Jazz Oral History at The British Library National Sound Archive

Jazz Oral History at The British Library National Sound ArchiveAuthor(s): Chris ClarkSource: Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 36, No. 3 (Juli-September 1989), pp. 185-194Published by: International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres(IAML)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23507407 .

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Chi. Clark: Jazz Oral History at The British Libraiy National Sound Archive 185

diverse musical scene and can boast some rare items like The Appeal of Jazz by R. W. S.

Mendl, 1926, the first jazz book to be published in the U.K., and All About Jazz by

Stanley Nelson, 1934.

Although the library consists of whatever Graham Langley can lay his hands on, the

major specialisation is in British periodicals. The post-war collection is estimated to be

probably over eighty per cent complete with full runs of Jazz Music from the immediate

post-war period, Jazz Monthly, Jazz Journal, Crescendo, Storyville, Jazz & Blues, Disco

phile, Blues World, and Wire to name but a few. The Institute did boast a forty-year run

of the oldest publication Melody Maker (1940—1981], but space/storage problems

prompted the donation of this material to the newly formed National Jazz Foundation

Archive at Loughton which had the facilities to house it properly. Another concen

tration of effort has been to bring together as many 'little' publications as possible.

Working on the premise that the majority of professionally-published, casebound books

will physically survive for many years and be collected by both public and private

collectors, Graham has attempted to preserve the many privately published items that

the community of jazz enthusiasts has produced over the years. Often duplicated or

photocopied, with a printing of one or two hundred, these are the items that will very

shortly be totally unavailable and much sought after in the future.

Although very much a 'one-man-band' over the last fifteen years, the B.I.J. S. is much

more than a glorified private collection. The whole point of the collection is that it is

used, and over the years a stream of students, researchers, discographers and publishers have written to or visited the Crowthorne base in Berkshire to sift and sort through the

mass of material. The weakness of the collection is that there is no comprehensive

indexing system to help find the required items. Graham Langley has a full-time

job, and, with the usual family and domestic commitments, only has limited time to

administer the library, but says, "I see my role as preservation of material while it is

still available and to help in what ever way I can with research projects". His consuming

interest in jazz literature shows itself in the collaboration with Carl Gregor Herzog zu

Mecklenburg in the production of a series of Jazz Bibliographies published from Ger

many in the seventies and early eighties, and his current membership of the committee

of the National Jazz Foundation Archive.

The B.I.J.S. has no formal membership structure. Anyone can apply for help or to

visit the library, the usual fee is a copy of any publication which might result from the

research, or the donation of any surplus material that the user may have.

Jazz Oral History at The British Library National Sound Archive

Chris Clark (London)'

The jazz section at The British Library National Sound Archive became fully established in 1984.

It has more than 30,000 recordings, including many which are unique. Full cataloguing lags far

behind acquisitions. In the absence of Legal Deposit for sound recordings in the U.K., most of

the commercially-produced recordings have to be purchased. The NSA's own library contains

Chris Clark is Jazz Curator for The British Library National Sound Archive.



186 Chi. Claik : Jazz Oral History at The British Library National Sound Archive

discographies, record catalogues and company recording sheets, plus a good selection of jazz and

blues periodicals. Publications include Pompi.

fazz oral history interviews are among the most important items kept: these are in two separate

collections, the Oral History of Jazz in Britain and the Stan Britt tapes, mostly featuring

visiting Americans. Tapes are not transcribed and there are no firm plans to publish at present.

Tapes can be listened to through the NSA's free public service.

Jazz at the National Sound Archive: introduction

Before proceeding to the main subject of this article, a few words about the development

of the jazz collection at the National Sound Archive. Jazz became fully constituted as a

curatorial activity in 1984 shortly after the National Sound Archive (formerly the

British Institute of Recorded Sound) merged with The British Library. I was appointed

full-time curator and in 1987 Paul Wilson became my assistant, shared with the Curator

for Popular Music, Andy Linehan. This minimal staffing complement is unlikely to

increase but the section is fortunate in that it can count on the administrative and pro

fessional backup of The British Library which also provides a strong measure of security

for its future development and expansion. I also believe strongly that the jazz section

benefits enormously from being within the general cultural context of the national

library, arguably the most important in the world, and within a department, the Natio

nal Sound Archive, which offers opportunities for comparative research into all kinds of

music. This avoids the ghetto into which jazz is so often directed.

