[Dixielandjazz] For Historians, record collectors etc.

[Stephen G Barbone]

Folks might be interested in hearing some of these digital Gennett  
recordings.If not able to attend the open house on June 30, email  
Terri Hardy at thardy at starrgennett.org for access info.



Cheers,

Steve Barbone

www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband



Media Release - Gennett/IU Archives - June 18, 2010

The Starr-Gennett Foundation and Indiana University East have  
partnered to make over 300 digital recordings available to the public.  
The Gennett Record label has national significance in the world of  
music and American culture.

The public is welcome to attend the open house on the second floor of  
the IU East Campus Library from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30.  
During the open house, recordings will be available to listen to and  
the library staff will give a tutorial on how to access the recordings.

Terri Hardy, executive director of the Starr-Gennett Foundation, said  
the foundation was thankful to the Indiana University Archive of  
Traditional Music and IU East for their support in this project.

"Making the history of Gennett Records available to everyone is very  
significant to preserve our heritage. The record company launched  
stars such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Gene Autry, but also  
helped make America's regional and ethnic music universally popular  
throughout the country and abroad."

The project has been in the works since 2003. The phonograph records  
were sent to Disc Mastering in Nashville, Tenn., to be digitalized and  
catalogued. The project was funded in part by a National Recording  
Arts and Sciences (NARAS) grant.

Starr-Gennett Foundation archived the digital recordings through the  
IU Archive of Traditional Music. The digital recordings can be  
accessed at the IU East Campus Library.

David Fulton, IU East Chancellor Emeritus, is the treasurer of the  
Starr-Gennett Foundation Board.

"The purpose of this whole project was to preserve the historic music  
recorded by Gennett Records and to make it available to the public,"  
Fulton said. "All of the recordings from the late 1900s to the late  
1920s were recorded with various types of technology. As a result, it  
is very uncertain if you could hear all the music unless you had the  
special equipment."

Now the music is available to faculty, students and the public through  
the digital recordings, he added. "We are fortunate to have this  
unique music resource available for current and future use," said  
Frances Yates, director of the IU East Campus Library. "It is a  
wonderful example of the past being brought to the present through  
campus-community collaboration."



For more info, contact: thardy at starrgennett.org