Browse Items (19 total)

Tolton Rosser SMRC Transcript.pdf
Interview with Dr. Tolton Rosser, conducted by Burgin Mathews at the Carver Theatre / Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, April 19, 2016. Dr. Tolton Rosser (1932-2023) was a jazz musician, educator, and bandleader in Birmingham, Alabama. Rosser received…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ARM 106 Consuela Lee (Moorehead).jpeg
Painting of Consuela Lee (Moorehead) by Craig Legg, 2023. #106 in Craig Legg's Alabama Roots Music Trading Card Series. Courtesy Craig Legg.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ARM 169 William Levi Dawson.jpg
Painting of William Levi Dawson by Craig Legg, 2023. Courtesy Craig Legg.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ARM Steve Sample Sr.jpeg
Painting of Steve Sample, Sr., by Craig Legg, 2024. #309 in Craig Legg's Alabama Roots Music Trading Card Series. Courtesy Craig Legg.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

ARM 294 Amelia Tilghman 1.jpeg
Painting of Amelia Tilghman by Craig Legg, 2023. #294 in Craig Legg's Alabama Roots Music Trading Card Series. Courtesy Craig Legg.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ;

Whatley School 1.jpg
Program for Birmingham's John Tuggle Whatley Elementary School, named for the city's influential "Maker of Musicians," John T. "Fess" Whatley. Program includes a biography of Whatley and a photo of his early Vibra-Cathedral Orchestra. Please see also…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Remembering Flash 1.jpeg
Program for "Remembering 'Flash'": a jazz musical tribute honoring master musician and educator Amos Franklin "Flash" Gordon, Carver Theater, Birmingham, Alabama, 1996.The multi-page program includes biographical details, personal tributes, photos,…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

J. L. Lowe Funeral 1.jpg
Funeral program for James Leroy (J. L.) Lowe: musician, educator, and champion of the Birmingham jazz tradition (1913-1998), Birmingham, Alabama.

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Richard Clarke.jpg
Birmingham trumpeter Richard Clarke (aka Dick or Dickie Clarke) belonged to a family full of musicians. His own career included work in the bands of Fess Whatley, Baron Lee, Benny Carter, Billie Holiday, and others; in a U. S. Army band; and in…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ;

Richard Clarke School Photo.jpg
Trumpeter Richard ("Dick" / "Dickie") Clarke belonged to Birmingham's musical Clarke family. Clarke performed in the bands of "Fess' Whatley, Baron Lee, Benny Carter, Billie Holiday, and others; performed in the pits of numerous Broadway shows; and…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/69313/archive/files/84a64d9b6a3f4acce9a1bd5259e51cf9.mp3
In 1950, Frank Adams had recently graduated from Howard University and was working as a supplier (subbing for a regular player) in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. When Ellington took his band to Europe that year, Adams returned to Birmingham and began…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/69313/archive/files/121488df6e70469a4db164a0c949b045.pdf
In this short excerpt, Frank Adams recalls, from his years as a school band director, one parent’s resourceful innovation in the face of limited resources. Recorded by Burgin Mathews on September 9, 2009, in Frank Adams’s office at the Alabama Jazz…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/69313/archive/files/2629f7ef3a1d619978d6b16134b4223d.pdf
In this excerpt, Adams reflects on his early training in music, including his first informal lessons from his older brother Oscar and his experience in the elementary and high school bands of William Wise Handy and John T. “Fess” Whatley.…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/69313/archive/files/53b39a6c00689c9a8cf7da262073bf2c.mp3
Frank Adams describes the musical culture of Birmingham’s segregated Black schools. In the opening portion of this excerpt, Adams reads from a lecture he was preparing for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, exploring the history of jazz and…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/69313/archive/files/e080a30dcc3350e475dca2189cdfe84e.mp3
As a high school student in the 1940s, Frank Adams played in both the bands of Fess Whatley, Birmingham's celebrated "Maker of Musicians," and Herman "Sonny" Blount, later famous as Sun Ra. In this interview excerpt, Adams compares the experience of…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/69313/archive/files/6986159c36d8f09312a366151bbbe824.mp3
Frank Adams recalls early gigs performing in elementary and high school with the guitarist Banjo Bill Reese. Adams was introduced to Banjo Bill by a high school student and singer named Sammy Mayo, who also performed with the older musician. In these…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/69313/archive/files/e623c6b5c57218aebf639e599bca41e5.jpeg
John T. “Fess” Whatley (1885 – 1972), Birmingham’s legendary “Maker of Musicians,” 1968. From 1917 into the 1950s, Whatley’s music program at Industrial / Parker High School produced numerous professional musicians, many of whom performed in the…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/69313/archive/files/8b47b34d5c7463f0727b3abb09dae291.jpeg
Historically, Birmingham schools have played an essential role in developing the city's jazz community; many Birmingham music teachers were also accomplished and highly respected players.

Here, Jackson-Olin High School band director Donald…

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/69313/archive/files/545734816d823613df951a02f10d6459.jpeg
Frank Adams, 1978

Tags: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Output Formats

atom, dc-rdf, dcmes-xml, json, omeka-xml, rss2