[Dixielandjazz] Library of Congress National Recording Registry additions

[Robert Ringwald]

The 2012 National Recording Registry With a Twist
Van Cliburn, Pink Floyd, Simon and Garfunkel Recordings Marked for Preservation
March 21, 2013 -- From the cultural significance of Chubby Checker's song-and-dance
phenomenon and the historic moment of Van Cliburn's triumphant Cold War performance
in Moscow to the artistry of Cuban bassist Israel "Cachao" Lopez's all-star jam sessions,
the 2012 inductees to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress
reflect the diversity and creativity of the American experience. The Librarian of
Congress, James H. Billington, today announced the selection of 25 sound recordings
to the registry, marked for preservation because of their cultural, artistic and
historic importance to the nation's aural legacy.
"Congress created the National Recording Registry to celebrate the richness and variety
of our audio heritage and to underscore our responsibility for long-term preservation,
to assure that legacy can be appreciated and studied for generations," said Billington.
"Our challenge, however, continues to be finding collaborative and innovative ways
to protect and make available this unmatched legacy to the public."
Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian,
with advice from the Library's National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), is tasked
with annually selecting 25 recordings that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant" and are at least 10 years old. The selections for the 2012 registry
bring the total number of recordings to 375.
The selections named to the registry feature a diverse array of spoken-word and musical
recordings -- representing nearly every musical category -- spanning the years 1918-1980.
Among this year's selections are Simon and Garfunkel's 1966 album, "Sounds of Silence";
"The Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd, which received the highest number of public
nominations among this year's picks; the soundtrack to the popular movie "Saturday
Night Fever"; the 1918 trendsetting "After You've Gone" by Marion Harris; "Cheap
Thrills," Janis Joplin's second release with Big Brother and the Holding Company;
the radio broadcast featuring Will Rogers' 1931 folksy insights in support of Herbert
Hoover's unemployment-relief campaign during the Great Depression; and Artie Shaw's
breakthrough hit, "Begin the Beguine."
Additions to the registry feature notable performances by Leontyne Price, Ornette
Coleman, The Ramones, The Bee Gees, Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, Philip Glass, Betty
Carter, Junior Wells, Jimmie Davis, Frank Yankovic, The Blackwood Brothers and The
Neville Brothers.
Nominations were gathered through online submissions from the public and from the
NRPB, which comprises leaders in the fields of music, recorded sound and preservation.
The Library is currently accepting nominations for the next registry at the NRPB
website
http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/
. Several of the selections on the registry were public nominations.
As part of its congressional mandate, the Library is identifying and preserving the
best existing versions of each recording on the registry. These recordings will be
housed in the Library's Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper,
Va., a state-of-the-art facility that was made possible through the generosity of
David Woodley Packard and the Packard Humanities Institute, with benefaction from
the U.S. Congress. The Packard Campus
http://www.loc.gov/avconservation/
is home to more than 6 million collection items, including nearly 3.5 million sound
recordings.
After 10 years of collaborative effort and the 2010 release of the first-ever-conducted
comprehensive study on the state of recorded-sound preservation in the U.S., last
month the Library unveiled its plan to save the nation's endangered aural legacy
(PDF). This blueprint makes 32 recommendations -- long-term and short-term -- covering
infrastructure, preservation, access, education and policy strategies. Among them
are the application of federal copyright law to pre-1972 sound recordings; creation
of a national directory of all recorded sound collections and a national discography;
and establishment of university-based degree programs in audio archiving and preservation.
Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural
institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further
human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent
collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library's rich resources can be
accessed through its website at
http://www.loc.gov
2012 National Recording Registry (Listing in Chronological Order)
"After You've Gone," Marion Harris (1918)
"Bacon, Beans and Limousines," Will Rogers (Oct. 18, 1931)
"Begin the Beguine," Artie Shaw (1938)
"You Are My Sunshine," Jimmie Davis (1940)
D-Day Radio Broadcast, George Hicks (June 5-6, 1944)
"Just Because," Frank Yankovic and His Yanks (1947)
"South Pacific," Original Cast Album (1949)
"Descargas: Cuban Jam Session in Miniature," Cachao Y Su Ritmo Caliente (1957)
Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, Van Cliburn (April 11, 1958)
President's Message Relayed from Atlas Satellite, Dwight D. Eisenhower (Dec. 19,
1958)
"A Program of Song," Leontyne Price (1959)
"The Shape of Jazz to Come," Ornette Coleman (1959)
"Crossing Chilly Jordan," The Blackwood Brothers (1960)
"The Twist," Chubby Checker (1960)
"Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's," Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, et al. (1960-1962)
"Hoodoo Man Blues," Junior Wells (1965)
"Sounds of Silence," Simon and Garfunkel (1966)
"Cheap Thrills," Big Brother and the Holding Company (1968)
"The Dark Side of the Moon," Pink Floyd (1973)
"Music Time in Africa," Leo Sarkisian, host (July 29, 1973)
"Wild Tchoupitoulas," The Wild Tchoupitoulas (1976)
"Ramones," The Ramones (1976)
"Saturday Night Fever," The Bee Gees, et al (1977)
"Einstein on the Beach," Philip Glass and Robert Wilson (1979)
"The Audience with Betty Carter," Betty Carter (1980)
__________
Full press release with details about each recording:
http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2013/13-044.html
-30-



-Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Amateur (ham) Radio Operator K6YBV
916/ 806-9551

"Dad, if I never tell a lie, how am I ever gonna be President?" -George Washington