Search Results

Creator:

Jourdan, David W.  Search this

Long, Elgen Marion, 1927-  Search this

Names:

Nauticos Corporation  Search this

Earhart, Amelia, 1897-1937  Search this

Noonan, Frederick  Search this

Extent:

4.5 Cubic feet (5 legal document cases and 13 cassette tape boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Interviews

Sound recordings

Date:

1959-1998

Summary:

This donation consists of 156 separate interviews or sound sources collected by Elgen Long while he was researching and writing his book, Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved which promotes the theory that Amelia Earhart's aircraft came to rest at the bottom of the ocean near Howland Island.

This collection is in English.

Scope and Contents:

The donation consists of 156 separate interviews or sound sources, some comprising two or more tape sides. Most of them are interviews conducted by Long, including interviews with: crew members of the Coast Guard Cutter Itasca; Naval and Coast Guard officials; mechanics and engineers involved in the maintenance of Earhart's aircraft; New Guinea and Australia residents and radio operators; friends, family and associates of Earhart and Noonan; and advocates of alternative disappearance theories. There are also radio interviews and a few movie soundtracks and miscellaneous items. The total running time of the collection is 13,209 minutes (220sca hours). This donation also includes a hard drive which holds 387 audio files in .mp3 or .mp4 format (each file is an interview with the possibility of multiple interviews per tape).

Arrangement:

Arrangement by donor.

Biographical / Historical:

Elgen Long collected oral recordings, both interviews and sound sources, while he was researching and writing his book, Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved which promotes the theory that Amelia Earhart's aircraft came to rest at the bottom of the ocean near Howland Island. These tapes were also used throughout Long's partnership with David W. Jourdan, founder of the deep-sea exploration company Nauticos, during their three attempts to locate Earhart's aircraft on the ocean floor (2002, 2006, and 2017).

Provenance:

David Jourdan, Gift, 2020, NASM.2020.0025

Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Topic:

Aeronautics  Search this

Underwater exploration  Search this

Flights around the world  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews -- 1950-2000

Sound recordings -- Audiotapes -- Audio cassettes -- Music

Citation:

Amelia Earhart Project Recordings, NASM.2020.0025, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.2020.0025

See more items in:

Amelia Earhart Project Recordings

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2e9335b2f-1f78-465d-9314-4c94c3885e5e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-2020-0025

Creator:

Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2012-12-11T14:21:02.000Z

YouTube Category:

Film & Animation  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

See more by:

americanartmuseum

Data Source:

Smithsonian American Art Museum

YouTube Channel:

americanartmuseum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_PVGl6DoOIVc

Creator:

Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2012-12-03T14:28:39.000Z

YouTube Category:

Film & Animation  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

See more by:

americanartmuseum

Data Source:

Smithsonian American Art Museum

YouTube Channel:

americanartmuseum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_TWDyH7UgcBY

Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Community Life  Search this

Century Recording Studios.  Search this

Dodd, Ed, 1902-1991 (cartoonist)  Search this

Dodd, Rosemary Wood  Search this

Elliott, Tom  Search this

Names:

Roberts, Peter.  Search this

Trail, Mark (fictional character)  Search this

Extent:

0.3 Cubic feet (10 items)

Television program:Videotape cassette.

Master copies:Vinyl sound discs, 10" diam., 33-1/3 r.p.m.

User copies: Audiotapes, open-reel, 7", 7-1/2 ips.

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videotapes

Audiotapes

Phonograph records

Date:

before 1985

Scope and Contents note:

Videotapes: Interview with Dodd, 31:58 running time; and copy of television program, "The Well-Traveled Trail."

6 phonograph recordings, with 4 open-reel audiotape copies made from the discs, plus abstracts of eleven "Outdoors with Ed Dodd" 15-minute radio programs, which aired weekly. They focus on conservation and human interaction with the natural world, and include camping tips. The tone of the program is informal, usually consisting of a brief conversation between the show's host, Peter Roberts, and Ed Dodd, creator of the "Mark Trail" comic strip. Occasionally there are identified guests.

General Note:

Records have label from Century Recording Studios.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Tom Elliott, date unknown; Ed Dodd, July 17, 1985 and Rosemary Wood Dodd, 1985.

Restrictions:

Unrestricted research access to abstracts and audiotapes, on site by appointment. Original phonograph records not available for reference use.

Rights:

Mark Trail copyright held by North American Syndicate.

Topic:

Radio programs  Search this

Wildlife conservation  Search this

Camping -- 20th century  Search this

Comic strips -- 1940-1990  Search this

"Outdoors with Ed Dodd" (radio program)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Videotapes -- 1980-1990

Audiotapes

Phonograph records

Citation:

Ed Dodd (Mark Trail) Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Washington, DC.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0165

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8633b080a-b25a-4394-a2a3-e42ddbb8b4cd

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0165

Container:

Box 2 of 2

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 17-127, Smithsonian Libraries, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library, Subject Files

See more items in:

Subject Files

Subject Files / Box 2

Archival Repository:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-sia-fa17-127-refidd1e645

Creator:

Dove, Arthur Garfield, 1880-1946  Search this

Subject:

Phillips, Duncan  Search this

Torr, Helen  Search this

Stieglitz, Alfred  Search this

Type:

Audiotapes

Photographs

Diaries

Sketches

Citation:

Arthur and Helen Torr Dove papers, 1905-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Theme:

Diaries  Search this

Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)9318

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211513

AAA_collcode_dovearth

Theme:

Diaries

Sketches & Sketchbooks

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211513

Creator:

Dove, Arthur Garfield, 1880-1946  Search this

Names:

Phillips, Duncan, 1886-1966  Search this

Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this

Torr, Helen, 1886-1967  Search this

Extent:

3 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audiotapes

Photographs

Diaries

Sketches

Date:

1905-1975

Summary:

The papers of artists Arthur and Helen Torr Dove measure 3 linear feet and date from 1905 to 1975, with the bulk of material dating from 1920 to 1946. Arthur Dove's life as an artist, and his life with the artist Helen Torr, are documented in biographical narratives, personal documents, an audio recording, correspondence, diaries, essays, poetry, notes, exhibition catalogs, clippings, magazine illustrations, pamphlets, receipts, an accounting ledger, tax records, sketches, and photographs.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Arthur and Helen Torr Dove measure 3 linear feet and date from 1905 to 1975, with the bulk of material dating from 1920 to 1946. Arthur Dove's life as an artist, and his life with the artist Helen Torr, are documented in biographical narratives, personal documents, an audio recording, correspondence, diaries, essays, poetry, notes, exhibition catalogs, clippings, magazine illustrations, pamphlets, receipts, an accounting ledger, tax records, sketches, and photographs.

Biographical Materials include a last will and testament, biographical narratives, and other official documents, as well as an audio recording of an interview with William Dove made around 1961 by George Wolfer. Correspondence includes letters from friends, clients, other artists, and Dove's patron Duncan Phillips. There is also correspondence with family members Helen Torr and Paul Dove. Drafts of outgoing letters from Dove to various correspondents including Phillips and Alfred Stieglitz are found.

Writings are extensive and include diaries, autobiographical essays, essays about art, artists, and other subjects, and poetry by Arthur Dove; as well as essays, reminiscences, and notes of Helen Torr. Printed Materials include exhibition catalogs for Dove's shows and the shows of other artists in the Stieglitz Circle, examples of Dove's early magazine illustration work, newspaper reviews of Dove's exhibitions, and various pamphlets related to modern art. Personal Business Records include an accounting ledger of the Doves' expenses, sales receipts, tax records, and an undated art inventory. Artwork consists of ten items, mostly sketches in pencil, watercolor, ink, and colored pencil. Photographs are undated and unidentified, but depict mostly family, homes, and coastal scenes.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 7 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1928-1937, circa 1961 (Box 1; 2 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1920-1974 (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1924-1945 (Boxes 1-3; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Printed Materials, circa 1905-1975 (Box 3; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 5: Personal Business Records, circa 1921-1965 (Box 3; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 6: Artwork, undated (Box 3; 1 folder)

Series 7: Photographs, 1909, undated (Box 3; 4 folders)

Biographical Note:

Arthur Garfield Dove was an early twentieth-century painter, collagist, and illustrator who was one of the first American artists to embrace abstraction in art. He was a part of Alfred Stieglitz's Circle of modern American artists introduced at Stieglitz's 291 Gallery along with John Marin and Georgia O'Keeffe. Dove spent his career developing his own idiosyncratic style of formal abstraction in painting based on his ideas about nature, feeling, and pure form, and characterized by experimentation with color, composition, and materials.

Born in Canandiagua, NY in 1880, Dove grew up in the small, rural town of Geneva, NY. He was first exposed to art by a local farmer and painter named Newton Weatherly, who gave him canvas and paint, and who Dove himself cited as an early influence. Dove went to Cornell University to study law, but soon shifted to art and illustration. He graduated in 1903 and quickly became a success as a magazine illustrator, working for Collier's, McClure's, St. Nicholas, and The Illustrated Sporting News, among other publications. In 1904, he married Florence Dorsey, a Geneva woman, and they lived in New York City. Their son, William Dove, was born in 1910.

In 1908 the couple traveled to Paris to enable Dove to pursue his interest in painting. In Paris, he met Alfred Maurer, Jo Davidson, and other American artists living abroad. The influence of his European and expatriate contemporaries would prove to be a lasting one, exposing him to ideas about abstraction and experimentation that he would develop in his work for the rest of his life.

Soon after Dove's return to the United States, he met Alfred Stieglitz and began a lifelong friendship. Stieglitz ran the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, which came to be known as 291, in New York. His daring, avant-garde exhibitions of both European and American modern art at 291 provided a venue and gathering-place for progressive American artists that was unique for its time. Dove's first solo exhibition at 291 was held in 1912, and consisted of ten pastel drawings that have come to be known as the "Ten Commandments." The attention it received established Dove as a prominent abstract painter.

Around 1920, Dove met another Westport artist named Helen S. Torr, also known as Reds. A Philadelphia-born painter who had studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Reds was married at the time to the cartoonist Clive Weed. Torr and Dove eventually left their unhappy marriages and began a life together, moving to a houseboat docked in Manhattan. In 1922, they moved to Halesite, Long Island, New York, where Dove's artwork once again flourished. By the mid-1920s, he was exhibiting regularly, paralleled by the rise of Stieglitz's new Intimate Gallery in 1925. His work continued to explore abstraction and organic forms, and, in addition to paintings, he produced assemblages made of found materials.

Although a building teardown brought the Intimate Gallery to a sudden end in 1929, the financial support of friends enabled Alfred Stieglitz to open An American Place soon thereafter. There Stieglitz would focus on the work of a few American artists, including Dove, John Marin, and Georgia O'Keeffe. Helen Torr was also exhibited at An American Place, in a group show with Arthur in 1933. It was also at this gallery that the art collector Duncan Phillips was introduced to Dove's artwork. Phillips' interest in Dove grew into an ongoing patronage of Dove that would see them through the Depression and periods of serious illness in the 1930s and 1940s. Their arrangement, whereby Phillips had first refusal on all of Dove's new artwork, enabled him to gradually assemble the largest collection of Dove's work held anywhere.

In 1938, while on a trip to New York to attend his exhibition, Dove became suddenly ill. Although he recovered somewhat that year, his health never entirely returned to normal, and he spent long periods during what remained of his life housebound and in a wheelchair. He and Reds bought a home in Centreport, on Long Island, where they would stay the rest of his life. In 1939 he was so ill that neither his family nor Stieglitz thought he would ever paint again. Despite his physical limitations, he continued to work, turning to the less physically strenuous media of drawing and watercolor, and produced new work for five solo exhibitions in the 1940s. His work of this period embraces pure abstraction more fully than ever, and is regarded by some to be a culmination or crystallization of his singular style and approach to abstract painting.

Arthur Dove suffered a stroke in 1946 and died that November, just four months after his lifelong friend and mentor Alfred Stieglitz died of a heart attack. Reds lived until 1967 in their Centreport home. Dove's importance to American art has since been recognized with more than a dozen retrospective exhibitions at major museums and galleries.

This biography relied heavily on the monograph Arthur Dove: Life and Work, with a Catalogue Raisonné (1984) by Ann Lee Morgan.

