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Welcome! These transcriptions of oral histories of NEA Jazz
Masters are part of the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program. Established
by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in 1992, the
Program seized the opportunity to document more than one hundred senior jazz
musicians, performers, relatives, and business associates. Each interview was
conducted by a jazz authority and was recorded on digital audiotape by a professional
audio engineer. The interviews average six hours in length and cover a wide
range of topics including early years, initial involvement in music, generally,
and jazz specifically, as well as experiences in the jazz music world, including
relationships to musicians.
The National Endowment for the Arts supported transcribing these interviews
and posting them to this website. For more information on NEA Jazz Masters,
visit http://www.nea.gov/honors/jazz/.
For more information on the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program collection,
click here. For information
on the museum’s Archives Center, where the collection is housed,
visit http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/home.htm.
Oral histories on this page include: David Baker,
Danny Barker,
Louie Bellson,
Frank Foster,
J.J. Johnson,
John Levy,
Marian McPartland,
Artie Shaw,
Clark Terry
David Baker Recorded June 19-21, 2000 |
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Complete Transcript (152 pages) View
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Listen:
Clip 1:
David Baker on Lincoln University
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 2:
David Baker on Freddie Freeloader
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 3:
David Baker on playing at the Five Spot and looking like Thelonious Monk (Part I)
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 4:
David Baker on playing at the Five Spot and looking like Thelonious Monk (Part II)
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 5:
David Baker on coming to Indiana University
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 6:
David Baker on imitation-assimilation-innovation
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 7:
David Baker on street musicians recognizing Jamey Aebersold
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 8:
"It's why I worked very hard...to get us in a situation where we're not perceived of as special"
MP3 | Windows Media
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Danny Barker Recorded July 21-23, 1992 |
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Complete Transcript (106 pages) View
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Please check back for audio clips
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Louie Bellson October 20-21, 2005 |
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Complete Transcript (108 pages) View
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Frank Foster Recorded September 24-25, and November 22, 1998 |
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Complete Transcript (166 pages) View
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J.J. Johnson Recorded
February 26-27, 1994 |
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Complete Transcript (116 pages) View
PDF
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Listen:
Clip 1:
J.J. Johnson on being articulate
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 2:
"I am not at all preoccupied with speed"
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 3:
J.J. Johnson on opening for Coleman Hawkins at the Three Deuces
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 4:
J.J. Johnson on Dizzy Gillespie
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 5:
J.J. Johnson on Miles Davis' caring nature
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 6:
J.J. Johnson on why he bought his first car and the reason behind it, a great JJ and Kai Winding story
MP3 | Windows Media
Clip 7:
J.J. Johnson on the red Ferrari and Miles Davis
MP3 | Windows Media |
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Clark Terry Recorded June 15 and 22, 1999 |
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Complete Transcript (140 pages) View
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