The Jazz Voyager
The National Jazz Museum In Harlem: 104 East 126th Street, New York City, NY 10035 / Telephone: 212-348-8300 / Interim Executive Director – Bill Terry / www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org
The museum dedicated to preservation and celebration of Harlem’s jazz history. The idea for the museum was conceived in 1995. It moved to its current location in the Harlem neighborhood in 2001. The museum emphasizes the role Harlem has played in the nurturing and cultivation of jazz as a home to legends such as Duke Ellington, Benny Carter, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Count Basie, John Coltrane and Billie Holiday.
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s Visitors Center features exhibits such as “The Ghosts of Harlem” by American music producer, photographer, author, and museum board member Hank O’Neal. The show includes 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 by Richard Conde. The museum hosts weekly programs such as the Harlem Speakslecture 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.
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 jazz luminaries such as 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 has yet to be made public for legal reasons but curious listeners can attend listening sessions at the museum or make appointments to hear the recordings.
The museum plans to move into a permanent location on 125th Street, at Mart 125, a Harlem landmark right across from the historic Apollo Theatre.
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