Separated Material:

The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming. Reel 725 contains Arthur Dove's letters from Alfred Stieglitz (1918-1946) and Georgia O'Keeffe (1921-1948), and two letters from William Einstein (1937). The original letters were later donated to the Beinecke Library at Yale University, which holds the Stieglitz/O'Keeffe Archives. Reel 2803 contains photocopies of Arthur Dove's card catalog of paintings that were discarded after microfilming. This material is not described in the collection container inventory.

Provenance:

The papers of Arthur and Helen Torr Dove were loaned to the Archives of American Art by Arthur Dove's son, William Dove, for microfilming in several increments between 1970 and 1975. The papers were later donated to the Archives by William Dove via the Terry Distenfass Gallery of New York City in multiple accessions between 1982 and 1989, with two major exceptions: 177 letters from Alfred Stieglitz, sixteen letters from Georgia O'Keeffe, and two letters from William Einstein; and Arthur Dove's card catalog of paintings, a photocopy of which had been loaned for microfilming. The papers were digitized in 2006.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. Microfilmed and digitized portions must be consulted on microfilm or the Archives website. Use of unmicrofilmed, undigitized portion requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Painters -- New York (State)  Search this

Collagists -- New York (State)  Search this

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audiotapes

Photographs

Diaries

Sketches

Citation:

Arthur and Helen Torr Dove papers, 1905-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.dovearth

See more items in:

Arthur and Helen Torr Dove papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw903513152-b2fa-4bc4-b0fb-de7d7f0728be

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-dovearth

Creator:

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Names:

Duke Ellington Orchestra  Search this

Washingtonians, The.  Search this

Ellington, Mercer Kennedy, 1919-1996 (musician)  Search this

Strayhorn, Billy (William Thomas), 1915-1967  Search this

Collector:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Musical History  Search this

Extent:

400 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Phonograph records

Papers

Photographic prints

Posters

Sound recordings

Scrapbooks

Music

Clippings

Awards

Audiotapes

Place:

New York (N.Y.) -- 20th century

Harlem (New York, N.Y.) -- 20th century

Washington (D.C.) -- 20th century

Date:

1903 - 1989

Summary:

The collection documents Duke Ellington's career primarily through orchestrations (scores and parts), music manuscripts, lead sheets, transcriptions, and sheet music. It also includes concert posters, concert programs, television, radio, motion picture and musical theater scripts, business records, correspondence, awards, as well as audiotapes, audiodiscs, photographs, tour itineraries, newspaper clippings, magazines, caricatures, paintings, and scrapbooks.

Scope and Contents:

Dating approximately from the time Duke Ellington permanently moved to New York City in 1923 to the time the material was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution in 1988, the bulk of the material in the Duke Ellington Collection is dated from 1934-1974 and comprises sound recordings, original music manuscripts and published sheet music, hand-written notes, correspondence, business records, photographs, scrapbooks, news clippings, concert programs, posters, pamphlets, books and other ephemera. These materials document Ellington's contributions as composer, musician, orchestra leader, and an ambassador of American music and culture abroad. In addition, the materials paint a picture of the life of a big band maintained for fifty years and open a unique window through which to view an evolving American society.

The approximate four hundred cubic feet of archival materials have been processed and organized into sixteen series arranged by type of material. Several of the series have been divided into subseries allowing additional organization to describe the content of the material. For example, Series 6, Sound Recordings, is divided into four subseries: Radio and Television Interviews, Concert Performances, Studio Dates and Non-Ellington Recordings. Each series has its own scope and content note describing the material and arrangement (for example; Series 10, Magazines and Newspaper Articles, is organized into two groups, foreign and domestic, and arranged chronologically within each group). A container list provides folder titles and box numbers.

The bulk of the material is located in Series 1, Music Manuscripts, and consists of compositions and arrangements by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and other composers. Series 6, Sound Recordings also provides a record of the performance of many of these compositions. The materials in Series 2, Performances and Programs, Series 3, Business Records, Series 8, Scrapbooks, Series 9, Newspaper Clippings, Series 11, Publicity and Series 12, Posters provide documentation of specific performances by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Ellington was a spontaneous and prolific composer as evidenced by music, lyrical thoughts, and themes for extended works and plays captured on letterhead stationery in Series 3, Business Records, in the margin notes of individual books and pamphlets in Series 14, Religious Materials and Series 15, Books, and in the hand-written notes in Series 5, Personal Correspondence and Notes.

During its fifty-year lifespan, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra were billed under various names including The Washingtonians, The Harlem Footwarmers and The Jungle Band. The soloists were informally called "the band", and Series 3 includes salary statements, IOU's, receipts and ephemera relating to individual band members. Series 1, Music Manuscripts contains the soloists' parts and includes "band books" of several soloists (for example; Harry Carney and Johnny Hodges) and numerous music manuscripts of Billy Strayhorn. The changing role of Strayhorn from arranger hired in 1938 to Ellington's main collaborator and composer of many well-known titles for Duke Ellington and His Orchestra including "Take The A' Train" and "Satin Doll" can be traced in these music manuscripts. Series 7, Photographs and Series 2, Performances and Programs contain many images of the band members and Strayhorn. This Collection also documents the business history of Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Series 3, Business Records contains correspondence on letterhead stationery and Series 11, Publicity contains promotional material from the various booking agencies, professional companies, and public relations firms that managed the Orchestra.

The materials in the Duke Ellington Collection provide insight into public and institutional attitudes towards African Americans in mid-twentieth-century America. The business records in Series 3 beginning in 1938 and published sheet music in Series 1 depict Duke Ellington's progression from an African-American musician who needed "legitimization" by a white publisher, Irving Mills, to a businessmen who established his own companies including Tempo Music and Duke Ellington, Incorporated to control his copyright and financial affairs. Programs from the segregated Cotton Club in Series 2, Performances And Programs and contracts with no-segregation clauses in Series 3: Business Records further illustrate racial policies and practices in this time period. The public shift in perception of Duke Ellington from a leader of an exotic "Jungle Band" in the 1930s to a recipient of the Congressional Medal Of Freedom in 1970 is evidenced in Series 2, Performances And Programs, Series 12, Posters, Series 7, Photographs and Series 13, Awards. Reviews and articles reflecting Ellington's evolving status are also documented in Series 8, Newspaper Clippings, Series 9, Scrapbooks, Series 10, Newspaper and Magazine Articles.

The materials in the Duke Ellington Collection reflect rapid technological changes in American society from 1923-1982. Sound recordings in Series 6 range from 78 phonograph records of three minutes duration manufactured for play on Victrolas in monaural sound to long-playing (LP) phonograph records produced for stereo record players. Television scripts in Series 4, programs in Series 2 and music manuscripts (for example, Drum Is A Woman) in Series 1 demonstrate how the development of television as a means of mass communication spread the Orchestra's sound to a wider audience. The availability of commercial air travel enabled the Ellington Orchestra to extend their international performances from Europe to other continents including tours to Asia, Africa, South America and Australia and archival material from these tours is included in every series.

Series 4, Scripts and Transcripts and Series 6, Audio Recordings contain scripts and radio performances promoting the sale of United States War bonds during World War II, and Series 7, Photographs includes many images of Duke Ellington and His Orchestra's performances for military personnel revealing the impact of historic events on Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Series 2: Programs and Performances, Series 9, Newspaper clippings and Series 8, Scrapbooks document the 1963 Far East tour aborted as a result of President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

The Duke Ellington Collection contains works by numerous twentieth-century music, literature, and art luminaries. Series 1, Music Manuscripts contains original music manuscripts of William Grant Still, Eubie Blake, Mary Lou Williams, and others. Series 4, Scripts and Transcripts contains a play by Langston Hughes, and Series 12, Posters contains many original artworks.

Arrangement:

Series 1: Music Manuscripts, circa 1930-1981, undated

Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1973, undated

Series 3: Business Records, 1938-1988

Series 4: Scripts and Transcripts, 1937-1970

Series 5: Personal Correspondence and Notes, 1941-1974, undated

Series 6: Sound Recordings, 1927-1974

Series 7: Photographs, 1924-1972, undated

Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1931-1973

Series 9: Newspaper Clippings, 1939-1973, undated

Series 10: Magazine Articles and Newspaper Clippings, 1940-1974

Series 11: Publicity, 1935-1988

Series 12: Posters and Oversize Graphics, 1933-1989, undated

Series 13: Awards, 1939-1982

Series 14: Religious Material, 1928-1974

Series 15: Books, 1903-1980

Series 16: Miscellaneous, 1940-1974

Biographical / Historical:

A native of Washington, DC, Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29, 1899. Edward was raised in a middle-class home in the Northwest section of Washington described by his sister Ruth--younger by sixteen years--as a "house full of love." Ellington himself wrote that his father J.E. (James Edward) raised his family "as though he were a millionaire" but Edward was especially devoted to his mother, Daisy Kennedy Ellington. In 1969, thirty-four years after his mother's death, Ellington accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom with these words, "There is nowhere else I would rather be tonight but in my mother's arms." Both his parents played the piano and Ellington began piano lessons at the age of seven, but like many boys he was easily distracted by baseball.

In his early teens, Ellington sneaked into Washington clubs and performance halls where he was exposed to ragtime musicians, including James P. Johnson, and where he met people from all walks of life. He returned in earnest to his piano studies, and at age fourteen wrote his first composition, "Soda Fountain Rag" also known as "Poodle Dog Rag." Ellington was earning income from playing music at seventeen years of age, and around this time he earned the sobriquet "Duke" for his sartorial splendor and regal air. On July 2, 1918, he married a high school sweetheart, Edna Thompson; their only child, Mercer Kennedy Ellington, was born on March 11, 1919. Duke Ellington spent the first twenty-four years of his life in Washington's culturally thriving Negro community. In this vibrant atmosphere he was inspired to be a composer and learned to take pride in his African-American heritage.

Ellington moved to New York City in 1923 to join and eventually lead a small group of transplanted Washington musicians called "The Washingtonians," which included future Ellington band members, Sonny Greer, Otto Hardwicke and "Bubber" Miley. Between 1923 and 1927, the group played at the Club Kentucky on Broadway and the ensemble increased from a quintet to a ten-piece orchestra. With stride pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith as his unofficial guide, Ellington soon became part of New York's music scene; Smith proved to be a long-lasting influence on Duke's composing and arranging direction. At the Club Kentucky, Ellington came under the tutelage of another legendary stride pianist, "Fats" Waller. Waller, a protege of Johnson and Smith, played solos during the band's breaks and also tutored Ellington who began to show progress in his compositions. In November 1924, Duke made his publishing and recording debut with "Choo Choo (I Got To Hurry Home)" released on the Blu-Disc label. In 1925, he contributed two songs to Chocolate Kiddies, an all-black revue which introduced European audiences to black American styles and performers. By this time Ellington's family, Edna and Mercer, had joined him in New York City. The couple separated in the late 1920's, but they never divorced or reconciled.

Ellington's achievements as a composer and bandleader began to attract national attention while he worked at the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City, from 1927 to 1932. The orchestra developed a distinctive sound that displayed the non-traditional voicings of Ellington's arrangements and featured the unique talents of the individual soloists. Ellington integrated his soloists' exotic-sounding trombone growls and wah-wahs, their high-squealed trumpets, their sultry saxophone blues licks and Harlem's street rhythms into his arrangements. In the promotional material of the Cotton Club, the band was often billed as "Duke Ellington and His Jungle Band." With the success of compositions like "Mood Indigo," and an increasing number of recordings and national radio broadcasts from the Cotton Club, the band's reputation soared.

The ten years from 1932 to 1942 are considered by some major critics to represent the "golden age" for the Ellington Orchestra, but it represents just one of their creative peaks. These years did bring an influx of extraordinary new talent to the band including Jimmy Blanton on double bass, Ben Webster on tenor saxophone, and Ray Nance on trumpet, violin and vocals. During this ten year span Ellington composed several of his best known short works, including "Concerto For Cootie," "Ko-Ko," "Cotton Tail," "In A Sentimental Mood," and Jump For Joy, his first full-length musical stage revue.