The collection now comprises well over 30,000 recordings on all formats (including

video) which means that the total number of individual jazz performances (tracks) available approaches a quarter of a million. Blues, ragtime, free improvisation and

dance bands also fall within the area of this collection. Most of the recordings are

commercially produced but an increasing number are produced privately or by ourselves

and are therefore unique to the NSA; recordings of improvised music in London and Ox

ford (a large number recorded by audio expert Michael Gerzon), recordings at Ellington 85 and 88 and Viva Kenton (all held in Oldham, Lancashire), recordings of all-women groups and bands, recordings of NSA evening events which in the past have included a

series of panel presentations on black British jazz with many of the musicians involved

participating, and anniversary events for John Coltrane and Jelly Roll Morton. The most

important series of NSA recordings is the Oral History of Jazz in Britain to which I shall

return later in this article.

Very few of the recordings are fully catalogued but there are now plans to integrate the

many provisional data files and indexes which do exist into one database and then to

continue to add full data entries for new acquisitions. The collection is added to by purchasing current material from distributors or bidding

for older material in auction. A variable amount is acquired free through agreements with various British record companies, these agreements acting in place of any legal

deposit system in the U.K. Fortunately, more of the older material is now arriving in

the form of bequests and donations. I very much look forward to the day when a certain

unnamable bequest comes to us: this will go a long way to filling our current dearth of

original American issues from the 20s and 30s.

The collection amounts to more than just recordings. Although it has now been

agreed that responsibility for printed material and other jazz items will pass to the

National Jazz Foundation at Loughton, the British Library receives copies of all new

publications (although they are not kept at NSA) and the NSA has its own library on the

premises for discographical research. The NSA Library contains many record company

catalogues, discographies and periodicals, catalogues of other archives (e.g. IJS Register and Indexes, Rigler & Deutsch Index) and, most essential, microfilmed recording sheets

for HMV (including Parlophone), Victor and Columbia.



Chr. Clark: Jazz Oral History at The British Library National Sound Archive 187

The work of the section is promoted outside by print and audio publications, most

notably, Pompi, the popular music periodicals index, which covers almost 100 pop and

jazz titles from autumn 1984 (now available from The British Library in two biennial

compilations), and the Incus CD "ONCE by Company" (Incus CD04) which uses

recordings made by Paul and myself at Company Week 1987 featuring Lee Könitz,

Carlos Zingaro, Barre Phillips, Steve Noble, Tristan Honsinger, Richard Teitelbaum and

Derek Bailey. The biannual series of evening events (mentioned earlier) and exhibitions

also serve to bring our work to a wider public and to the attention of the media. Future

projects include remastering and reissuing recordings, publishing specialist disco

graphies and a series of spoken word tapes based on the event and oral history series, and expanding the scope of the evening events, maybe even going as far as holding an

annual festival and convention. Building on the tripartite collaboration between NSA,

British Institute of fazz Studies and National Jazz Foundation Archive, I see one of the

immediate goals being the establishment of closer ties with American and continental

jazz archives.

Oral history

I have to say, right away, that I am not an oral historian. I merely employ some of its

techniques in the course of my work and I am guided by precedents set by similar pro

grammes in the U. S.A. (most notably by the Institute of Jazz Studies), by publications such as Ira Gitler's Swing to bop (OUP, 1985), Val Wilmer's Jazz people (Allin & Busby, 1970) and Arthur Taylor's Notes and tones (Quartet, 1977) and, more recently, by the

vast professional experience of the NSA's latest curatorial appointment, oral historian

Dr Rob Perks.

