KU Libraries receives grant to help fund jazz programs

LAWRENCE — The Thomas Gorton Music and Dance Library at the University of Kansas has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to present a series of six jazz programs in partnership with the Lawrence Public Library. All of the events are free and open to the public.

“Looking at Jazz: America’s Art Form” is a video-and-discussion program for libraries that examines the development of this uniquely American musical genre. Every Friday for six weeks, different jazz topics will be explored through documentaries and expert panel discussions. Faculty members from KU’s Interdisciplinary Jazz Studies Group will lead discussions following each film.

Dates and topics of discussion:

Oct. 5 — New Orleans and the Origins of Jazz
Oct. 12 — The Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance
Oct. 19 — Jazz Vocalists
Oct. 26 — The Swing Era
Nov. 2 — Jazz Innovators: From Bebop, to Hard Bop, to Cool and More
Nov. 9 — Latin Jazz and International Jazz

Each event will take place at 7 p.m. at the auditorium in the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St.

Recordings and other materials from the Gorton Music and Dance Library and the Sound Archive will be on display at each of the events. George Gibbs, head of the Gorton Music and Dance Library, said he hopes the programs will alert the public to the extensive jazz collections the library holds.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have one of the most comprehensive jazz archives in the Midwest right here at KU,” he said. “I hope that these programs will shed light on this amazing collection and on the art form itself.”

The programs will be presented by Re:New Media in collaboration with the American Library Association and Jazz at Lincoln Center, with major funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. An application submitted by the KU Libraries brought the program to Lawrence.

The Gorton Music and Dance Library contains more than 111,000 scores, books, sound recordings, videos, microforms and serials. It has the leading music collection in the Great Plains region.

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