Most notably, 1938 marked the arrival of Billy Strayhorn. While a teenager in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Strayhorn had already written "Lush Life," "Something To Live For" and a musical, Fantastic Rhythm. Ellington was initially impressed with Strayhorn's lyrics but realized long before Billy's composition "Take the A' Train" became the band's theme song in 1942 that Strayhorn's talents were not limited to penning clever lyrics. By 1942, "Swee' Pea" had become arranger, composer, second pianist, collaborator, and as Duke described him, "my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brain waves in his head, and his in mine." Many Ellington/Strayhorn songs have entered the jazz canon, and their extended works are still being discovered and studied today. Strayhorn remained with the Ellington Organization until his death on May 30, 1967.

Ellington had often hinted of a work in progress depicting the struggle of blacks in America. The original script, Boola, debuted in Carnegie Hall in November of 1943, retitled Black, Brown and Beige. The performance met with mixed reviews, and although Ellington often returned to Carnegie Hall the piece was never recorded in a studio, and after 1944 was never performed in entirety again by the Ellington Orchestra. Nonetheless, it is now considered a milestone in jazz composition.

After World War II the mood and musical tastes of the country shifted and hard times befell big bands, but Ellington kept his band together. The band was not always financially self-sufficient and during the lean times Ellington used his songwriting royalties to meet the soloists' salaries. One could assign to Ellington the altruistic motive of loyalty to his sidemen, but another motivation may have been his compositional style which was rooted in hearing his music in the formative stage come alive in rehearsal. "The band was his instrument," Billy Strayhorn said, and no Ellington composition was complete until he heard the orchestra play it. Then he could fine tune his compositions, omit and augment passages, or weave a soloist's contribution into the structure of the tune.

In 1956, the American public rediscovered Duke and the band at the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island. The searing performances of tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves on "Diminuendo and Crescendo In Blue," his premiere soloist, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges on "Jeep's Blues", and the crowd's ecstatic reaction have become jazz legend. Later that year Duke landed on the cover of Time magazine. Although Ellington had previously written music for film and television (including the short film, Black and Tan Fantasy in 1929) it wasn't until 1959 that Otto Preminger asked him to score music for his mainstream film, Anatomy of a Murder, starring Jimmy Stewart. Paris Blues in 1961, featuring box-office stars Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier in roles as American jazz musicians in Paris, followed.

Ellington's first performance overseas was in England in 1933, but the 1960s brought extensive overseas tours including diplomatic tours sponsored by the State Department. Ellington and Strayhorn composed exquisite extended works reflecting the sights and sounds of their travels, including the Far East Suite, 1966. They wrote homages to their classical influences; in 1963, they adapted Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and celebrated Shakespeare's works with the suite Such Sweet Thunder in 1957. With Ella Fitzgerald, they continued the Norman Granz Songbook Series. Ellington also began to flex his considerable pianist skills and recorded albums with John Coltrane (1963), Coleman Hawkins (1963), Frank Sinatra, and Money Jungle (1963) with Charles Mingus and Max Roach. The First Sacred Concert debuted in San Francisco's Grace Cathedral in 1965. In his final years, Ellington's thoughts turned to spiritual themes and he added a Second (1968) and Third (1973) Concert of Sacred Music to his compositions.

In his lifetime, Duke received numerous awards and honors including the highest honor bestowed on an American civilian, the Congressional Medal Of Freedom. In 1965, Ellington was recommended for a Pulitzer Prize to honor his forty years of contribution to music but the recommendation was rejected by the board. Most likely he was disappointed, but his response at the age of sixty-six was, "Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn't want me to be famous too young."

Ellington never rested on his laurels or stopped composing. Whenever he was asked to name his favorite compositions his characteristic reply was "the next five coming up," but to please his loyal fans Ellington always featured some of his standards in every performance. Even on his deathbed, he was composing the opera buffo called Queenie Pie.

Duke Ellington died on May 24, 1974 at seventy-five years of age. His funeral was held in New York's Cathedral of St. John The Divine; he was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. His long-time companion Beatrice "Evie" Ellis was buried beside him after her death in 1976. He was survived by his only child, Mercer Kennedy Ellington, who not only took up the baton to lead the Duke Ellington Orchestra but assumed the task of caring for his father's papers and his legacy to the nation. Mercer Ellington died in Copenhagan, Denmark on February 8, 1996, at the age of seventy-six. Ruth Ellington Boatwright died in New York on March 6, 2004, at the age of eighty-eight. Both Mercer and Ruth were responsible for shepherding the documents and artifacts that celebrate Duke Ellington's genius and creative life to their current home in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

William H. Quealy Collection of Duke Ellington Recordings (AC0296)

Rutgers University Collection of Radio Interviews about Duke Ellington (AC0328)

Duke Ellington Oral History Project (AC0368)

Duke Ellington Collection of Ephemera and realated Audiovisual Materials (AC0386)

Annual International Conference of the Duke Ellington Study Group Proceedings (AC0385)

Robert Udkoff Collection of Duke Ellington Ephemera (AC0388)

Frank Driggs Collection of Duke Ellington Photographic Prints (AC0389)

New York Chapter of the Duke Ellington Society Collection (AC390)

Earl Okin Collection of Duke Ellington Ephemera (AC0391)

William Russo Transcription and Arrangement of Duke Ellington's First Concert of Sacred Music (AC0406)

Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials (AC0415)

Music manuscripts in the Ruth Ellington Collection complement the music manuscripts found in the Duke Ellington Collection.

Carter Harman Collection of Interviews with Duke Ellington (AC0422)

Betty McGettigan Collection of Duke Ellington Memorabilia (AC0494)

Dr. Theodore Shell Collection of Duke Ellington Ephemera (AC0502)

Edward and Gaye Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials (AC0704)

Andrew Homzy Collection of Duke Ellington Stock Music Arrangements (AC0740)

John Gensel Collection of Duke Ellington Materials (AC0763)

Al Celley Collection of Duke Ellington Materials (AC1240)

Materials at Other Organizations

Institute of Jazz Studies

Separated Materials:

Artifacts related to this collection are in the Division of Culture and the Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) and include trophies, plaques, and medals. See accessions: 1989.0369; 1991.0808; 1993.0032; and 1999.0148.

"

Provenance:

The collection was purchased through an appropriation of Congress in 1988.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but the original and master audiovisual materials are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

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.

Copyright restrictions. Consult the Archives Center at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Paul Ellington, executor, is represented by:

Richard J.J. Scarola, Scarola Ellis LLP, 888 Seventh Avenue, 45th Floor, New York, New York 10106. Telephone (212) 757-0007 x 235; Fax (212) 757-0469; email: rjjs@selaw.com; www.selaw.com; www.ourlawfirm.com.

Occupation:

Composers -- 20th century  Search this

Topic:

Big bands  Search this

Pianists  Search this

Bandsmen -- 20th century  Search this

Jazz -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Musicians -- 20th century  Search this

Music -- Performance  Search this

African American entertainers -- 20th century  Search this

African Americans -- History  Search this

Popular music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

African American musicians  Search this

Genre/Form:

Phonograph records

Papers

Photographic prints

Posters

Sound recordings

Scrapbooks -- 20th century

Music -- Manuscripts

Clippings

Awards

Audiotapes

Citation:

Duke Ellington Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sponsor:

Processing and encoding partially funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0301

See more items in:

Duke Ellington Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep850a376a1-6b6d-48bc-9076-cffef76fea2c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0301

Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Bunch, Lonnie G.  Search this

United States. Department of Agriculture  Search this

National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.  Search this

Names:

Go Forth and Serve: Black Land Grant Colleges (Exhibition) (Washington, D.C.: 1990)  Search this

Howard University  Search this

Former owner:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Cultural History  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot

18 Videocassettes (VHS)

15 Cassette tapes

38 Videocassettes (Video 8)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videocassettes (vhs)

Cassette tapes

Videocassettes (video 8)

Videotapes

Oral history

Interviews

Audiotapes

Date:

1992-1993

Summary:

An oral history project that grew out of the exhibit "Go Forth and Serve" which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the drafting of the second Morrill Act, which provided funds for the founding of land grant schools of higher education for black students.

Scope and Contents:

Oral history interviews, on film and audio, on the subject of African American land grant colleges, conducted in conjunction with the exhibition "Go Forth and Serve" at the National Museum of American History in 1990.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into one series. It is organized alphabetically by the name of college or university that is the subject of the interview.

Biographical / Historical:

"Go Forth and Serve", an exhibition curated by Lonnie Bunch and Spencer Crew, opened in March 1990 at the National Museum of American History to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the drafting of the second Morrill Act, which provided funds for the founding of land grant schools of higher education for black students. The exhibition was co-sponsored by the Department of Agriculture and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. There was a subsequent newsletter, and oral interviews were conducted.

Provenance:

Collection made by the Smithsonian Institution Division of Cultural History, National Museum of American History.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Reference copies must be used. Access and use of audiovisual materials available in the Archives Center reading room.

Rights:

Reproduction may be limited due to intellectual property rights. No releases exist.

Topic:

Alcorn State University  Search this

Tennessee State University  Search this

Fort Valley State University  Search this

South Carolina State University  Search this

Delaware State University  Search this

Prairie View A & M University  Search this

West Virginia State University  Search this

Langston University  Search this

Lincoln University (Jefferson City, Mo.)  Search this

University of Maryland Eastern Shore  Search this

Kentucky State University  Search this

State universities and colleges  Search this

Genre/Form:

Videotapes -- 1990-2000

Oral history -- 1950-2000

Interviews -- 1950-2000

Audiotapes -- 1950-2000

Citation:

Go Forth and Serve: African American Land Grant Colleges Audiovisual Collection, 1992-1993, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0614

See more items in:

Go Forth and Serve: African American Land Grant Colleges Audiovisual Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8ba9d0324-51aa-4f0c-8584-230fd86526d1

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0614

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Names:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (approximate)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business records

Sound recordings

Negatives

Video recordings

Correspondence

Plans (drawings)

Memorandums

Photographic prints

Videotapes

Notes

Audiocassettes

Contracts

Slides (photographs)

Audiotapes

Digital images

Date:

June 23-July 4, 1995

Summary:

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 1995 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 6 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Program Books, Festival Publications, and Ephemera

Series 2: The Cape Verdean Connection

Series 3: The Czech Republic: Tradition and Transformation

Series 4: Heartbeat: The Voices of First Nations Women

Series 5: Russian Roots, American Branches: Music in Two Worlds

Series 6: Special Events

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 1995 Festival of American Folklife was produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies and cosponsored by the National Park Service.

For more information, see Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.

Introduction:

The 1995 Festival featured American Indian women's musical traditions, the heritage of the Czech Republic and Czech Americans, music of Russian and Russian American groups, and the cultural life of the Cape Verdean community. These programs testified to the vitality of the human spirit, and to how people, ideas, and forms of cultural expression increasingly cross boundaries of geography, politics, language, race, and gender. Special events included evening concerts devoted to African immigrant communities in the Washington, D.C. area and a memorial concert for Festival founding director, Ralph Rinzler.

Heartbeat: The Voices of First Nations Women presented the musical culture of American Indian women. The program examined how these women express their identity through the use of a variety of musical forms - from traditional songs of home to contemporary songs of Indian life, from the appropriation of men's music to the fusion of root music with country, folk, blues, and gospel.

The Czech Republic: Tradition and Transformation provided a broad survey of the ways national, regional, ethnic, and local traditions have been defined in a complex state located at the crossroads of Central Europe. The "Velvet Revolution" of 1989 and the separation of the Czech and Slovak Republics in 1993 have prompted further examinations of cultural identity, the relationship between the state and popular expression, creativity and tradition. Czech Americans, too, have looked at these changes and the reestablishment of relationships to their ancestral homeland.

A third program, Russian Roots, American Branches: Music in Two Worlds, explored the musical culture of Old Believers and Molokans, Russian religious communities created in the 17th and 18th centuries. The program united immigrant communities long established in the United States with those from Russia, and brought together people who, although separated by generations and different social environments, have nonetheless faced parallel issues with regard to cultural persistence and adaptation.