Time does not permit me to conduct all the interviews, indeed, only a few are entirely

my own work although I am always present as recordist. Professional jazz interviewers

are commissioned according to their expertise in the period of jazz to be covered or

because they are known to be acquainted with the interviewee. Involving outsiders

also has the desired advantage of enabling and encouraging the British jazz community

to create its own oral history with minimal interference from the NSA.

Two of the jazz section's oral history collections are described in annotated, alpha

betical listings below: the Oral History of Jazz in Britain and the interview collection

consisting of copies of interviews recorded by jazz and blues specialist Stan Britt.

The recorded tapes are currently the only form of access to the information. The Oral

History interviews are now recorded on DAT, which allows block indexing in the form

of tracks which can be written onto the tape during or after the interview, but earlier

recordings were made on Betamax, using a Sony PCM, and even on professional cassette

machines. All originals are dubbed as soon as possible onto reel-to-reel tape for security

and playback. Stan Britt's originals were all produced on a basic domestic cassette

machine and these have to undergo reprocessing via the Archive's Neve digital sound

processor in order to maximise the vocal quality and minimise technical disturbance.

Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to eliminate the various ambient or

background noises which are inevitable when interviewing visiting musicians on tight

schedules; the venue is often a jazz club, hotel lobby or room and few jazz musicians

run to a sound-proofed suite. The Oral History interviews are normally conducted at

the interviewee's home — proximity to memory triggers, comfort and convenience,

etc., — and these can also be noisy venues; only a few have so far been recorded in

almost ideal studio conditions. But then a certain local ambience may enhance the

recording, giving it a more natural feel compared to the staged location of a studio, and

provided the noise does not over-intrude I do not see that it devalues the information

content of the recording.



188 Chi. Clark: Jazz Oral History at The British Library National Sound Archive

Our policy is therefore not to transcribe the recordings. Although printed documen

tary sources are important for adding to or verifying what was said in an interview (truth is never guaranteed even when terms like "definitive" are employed), the actual sound, the way in which the material was spoken, is so much more vital and meaningful. For

example, compare Stan Britt's recorded interview with Mary Lou Williams with the

serialised interview published in Melody Maker in 1954 (Max Jones, "Mary Lou Williams: a life story", in: Melody Maker 3 April—12 June 1954, recently reprinted and

revised in his Talking jazz. — London: Macmillan, 1987); both contain more or less the

same information about her meeting with some of jazz's great figures, such as Fats

Waller, and life on the road with Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy, but the spoken document, even though evidently well-rehearsed by this time, has considerably more impact than

the printed versions.

The policy governing choice of interviewees for the Oral History of Jazz in Britain

involves a measure of deliberate programming while remaining flexible enough to

accommodate interviewees at short notice, which happens, for instance, when one is

made aware of a musician's imminent emigration or serious illness. Since nothing like

the Oral History series has been done before, I feel no obligation to concentrate exclus

ively on people born, for instance, before 1920, although many from that era have

been recorded and are given some priority. I believe that it is important to gather mate

rial from all periods of British jazz history and that one is more likely to obtain an accu

rate account of events shortly after they occur than, say, fifty years on. For this reason I

have chosen to interview several younger musicians with a view to recording further

interviews later in their careers.

That is one element in the deliberate programming. Another is the exploration of a

particular theme (event, band, musical style) by selecting a key figure relating to that

theme and then building onto that initial interview. A number of such themes have

evolved so far.

The five-hour interview with the late Leslie Thompson, conducted by Val Wilmer, contained a wealth of information on the arrival in Britain of black musicians from

the West Indies during the 20s and 30s and Leslie had been especially instrumental

in forming the first all black British jazz/dance band, which later became Ken

"Snakehips" Johnson's West Indian Dance Orchestra. This popular band, which by all accounts came closer than any European band of the time to the sounds of Jimmie

Lunceford, met with a tragic end during a bombing raid on London in 1941. There were

few survivors from that night at the Cafe de Paris; all have subsequently been inter

viewed, and they are Louis Stephenson, Dave Wilkins, Don Johnson and Joe Deniz.

