Jazz History Database - A Digital Museum of Jazz History

A living, online, multimedia museum.

Jane Miller is a guitarist, composer, and arranger with roots in both jazz and contemporary acoustic guitar worlds. She is a featured guitarist in noted jazz journalist Scott Yanow's 2013 book The Great Jazz Guitarists: A Complete Guide. The Jane Miller Group has released three CDs. Her fourth CD, her first solo guitar recording, called "Three Sides To a Story," was released in June of 2013.

Pete Clemente

There is not a person in Central Massachusetts who has had a greater impact on the guitar playing community than Pete Clemente.The second son of Italian immigrants Matteo Clemente and Raffaela (Tomaiolo) Clemente, Peter Clemente was born on November 22 1914 on Lyon Street in the Italian district in Worcester, MA. From an early age he had musical influences.

Johnny Rines

Originally from Webster, Rines first performed locally in bands led by boyhood friends like Tony Lada, Sr. and Dick Bellerose in long lost clubs from town. He also worked in a territory band led by Gene Broadman that barnstormed throughout Southern Massachusetts region.

Jaki Byard

He was a child of destiny. As a kid growing up in Worcester Jaki Byard was surrounded by music and he took to it like a fish – swimmingly. Before his death in 1999, Byard became one of the most influential musicians in the global jazz scene.

Tony D'Angelo

Hailing from the swing and dance band era, local jazz musician Anthony “Tony” D’Angelo fell in love with jazz at an early age. Born in 1926 in Worcester, Tony came from a musical family. His ear was accustomed to the smooth rhythms played by his father on the guitar and mandolin. Both born in Italy, Tony’s parents, Gioachino D’Angelo and Annina Forcucci, loved to entertain at the family home. Tony was one of ten brothers and sisters, all of whom were in some way musically-inclined.

Paul Alberta

Mr. Alberta began his musical career in a small suburban community near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For five years he was a member of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, a member of the Pittsburgh Junior Orchestra, and was twice a guest soloist with The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

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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.

Talkin' History Symposium

This video taped symposium was held on the campus of WPI on Sunday, February 25, 2001. Ten panelists explored the historical context in which jazz music developed, and sometimes flourished, in the city of Worcester, MA. The scope reached from the early 1920's until the turn of the millennium.

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.

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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.

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COLLECTIONS

Ed Bride

Edward Bride is president and founder of Berkshires Jazz, Inc., whose mission is to present jazz performances and encourage jazz education in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

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.

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FEATURED

Research at WPI

Prof. Falco talks about the Jazz History Database and the importance of preservation

FEATURED

"How Can You Research Jazz and Its History?"

A lecture delivered at WPI on Sunday April 15, 2012 by Dr. Lewis Porter

FEATURED

Research Methods For Local/Regional Musicians

A lecture delivered at WPI by Chet Williamson

FEATURED

Jazzed

The official magazine of the Jazz Education Network (JEN)

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

Jazz Riffing on a Lost Worcester

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.