All these programs involved complex institutional arrangements, local-level research and documentation, and strong commitment to and pride in Festival representation. The Cape Verdean Connection program well demonstrated these processes. Cape Verde is an independent island nation and former Portuguese colony located off the west coast of Africa. Cape Verdean Americans, now numbering about 400,000, most born and raised here, historically settled in New England during the 18th century, playing instrumental roles in the whaling and cranberry industries. Cape Verdeans had an important story to tell about their role in American life, their immigrant and continuing transnational cultural experience, their multiracial heritage, and their enduring sense of community - a story with much to tell others as well. Cape Verdeans provided the impetus for the Festival program, carried out most of the research in concert with Smithsonian scholars, led the effort to raise funds from governments, foundations, corporations, and individuals through benefit dances, auctions, and other community events, and, as is fitting, joined with the Smithsonian to share their experiences with the American public.

The 1995 Festival took place during two five-day weeks (June 23-27 and June 30-July 4) between Madison Drive and Jefferson Drive and between 10th Street and 13th Street, south of the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History (see site plan). It featured four programs and several special events.

The 1995 Program Book included schedules and participant lists for each program; essays provided background on the Festival and each of the four programs.

The Festival was co-presented by the Smithsonian Institution and National Park Service and organized by the Center for Folklife Programs & Cultural Studies.

Center for Folklife Programs & Cultural Studies

Richard Kurin, Director; Richard Kennedy, Deputy Director; Diana Parker, Festival Director; Anthony Seeger, Director, Smithsonian/Folkways Recordngs; Peter Seitel, Senior Folklorist; Thomas Vennum, Jr., Senior Ethnomusicologist; Betty Belanus, Olivia Cadaval, Amy Horowitz, Marjorie Hunt, Diana Baird N'Diaye, Curators, Folklorists, Educational and Cultural Specialists; Carla M. Borden, John W. Franklin, Charlene James-Duguid, Program Managers; Felicia Erickson, Arlene L. Reiniger, Mary Van Meter, Program Specialists; Jeffrey Place, Archivist; Kenneth M. Bilby, Roland Freeman, Ivan Karp, Corrine Kratz, Alan Lomax, Worth Long, Yook Jung Park, Kate Rinzler, Research Associates & Collaborators

Folklife Advisory Council and Folkways Advisory Council

Roger Abrahams, Jacinto Arias, Michael Asch, Jane Beck, Don DeVito, Pat Jasper, Ella Jenkins, Jon Kertzer, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, John Nixdorf, Bernice Reagon, John Roberts, Carol Robertson, Gilbert Sprauve, Jack Tchen, Ricardo Trimillos, Carlos Vélez-Ibáñez

National Park Service

Roger Kennedy, Director; Robert G. Stanton, Regional Director, National Capital Region

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.

Forms Part Of:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1995 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 to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Topic:

Folk art  Search this

arts and crafts  Search this

Food habits  Search this

Folk music  Search this

Folklore  Search this

World music  Search this

Folk festivals  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business records

Sound recordings

Negatives

Video recordings

Correspondence

Plans (drawings)

Memorandums

Photographic prints

Videotapes

Notes

Audiocassettes

Contracts

Slides (photographs)

Audiotapes

Digital images

Citation:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1995 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.SFF.1995

See more items in:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1995 Festival of American Folklife

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5d0f338f7-ff86-4399-82c5-39d8a73d9b35

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-sff-1995

Interviewee:

Sun Ra  Search this

Gaskin, Leonard, 1920-  Search this

Taylor, Billy  Search this

Sullivan, Maxine, 1911-1987  Search this

Wells, Ronnie  Search this

Whiting, Margaret  Search this

Towers, Jack  Search this

Venuti, Joe, 1903-1978  Search this

Pullen, Don, 1941-  Search this

Roney, Wallace  Search this

Pizzarelli, Bucky, 1926-  Search this

Pizzarelli, John, 1960-  Search this

Shaw, Artie, 1910-2004  Search this

Shepp, Archie, 1937-  Search this

Sanders, Pharaoh  Search this

Grant, Felix, 1918-1993  Search this

Scott, Jimmy  Search this

McPhail, Jimmy  Search this

McPartland, Marian  Search this

McFerrin, Bobby  Search this

Krall, Diana  Search this

O'Connell, Helen  Search this

Mulligan, Gerry  Search this

Metheny, Pat  Search this

McShann, Jay  Search this

Horn, Shirley, 1934-  Search this

Hinton, Milt, 1910-2000  Search this

Hill, Andrew, 1937-  Search this

Hendricks, Jon, 1921-  Search this

Keane, Helen  Search this

Kaminsky, Max, 1908-  Search this

Jordan, Sheila, 1928-  Search this

Humes, Helen, 1913-1981  Search this

Hampton, Lionel  Search this

Harris, Eddie, 1934-  Search this

Heath, Jimmy, 1926-  Search this

Frishberg, Dave  Search this

Ennis, Ethel  Search this

Farmer, Art, 1928-  Search this

Flanagan, Tommy, 1930-  Search this

Hampton, Slide  Search this

D'Rivera, Paquito, 1948-  Search this

Daniels, Billy  Search this

Davison, Bill  Search this

Donegan, Dorothy, 1922-  Search this

Crouch, Stanley, 1945-2020  Search this

Conyers, John, 1929-  Search this

Cruz, Celia, 1924-2003  Search this

Byard, Jaki  Search this

Brown, Ruth  Search this

Carter, Betty, 1930-  Search this

Byron, Don  Search this

Betts, Keter, 1928-  Search this

Bellson, Louis  Search this

Bowie, Lester, 1941-  Search this

Blakey, Art, 1919-1990  Search this

Allen, Steve, 1921-2000  Search this

Adderly, Nat, 1931-2000  Search this

Bailey, Benny, 1925-  Search this

Collector:

Stokes, W. Royal, Dr., 1930-  Search this

Names:

Armstrong, Louis, 1901-1971  Search this

Davis, Miles  Search this

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Gillespie, Dizzy, 1917-  Search this

Extent:

10 Cubic feet (39 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audiotapes

Black-and-white photographic prints

Publicity photographs

Date:

1940s-2005

Summary:

Publicity photographs of musicians and entertainers, mostly jazz musicians, such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie, but including many rock and even a few classical performers. The collection also contains tape recorded radio interviews conducted between 1970 and 2003. In addition there are posters relating to musical performances.

Scope and Contents:

This collection was formed by W. Royal Stokes in the course of his professional work as a music and arts critic. It is composed primarily of publicity portraits of musical performers, both single acts and groups. The emphasis is on jazz musicians and singers, although many rock stars and groups, and other popular musical performers are included. Even a few classical musicians are represented. The pictures are primarily mass-produced black and white publicity photographs distributed to newspapers, writers, etc., by agents for entertainment personalities. Some prints were made from the original negatives, while others clearly were made from copy negatives after typography was stripped together with a print and re-photographed. However, there are some rarer original photographs included in the collection, such as personal color snapshots, higher quality prints by art photographers, etc. Nearly all the prints are unmounted, and are 8 x 10 inches or smaller in size. The bulk of the photographs date from circa 1970 to 2000, however, a number of the earlier photographs are included as well as slightly later examples.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into nine series.

Series 1, Photographs of Musicians and Ensembles, circa 1970-2000; undated

Subseries 1.1, Musicians and Ensembles

Subseries 1.2, Recording Company Photographs

Subseries 1.3, Unidentified Musicians

Series 2, Photographs of Performances, 1987-2002; undated

Subseries 2.1, Music Festivals, 1987-2002; undated

Subseries 2.2, Concerts, Music Clubs and Other Venues, 1920s-1940s and circa 1980s-1990s; undated

Series 3, Formal and Informal Groups, circa 1980s-2000; undated

Series 4, Photographs of Musicians in Films, Radio, Television and Theater, 1940s-2000; undated Series 5, Photographs of Subjects and Products related to Musicians and Music, 1970-2000; undated

Series 6, Photographs of Non-Musicians, circa 1980s-2000; undated

Series 7, Interviews with Musicians, 1970-2003

Series 8, Audiovisual Materials, 1970-2003

Subseries 8.1, Audio Recordings - Audiocassettes

Subseries 8.2, Audio Recordings-Audiotapes

Series 9, Posters, 1976-1990; undated

Biographical / Historical:

Born in Washington, D.C., W. Royal Stokes served in the Army and then embarked on an academic career, teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, Tufts University, Brock University and the University of Colorado. He left the academic profession in 1969 and become a writer, broadcaster and lecturer, journalist, and critic and authority on jazz music. A follower of jazz since his teens in the 1940s, Stokes has written about music for such publications as Down Beat, Jazz Times, and the Washington Post, and hosted the public radio shows "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say . . ." and "Since Minton's". Today he is the editor of the quarterly Jazz Notes, and is the author of The Jazz Scene: An Informal History From New Orleans to 1990 and Swing Era New York: The Jazz Photographs of Charles Peterson.. He is also the author of Living the Jazz Life: Conversations with Forty Musicians about Their Careers in Jazz (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2000). Dr. Stokes lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of Ameican History:

Duke Ellington Collection, 1928-1988 (AC0301)

Herman Leonard Photoprints, 1948-1993

Frank Driggs Collection of Duke Ellington Photographic Reference Prints [copyprints], 1923-1972

Jazz Oral History Collection, 1988-1990

Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection, 1910s-1970s (mostly 1930s-1960s)

Jeffrey Kliman Photographs

Stephanie Myers Jazz Photographs, 1984-1987, 2005

Chico O'Farrill Papers

Paquito D'Rivera Papers, 1989-2000.

Louis Armstrong Music Manuscripts, undated

Tito Puente Papers, 1962-1965.

Audrey Wells "Women in Jazz Radio Series, 1981-1982

Mongo Santamaria Papers, 1965-2001

Ramsey Lewis Collection, 1950-2007

Earl Newman Collection of Monterey Jazz Festival Posters, 1963-2009

James Arkatov Collection of Jazz Photographs, 1995-2003

Francis Wolff Jazz Photoprints, 1953-1966

Floyd Levin Jazz Reference Collection, circa 1920s-2006

Jazz Oral History Program Collection, 1992-2009

Leslie Schinella Collection of Gene Krupa Materials

Provenance:

Donated by W. Royal Stokes to the Archives Center in 2001.

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.

Topic:

Jazz musicians -- 1950-2000 -- United States  Search this

Musicians  Search this

Publicity  Search this

Portraits -- Musicians  Search this

Popular music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Entertainers  Search this

Rock music  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audiotapes

Black-and-white photographic prints -- Silver gelatin -- 1950-2000

Publicity photographs

Citation:

W. Royal Stokes Collection of Jazz Musicians' Photographs, ca. 1970-2000, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0766

See more items in:

W. Royal Stokes Collection of Music Photoprints and Interviews

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b79b5a94-c967-451e-bafb-e62dc2d8ff45

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0766

Creator:

Anderson, William "Cat", 1916-1981 (musician)  Search this

Names:

Cat Anderson Quintet  Search this

Duke Ellington Orchestra  Search this

Lionel Hampton Orchestra  Search this

Mingus Quintet  Search this

Bechet, Sidney (musician)  Search this

Calloway, Cab, 1907-1994  Search this

Carter, Benny, 1907-2003  Search this

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Fitzgerald, Ella, 1917-1996  Search this

Hampton, Lionel  Search this

Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978  Search this

Humphrey, Muriel  Search this

Johnson, Lucy Bird  Search this

Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973  Search this

Tatum, Art, 1909-1956  Search this

Webster, Ben  Search this

Extent:

5 Cubic feet (12 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Manuscripts

Transcripts

Oral histories (document genres)

Oral history

Phonograph records

Photographs

Recordings

Interviews

Clippings

Audiotapes

Awards

Audiocassettes

Articles

Date:

1940-1981

bulk 1963-1977

Scope and Contents note:

Primarily audiotapes, sheet music, and photographic images. Also: correspondence, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, itineraries, awards, and ephemera.,Of particular interest are recordings or photographic images, including the personalities listed below, and President and Mrs. Tubman of Liberia; also, two interviews and three recordings of Cat Anderson as guest with various university and college jazz bands.

Arrangement:

Collection is divided into four series.

