Jazz History Database - A Digital Museum of Jazz History

Saxophonist Jefferson was a founding father of the Saxtrum Club, one of the earliest known artist-managed jazz collectives and session halls in New England. A robust player whose sound was inspired by the tenor titans of Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and Ben Webster, Jefferson carried that majesty to local audiences.

Rick Stepton

Trombonist Stepton has toured the globe with the best big bands in the world, including those of Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson and Artie Shaw. He earned his stripes with Buddy Rich, who called him the best lead trombonist he had ever had in his band. Stepton shares his musical and life experiences in interviews, video and audio recordings.

Miriam "Mamie" Moffitt

Born in 1884, pianist, arranger, and educator, Moffit became the seminal figure in the early Central New England jazz scene. In the early 1920s she assembled Mamie Moffitt and Her 5 Jazz Hounds, recognized as the first professional jazz ensemble in Worcester. It could be argued that the group is one of the first female-led orchestras in America.

Roscoe "Rocky" Blunt

Author, journalist, drummer, and bandleader, Blunt formed one of the first racially integrated jazz ensembles in Central MA. The Rocky Blunt All Stars, featuring Howie Jefferson and Barney Price, is documented on a 1948 recording that can be heard here.

see more musicians

EVENTS

Lennie Tristano Symposium

The first symposium ever held on the life and impact of legendary pianist Lennie Tristano was hosted at WPI. This video collection includes full panel presentations by Connie Crothers, Bud Tristano, Jimmy Halperin, Harvey Diamond and author Eunmi Shim.

WCUW Jazz Festivals

Community radio station WCUW, Worcester, MA, sponsored an annual festival that included performances by internationally acclaimed avant-garde jazz artists. This collection offers recordings of concerts from 1978 to 1990. Some of the many highlighted here include Max Roach, Archie Shepp, and Anthony Braxton.

Jazz At Sunset

Held at the EcoTarium in Worcester, Jazz at Sunset occurs on Fridays for six weeks during the summer. This collection contains fliers, articles, and photographs from 1991 to 2009. A partial list of performers includes Eugene Maslov, Luciana Souza, Warren Vache, Maynard Ferguson, Houston Person and Etta Jones.

Brown Bag Concert Series

The Brown Bag Concerts is a series held at Mechanics Hall. Studio 3 TV recorded the concerts between 1993 and 2000. Jazz has been a mainstay of the series and included Dave McKenna and Scott Hamilton, Tess Souter, Robin McKelle, James Williams and Karolina Strassmayer.

see more events

MEDIA

Telegram and Gazette

This collection presents articles, reviews and previews amassed from Worcester's daily newspaper. A host of writers tackled the subject of jazz through the years, including such scribes as James Gourgouras, Eve Skehan, James Lee, Bob Bliss, Walter Crockett and Scott McLennan.

WICN Radio 90.5 FM

Presenting jazz music seven days per week, WICN remains an active and integral participant in the community. As producer of the Brown Bag and Jazz at Sunset series, WICN is an indisputable vital force on the Central New England jazz scene. This collection presents an overview of the station's remarkable history, interviews, and recorded live performances.

Worcester Magazine

Whether by staff writers such Charles Pierce and Chet Williamson, or editors Walter Crockett and Paul Della Valle, or even publisher Allen Fletcher (who snatched one of last interviews with pianist Don Asher), "Worcester's weekly" has often chronicled the local jazz scene through the years. Here is a sample of the paper's output.

WCUW Radio 91.3 FM

WCUW Radio is a non-commercial, community access radio station that seeks to "inform, entertain and enlighten." Over its years, the station has served as a breeding ground for national talent. Consider: Ross Reynolds, Program Director at KUOW, NY; Amy Salit, a producer for "Fresh Air with Terry Gross;" and Tom Reney, host of Jazz a la Mode at WFCR, Amherst, MA.

see more media

COLLECTIONS

In Their Own Hand

In Their Own Hand is a collection of original manuscripts and compositions written by musicians of the Central New England area. Here you will find handwritten pieces by such esteemed artists as Jaki Byard, Barbara Carroll, Tony Zano, Steve Davis, Gary Valente, and Boots Mussulli.

In Their Own Voice

These audio interviews were made for radio rebroadcasts and print distribution. Largely culled from interviews conducted by Joe Zupan and Chet Williamson, the collection includes conversations with such historic figures as Sonny Rollins, Eartha Kitt, and Charles Lloyd.

Scrapbook

This section features classic memorabilia, ephemera, and vintage photographs of Worcester's storied jazz past. Collected from local musicians, history museums, libraries and newspaper clippings, the page is highlighted by classic shots of early Worcester bands from Mammie Moffit's 5 Jazz Hounds to the Zaleski Brothers.

Visual Arts: Jazz

Included here are original works by Linda Dagnello, Peter DeVeber, George Fayard, AJ Juarez, among others. It is a stunning collection of sketches, paintings, photography, and other forms of visual art that have been created by jazz musicians.

see more collections

FEATURED

JAZZed Featured Article

Read what JAZZed Magazine had to say about the Jazz History Database

FEATURED

American Federation of Jazz Societies

A great resource containing "how-to guides"

FEATURED

"Worcester's Jazz History Database"

Jazz Music Blog, by Tom Reney

FEATURED

Jazz Poetry

Audio, video, and written poetry inspired by jazz

FEATURED

Studio 3

Performances and interviews from the nationally-acclaimed TV series

FEATURED

Visual Arts: Jazz

Photography and paintings, by and about jazz musicians

FEATURED

In Their Own Hand

Original Hand Written Scores & Manuscripts

FEATURED

JazzSphere

Jazz History Blog by Chet Williamson

ABOUT US

The Jazz History Database is an active and growing library of materials focused on the preservation and education of the History of Jazz in New England. We invite jazz historians, musicians, family members, educators and students to contribute materials!

The Jazz History Database is a service of the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education. All materials have been processed and edited by faculty and students of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA. All items are used with the permission of contributors and are edited to remove copyrighted content for which permission is not explicitly provided.

The content in this site is provided for non-profit personal or scholarly use. No content may be resold, republished, or otherwise used for profit without the express permission of its respective copyright owner.