These last two mentioned were in fact born and raised in Cardiff and had fascinating stories to tell about their upbringing in what was then a thriving port. The West Indian

theme was again explored in an evening event in 1988, "The history of black British

jazz, part 1" which was dedicated to the memory of Leslie Thompson who had died

shortly after our interview was recorded in 1987. For this event, Val Wilmer talked to

Louis Stephenson, Don Johnson and singer Elaine Delmar, daughter of Leslie "Jiver" Hutchinson. Like all our events, it was recorded and can be used to complement the

information on the interview tapes. Another theme, again introduced by Val Wilmer, but also developed in conjunction

with Jen Wilson at the Women's Jazz Archive in Swansea, is women jazz musicians.

Jen has recorded lengthy interviews with veterans Cathy Stobart and Beryl Bryden and with Stan Tracey's wife and publicist, Jackie. Val has good contacts with all

those younger musicians involved in the Womens Movement during the 1970s out

of which have come some very fine bands, including The Guest Stars, of whom

leader/keyboardist Lake Daisical and saxophonist/vocalist Ruthie Smith have recently been interviewed.



Chi. Claik : Jazz Oral Histoiy at The British Library National Sound Archive 189

A strong piece of social history, laced with hilarity and good sense, was recorded on a

visit to George Webb who founded the first British revivalist band during the 1940s and

so created a wave which continues to roll. This interview, conducted by trumpeter and

historian Digby Fairweather, has its companion piece in the interview conducted by local journalist Stan Woolley with the Merseysippi Jazz Band from Liverpool, Britain's

longest running band. They were the top band at the Cavern Club in the late 50s and

early 60s, until The Beatles appeared and took over.

Other themes will be apparent from details in the individual entries below.

We are most fortunate in having secured the collaboration of Val Wilmer since this

ensures that we also obtain first-rate photographs of the subjects she interviews. A fine

subsidiary collection is therefore beginning to take shape. My own photographic en

deavours with other subjects are scarcely worth the mention!

Documentation is currently in the form of specially devised accession ledgers which

have space for all technical details and a summary. Recent computer applications at the

NSA have led me to experiment with a number of database structures which will enable

full text search on summaries (essentially sequential lists of events, people, places and

opinions referred to). Further development is pending an overall solution to the NSA's

documentation problem. The jazz oral history collections are now regularly used in research and the inclusion

of references to them in the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz has enhanced their profile. At the time such information was compiled, however, very few interviews had actually been completed and I therefore take this opportunity, for the first time, to set out the

basic details of all interviews available to date.

Oral History of Jazz in Britain: an alphabetical list of interviews conducted up to April 1989

Interviewers: Stan Britt (SB), Richard Chapman (RCh), Chris Clark (CLC), Digby Fairweather

(DF), Max Jones (MJ), Brian Priestley (BP), Val Wilmer (VW), Jen Wilson (JW), Stan Woolley (SW). NSA C numbers are collection (archive) numbers. NSA B (Betamax) and NSA T (reel-to-reel tape) are playback numbers.

Format of entries: BATES, Django 1960—

NAME, date of birth/death. keyboards, composer, tenor horn,

instrument & main topics Human Chain, The Iains, Loose Tubes,

(in addition to autobiography) CLC 21/9/87

Interviewer, date of interview NSA C 122/37

NSA call numbers BERESFORD, Steve 1950

ARGUELLES, Steve 1963— keyboards, composer. Free improvisation,

drums, percussion. London scene (1980s), 1970s 80s, film music.

