Mingus Collection @ LC

[Joe]

Much ballyhooed when Sue handed it over to "the feds" -- as they are known in my line of library business -- in '93 or so. I just wonder is any of the many writers and researchers who post frequently here have ever actually been through the collection, know how accessible it really is, what the terms of Sue's bequest were (copyright?), and whether LC ever plans to include any of the material in their American Memory project?

BTW, a finding aid for the collection is available online here (I'll spare you the EAD tutorial):

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/music/eadxml.../mu004009_x.pdf

The recordings originally included in the collection appear to have been "transferred to Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division", but, sadly, I can locate no registry or inventory for them. Darn it.

Edited January 7, 2005 by Joe

[Brandon Burke]

I worked in the LC Recorded Sound lab over the summer and noticed a big chunk of Mingus stuff waiting in the queue for preservation digitization. Among these recordings was the original score to John Cassavetes' Shadows which, to the best of my knowledge, is seldom heard outside the context of the film itself. Unfortunately, we never got around to playing it.

[Joe]

I worked in the LC Recorded Sound lab over the summer and noticed a big chunk of Mingus stuff waiting in the queue for preservation digitization. Among these recordings was the original score to John Cassavetes' Shadows which, to the best of my knowledge, is seldom heard outside the context of the film itself. Unfortunately, we never got around to playing it.

Interesting. Isn't the SHADOWS score -- as used by Cassavetes; I seem to recall that maybe Mingus never actually got around to writing any music per se for the film -- mostly Shafi Hadi tenor solos?

[Brandon Burke]

Not sure. Some of the discographers on the board could probably help us out with that. It's simply been too long since I last saw Shadows. I do remember Horace Parlan's name listed on the box. Not much else. And yes, the story one usually hears is that very little of Mingus' score was actually used in the film--which begs the question: What the devil is on that tape?

[EDIT: Two tapes actually.]

Edited January 7, 2005 by Brandon Burke

[Joe]

Not sure. Some of the discographers on the board could probably help us out with that. It's simply been too long since I last saw Shadows. I do remember Horace Parlan's name listed on the box. Not much else. And yes, the story one usually hears is that very little of Mingus' score was actually used in the film--which begs the question: What the devil is on that tape?

[EDIT: Two tapes actually.]

I'd sure love to know.

[bertrand]

1. I've browsed the collection briefly, but have never been able to spend a significant amount of time on it (by the time it was catalogued, fatherhood took over most of my spare time).

2. The finding aid put together by librarian Lloyd Pinchbak (with help from Andrew Homzy) is excellent. Proof: a researcher came by once to look up a specific issue concerning Pepper Adams and Mingus. We had our answer in less than half an hour (including the time spent waiting for the folder).

3. As far as I know, only one researcher has published anything based on his findings in the Mingus collection: Gene Santoro. I've already said in other threads how crummy I think this book is.

I would be happy to take anyone to view the jazz collections at LC if they are in town. In addition to Mingus, there is the jazz copyright collection which I started putting together in 1993.

Bertrand.

Edited March 7, 2005 by bertrand