Jazz History Database - A Digital Museum of Jazz History

A living, online, multimedia museum.

A professional musician, teacher and composer for more than 40 years, Zano was largely unheralded in his lifetime. He was a jazz pianist nonpareil, who recorded and played with the likes of Lee Konitz, Hal McKusick, Pepper Adams, and performed at Carnegie Hall.

Enrico "Boots" Mussulli

He was known as "The Music Man from Milford," "Mr. Jazz," and the "Little Big Man," but people everywhere more often affectionately called him by his nickname, "Boots" – he was listed that way in the phonebook.

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.

Linda Dagnello

Vocalist Linda Dagnello is a fixture in the Central Mass jazz scene. She is not only an accomplished jazz performer, but also a gifted visual artist whose work reflects her passion for the language and colors of jazz.

Paul Broadnax

The product of two well-known and influential Boston-area musicians, pianist, arranger, and singer Paul Broadnax was born a child of destiny. His own successful life in music has proven to be a dream fulfilled.

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.

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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

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

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"How Can You Research Jazz and Its History?"

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

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Wendell Culley

Biography & research on the prolific Worcester trumpeter

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American Federation of Jazz Societies

A great resource containing "how-to guides"

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"Worcester's Jazz History Database"

Jazz Music Blog, by Tom Reney

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Jazz Poetry

Audio, video, and written poetry inspired by jazz

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Studio 3

Performances and interviews from the nationally-acclaimed TV series

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Visual Arts: Jazz

Photography and paintings, by and about jazz musicians

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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.