Search Results

1. Charles Mingus collection, 1925-2015

   approximately 15,000 items. 76 boxes. 35 linear feet. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Charles Mingus was a jazz double bassist, band leader, and composer. A prolific recording artist and pioneer in double bass technique, Mingus composed works that often incorporated elements of hard bop and gospel music and featured collective improvisation. The collection includes manuscript and printed music by Mingus; writings; correspondence; business papers; clippings; programs; publicity materials; photographs of Mingus, his family, and colleagues, such as Eric Dolphy, Dannie Richmond, Max Roach, Oscar Pettiford, and Miles Davis; artwork and artifacts; and sound recordings.

2. Chet Baker materials from the papers of Diane Vavra, 1970-1989

   108 items . 2 boxes. 1.7 linear feet. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Chet Baker was an American jazz trumpeter whose early success in the 1950s was due not only to his musical talents, but also to his model good looks. He rose to prominence as a member of baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's quartet and later established himself as acclaimed vocalist during the 1950s. Baker began an on-again, off-again relationship with Diane Vavra in 1970 and was with her during the last years of his life. The collection contains correspondence, photographs, and other items related to his personal life and career.

3. Sharon Preston-Folta collection on Lucille Preston and Louis Armstrong, 1940-2009

   approximately 340 items. 5 containers. 3 linear feet. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Lucille "Sweets" Preston (1921-2020), a dancer at the Cotton Club and member of the vaudeville comedic duo Slim & Sweets, was an intimate partner of jazz legend Louis Armstrong beginning in the early 1950s. This collection consists of correspondence, photographs, and other materials formerly owned by their daughter Sharon Preston-Folta. The items document both the relationsip between "Satchmo" and Lucille Preston as well as Preston's colleagues in the entertainment industry.

   Please note:

   Some or all content stored offsite.

4. Shirley Horn papers, circa 1935-2014

   approximately 2,630 items. 27 containers. 2 mapcase folders. 14 linear feet. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Shirley Horn (1934-2005) was an American jazz pianist and singer. A lifelong resident of Washington, D.C., she was classically trained before discovering jazz, eventually forming her own trio in 1954. After graduating from Howard University, she recorded an album that caught the attention of Miles Davis, for whom she opened at the Village Vanguard in 1961. After recording two albums produced by Quincy Jones, she performed locally while raising her daughter. She began performing internationally in the early 1980s. Her subsequent albums garnered one Grammy win and nine nominations. The Shirley Horn Papers document her life and career through printed music, business records, programs, clippings, and photographs.