Jazz Area : Jazz Special Collections at Vanderbilt

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie Collection

 

The John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie Collection is a rich collection of photographs, scrapbooks, and personal records thatDizzy reading letter from Milt Shaw document the life and career of Dizzy Gillespie. A major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz, Gillespie was a trumpet player, composer, band leader, composer, and educator. Of particular note are the scrapbooks compiled by Gillespie during his groundbreaking 1956 state department tour of the Middle East.

  • View the collection finding aid provided by Vanderbilt University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives department. Access the print copy of the finding aid by downloading the PDF content or browse the collection using the "collection organization" search feature on the right-hand side of the screen.
  • Access to audiovisual recordings for this collection is provided via Aviary. The metadata for items in this collection is available to the public, but access to media files is restricted to Vanderbilt University faculty, staff, and students. Researchers can request access to individual files directly from Aviary.
  • Access to digitized content including photographs and scrapbooks for this collection is provided via JSTOR. 

Citation: [Dizzy phtograph]. n.d. The John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie Collection. https://jstor.org/stable/community.31758527.

 

 

StoryMap - On Tour With Dizzy

  • Interactive mapping journey of the U.S. State Department tour of the Middle East in 1956
  • Completed by Buchanan Library Fellows, Librarians, and Professor Fry’s Global Jazz class. View the interactive StoryMap by scanning the QR code. 
Yusef A. Lateef Collection

 

The Yusef A. Lateef Collcection contains the musical manuscripts, papers, photographs, and selected artworks of noted mYusef Lateef holding saxophone in promotional photousician, educator, composer, author, and visual artist Yusef A. Lateef. Lateef was a genre-bending musician and composer whose artistry crossed and combined multiple genres, including Middle Eastern and Asian music, American jazz, and classical. 

  • View the collection finding aid provided by Vanderbilt University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives department. Access the print copy of the finding aid by downloading the PDF content or browse the collection using the "collection organization" search feature on the right-hand side of the screen. 
  • Access to audiovisual recordings for this collection is provided via Aviary. The metadata for items in this collection is available to the public, but access to media files is restricted to Vanderbilt University faculty, staff, and students. Researchers can request access to individual files directly from Aviary.
  • Access to digitized content of the repository of scales and other compositions can be find via JSTOR. 

Photo by Michael Di Donna

Phil Schaap Jazz Collection

 

The Phil Schaap Jazz Collection consists of an array of physical and electronic resources. This is a very lPhoto of Phil working in his recording studioarge collection that is still undergoing processing, and materials will be made available over time. Phil Schaap (1951-2021) was a jazz historian, curator, educator, radio host, and prominent voice in jazz advocacy and education for over 50 years. He spent over 50 years as a radio host at Columbia University’s WKCR, where he hosted popular jazz shows such as Bird Flight and Traditions In Swing, and conducted interviews with jazz legends of the past and present. Schaap was also the curator of jazz and head educator of Swing University at Jazz at Lincoln Center. A 6x Grammy award winner and NEA Jazz Master, Schaap is widely regarded as one of the foremost scholars of jazz music, and a leading figure in providing accurate and explanatory jazz information.

  • The Phil Schaap Jazz Collection library guide should be accessed to view the latest information regarding the collection and how to access the collection. This guide will continue to be updated as the collection is being processed. 
  • Physical resources are stored within Vanderbilt Special Collections & University Archives. Items such as papers, drafts, ephemera, archival reels, realia, etc., will be browseable and requestable through the collection's finding aid in ArchivesSpace once they are processed. Physical items that have been published (e.g., 78rpm discs, LPs, 45rpm discs, books, etc.) are generally requestable through Primo, the Vanderbilt Libraries' online catalog.
  • Electronic media (born-digital, or digitized copies of analog materials) are made available through the Aviary media platform.
  • As this collection is still being processed, any questions can be directed to the Vanderbilt University Anne Potter Wilson Music Library staff or Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives. 

Photograph provided by Susan Shaffer

Access Music Special Collections

Users can view collections in the Wilson Music Library Special Collections Room or in the reading room at Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives. You can request materials from the collection using the finding aids linked in this LibGuide. If you need additional assistance or have questions, please reach out to a music library staff member or special collections

What is a Primary Source in Music?

A primary source is either an original work or evidence provided by a direct observer of an event. 

  • Creative works
  • Personal correspondences, letters, diaries, autobiographies
  • Scores (markings by performers)
  • News reports 
  • Photographs, videos, and sound recordings
  • Physical artifacts
  • Programs 
  • Press clippings
  • Footage of rehearsals, masterclasses, and live performance
  • Reviews of performances
  • Sketches
  • Costumes
  • Interviews

Why use Primary Source Material?

Engaging with primary sources can help us:  

  • Interpret the past using the closest evidence or documentation to an event, time period, personal experience, or historical narrative
  • Inform an understanding of a time period, musical event, genre, style, piece, or musician. 
  • Develop a performance practice
  • Understand personal pedagogical methods
  • Become more curious
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