Loose Tubes, Human Chain, The Iains CLC 18/8/88

CLC 9/10/87 NSA C 122 46—7

NSA C 122/38 BRYDEN, Beryl 1926

BAILEY, Derek 1932— singer. British scene 1940s—, Lil Hardin,

guitar. Free improvisation 1960s—80s W. European scene,

BP 15/7/87 JW 21/2/89, 16/3/89

NSA C 122/29-30 (T 9639—41) NSA C 122 68—70

BALLAMY, lain 1964— CHISHOLM, George 1915—

saxophones. London scene (1980s). trombone. London jazz scene 1930s, The Iains, Loose Tubes Squadronaires, showbiz

CLC 13/2/86 DF 3/6/86

NSA C 122/16—17 (B 1759) NSA C 122/19 (T 9650)



190 Chr. Claik: Jazz Oral History at The British Library National Sound Archive

COE, Tony 1934- HUNT, Fred 1923-1986

clarinet, tenor sax. London jazz scene piano. Alex Welsh band, postwar

1960s—80s mainstream/Dixieland

improvisation and composition theory DF 6/2/86, 20/2/86

BP 25/8/88 addendum CLC 9/12/88 NSA C 122/11—15 (T 9097—9100)

NSA C 122 48—9

JOHNSON, Don 1911—

DA1SICAL, Laka (real name Koc) singer. Cardiff 1920s, West Indian Dance

keyboards, vocals. Womens Movement Orchestra. Supplementary information:

1970s, Guest Stars, composition. see entry for THOMPSON, Leslie

VW 31/1/89 VW 14/4/88

NSA C 122 60 NSA C 122 42/1 42/2 42/3 (T 9661-3)

DANKWORTH, John 1927— JONES, Max 1917—

alto sax, composer. Postwar modern jazz writer/critic. British jazz scene 1930s ,

scene, Club 11, education, Cleo Laine, Melody Maker- American visitors

symphonic jazz. BP 31/3/88

BP 16/9/86 NSA C 122 41

NSA C 122/22 (T 9636—8) KING, Peter 1940—

alto sax. London jazz scene 1950s—, DENIZ, Joe 1913- „ ,, „

guitar. Cardiff, 1920s. West Indian Dance SB 4/9/86^6S'

" ^

?wh2ei/r7a/88°nd0n

Sh0WS' NSA C 122/21 <T 9648~9>

NSA C 122 45 (T 9654—6) 1 LEWIS, Vic 1919—

guitar, bandleader. New York 1930s, '

alIf . . British jazz 1940s-, Parnell-Lewis Jazzmen, bass saxophone, bandleader. Harry Gold &

gtan R Musicians Union ban on

klf *e<*s°f g '

visiting American musicians, DF 28/5/87 i_ •

NSA C 122/27-28 (T 9657-60)

NSA C 122/23

GOODE, Coleridge 1914— double bass. Ray Ellington, Joe Harriott, MATHEWSON, Ron 1944— amplification. Supplementary information double bass. London scene 1960s-, in the recording of NSA event in memory Ronnie Scott of Joe Harriott recorded on 30 March 1988, RCh 16/11/88 Imruh Bakari chairing a discussion with NSA C 122 52 53 Coleridge Goode, Harry Beckett and

Courtney Pine. MERSEYSIPPI JAZZ BAND (1949— | VW 5/2/88

(John Lawrence, Ken Baldwin) NSA C 122/40 Provincial traditional/revivalist band.

Liverpool 1940s— Cavern Club

HALL, Adelaide c 1904— SW 3/7/86

singer. Duke Ellington, Broadway, Art NSA C 122/20 (T 9095—6) Tatum, Fats Waller, London scene,

1930s—, London shows MILLER, Jimmy 1916— MJ 13/12/88 bandleader, singer. Dance bands 1920s—, NSA C 122 54—5 Squadronaires

CLC 3/84

HAYES, Harry 1909- NSA C 122/1-3 (T 7987—8, T 9278) alto sax. London jazz scene 1920s—40s, Elizalde, Featherstonhaugh, Archer Street, MOORE, Gerry 1903—

early British bop piano. London club/hotel scene 1920s— CLC 27/11/85 DF 17/7/87 addendum CC 4/8/87 NSA C 122/10 (B 1760) NSA C 122/31—32 (T 9651—3)



