September Artist of the Month: Johnny Hodges
New England Jazz Hall of Fame inductee and saxophonist about whom Duke Ellington said, "He had a tone so beautiful it sometimes brought tears to the eyes."
Interview of the Month: Marcus Roberts
WICN Radio Host Joe Zupan interviews pianist and composer Marcus Roberts.
Image credit: Alberto Cabello Mayero. CC BY 2.0
Feature of the Month
Ben Young on Jazz Reissues
Ben Young's second interview with Rich Falco
HOT TOPIC: REISSUES!!! If you have bought a jazz reissue within the past several years, chances are that Ben Young’s thumb prints will be on it! Working with such labels as Verve, BMG, Savoy, Mosaic and others, Ben worked catalogue development for more than 800 reissues!
Totem Pole
Although there were more than a hundred ballrooms within driving distance of Boston, MA, the Totem Pole was universally acknowledged as one of the largest and certainly the most elegant.
Tom Reney
We are very happy to announce that Tom Reney, the host of Jazz à la Mode, has been honored with the Marian McPartland/Willis Conover Award for Career Excellence in Broadcasting by the Jazz Journalists Association. Congratulations Tom!
Learn more about Tom Reney in his interview with Professor Rich Falco!
Jazz Bash
Anthony Agostinelli’s award-winning "Jazz Bash" features more than 50 television shows profiling hundreds of artists in a conversational interview format. Highly recommended!
Carlos Odria
Dr. Carlos Odria discusses the mixture of jazz with folk styles from his native country of Peru including Creola, Festejo, Landó, and Pregon. Included are discussions regarding the impact of regional Spanish dialects on melodic rhythm, contour and accents.
New Interview: Tom Bellino
Grammy and ASCAP award winning producer Tom Bellino traces his professional journey through great networking opportunities and his changing roles as founder and president of the not-for-profit record label Planet Arts.
Jaki Byard
Innovative piano virtuoso who influenced generations of jazz musicians
Interview: Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk with radio host David Kidd
The Jazz History Database Celebrates Black Women in Jazz
Gary Carner: Author and Historian
We would like to welcome the newest member to the JHDB Advisory Board, historian and author GARY CARNER. Visiting his collection is always exciting and be sure to check out the latest in his ongoing research into the life and music of Pepper Adams!
David Kidd
Interviews by David Kidd of WGY Radio in Schenectady, NY
Including Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, Randy Weston, Teo Macero
Gene Perla Audio Collection
Bassist and recording engineer Gene Perla formed recording and publishing companies in the early 1970’s where he captured many musicians experimenting and jamming in his two NYC loft studios. The unreleased audio recordings (more than 100) offer unique insights into the artistic probing of jazz greats such as Bob Mintzer, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, Don Alias, Michael Brecker, John Abercrombie, Jan Hammer, Billy Cobham, Steve Grossman, Elvin Jones, Joe Farrell, Gene Perla and many others.
In Their Own Voice: Chet Williamson Interviews
Award winning and critically acclaimed writer, radio host and jazz performer Chet Williamson has contributed heavily to the JHDB including nearly 100 audio interviews with jazz artists such as Sonny Rollins, Maynard Ferguson, Chick Corea, Jane Ira Bloom, Arturo Sandoval, Pat Metheny, Ingrid Jenson, and Randy Weston.
Willard Jenkins Collection
Willard Jenkins is an independent arts consultant/producer, writer and broadcaster under his Open Sky banner. Mr. Jenkins is a generous contributor to the Jazz History Database.
Washington D.C. Jazz Festival
Oral History Project
Brother Ah, Judith Korey, Rusty Hassan and Charles Fishman were interviewed in 2017.
Triple Point Records
"Triple Point Records preserves timeless improvised creations in definitive physical editions — for the benefit of artists, listeners, and collectors."
Lorraine Feather Collection
Lyricist/singer Lorraine Feather’s work has been heard on numerous records, in films, and on television. Her words have been sung by Patti Austin, Kenny Rankin, Phyllis Hyman, Jessye Norman, and numerous jazz artists. She was the lyricist for Disney's Dinosaurs, The Jungle Book 2, and The Princess Diaries 2; MGM's All Dogs Go to Heaven and Babes and Toyland; and Hasbro's Candy Land and My Little Pony. Her work as a lyricist has earned her seven Emmy nominations.
Mini Documentaries by Tom Shaker
Artists featured in the documentaries include: Linda Dagnello, Paul
Broadnax, Boots Mussulli and Jaki Byard
Collection Spotlight: Visual Artists in Jazz
Artwork. Peter is currently writing haiku and a piece of "fiction" dealing with boxing, jazz, and celebrity.
Our time together is a kind of tribute to this city and its culture of
possibilities that allowed us to explore and to take chances.
Collection Spotlight: Events
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.
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.
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.