Series 1: Music

Series 2: Original tapes and recordings

Series 3: Photographs

Series 4: Miscellaneous

Biographical/Historical note:

Cat Anderson (Sept 12, 1916 - April 29, 1981) was one of the premier trumpet players of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Known for his effortless high notes, he was a strong section leader and a great soloist whose style exhibited humor and precision. He grew up in Jenkins= Orphanage in Charleston, SC, received basic music training there, and participated in many of their famous student ensembles. He formed and played with the Cotton Pickers, a group of orphanage teens while still a young man. Before joining Ellington in 1944, he played in several big bands, including Claude Hopkins and Lionel Hampton. Anderson left the Ellington organization from 1947 through 1949 again to lead his own group. From 1959 to1961 and after 1971 Anderson free lanced, working with the Ellington orchestra intermittently. He died in 1981 after receiving honors from the US Air Force, the Prix du Disque de Jazz, and the City of Los Angeles.

Related Archival Materials:

Related artifacts include: awards, plaques, mutes, trumpet mouth pieces, and the Jon Williams/Cat Anderson simulator in the Division of Cultural and Community Life (now Division of Cultural and Community Life). See accession: 1998.3074.

Provenance:

The collection was donated to the National Museum of American History in January 1998, by Dorothy Anderson, Cat Anderson's widow. It was acquired through negotiations with her, her brother, Mr. John Coffey and her nephew, Andrew Brazington. The materials were picked up from Mr. John Coffey of upper N.W. Washington, DC on January 21, 1998.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Master tapes not available to researchers.

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.

Copyright status of items varies. Signed copies of releases on file.

Occupation:

Composers -- 20th century  Search this

Topic:

Music -- 20th century  Search this

Music -- Acoustics and physics  Search this

Musicians -- 20th century  Search this

Piano and synthesizer music  Search this

Inventions -- 1980-2000  Search this

Synthesizer music  Search this

Electric engineering -- 1980-2000  Search this

Band musicians  Search this

African American musicians  Search this

Jazz musicians -- United States  Search this

Inventors -- 20th century  Search this

Genre/Form:

Manuscripts -- Music -- 20th century

Transcripts

Oral histories (document genres)

Oral history

Phonograph records

Photographs -- 20th century

Recordings

Interviews

Interviews -- 1950-2000

Clippings -- 20th century

Audiotapes -- 1940-1980

Awards

Audiocassettes

Audiotapes

Articles -- 1940-1980

Citation:

William "Cat" Anderson Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0630

See more items in:

William "Cat" Anderson Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep891a9a0e4-7c4f-4956-b81e-6d65c57e1f29

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0630

Creator:

Rinzler, Ralph  Search this

Names:

Festival of American Folklife  Search this

Folkways Records  Search this

Greenbriar Boys  Search this

Jugtown Pottery (Firm)  Search this

Newport Folk Festival  Search this

Smithsonian Folklife Festival  Search this

UNESCO  Search this

Carter, Jimmy, 1924-  Search this

Hawes, Bess Lomax, 1921-2009  Search this

Lomax, Alan, 1915-2002  Search this

Monroe, Bill, 1911-1996  Search this

Rinzler, Kate, 1937-2010  Search this

Sayles, Charlie  Search this

Seeger, Anthony  Search this

Seeger, Mike, 1933-2009  Search this

Seeger, Pete, 1919-2014  Search this

Seeger, Toshi  Search this

Watson, Doc  Search this

Extent:

106.32 Cubic feet (87.5 cubic feet of papers, 18.82 cubic feet of audio)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Field recordings

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Notes

Business records

Audiocassettes

Photographic prints

Black-and-white negatives

Audiotapes

Date:

1890-2011

bulk 1950-1994

Summary:

This collection, with bulk dates from 1950-1994, documents the life of Ralph Rinzler and his professional activities as Director of Field Programs for the Newport Folk Festival, Director of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival (formerly the Festival of American Folklife) and the Office of Folklife Programs (now the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage), and the Smithsonian Institution's Assistant Secretary for Public Service. Includes personal papers, business records, correspondence, notes, photographs, audiotapes and field recordings.

Scope and Contents:

The Ralph Rinzler Papers and Audio Recordings encompasses a wide range of materials from Rinzler's prolific personal and professional life. Predominantly consisting of clippings, collected texts, correspondence, meeting notes, photographs, and production materials, this collection charts Rinzler's role in the mid-twentieth century emergence of community-based and institutional efforts to preserve, sustain, and amplify cultural heritage. As an assemblage of materials from all aspects of his life, the Ralph Rinzler Papers also reflect the many integral relationships he developed throughout the years with his colleagues, contemporaries, family, and friends.

Arrangement note:

The collection is currently arranged in 9 archival series as follows:

1. Biographical

2. Collected Texts

3. Correspondence

4. Events

5. Fieldwork

6. Meetings and Organizations

7. Notable Figures

8. Publishing and Production

9. Audio

The papers and photographs contained in the first 8 series are processed at an intermediate level, which means that all material was rehoused in archival folders, with folder-level arrangements and descriptions. Individual items within folders may not be fully arranged or described, due to the collection's level of complexity when it was deposited in the Archives.

When possible, folders were arranged alphabetically within series and subseries.

Biographical/Historical note:

Ralph Rinzler (1934-1994) was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and was interested in music at an early age. He was given a collection of ethnographic recordings from the Archive of Folk Song of the Library of Congress by his uncle, Harvard University ballad scholar George Lyman Kittredge, and they soon became his favorites. He became actively involved in the Folk Revival while attending Swarthmore College, organizing an annual festival on campus. He received his B.A. in 1956, and did graduate work at Middlebury College and the Sorbonne in French literature and language. Upon his return to the United States, he played mandolin for four years with the Greenbriar Boys, at times touring with singer Joan Baez. During the 1960s, he also studied, recorded, and worked with performers of traditional music, such as Doc Watson and Bill Monroe, both of whom gained international recognition in part through his efforts. In 1964, Rinzler accepted the position of Director of Field Programs at the Newport Folk Foundation, which involved the planning and programming of the Newport Folk Festival.

Rinzler came to the Smithsonian in 1967 as co-founder of the Festival of American Folklife (now the Smithsonian Folklife Festival) with James Morris in what was then the Smithsonian's Division of Performing Arts. After the 1976 Bicentennial Festival, Rinzler became the founding director of the Office of Folklife Programs (now the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage) to establish a center for research, publication, and presentation of programs in American culture and tradition. As Director, he initiated Smithsonian Folklife Studies, a publication series, and did research for the Celebration exhibit, which opened at the Renwick Gallery in 1982. Rinzler was appointed Assistant Secretary for Public Service in 1983 and Assistant Secretary Emeritus in 1990. Ralph Rinzler died on July 2, 1994.

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.

Provenance:

The materials in this collection were deposited into the archives of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage over a number of years by Ralph Rinzler, Kate Rinzler, and Jeff Place in honor of the aforementioned. From the 1980s until Ralph Rinzler's passing in 1994, the Center received the majority of the audio tapes and photographs in this collection directly from Rinzler. With Rinzler's death in 1994, Jeff Place reviewed and deposited the majority of Rinzler's papers at the Center.

Until her passing in 2011, Kate Rinzler donated materials to this collection, with more continuing to arrive via her estate (as of May 2021). Many of these items were rehoused in the Kate Rinzler Papers.

Restrictions:

Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Topic:

Folk festivals  Search this

Folk music -- Southern States  Search this

Folk music -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Field recordings

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Notes

Business records

Audiocassettes

Photographic prints

Black-and-white negatives

Audiotapes

Citation:

Ralph Rinzler papers and audio recordings, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.RINZ

See more items in:

Ralph Rinzler papers and audio recordings

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk51af02b1d-29bd-42f2-a8e7-d35c9bab6da0

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-rinz

Creator:

Garland, Ed  Search this

Armstrong, Louis, 1901-1971  Search this

Morton, Jelly Roll, 1890-1941  Search this

Darensbourg, Joe, 1906-1985  Search this

Davison, Bill  Search this

Blake, Eubie (James Herbert), 1883-1983  Search this

Wilson, Buster  Search this

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Collector:

Levin, Floyd, 1922-2007  Search this

Donor:

Levin, Lucille  Search this

Extent:

42.5 Cubic feet (110 boxes, 12 oversize folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Newsletters

Posters

Obituaries

Correspondence

Photographs

Advertisements

Ephemera

Concert programs

Clippings

Business cards

Audiocassettes

Signatures (names)

Audiotapes

Interviews

Personal papers

Biography files

Awards

Writings

Date:

1880 - 2010

Summary:

Floyd Levin was a Los Angeles textile manufacturer who turned his passion for jazz into a second career as an influential jazz journalist and historian. The collection consists of research materials including biographical files. In addition, there are numerous photographs that were taken and collected by Levin.

Scope and Contents:

Research materials on jazz, jazz artists, jazz festivals and jazz organizations compiled by Levin over several decades. The richest portion is the series of biographical files on jazz artists, with emphasis on lesser known but influential artists, and includes such things as obituaries, memorial programs, press releases, concert programs, and newsletters. Photographs are also widely found in this series, many of them inscribed to, or taken with Levin and his wife Lucille, as well as posters, recordings, letters and other correspondence, awards and plaques, Levin's writings, business cards, newspaper articles, advertisements, and miscellaneous ephemeral items. Artists who are strongly represented include one-time Ellington Orchestra clarinetist "Barney" (Albany Leon) Bigard, who was a close personal friend of the Levins and whose personal papers are in the collection; Louis Armstrong; "Jelly Roll" (Ferdinand Lemott) Morton; "Wild" Bill Davison; "Duke" (Edward Kennedy) Ellington; Joe Darensbourg; Edward Bertram "Montudie" Garland; "Kid" (Edward) Ory; "Eubie" (James Herbert) Blake; and "Rosy" (James) McHargue.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into ten series.

Series 1, Personal Papers, 1920-2010, undated

Series 2, Correspondence, 1948-2006, undated

Series 3, Research Materials, 1914-2006, undated

Series 4, Writings, 1949-2006, undated

Series 5, Artists Files, 1880-2010, undated

Subseries 5.1, General Materials, 1880-2010, undated

Subseries 5.2, Obituaries, 1941-2004

Subseries 5.3, Interviews, 1969-2001

Series 6, Subject Files, 1916-2004, undated

Series 7, General Materials, 1908-2006, undated

Series 8, Jazz Organizations and Publications, 1943-2010, undated

Series 9, Photographs, 1939-2001, undated

Series 10, Audiovisual Materials, 1964-1997, undated

Subseries 10.1, Audiocassettes, 1970-1997, undated

Subseries 10.2, Compact Discs, 1966-1994, undated

Subseries 10.3, Sound Tape Reels, 1964-1973, undated

Biographical / Historical:

Floyd Levin (1922 - 2007) was a Los Angeles textile manufacturer who turned his passion for jazz into a second, contemporaneous, career as an influential jazz journalist and historian. His numerous reviews, profiles, and articles were published in magazines such as Down Beat, Jazz Journal International, Metronome, and American Rag. He also authored Classic Jazz: A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians (University of California Press, 2000), which –like his articles – chronicled his first-hand encounters with countless jazz musicians. In 1949, he co-founded the Southern California Hot Jazz Society, the second-oldest jazz appreciation club in the country. Levin led the drive to create the Louis Armstrong Park and statue in New Orleans in the 1970s. During his career, he conducted scores of oral history interviews with jazz musicians, which he donated to NMAH and to Tulane University's jazz archive. He received several awards for his work, including the Leonard Feather Communicator Award, given annually by the Los Angeles Jazz Society. Levin died in 2007.

Provenance:

Donated to the Archives Center in 2011 by Floyd Levin's widow, Lucille Levin.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. Only reference copies of audiovisual materials may be used.