Chi. Claik: Jazz Oial History at The British Library National Sound Archive 191

RANDALL, Fieddy 1921— TRACEY, Jackie

trumpet. Postwar Dixieland, first U.S. tour wife of Stan Tracey, formerly record com

by British band after Musicians Union ban. pany employee. Stan Tracey, Clark Tracey,

Supplementary information in NSA Decca Records, promotion of jazz in U.K.

recording of panel discussion including JW 19/1/89

other musicians in Freddy's bands NSA C122 58—9

recorded on 17 April 1989 at 100 Club, Mark White chairing. TRACEY, Stan 1926— DF 18/10/88 piano. London jazz scene (1950s—), NSA C 122/50—51 composition

BP 8/10/85

RENDELL, Don 1926— NSA C 122/7—9 (B 1761)

tenor sax. London scene 1950s—, Coltrane, Ian Carr TURNER, Bruce 1922—

BP 14/8/85 addendum CC 2/9/85 alto sax, clarinet. Randall, Lyttelton,

NSA C 122/4—6 (B 1414) Jump Band, Acker Bilk

CLC 27/11/87, 29/6/88

NSA C 122 43—44 SMITH, Ruthie 1950—

tenor sax, singer. Womens Movement

(1970s), Guest Stars, chanting WEBB'

l9}7~ VW 14/4/89 piano, bandleader. George Webb's Dixie

NSA C 122 65 landers, revivalist jazz, promoting.

Supplementary information in NSA record

„ „ „ . ing of George Webb's Dixielanders panel STEPHENSON, Louis I917-

discussion, 10/4/89 at the 100 Club saxophones. West Indies (1920s), West

with James Asman Qwen Bryce and Indian Dance Orchestra, Benny Carter

Eddie Harvey European tour. NSA ß 4059 VW 28/10/87 Sf 29/ÎS/86 NSA C 122/39 (B 2444) NSA C 122/24—25 (T 9642—5)

STOBART, Kathy 1925— WESTBROOK, Mike 1936—, and

saxophones. British jazz scene 1950s—, WESTBROOK, Kate

Humphrey Lyttelton piano, composer, bandleader/singer, JW 15/4/87, 22/2/89 tenor hom. Mike Westbrook groups, NSA C122 61—64 composition, poetry and drama.

SB 19/12/86

SURMAN, John 1944- NSA C 122/26 (T 9081—2) baritone sax, bass clarinet, synthesizers. British jazz scene late 1960s—, ECM WHEELER, Kenny 1930— BP 18/01/89 trumpet, flugelhorn. Canada, London jazz NSA C 122 56/7 scene (1960s— ) composition, recording.

BP 20/5/86

THOMPSON, Leslie 1901-87 NSA c ^2/18 (T 9664—6)

multi-instrumentalist. Military music

1920s, London scene (1930s), WHITE, Mark 1916—

West Indian Dance Orchestra, radio producer. Jazz on radio 1940s

religion, prison service. BBC Jazz Club

Supplementary information in recording CC 18/4/89

of NSA event devoted to his memory NSA C 122 66—7

recorded on 22 March 1988, Val Wilmer chairing WILKINS, Dave 1914—

a discussion with Louis Stephenson, trumpet. West Indies, West Indian

Don Johnson and Elaine Delmar. Dance Orchestra

VW 11/08/87, 13/11/87 VW 9/9/87

NSA C 122/33—5 (B 2445—7) NSA C 122/36 (B 2443)



192 Chi. Clark: Jazz Oial History at The British Libiaiy National Sound Archive

Stan Britt Interviews: an annotated alphabetical list

Original cassette tapes copied by The British Library National Sound Archive, 1986-89.

