As of June 2007, the Chicago Jazz Archive collections in the Special
Collections Reserach Center contain approximately
2,500 linear feet of paper (1,000) and sound (1,500) materials.
The sound collections contain approximately 50,000 recordings in
various formats.
1910's - 1920's
Archive holdings for the "Chicago" period consist mostly of 78 rpm
recordings, printed piano sheet music and piano rolls, stock arrangements with
manuscript additions, recordings, and photographs. Paper materials from
the 1910's to the 1930's can be found in the
John Steiner Papers, the Frank Gillis Papers, the Jimmy and
Marian McPartland Papers, and the Richard Manning Papers.
1930's onward
Various paper and sound collections cover the 1930's to the present.
John Steiner's musician and club files cover not only the early "Chicago" period, but extend through his period of interest, the mid 1950's. The Jimmy and
Marian McPartland Papers contain photos and ephemera from the
1940's to 1990, with the majority dating from the 1940's-1960's.
The Jimmy Granato Papers consist of scrapbooks of career
memorabilia beloging to Chicago clarinetist Granato, and the Harvey
Lang Papers contains recordings and scrapbooks documenting the career of
Chicago drummer Harvey Lang. These two collections are of particular
interest due to the meticulous identification of people in
photographs, and to the wealth of autograph material they contain.
The Paul Zuccarello Papers contain stock arrangements and
music manuscript used by a working Chicago band in the 1930s-1960s.
The Robert Peck Papers contain ephemera from the 1940s-60s,
such as concert postcards, reviews, and clippings.
The Jamil B. Figi Donation is almost exclusively materials from the
early days of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM)
in the 1960's and 1970s. The Jazz Institute of Chicago Collection documents
the Institute's history and that of the Jazz Fair and Chicago Jazz Festival.
Processing of CJA materials
Grant-funded processing of CJA collections will begin in 2008.
Inventories will be created first; when finding aids are completed, they will
appear on the
Special Collections Research Center
website. There is no charge to use the CJA collections, but patrons
need to
consult the Curator
to determine which materials will meet their research needs.