Rights:

Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Jazz  Search this

Jazz musicians  Search this

Genre/Form:

Newsletters -- 20th century

Posters -- 20th century

Obituaries

Correspondence -- 20th century

Photographs -- 20th century

Advertisements -- 20th century

Ephemera -- 20th century

Concert programs -- 20th century

Clippings

Business cards

Audiocassettes

Signatures (names)

Audiotapes

Interviews

Personal papers -- 20th century

Biography files

Awards

Writings

Citation:

Floyd Levin Jazz Reference Collection, 1880-2010, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sponsor:

Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1222

See more items in:

Floyd Levin Jazz Reference Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8cff04d70-8d1e-4159-93fb-10a7bca49f70

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1222

Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Producer:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Department of Public Programs  Search this

America's Jazz Heritage  Search this

Smithsonian Institution. Traveling Exhibition Service  Search this

Funder:

Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation  Search this

Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund  Search this

National Endowment for the Arts  Search this

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Interviewee:

Adams, Joe, 1922-  Search this

Aguabella, Francisco, 1925-  Search this

Akiyoshi, Toshiko, 1929-  Search this

Alvarado, Alfredo  Search this

Anderson, Chris, 1926-  Search this

Armenteros, Chocolate, 1928-  Search this

Armstrong, Howard, 1909-2003  Search this

Ashby, Harold  Search this

Atkins, Clarence, 1921-  Search this

Avakian, George, 1919-  Search this

Baker, David, 1931-  Search this

Bank, Danny, 1922-  Search this

Barker, Danny, 1909-  Search this

Barker, Louise, 1913-  Search this

Barron, Kenny  Search this

Bass, Fontella  Search this

Bates, Peg Leg, 1907-  Search this

Bauza, Mario, 1911-  Search this

Belli, Remo  Search this

Bellson, Louis  Search this

Benson, George, 1943-  Search this

Berger, Ed  Search this

Bert, Eddie, 1922-  Search this

Betts, Keter, 1928-  Search this

Bey, Chief (James), 1913-  Search this

Bishop, Walter, 1927-  Search this

Brooks, Cecil  Search this

Brown, Oscar, Jr., 1926-  Search this

Brown, Velzoe, 1910-  Search this

Brubeck, Dave  Search this

Bryant, Ardie, 1929-  Search this

Bryant, Clora  Search this

Bryant, Ray, 1931-  Search this

Bufalino, Brenda, 1937-  Search this

Bunnett, Jane  Search this

Burns, Ralph, 1922-2001  Search this

Burrell, Kenny  Search this

Butts, Jimmy, 1917-  Search this

Byrd, Charlie, 1925-  Search this

Calloway, Cab, 1907-1994  Search this

Camero, Candido, 1921-  Search this

Carbonell, Luis  Search this

Carrington, Terri Lyne  Search this

Carter, Benny, 1907-2003  Search this

Carter, Ron, 1937-  Search this

Casey, Al, 1915-  Search this

Cheatham, Doc, 1905-1997  Search this

Cheatham, Jeannie, 1917-  Search this

Cheatham, Jimmy, 1924-  Search this

Claxton, William  Search this

Cobb, Jimmy, 1929-  Search this

Cohen, Martin, 1939-  Search this

Collins, John, 1913-  Search this

Columbus, Chris, 1902-  Search this

Conover, Willis, 1920-  Search this

Costello, Diosa  Search this

Cruz, Alfredo  Search this

Cruz, Celia, 1924-2003  Search this

Cugat, Xavier, 1900-  Search this

D'Rivera, Paquito, 1948-  Search this

De Franco, Buddy, 1923-  Search this

DeJohnette, Jack  Search this

Dejan, Harold, 1909-  Search this

Del Puerto, Carlos, 1951-  Search this

Di Novi, Gene, 1928-  Search this

Diaz Ayala, Cristobal  Search this

Donegan, Dorothy, 1922-  Search this

Driggs, Frank, 1930-  Search this

Dudley, Bessie, 1902-  Search this

Edison, Harry, 1915-  Search this

Egũes, Richard, 1923-2006  Search this

Farmer, Art, 1928-  Search this

Favors, Malachi  Search this

Fernandez, Rosita, 1918-2006  Search this

Fernandez, Ruth  Search this

Finegan, Bill, 1917-  Search this

Flynn, Frank (Marimba player)  Search this

Foster, Frank, 1928-  Search this

Fournier, Vernel, 1928-  Search this

Freeman, Von, 1922-  Search this

Fuller, Curtis, 1934-  Search this

Fuller, Gil, 1920-  Search this

Gensel, John  Search this

Gilbert, Peggy  Search this

Golson, Benny  Search this

Gonzalez, Celina  Search this

Goodson, Sadie, 1904-  Search this

Green, Urbie  Search this

Guerrero, Felix, 1916-2001  Search this

Guines, Tata  Search this

Hamilton, Chico, 1921-  Search this

Hampton, Slide  Search this

Harris, Joe  Search this

Harrison, Nelson  Search this

Haynes, Roy, 1926-  Search this

Heath, Jimmy, 1926-  Search this

Heath, Percy, 1923-2005  Search this

Hemphill, Julius, 1938-  Search this

Henderson, Bill, 1930-  Search this

Henderson, Luther  Search this

Hendricks, Jon, 1921-  Search this

Hentoff, Nat  Search this

Hill, Roger, 1928-  Search this

Hinton, Milt, 1910-2000  Search this

Holman, Bill, 1927-  Search this

Horn, Shirley, 1934-  Search this

Humphries, Roger  Search this

Hutcherson, Bobby  Search this

Jarvis, Jane, 1915-  Search this

Jimenez, Flaco  Search this

Johnson, J.J., 1924-  Search this

Jones, Elvin  Search this

Jones, Hank, 1918-2010  Search this

Jones, Jonah  Search this

Jones, Quincy, 1933-  Search this

Jordan, Kidd, 1935-  Search this

Jordan, Sheila, 1928-  Search this

Keepnews, Orrin, 1923-  Search this

Kimball, Narvin, 1909-  Search this

Klein, Manny, 1908-  Search this

Konitz, Lee  Search this

Lateef, Yusef, 1920-  Search this

Laws, Hubert  Search this

LeGon, Jeni, 1916-  Search this

LeRoy Neiman  Search this

Leonard, Herman, 1923-2010  Search this

Levy, John, 1912-2012  Search this

Lewis, Edna, 1907-  Search this

Lewis, Ramsey  Search this

Liebman, Dave  Search this

Lincoln, Abbey, 1930 -  Search this

Liston, Melba  Search this

Livelli, Vincent  Search this

Longoria, Valerio, 1924-2000  Search this

Lopez, Israel, 1918-  Search this

Lucie, Lawrence, 1907-  Search this

Lutcher, Nellie, 1912-  Search this

Lynton, Charles, 1904-  Search this

Mandel, Johnny  Search this

Manning, Frank, 1914-  Search this

Marsalis, Delfeayo  Search this

Marsalis, Ellis  Search this

Marsalis, Jason  Search this

McGettigan, Betty  Search this

McIntosh, Tom, 1927-  Search this

McKibbon, Al, 1919-  Search this

McKusick, Hal, 1924-  Search this

McPartland, Marian  Search this

Mendoza, Lydia  Search this

Miller, Eric  Search this

Miller, Norma, 1919-  Search this

Mondello, Toots, 1911-  Search this

Moody, James, 1925-  Search this

Morgenstern, Dan  Search this

Murray, Albert, 1916-  Search this

Myers, Amina  Search this

Nicholas, Fayard, 1918-  Search this

Nicholas, Harold, 1924-  Search this

Norvo, Red, 1908-1999  Search this

O'Brien, Peter F.  Search this

O'Farrill, Chico, 1921-2001  Search this

Owens, Jimmy, 1943-  Search this

Palmier, Remo, 1923-  Search this

Peraza, Armando, 1924-  Search this

Perez, Graciela  Search this

Peterson, Oscar, 1925-  Search this

Puente, Tito  Search this

Pullen, Don, 1941-  Search this

Rachell, Yank  Search this

Ray, Carline, 1925-  Search this

Reed, Leonard, 1907-  Search this

Richards, Red, 1912-  Search this

Rivers, Sam  Search this

Robinson, Charles  Search this

Robinson, Les, 1912-  Search this

Rogers, Shorty, 1924-  Search this

Rollins, Sonny  Search this

Ross, Annie, 1930-  Search this

Royal, Marshall, 1912-1995  Search this

Rugolo, Pete, 1915-  Search this

Russell, George, 1923-2009  Search this

Rutherford, Rudy  Search this

Sager, Jane, 1914-  Search this

Santamaria, Mongo, 1917-  Search this

Scott, Jimmy  Search this

Settle, Cucell, 1914-  Search this

Shaw, Artie, 1910-2004  Search this

Slyde, Jimmy, 1927-  Search this

Smith, Hale G.  Search this

Smith, Johnny  Search this

Stoll, Jerrold "Jerry" Keith , 1923-2004  Search this

Taylor, Arthur, 1929-  Search this

Taylor, Billy  Search this

Teagarden, Norma, 1911-  Search this

Terry, Clark  Search this

Thielemans, Toots  Search this

Tinney, Al, 1921-  Search this

Toro, Yomo  Search this

Tucker, Bobby, 1923-2008  Search this

Tyner, McCoy  Search this

Valdes, Bebo, 1918-  Search this

Valdez, Carlos, 1926-  Search this

Valdez, Chucho, 1941-  Search this

Valentin, Val, 1920-  Search this

Valeria, Chuy  Search this

Van Gelder, Rudy  Search this

Van Lake, Turk, 1918-  Search this

Viola, Al, 1919-  Search this

Walton, Cedar, 1934-  Search this

Wein, George  Search this

Wess, Frank, 1922-  Search this

Weston, Randy, 1926-  Search this

White, Andrew, 1942-  Search this

Wilder, Joe, 1922-  Search this

Willcox, Spiegle, 1902-  Search this

Williams, Claude, 1908-2004  Search this

Williams, John, 1905-  Search this

Wilson, Gerald, 1918-  Search this

Wilson, Nancy, 1937-  Search this

Wofford, Mike  Search this

Woods, Phil  Search this

Ybarra, Eva  Search this

Yoshida, George, 1922-  Search this

Young, Al (Saxophinist)  Search this

Young, Lee, 1917-  Search this

Young, Webster, 1932-  Search this

Interviewer:

Baker, Lida  Search this

Bluiett, Hamiett  Search this

Brower, William  Search this

Brown, Anthony  Search this

Burstein, Julie  Search this

Carner, Gary  Search this

Cole, Tom  Search this

Coleman, Steve  Search this

Corporan, Hector  Search this

Crease, Bob  Search this

Dantzler, Russ  Search this

Elie, Lolis  Search this

Fernandez, Raul  Search this

Fochios, Steve  Search this

Frank, Rusty  Search this

Geremia, Paul, 1944-  Search this

Haddix, Chuck  Search this

Harris, Barry  Search this

Holley, Eugene  Search this

Jackson, Reuben  Search this

Jenkins, Willard  Search this

Kimery, Kennith  Search this

Kirchner, Bill  Search this

Levin, Floyd, 1922-2007  Search this

Lopez, Rene  Search this

McDaniel, Ted  Search this

McDonough, John  Search this

Murphy, Molly  Search this

Newton, James  Search this

O'Meally, Bob  Search this

Ouelette, Dan  Search this

Pelote, Vincent  Search this

Placksin, Sally  Search this

Porter, Lewis  Search this

Pullman, Peter  Search this

Ritz, David  Search this

Rodrique, Jessie  Search this

Schoenberg, Loren  Search this

Schwartz, Scott  Search this

Smith, Ernie  Search this

Sneed, Ann  Search this

Stitt, Katea  Search this

Talbot, Bruce  Search this

Tucker, Sherrie  Search this

Watson, Matt  Search this

White, Michael  Search this

Whitfield, Weslia  Search this

Willard, Patricia  Search this

Williams, James  Search this

Wong, Herb  Search this

Yamazaki, Paul  Search this

Zimmerman, James  Search this

Extent:

39 Cubic feet (56 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Compact discs

Sound recordings

Oral history

Audiotapes

Interviews

Date:

1992-2014

Scope and Contents:

Audiotapes, CDs and digital files: an ongoing project to interview and preserve the memories of people important in the jazz world, including jazz musicians, singers, dancers, producers, arrangers, and others. A list of interviewees and interviewers follows.

The following is a list of the individuals who conducted the interviews.