Layout of entries: DILLARD, Bill 1911 (Philadelphia)

NAME, date of birth (place of birth), trumpet, vocalist

date of death (place of death) 29/7/81

instrument NSA C 257 8 / T9277-8WR

date of interview

NSA call numbers (C = collection number, DISLEY, Diz 1931 (Winnipeg)

T = playback) guitar

NB: information on some interviews not NSA C 257 36 / T9736

yet complete. GANLEY, Alan 1931 (Toiworth, UK)

ADAMS, Pepper 1930 (Michigan) —1986 drums

(NYC) 20/11/86

baritone sax

12/8/80 GIBBS, Mike 1937 (Harare, Zimbabwe)

NSA C 257 6 / T9276WR composer, bandleader, trombone

NSA T 9744 W

ALEXANDER, Monty 1944 (Kingston, Jamaica)

piano HANNA, Roland, Sir 1932 (Detroit)

C257 39 / T9739 R1 piano 4/4/80

ANDERSON, Ernestine 1928 (Houston)

singer HAYES, Louis 1937 (Detroit) 3/12/79 drums

NSA C 257 17 / T9259WR C 257 37 / T9737WR

ARDLEY, Neil 1937 (Wallington, UK) HINES, Earl 1903 (Duquesne PA) — 1983

composer (Oakland CA) 14/3/79 piano NSA C 257 36 / T9441WR 3/8/79

NSA C 257 10 / T9279WR

AYERS, Roy 1940 (Los Angeles) vibes HISEMAN, Jon 1/2/79 drums

NSA C 257 35 / T 9735 W NSA T 9740 W

BECKENSTEIN, Jay HOOKER, John Lee 1917 (Clarksdale) saxes, synthesisers blues guitar

22/5/82

CAIN, Jackie 1928 (Milwaukee) & Roy KRAL NSA T9748WR

1921 (Chicago) vocal duo HOUSTON, Clint 1946 (New Orleans) 1976 double bass NSA C 257 25 / T9255WR 30/6/76

NSA C 257 15 / T9254WR

COBB, Arnett 1918 (Houston) — 1989

tenor sax HUTCHERSON, Bobby 1941 (Los Angeles) 23/11/79 (1st interview) vibes NSA C257 11 / T9272WR 1972 13/6/83 (2nd interview) NSA C 257 38 / T9443W NSA C257 31 / T9273WR

INGHAM, Keith 1942 (London) COHN, Al 1925 (NYC) — 1988 SEE

tenor sax McCORKLE, Susannah



Chi. Claik: Jazz Oral History at The British Library National Sound Aichive 193

JAMAL, Ahmad 1930 (Pittsburgh] MURPHY, Rose

piano singer 22 June ? 5/3/81 (with contributions from Major NSA C 257 37 / T9442WR Holley & Coleridge Goode)

NSA C 257 27 / T9258WR

KELLAWAY, Roger 1939 (Newton, MA)

piano, arranger NISTICO, Sal 1940 (Syracuse, NY) 10/12/79 tenor sax NSAT9741WR 25/2/76

KIN S E Y, Tony 1927 (Sutton Coldfield, UK] PAYNE Cecil 1922 (NYC) drums

'

3/2/87 baritone sax

NSA C 257 7 / T9746WR

KRAL, Roy SEE

7 PEPPER, Art 1925 (Gardena, CA) — 1982

CAIN, Jackie (Panorama, CA) alto sax

LAWSON, Yank 1911 (Trenton, Missouri) 18/5/79 (1st interview)

trumpet NSA C 257 1 / T9275W

27/5/85 20/5/79 (2nd interview) NSA C 257 28 / T9260WR NSA C 257 1 / T9275R

21/6/80 (3rd interview) LE SAGE, Bill 1927 (London) NSA C 257 2 / T9280W

piano, vibes 25/7/81 (4th interview) 10/3/87 MSA C 257 2 / T9280R

RICH, Buddy 1917 (NYC) — 1987 MANCE, Junior 1928 (Chicago)

piano NSA C 257 38 / T9738WR lLos Angeles)

drums, bandleader

MANNE, Shelly 1920 (NYC) — 1984 !970 (1st interview)

(Los Angeles) NSA T9742WR

drums 1974 (2nd interview)

