The
National Jazz Museum in Harlem
is a museum dedicated to preservation and celebration of the
jazz
history of
Harlem
,
Manhattan
,
New York City
. The idea for the museum was conceived in 1995. The museum was founded in 1997 by
Leonard Garment
, counsel to two U.S. presidents, and an accomplished jazz saxophonist,
Abraham David Sofaer
, a former U.S. district judge who gave the initial gift in honor of his brother-in-law Richard J. Scheuer, Jr., and matching funds from the
Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation
.
[1]
For more than 15 years, the museum was based in
East Harlem
at 104 East 126th Street.
On February 1, 2016, the museum re-opened in a new space on the ground floor of 58 West 129th Street in
Central Harlem
with approximately 1900 square feet of exhibition space.
[2]
[3]
Programs and exhibits
[
edit
]
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem's Visitors Center has featured exhibits such as
The Ghosts of Harlem
by American music producer, photographer, and author
Hank O'Neal
. The show included images of Harlem jazz legends that O'Neal had the chance to interview and photograph for his book of the same name. The Visitors Center also houses books, recordings, and documentaries for guests to enjoy as well as photographs of contemporary jazz musicians.
The museum hosts weekly programs such as the
Harlem Speaks
lecture series and
Jazz for Curious Listeners
sessions in which jazz novices and experts alike listen and learn about rare jazz recordings. The museum hosts events and programs at jazz venues and other museums such as the
Rubin Museum of Art
for the
Harlem in the Himalayas
concert series.
Jonathan Batiste
has been working with the museum since 2008 when he helped create the program
Jazz Is: Now!
in which his
Stay Human
band plays and "he deconstructs jazz, walking people through the theory and history of the music, often with the help of guests." Batiste was named associate artistic director of the museum in 2012.
[4]
The Savory Collection
[
edit
]
In August 2010 The National Jazz Museum in Harlem acquired nearly 1,000 discs of recorded radio broadcasts made by audio engineer
William Savory
in the midst of the
swing era
in the 1930s. The collection includes performances by best selling jazz artists
Louis Armstrong
,
Billie Holiday
, and
Benny Goodman
. Savory had access to bigger, slower-playing
aluminum
and
acetate records
and he was able to record much longer clips, capturing extended live shows and jam sessions that many thought would be lost forever. The recordings are being digitized by Brooklyn-based recording engineer Doug Pomeroy, a specialist in
audio restoration
. The transformation involves cleaning, correcting pitch, removing extraneous noise, mixing and mastering. The Savory Collection is being made available for purchase and portions of this collection have been made available for digital download through iTunes, as of May 2017 three volumes are available. Mosaic Records also released a limited-edition 6-CD set with selections from the collection.
[5]
Board of Directors
[6]
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Who We Are"
. Retrieved
April 1,
2016
.
- ^
Chinen, Nate (March 30, 2016),
"The National Jazz Museum in Harlem Finds a Permanent Home"
,
The New York Times
.
- ^
Pengelly, Martin (April 2, 2016)
"Harlem's reopened National Jazz Museum can see for Mies and Miles"
,
The Guardian
.
- ^
Pogrebin, Robin (June 17, 2012).
"A Jazz Museum Grows Up"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
October 7,
2015
.
- ^
"Mosaic Records - The Savory Collection 1935-1940"
.
www.mosaicrecords.com
. Archived from
the original
on 2019-02-02.
- ^
"The Jazz Museum in Harlem: Staff & Board"
. Archived from
the original
on January 17, 2014
. Retrieved
January 20,
2014
.
- "The National Jazz Museum in Harlem"
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- Simon Jay Harper (August 30, 2010).
"The National Jazz Museum In Harlem"
.
All About Jazz
. All About Jazz
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- "National Jazz Museum in Harlem Acquires Long-Lost Collection: Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday & More"
.
www.allaboutjazz.com
. All About Jazz. August 19, 2010. Archived from
the original
on August 20, 2010
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- Larry Rohter (August 16, 2010).
"Museum Acquires Storied Trove of Performances by Jazz Greats"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- "National Jazz Museum in Harlem"
.
www.harlemonestop.com
. Harlem One Stop
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- Lee Mergner (September 8, 2010).
"National Jazz Museum in Harlem Acquires Vintage Collection"
.
jazztimes.com
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- "The National Jazz Museum in Harlem Finds a Permanent Home"
.
The New York Times
. March 30, 2016
. Retrieved
July 6,
2016
.
See also
[
edit
]
|
---|
Financial District and Battery Park
(Below Chambers St)
| |
---|
Lower Manhattan
(Chambers-14th Sts)
| |
---|
Chelsea, Flatiron, Gramercy
(14th-34th Sts)
| |
---|
Midtown
(34th-59th Sts)
| |
---|
Upper West Side
(59th-125th Sts west of 5th Av)
| |
---|
Upper East Side and East Harlem
(59th-125th Sts on or near 5th Av)
| |
---|
Upper Manhattan
(Above 125th St)
| |
---|
Islands
| |
---|
Defunct
| |
---|
Related
| |
---|