1. Brown, Anthony

2. Baker, Lida

3. Burstein, Julie

Interviewer

2. Bluiett, Hamiet

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1, DAT and CD Original Interview Recordings, 1992-2012

Series 2, Cassette Reference and Master Interview Tapes, 1992-2012

Series 3, Audio CD Reference Copies, 2000-2012

Series 4, Video/CD, 1994-2012

Series 5, Transcripts and Abstracts, 1992-2014

Series 6, Supplemental Documentation, 1992-2012

Biographical / Historical:

The Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program, a project of "America's Jazz Heritage, A Partnership of the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution" initiative was created in 1992. More than 150 in-depth oral history interviews were conducted from 1992 through 2002. The collection was transferred to the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History in 2000. Now part of the National Museum of American History's American Music History Initiatives, the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program continues to conduct interviews as funding is available.

The Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program was established to document significant jazz musicians, performers, producers, and business associates in their own words and voices. Program staff contacted and worked with potential interviewees to arrange for interviews. Each interview was conducted by a jazz authority and was recorded on digital audiotape by a professional audio engineer. The interviews averaged 6 hours in length and covered a wide range of topics including early years, initial involvement in music, generally, and jazz specifically, as well as experiences in the jazz music world, including relationships to musicians. The original DAT interview tapes were then dubbed to audiocassettes and CD to create protection and access copies. More recent interviews have been recorded using fully digital technology and the interviews are preserved and made availbel as digital files.

A number of the interviews were conducted as part of the Ella Fitzgerald Oral History Project of the Jazz Oral History Program. Funded by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, these interviews focus on the life and work of Ella Fitzgerald. The National Endowments for the Arts Jazz Masters Oral Histories Program continues to support new interviews with NEA Jazz Masters.

For more information about jazz concerts, education, collections, Jazz Appreciation Month, and the Jazz Master orchestra, visit Smithsonian Jazz.

Provenance:

The interviews were made for the Smithsonian Institution under the auspices of the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program supported by America's Jazz Heritage, funded by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Oral Histories Program. Additional interviews were conducted with support from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Researchers must use reference copies.

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. Release forms exist for most interviews.

Topic:

Dancers  Search this

Music -- 20th century  Search this

Jazz  Search this

Musicians -- United States  Search this

Jazz musicians -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Compact discs

Sound recordings

Oral history -- 1990-2000

Audiotapes -- 1990-2000

Interviews -- 2000-2010

Interviews -- 1990-2000

Citation:

[Interviewee name] Interview, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection, 1992-2014, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

The interviews were made for the Smithsonian Institution under the auspices of the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program and supported by America's Jazz Heritage, funded by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Oral Histories Program. Additional interviews were conducted with support from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0808

See more items in:

Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep89ce666f6-61ae-465c-b2e7-262c9c4d7bfe

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0808

Creator:

Asch, Moses  Search this

Distler, Marian, 1919-1964  Search this

Folkways Records  Search this

Names:

Courlander, Harold, 1908-1996  Search this

Guthrie, Woody, 1912-1967  Search this

Jenkins, Ella  Search this

Leadbelly, 1885-1949  Search this

Ramsey, Frederic, 1915-1995  Search this

Seeger, Pete, 1919-2014  Search this

Extent:

841 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business records

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Photographic prints

Audiotapes

Date:

1926-1986

bulk 1948-1986

Summary:

This collection, which dates from 1926-1986, documents the output of Moses Asch through the various record labels he founded and co-founded, and includes some of his personal papers. The Asch collection includes published recordings, master tapes, outtakes, business records, correspondence, photographs, and film.

Scope and Contents:

The Moses and Frances Asch Collection measures 841 cubic feet and dates from 1926-1987, with some contemporary, relevant correspondence, clippings, and ephemera added after 1987.

Most of the collection consists of audio recordings (commercial 78 rpm and long-playing records, open reel tapes, acetate discs, and test pressings), correspondence with recording artists and producers, artwork, photographs, ephemera, clippings, record production materials, writings, and business papers relating to Folkways Records. Materials relating to Folkways Records can be found primarily in the Correspondence, Folkways Production, Business Records, Photographs, Artwork, Sound Recordings, and Film series.

The collection also contains some biographical materials and personal correspondence, including materials related to Asch's first business, Radio Laboratories, located in the Biographical Materials series. Correspondence, ephemera, photographs, record production materials, business papers, and recordings relating to Asch's record labels before Folkways Records (Asch Recordings, Disc Company of America, Cub Records) are located in the Early Label Materials series as well as the Audio Recordings and Photographs series.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged in 10 series:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1942-1987

Series 2: Folkways Production, 1946-1987

Series 3: Business Records, 1940-1987

Series 4: Woody Guthrie papers, 1927-1985

Series 5: Early Label Materials, 1940-1949

Series 6: Biographical Materials, 1926-1987

Series 7: Photographs

Series 8: Artwork

Series 9: Audio Recordings

Series 10: Film

At this time, the collection is partially processed. Please contact rinzlerarchives@si.edu for more information.

Biographical/Historical note:

The son of Yiddish writer Sholem Asch, Moses Asch was born in Poland in 1905. His childhood was spent in Poland, France, Germany, and New York. While young, Asch developed an interest in radio electronics, which ultimately lead him to his life's work, recording the music and sounds of the world. He established several record labels in succession, sometimes partnering with other record companies. Two of his fist record companies, Asch Recordings and DISC Co. of America, went bankrupt. They were followed by his best-known label, Folkways Records, which was founded in 1948 with Marian Distler (1919-1964). He was still working on Folkways recordings when he died in 1986.

Folkways Records sought to document the entire world of sound. The 2,168 titles Asch released on Folkways include traditional and contemporary music from around the world, spoken word in many languages, and documentary recordings of individuals, communities, and current events. Asch's business practices revolved around the commitment to keep every recording issued by Folkways in print, despite low sales. Asch stayed afloat by cutting costs where he could (such as color printing) and offering a high-quality product, meticulously recorded and accompanied by extensive liner notes. In doing this, he could charge a slightly higher price than other commercial outfits. Despite a tenuous relationship with financial solvency, Folkways grew to be not only one of the most important independent record companies in the United States in the 20th century, but also one of the largest and most influential record companies in the world.

Moses Asch's record labels featured famous and lesser known American writers, poets, documentarians, ethnographers, and grass roots musicians on commercial recordings. American folk icon Woody Guthrie recorded on the Asch, Disc, and Folkways labels, and the Asch Collection includes some of his correspondence, lyrics, drawings, and writings. The collection also includes correspondence with other notable musicians and artists such as John Cage, Langston Hughes, Margaret Walker, Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, Pete Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Ewan MacColl, Alan Lomax, Henry Cowell, and Kenneth Patchen. Also in the collection are ethnographic field notes and photographs by as well as correspondence with Béla Barók, Sidney Robertson Cowell, Harold Courlander, Helen Creighton, Laura Boulton, and Samuel Charters. Asch hired various prominent artists and graphic designers including David Stone Martin, Ben Shahn, John Carlis, and Ronald Clyne to create album cover art for his recordings. Much of the original art and designs for these covers can be found in the Asch Collection.

Asch's output of recordings on various labels, including published recordings, open reel master tapes, outtakes, and acetate disks, in addition to his business papers, correspondence, photographs, and other files were acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987. The collection came to the Smithsonian with the understanding that all 2168 titles under the Folkways label would be kept available in perpetuity.

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.

Provenance:

Ralph Rinzler arranged the Smithsonian's acquisition of the Moses and Frances Asch Collection in 1987, beginning with Asch before his death in 1986 and continuing with extensive discussions between Rinzler and the Asch family. Since its acquisition, archivist Jeff Place and others have added contemporary, relevant correspondence with Folkways artists and related individuals.

Restrictions:

Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Topic:

Folk music  Search this

Folk dance music  Search this

Electronic music  Search this

Oral interpretation of poetry  Search this

Oral interpretation of fiction  Search this

Music -- 20th century  Search this

Music -- 19th century  Search this

Music -- 18th century  Search this

Jazz  Search this

Folk music -- United States  Search this

World music  Search this

Sounds  Search this

Vocal music  Search this

Popular music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business records

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Photographic prints

Audiotapes

Citation:

Moses and Frances Asch Collection, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.ASCH

See more items in:

Moses and Frances Asch Collection

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk533b8a927-559a-44ac-98d2-f32d871058b4

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-asch

Creator:

Fitzgerald, Ella, 1917-1996  Search this

Producer:

Decca (recording company).  Search this

Verve Records (Firm)  Search this

Granz, Norman  Search this

Performer:

Jazz at the Philharmonic (Musical group)  Search this

Musician:

Betts, Keter, 1928-  Search this

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Gillespie, Dizzy, 1917-1993  Search this

Pass, Joe, 1929-1994  Search this

Peterson, Oscar, 1925-  Search this

Names:

Goodman, Benny (Benjamin David), 1909-1986  Search this

Arranger:

Riddle, Nelson  Search this

Extent:

50 Cubic feet (92 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Awards

Videocassettes

Audiotapes

Programs

Sound recordings

Manuscripts

Phonograph records

Photographs

Posters

16mm motion picture film

Clippings

Contracts

Greeting cards

Date:

circa 1935-1996

Summary:

Ella Fitzgerald, often called the "First Lady of Song," was one of the 20th century's most important musical performers. The collection reflects her career and personal life through photographs, audio recordings, and manuscript materials.

Scope and Contents:

The Ella Fitzgerald Papers document the performing and personal life of the "First Lady of Song." The collection contains music manuscripts, sheet music, photographs, scripts, correspondence, clippings, business records, sound recordings and video. The bulk of the materials reflect Fitzgerald's career as a singer and performer. The collection comprises materials found in Ella Fitzgerald's home at the time of her death.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into 10 series.

Series 1: Music Manuscripts and Sheet Music, 1919-1973

Suberies 1.1: Television Shows

Series 2: Photographs, 1939-1990

Subseries 2.1: Ella Fitzgerald Performing Alone

Subseries 2.2: Ella Fitzgerald Performing With Others

Subseries 2.3: Publicity

Subseries 2.4: Ella Fitzgerald With Family, Colleagues, and Friends

Subseries 2.5: Ella Fitzgerald Candid Photographs

Subseries 2.6: Performing Venues

Subseries 2.7: Photographs From Friends and Fans

Series 3: Scripts, 1957-1981

Series 4: Correspondence, circa 1960-1996

Series 5: Business Records, 1954-1990

Series 6: Honorary Degrees and Awards, 1960-1996

Series 7: Concert Programs and Announcements, 1957-1992, undated

Series 8: Clippings, 1949-1997

Subseries 8.1: Magazine Articles, 1949-1997

Subseries 8.2: Newspapers, circa 19650-circa 1990

Series 9: Emphemera, 1950-1996

Subseries 9.1: Album Jackets

Subseries 9.2: Miscellaneous

Series 10: Audiovisual, 1939-1995

Subseries 10.1: Sound Discs: Test Pressings, Transcription Discs, and Performer Copies, 1939-1979

Subseries 10.2: Commercial Sound Recordings, 1956-1961

Subseries 10.3: Demonstration Sound Discs: Other Artists

Subseries 10.4: Sound Tapes, 1938-1996

Subseries 10.5: Videotapes, 1967-1999

Subseries 10.6: Reference Tape Cassettes (for 1/4" open reel originals)

Biographical / Historical:

Born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25th, 1918, Ella Fitzgerald was sent to an orphanage in Yonkers, New York at the age of six. In 1934, she was discovered as a singer in New York's famed Apollo Theater Amateur Contest. This led to a stint with drummer Chick Webb's Band, with whom she recorded her first big hit, "A -tisket A-tasket" in 1938.

After Webb died in 1939, Fitzgerald took over leadership of the band for three years, during which time they were featured on a live radio series. She then embarked upon a solo career, which included recording for Decca Records, and in 1946, she began a pivotal association with producer Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic series, which brought her a large international following.

In 1956, Fitzgerald left Decca Records to join Granz's newly formed Verve label. Among her notable Verve recordings were a series of "songbooks" featuring the work of major American composers such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Harold Arlen as well as classic collaborations with Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Fitzgerald's toured and performed extensively and her immense popularity also led to appearances on television, in movies, and in commercials and magazine ads.

Despite increasing health problems, Fitzgerald continued to tour, perform and record into her seventies with musicians such as guitarist Joe Pass, arranger-producer Quincy Jones, and pianist Oscar Peterson. Throughout her life, Fitzgerald was active in charitable work with particular emphasis on the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Ella Fitzgerald and Harriette E. Shields Child Care Centers.