24/7/81 NSA T9743WR

NSA C 257 12 / T9274WR 8/3/82 (3rd interview) NSA T9744WR

McCORKLE, Susannah & Keith INGHAM

singer & piano RICHMOND, Mike 1948 (Philadelphia) 7/3/79

NSA C 257 26 / T9256WR bass

23/7/79

NSA C 257 16 / T9262WR

RILEY, Howard 1943 (Huddersfield, UK)

McGHEE, Howard 1918 (Tulsa) — 1987 (NYC)

trumpet 23/7/82

NSA C 257 13 / T9261WR ff"" 1/12/06

»« ninriAun t- ,nm ipi,- I NSA T9745WR McPARTLAND, Jimmy 1907 (Chicago)

cornet

31/10/81 ROSOLINO, Frank 1926 (Detroit) - 1978

NSA C 257 5 / T9271WR (Los Angeles)

trombone, arranger/composer

McSHANN, Jay 1916 (Muskogee) NSA C 257 35 / T9735W

piano, bandleader

11/1/80 (1st interview) SCOTT, Tom & the LA EXPRESS 1948

NSA C 257 29 / T9263WR (Los Angeles) 16/2/81 (2nd interview) tenor sax, bandleader/composer NSA C 257 30 / T9264W NSA C 257 34 / T9734W



194 D. Fairweather: The founding of the National Jazz Foundation Archive

SHAW, Woody 1944 (Laurinburg, N Carolina) TUCKER, Bobby 1923 (Morristown, NJ) — 1989 piano

trumpet 9/8/87

15/2/82 NSA C 257 32 / T9733W

NSA C 257 21 / T9257WR

WALTON, Cedar 1934 (Dallas)

SILVER, Horace 1928 (Norwalk, CT) piano, bandleader

piano 14/1/76

late 1974 (1st interview) NSA C 257 23 / T9251WR

NSA C 257 18 / T9269W

5/5/80 (2nd interview) WASHINGTON, Grover 1943 (Buffalo)

NSA C 257 19 / T9269W—70 R saxes

NSA C 257 40 / T9740 R

SIMS, Zoot 1925 (Inglewood, CA) — 1985

(NYC) WILLIAMS, Mary Lou 1910 (Atlanta) — 1981

tenor sax (Durham, NC)

(unknown date) piano, arranger

NSA C 257 14 / T9252WR 20/7/78

NSA C 257 4 / T9268WR

THIGPEN, Ed 1930 (Chicago)

drums, educator WILSON, Nancy 1937 (Chillicothe, OH)

21/10/75 singer

NSA C 257 41 / T9744R NSA C 257 39 / T9739R2

THOMPSON, Eddie 1925 (London) - 1986 WILSON, Phil 1937 (Belmont, MA)

(London) trombone, arranger

piano 25/5/85

6/4/78

NSA C 257 24 / T9250WR WITHERSPOON, Jimmy 1923 (Gurdon, AR) blues singer

TORN, David (unknown date) (1st interview)

guitar NSA C 257 22 / T9253WR

28/4/87 1974 (2nd interview) NSA C 257 33 / T9733W NSA C 257 20 / T9265WR, T9281WR

The founding of the National Jazz Foundation Archive

Digby Fairweather (London)'

The National Jazz Foundation Archive at Loughton in Essex is the brainchild of jazz trumpeter Digby Fairweather. In view of the increase in educational opportunities for jazz and the likelihood of collectors wanting to donate their material to the nation, a new resource was considered

necessary to complement the jazz holdings at The British Library National Sound Archive and the British Institute of Jazz Studies by concentrating on printed books, memorabilia, ephemera and photographs. Collaboration with these institutions has been achieved and funding, in the form of accommodation, granted by Essex County Libraries. The National Jazz Foundation Archive was opened in November 1988. Since then, the collection and its use have continued to increase despite the absence of additional funding to provide for permanent staff and continued

development.

* Digby Fairweather is a professional jazz musician and is Acting Archivist for the National Jazz Foundation

Archive.



Documents

Jazz Oral History at The British Library National Sound Archive