Cuban-born Mongo Santamaria and his band, using similar instruments.
Local Numbers:
Z 7 USA 11 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
Frame value is 11.
Slide No. Z 7 USA 11 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
This photograph was taken in November 1971 by Eliot Elisofon when he wrote, produced, and directed a four-hour television series for Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting Company) titled Black African Heritage (1973). The series was divided into four segments, lasting 50 minutes each: The Congo, The Bend of the Niger, The Slave Coast, and Africa's Gift. The presentation also includes footage of musical performance by the Senufo people of the Ivory Coast, and of a performance by Cuban-born Mongo Santamaria and his band, using similar instruments.
Local Numbers:
Z 7 USA 12 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
Frame value is 0.
Slide No. Z 7 USA 12 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
This program offered a retrospective of the work of the Folk Arts Program at the National Endowment for the Arts since its establishment in 1974. The Program aimed to provide support to regional or cultural groups in our incredibly varied nation that need a little encouragement to remain themselves, to retain their uniqueness, to honor and revere their artistic pasts-presents-futures, to keep American cultural diversity and creativity alive and well. In that time, the Folk Arts Program had learned that:
Folk arts are -- complex -- . Every report resulting from its apprenticeship program emphasizes that there is far more to learn than the neophyte has expected. The great guitarists, lace-makers, and step-dancers make it look easy, but mastering the art and the essence of the style is a long-term job that requires a serious commitment.
Folk arts are -- culturally specific -- . In every multi-cultural urban festival, each ethnic or tribal group likes to demonstrate its own special aesthetic vision, its own particular artistic life. The single truly universal principle appears to be -- mutual appreciation -- .
Folk arts are -- sophisticated -- . Each master craftsperson, each master musician, works from a tradition so complex and so artfully refined over generations that it takes the most careful documentation to capture it for our future benefit.
Folk arts are -- alive -- . Indeed, in many places and among many groups, they are growing. It is true that each week - sometimes, it seems, each day - another old master is lost; it is that which makes the agency's work seem ever more urgent. Still, the young people are always with us, and they seem, at this time, to be reevaluating the past, to be learning from it, to be using it as a springboard for new artistic adventures.
To support these complicated, culturally specialized, urbane, and lively arts, the Folk Arts Program has tried to be quick and clever and creative; above all, it has tried to remain single-minded, with only one goal: to help preserve the very highest forms of the multiple aesthetic systems that make life in the United States joyful and exciting. Other programs within the Endowment endeavor to sponsor variation and creativity by nurturing individual talent, the private visions of the independent and self-motivated artist. Folk Arts has a different task: the fostering and nurturing of whole aesthetic systems. That these systems exist is enough to enliven everyday life in the present. Their development may well enlighten the future that awaits us. We look to the past to inform the present and make the future more elegant.
The 1981 Festival program featured a sampler of musicians who had received funding support from the NEA Folk Arts program or had benefitted from organizational grants to community cultural institutions.
Participants:
John Alexander, 1914-2001, lead and manager, Sterling Jubilee Singers, Bessemer, Alabama
Jose Barrera, 1945-, guitarist, Los Angeles, California
Robert Borrell y su Kubata, Afro-Cuban music, Washington, D.C.
Paul Brown, 1952-, banjo player, Mt. Airy, North Carolina
Andy Cahan, banjo player, Mt. Airy, North Carolina
Liz Carroll, Irish fiddler, Chicago, Illinois
Theofannis Charasiades, -- laouto -- , New York, New York
Hazel Dickens and Friends, bluegrass music, Washington, D.C.
Michael Flatley, Irish step dancer, flute player, Chicago, Illinois
Alice Gerrard, 1934-, vocalist, guitarist, Garrett Park, Maryland
José Gutiérrez, 1942-, harpist, Los Angeles, California
Achileas Halkias, fiddler, vocalist, New York, New York
Periklis Halkias, clarinetist, New York, New York
Henry Holston, tenor, Sterling Jubilee Singers, Bessemer, Alabama
James Jackson, blues guitarist, Fairfax Station, Virginia
John Jackson, 1924-2002, blues singer, guitarist, Fairfax Station, Virginia
Tommy Jarrell, fiddler, Mt. Airy, North Carolina
Sam Johnson, 1913-2001, lead, Sterling Jubilee Singers, Bessemer, Alabama
So Khamvongsa (1919-) and the Laotian Music Ensemble, Falls Church, Virginia
Tom Lacy, 1898-1989, baritone, Sterling Jubilee Singers, Bessemer, Alabama
Sam Lewis, bass, Sterling Jubilee Singers, Birmingham, Alabama
Cesareo Ramon, -- jarana -- , Los Angeles, California
Ioannis Roussos, -- santourri -- , New York, New York
Charlie Sayles, harmonica player, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sandman Sims, tap dancer, New York, New York
Dock Terry, 1921-1999, lead, Sterling Jubilee Singers, Bessemer, Alabama
Paul Van Arsdale, hammer dulcimer, North Tonawanda, New York
William Van Arsdale, guitar, North Tonawanda, New York
Collection Restrictions:
Access by appointment only. Where a listening copy or viewing copy has been created, this is indicated in the respective inventory; additional materials may be accessible with sufficient advance notice and, in some cases, payment of a processing fee. Older papers are housed at a remote location and may require a minimum of three weeks' advance notice and payment of a retrieval fee. Certain formats such as multi-track audio recordings and EIAJ-1 videoreels (1/2 inch) may not be accessible. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 or rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1981 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection documents the personal life and professional career of Graciela Perez-Gutierrez, a well known Afro-Cuban singer. Born in Havana, she performed for over thirty years, first with the all-female Orquesta Anacaona and El Trio Garcia and then with her brother Machito before a solo career.
