[Dixielandjazz] Pensacola Jazz Room and library jazz activities. Your suggestions welcomed.

[Paul Kurtz Jr]

Norman, I think you guys have done a wonderful job with what I’m sure are limited resources versus what you now have. 

My only suggestion regards instructional videos from great professionals. I have a number from different players including Wynton Marsalis and on the classical side, Tom Stevens, former principle from the LA Phil. One I don’t have yet but intend to get is from Warren Vache. I also have some great stuff from/about Clark Terry. I bought the DVDEs and then ripped them onto my computer since none of the CD/DVD machines talk to or indentify stuff for blind people. (Yes, I could put Braille labels on things, but now, all I have to do is search my computer for title and play it.) 

Anyway, there are tons of instructional materials out there and I think they’re great for students. I have trumpet students study them along with normal instructional things. 
Paul Kurtz Jacksonville, FL

On Jan 6, 2018, at 3:07 PM, Norman Vickers <nvickers1 at cox.net> wrote:

To:  DJML, Musicians and Jazzfans List and some jazz friends
From:  Norman Vickers, Jazz Pensacola
 
Re:  Asking your advice and taking opportunity to brag a mite about Pensacola’s downtown library jazz room and jazz programs.
 
Our 34  year old Jazz Pensacola organization has a long history with our downtown public library.  When LPs were transitioning to CDs in the 1980s, we talked with the then-director of the library, Gene Fischer,  who said he’d like to have a jazz collection  but didn’t know how to do it.  That’s when we jazz-folk stepped in and became partners.  We enlisted George Buck, independent record producer in New Orleans,  and peripatetic record producer Gus Statiras whose home was in Tifton, GA but he produced recordings all over the US.  Buck and Statiras helped us get started and, thereafter, we made decisions locally with advice from them as needed.  Our local “Friends of the  West Florida Public Library” group has generously matched our contribution thereafter.
 
The Jazz Society’s grand piano is now in our downtown library meeting room for use as needed. Only occasion that it needs to be moved is during our two-day free Jazz Festival in the spring.
 
Now the jazz room boasts a collection valued at $20,000—jazz CDs, DVDs and books.
Our current library director, Todd J. Humble, has researched this and found that, whereas several public libraries have rooms dedicated to music, there’s only one other, on the West Coast, which has a dedicated jazz room. We have lots of the Mosaic series CDs which have excellent taste and a historical booklet which goes with the CDs  Also, we have fake books and the play-along books and records for jazz students.  We even have some appropriate jazz books in the juvenile section. And to make our funds go further, our Friends of the Library group have matched our donation each time.  What great collaboration!
 
During this period, we’ve co-produced events at our downtown Pensacola public library.
We’ve had musical programs, “dancing in the stacks,” jazz lectures—e.g. videos of selected portions of Ken Burns Jazz video series—In, 2016, we had David Sager,  trombonist and staff member of Library of Congress’ Jukebox project to give a library lecture about that project.  Next evening he brought a hand-picked group of New Orleans musicians to give a program at a downtown nightclub.
 
Now we’re asking for your comments and advice.  Library and our jazz society plans a series  of  jazz-related movies for a free series this summer.  We want it to be reasonably accurate and well produced.  For example, two suggestions have been Round Midnight ( stars Dexter Gordon) and Clint Eastwoood’s Bird, the excellent movie about Charlie Parker.
 
What other excellent movies, now out on DVD, would you suggest to complete the series?
( After selections are made, library staff has to research permission to show in public)
 
If you’re curious further, then see www.jazzpensacola.com and there’s story and photos of our jazz room.
 
Thanks for your suggestions and advice.  If there are further questions, I’ll try to answer both informatively and, better still, succinctly! (smile)

Norman
 
F.Norman Vickers
5429 Dynasty Drive
Pensacola, FL 32504-8583
Home 850-484-9183; cell 850-324-5022
Jazz Society of Pensacola 850-433-8382
www.jazzpensacola.com
nvickers1 at cox.net
http://jazzpensacola.com/vickers/
Member Jazz Journalists Association
 
_______________________________________________
To unsubscribe or change your e-mail preferences for the Dixieland Jazz Mailing list, or to find the online archives, please visit:

http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz



Dixielandjazz mailing list
Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com