Ella Fitzgerald was admired and honored world-wide. In addition to receiving more than a dozen Grammy awards, she was awarded numerous honorary degrees and many states and cities had commemorative Ella Fitzgerald days. Fitzgerald was a Kennedy Center honoree in 1979 and Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Club named her "Woman of the Year" in 1982.

The "First Lady of Song" died on June 17, 1996, of complications from diabetes.

Related Materials:

Materials at the Archives Center

Benny Carter Collection, 1928-2000 (AC0757)

Charismic Productions Records of Dizzy Gillespie, 1940s-1993 (AC0979)

Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection, 1992-2012 (AC0808)

Milt Gabler Papers, 1927-2001 (AC0849)

Tad Hershorn Collection, 1956-1991 (AC0680)

Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection, circa 1910- circa 1970 (AC0491)

Separated Materials:

"The National Museum of American History, Division of Culture and the Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) holds Ella Fitzgerald artifacts including costumes and clothing.

"

Provenance:

The collection was donated by the Fitzgerald 1989 Trust, Richard Rosman, trustee on April 14, 1997. The Ella Fitzgeral Charitable Foundation is the successor to the Fitzgerald 1989 Trust.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Only reference copies of audiovisual materials can be used.

Rights:

The Archives Center can provide reproductions of some materials for research and educational use. Copyright and right to publicity restrictions apply and limit reproduction for other purposes. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Jazz  Search this

Genre/Form:

Awards

Videocassettes

Audiotapes

Programs -- 1930-2000

Sound recordings

Sound recordings -- 1930-1990

Manuscripts -- Music -- 20th century

Phonograph records

Photographs -- 20th century

Posters -- 20th century

16mm motion picture film

Clippings -- 20th century

Contracts

Greeting cards

Citation:

Ella Fitzgerald Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0584

See more items in:

Ella Fitzgerald Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b30d86b3-2935-49c8-b13c-faf206402d9c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0584

Creator:

UNESCO  Search this

Extent:

27 Boxes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business records

Audiotapes

Compact discs

Date:

circa 1961-2006

Summary:

This collection, which dates from circa 1961-2006, contains audiorecordings from the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music of the World, as well as related business records. Includes recordings of tradition and sacred music from Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Sudan, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Peru, Afghanistan, Australia, Cambodia, China, Korea, the Solomon Islands, India, Bali, Java, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Oman, Syria, and Turkey.

Biographical/Historical note:

The UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music of the World included more than a hundred pioneering audio recordings of the world's traditional music published from 1961 to 2003 on a number of different recording labels. The series was launched in 1961 in collaboration with ethnomusicologist Alain Daniélou (1907-1994) and the International Music Council (created by UNESCO in 1949). The recordings in the Collection are mostly field recordings made in situ, in their original context. Each recording is accompanied by scholarly annotations and photographs. Together, these discs are a reflection of the immense variety of music making and of the position music holds within cultures around the globe.

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.

Restrictions:

Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Topic:

Sacred music  Search this

Folk music -- Europe  Search this

Folk music -- Caribbean Area  Search this

Folk music -- South America  Search this

Folk music -- Middle East  Search this

Folk music -- Asia, Central  Search this

Folk music -- Africa  Search this

Folk music -- Australia  Search this

Folk music -- Asia, Southeastern  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business records

Audiotapes

Compact discs

Citation:

UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music of the World records, Ralph Rinzler Folklikfe Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.UNES

See more items in:

UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music of the World records

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk567c3c14a-5422-48dc-bf32-27eb4e6b311b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-unes

Creator:

Fast Folk Musical Magazine  Search this

Hardy, Jack, 1947-2011  Search this

Meyer, Richard , 1952-  Search this

Names:

Fast Folk Musical Magazine  Search this

Extent:

59.02 Cubic feet (compact discs, Audiotapes (AMPEX 467), digital audiotapes, phonograph records, Reel-to-reel audiotapes, VHS videotapes)

720 Folders (Business records)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Ephemera

Digital audio tapes

Videotapes

Financial records

Contracts

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Business records

Audiocassettes

Photographs

Audiotapes

Compact discs

Date:

1982-2002

bulk 1982-1995

Summary:

163 reel to reel tapes,136 VHS tapes, 188 cassette tapes, 100 DAT tapes, 20 467 tapes, 6 compact discs, 16 miscellaneous audio materials, all are mostly recordings of Fast Folk events or Fast Folk recording artists; 604 folders containing information and materials relating to magazines, recordings, events and business; objects related to the Fast Folk Musical Magazine

The Fast Folk Musical Magazine records, which date from 1982-2002, document the activities of Fast Folk Musical Magazine. The collection is comprised chiefly of audio/video materials and the paper business records of the company. Audio and video materials include phonograph records, reel-to-reel tapes, VHS videotapes, audiocassettes, digital audiotapes, compact discs and miscellaneous audio material. The paper records include press materials related to Fast Folk and Fast Folk recording artists, magazine source materials, recording agreements, lyrics, artist biographies, photographs, financial documents, correspondence, planning for events and other miscellany. Additionally, there is a Fast Folk t-shirt and a bag of Fast Folk pencils, pens and erasers.

Scope and Contents:

There are two main components of the Fast Folk Musical Magazine Collection: the audio and video materials and the paper records of the company. This finding aid is a guide to the paper records and related materials.

Biographical / Historical:

The Fast Folk Musical Magazine, previously known as The CooP, was a non-profit organization that published recordings with an accompanying magazine from 1982-1996. Fast Folk began as an outlet through which singer-songwriters could perform, as there were few venues that booked folk singers in New York City during that time period. Jack Hardy (1948-2011) headed this endeavor in the Speakeasy club, sharing space with a belly dance club and a falafel restaurant. A musician's co-op was created at the Speakeasy, meaning that everything in the club was to be done by the musicians, from booking to cleaning. The first show by the musicians' co-op at the Speakeasy was in September of 1982. It was considered the best place for a musician to get a gig if he or she did not already have a record deal.

Richard Meyer (1952-2012), who eventually became editor of Fast Folk in 1985, joined the project a couple months after its inception as a performer, writer and graphic designer for the magazine. Jack Hardy introduced himself to Meyer at a concert and invited him to sign up for the Songwriter's Exchange; another project organized by Hardy in which musicians performed songs for each other that they had recently written. Slowly, the number of people working on Fast Folk grew and Meyer trained others to do what he did. An important part of the organization was its community-oriented system; it was almost entirely run by an ever-changing group of volunteers. As the staff at Fast Folk increased, it became continuously involved in shows such as the Greenwich Village Folk Festivals which were used as fundraisers.

Fast Folk provided a good way for musicians to be able to make their own record or to be part of a record, since making a record on one's own was more difficult in that era. Many commercial recording artists such as Lyle Lovett, Tracy Chapman, Michelle Shocked, Christine Lavin, Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin recorded some of their first songs with Fast Folk. While some musicians eventually became commercially successful, Fast Folk consistently stressed that this was not their organization's objective. By releasing many different artists' work on each recording, Fast Folk strove to expand the collective horizons of their audience and spread the power of individual songs as opposed to individual artists. Songwriters were incorporated into an issue of Fast Folk by sending in demo tapes or by being heard by Hardy and Meyer at a Songwriters' Exchange or other performance. The Fast Folk committee also had a significant input as to who was on each album. The magazine was used as an outlet for discussing current issues of songs and songwriting across the country, as well as reviewing albums and interviewing artists. Many issues were devoted to the music of different sections of the United States such as Boston, Los Angeles and the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts. The issues of Fast Folk were sold mostly through subscription, but also at the Speakeasy club. Around the time Richard Meyer contacted the Smithsonian, Fast Folk stopped producing records and magazines, mostly due to a lack of volunteers with enough time to devote to a business of Fast Folk's size.

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.

Provenance:

The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired these materials in 1999, when Fast Folk Musical Magazine donated its records to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. In 1996, Richard Meyer, on behalf of Fast Folk Musical Magazine, contacted Anthony Seeger, then Director of Smithsonian Folkways Records, offering the Fast Folk materials to the Smithsonian. After several years of correspondence, the Smithsonian received the collection. The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage agreed to keep the recordings available commercially and to retain the records in the archive, as well as to leave Fast Folk with the option to restart publication of the magazine.

Restrictions:

Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Topic:

Popular music -- Writing and publishing  Search this

Popular music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Folk music -- United States  Search this

Folk singers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Ephemera

Digital audio tapes

Videotapes

Financial records

Contracts

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Business records

Audiocassettes

Photographs

Audiotapes

Compact discs

Citation:

Fast Folk Musical Magazine records, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.FFMM

See more items in:

Fast Folk Musical Magazine records

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5060cea5e-a675-45e3-9a9e-17f441ffa5b8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-ffmm

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Names:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (approximate)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Notes

Contracts

Sound recordings

Audiocassettes

Audiotapes

Memorandums

Video recordings

Videotapes

Correspondence

Digital images

Negatives

Photographic prints

Slides (photographs)

Plans (drawings)

Business records

Date:

June 25-July 6, 1986

Summary:

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 1986 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 6 series.

Series 1: Program Books, Festival Publications, and Ephemera

Series 2: 20th Anniversary Music Stage

Series 3: American Trial Lawyers

Series 4: Cultural Conservation: Traditional Crafts in a Post-Industrial Age

Series 5: Japan: Rice in Japanese Folk Culture

Series 6: Tennessee

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 1986 Festival of American Folklife was produced by the Smithsonian Office of Folklife Programs and cosponsored by the National Park Service.

For more information, see Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.

Introduction:

1986 saw the 20th annual Festival. Twenty years previously, the Smithsonian's 1967 Festival of American Folklife had announced in a national forum that study and conservation of living traditional cultures were a continuing part of the Federal government's engagement with arts, humanities, and science. Since that time, this idea has resonated outside the Institution in a way that helped to shape a coordinated Federal approach to traditional cultures.

1986 marked as well the 10th anniversary of the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress, on whose board the Secretary of the Smithsonian sits as an ex-officio member. In his remarks for the Festival Program Book, Secretary Robert McC. Adams took note that the Smithsonian had collaborated with the Center on several folklife matters, among them the Federal Cylinder Project, which preserved and was actively making available to Indian communities the earliest sound recordings of American Indian music. He offered his congratulations to the American Folklife Center and also to the Folk Arts Program at the National Endowment for the Arts, in its 14th year in 1986, for their continuing good work.

The 1986 Festival featured four thematic programs and a series of musical performance celebrating the Festival's 20th anniversary. The 1986 Program Book included schedules and participant lists for each program; the Program Book essays provided a larger context for the Festival presentations, without being limited to traditions actually presented at the 1986 Festival.

The 1986 Festival took place for two five-day weeks (June 25-29 and July 2-6) between Madison Drive and Jefferson Drive and between 10th Street and 14th Street, south of the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History (see site plan). A visual highlight of the 1986 Festival site was a large flooded rice paddy in the Japan program, where daily rice-transplanting rituals were enacted. The Festival was co-presented by the Smithsonian Institution and National Park Service and organized by the Office of Folklife Programs.

Office of Folklife Programs

Peter Seitel, Director; Richard Kurin, Deputy Director; Diana Parker, Festival Director; Thomas Vennum, Jr., Senior Ethnomusicologist; Alicia María González, Assistant Director for Program Development; Marjorie Hunt, Phyllis M. May, Nicholas R. Spitzer, Folklorists; Richard Derbyshire, Archivist

National Park Service

William Penn Mott, Jr., Director; Manus J. Fish, Jr., Regional Director, National Capital Region

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.

Forms Part Of:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1986 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 to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Topic:

Folk festivals  Search this

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arts and crafts  Search this

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Genre/Form:

Notes

Contracts

Sound recordings

Audiocassettes

Audiotapes

Memorandums

Video recordings

Videotapes

Correspondence

Digital images

Negatives

Photographic prints

Slides (photographs)

Plans (drawings)

Business records

Citation:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1986 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.SFF.1986

See more items in:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1986 Festival of American Folklife

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5e5d0b7a9-ee40-4c10-9622-ca4ebcd9d931

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-sff-1986