<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>To: DJML, Musicians and Jazzfans List and some jazz friends<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>From: Norman Vickers, Jazz Pensacola<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Re: Asking your advice and taking opportunity to brag a mite about Pensacola’s downtown library jazz room and jazz programs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Now the jazz room boasts a collection valued at $20,000—jazz CDs, DVDs and books.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>During this period, we’ve co-produced events at our downtown Pensacola public library.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>What other excellent movies, now out on DVD, would you suggest to complete the series?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>( After selections are made, library staff has to research permission to show in public)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you’re curious further, then see <a href="http://www.jazzpensacola.com">www.jazzpensacola.com</a> and there’s story and photos of our jazz room.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks for your suggestions and advice. If there are further questions, I’ll try to answer both informatively and, better still, succinctly! (smile)<br><br><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Norman<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>F.<span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Norman</span> Vickers<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>5429 Dynasty Drive<span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>Pensacola, FL 32504-8583<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Home 850-484-9183; cell 850-324-5022<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Jazz Society of Pensacola 850-433-8382<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.jazzpensacola.com/">www.jazzpensacola.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:nvickers1@cox.net">nvickers1@cox.net</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>http://jazzpensacola.com/vickers/<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Member Jazz Journalists Association<span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>