Scope and Contents:
Collection documents the music career of Graciela and the development of Afro Cuban jazz in the United States. It includes correspondence, music manuscripts, financial records, photographs, posters, flyers, newsclippings, and audiovisual materials. These materials primarily relate to Graciela's professional career but also include her personal papers. There is a substantial amount of material relating to other jazz artists including Machito, Mario Bauza, Celia Cruz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, and Chico O'Farrill. In addition, the career of Maria R. Torres (Mappy), head of production for the Afro-Cu-Bar Company and manager of Graciela's music career, is also documented. The richest portion of the collection lies in the photographic and performance materials which include social gatherings and many of the performance spaces where Afro Cuban jazz (Danzón or Salsa) developed, including The Palladium and Lincoln Center. Music festival programs related to jazz and Latin rhythms; tribute concerts; song and lyric notes and music manuscripts composed by Bobby Manrique, Lou Perez, and Lillian Gonzalez document the creative process of the music. Finally, researchers interested in Cuban and Caribbean history, immigration, and Latin internet forums for Afro Cuban jazz will find materials of value in this collection.
The collection is arranged into seven series. Series one contains Graciela's personal papers. Series two consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence. Series three has business records. Series four comprises the largest portion of the collection and contains photographic materials. Series five includes materials relating to performances. Series six contains publications and Series seven includes audiovisual materials.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into eight series:
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1934-2010, undated
Series 2: Correspondence, 1944-2010, undated
Series 3: Business Records, 1937-2008, undated
Series 4: Photographic Materials, 1938-2009, undated
Subseries 4.1: Albums, 1938-2004, undated
Subseries 4.2: Photographs, 1944-2009, undated
Series 5: Performance Materials,1943-2009, undated
Subseries 5.1: Song Lyrics and Music Manuscripts, 1991-2006, undated
Subseries 5.2: Performances and Other Events, 1962-2009, undated
Subseries 5.3: Televsion and Film, 1991-2006, undated
Series 6: Publications, 1960-2009, undated
Series 7: Other Artists, 1941-2008, undated
Series 8: Audiovisual Materials, 1985-2013, undated
Subseries 8.1: Interviews, 1985-2007, undated
Subseries 8.2: Performances, 1987-2013, undated
Subseries 8.3: Documentaries, 1992-2005, undated
Subseries 8.4: Personal, 1985-2008, undated
Subseries 8.5: Sound Discs, 1974-1989
Biographical / Historical:
Recognized as Queen of Boleros, First Lady of the Afro Cuban-Jazz, Graciela Perez Gutierrez was born in La Habana, Cuba, on August 23, 1915 and died in New York, United States on April 7, 2010 at the age of 94 years. Daughter of Marta Gutierrez Izquierdo and Rogelio Perez, Graciela started her professional career in the early 1930's at the age of sixteen with the all-female group "El Septeto Anacaona" at the famous Cuban bar "Tropicana" without the permission of her father. She stayed in the group for ten years and traveled to Puerto Rico, México, Panamá, the United States, Venezuela, Colombia, and France. She performed with the "Trio Garcia" for a year mostly in the Vedado, Cuba. In 1943, she decided to join, with her stepbrother (Frank "Machito" Grillo) and brother in law (Mario Bauza) in the band called "Machito and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra." Graciela became the "First Lady of the Afro Cuban-Jazz" in the 1940's-1950's when mambo and Latin rhythms where at their peak and became accepted by American jazzmen. They performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Mann, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Lester Young, Polito Galindo, and many others. "Machito and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra" stayed together for almost 35 years and their biggest hits were: "! Si, si, No, no! ," "Ay Jose," and "Caso Perdido". At this time Graciela became a famous solo star but she preferred to stay with Machito and Mario and they made almost 70 albums with the orchestra. In 1970, Graciela left Machito's Orchestra and joined "Mario Bauza and the Afro-Cuban Orchestra" as a lead singer for 20 years. Graciela, Machito and Mario recorded many albums including: "¿Dónde estabas tú?" (Machito and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, 1952), "Esta es Graciela" (Machito and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, 1963), "Íntimo y sentimiental" (Machito and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, 1965), "Yo soy así" (1972), "Sí sí no no" (Machito and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Mike Young, 1999), "Cubop City" (Machito and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Howard McGhee, Brew Moore, Flip Phillips, 2000) and "Inolvidable" (Candido & Graciela, 2004). After Mario Bauzá died (1993), she decided to retire, but she continued recording singles in a very selective way; she recorded with Chico O'Farrill, Steve Turre, and other artist. Graciela was honored by the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2007 for her pioneering career as a Latin and jazz rhythms fusionist.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Lisa Sokolov, 2017.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Contains posters, advertisements, music program guides, concerts, and brochures related to Afro Cuban Jazz and other Latin rhythms
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Graciela Papers,1934-2013, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Sponsor:
This collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center
Contains several video cassettes related to Graciela, Mario Bauza, Machito and other artists involved in Afro Cuban Jazz music. Also contains interviews and documentaries relating to the music genre. Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Graciela Papers,1934-2013, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Sponsor:
This collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center
Contains videos related to the development of Afro Cuban Jazz artists in America. Some videos are related to the biography of music groups such as: Adalberto y su Son and New Anacaona. The materials are arranged in chronological order.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Graciela Papers,1934-2013, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Sponsor:
This collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center
"Oh So Many Stars...," Tribute to Machito, Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez at Aaron Davis Hall, Also Chico O'Farrill and the orquestra at Birdland, Also The Afro-Cuban Allstar Channel 13
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Graciela Papers,1934-2013, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Sponsor:
This collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center
![view The John Santos Sextet - "Descargarará" [Official Audio] digital asset number 1](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6pzmOW1378E/default.jpg)
