Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives
About the Collections
- Felix E. Grant Collection
The bulk of the material in the Felix E. Grant Collection consists of commercial sound recordings (16,500); recordings of the interviews of jazz artists and personalities taped by Mr. Grant during his four decades as a radio broadcaster (145); and recordings of radio shows conducted by Mr. Grant (200). [More...]
- WDCU-FM JAZZ 90 Collection
The bulk to of the material in the WDCU Collection consists of commercial sound recordings (14,000); recordings from National Public Radio shows such as Blues Stage, Afropop Worlwide, Jazz Set, Dizzy’s Diamonds, Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, Quarto Mundo, and Taylor Made Piano; recordings of the interviews of jazz artists and personalities taped by WDCU hosts and programmers; and recordings (620) of the late Ernest P. White’s radio talk show Cross Talk. [More...]
- UDC Jazz Studies Program Collection
The Archives also houses materials that support the curriculum and document the history of UDC Jazz Studies—a program of study within the Music Program of the Department of Mass Media, Visual and Performing Arts. The collection comprises sound and video recordings of concerts, festivals, recitals, workshops and a variety of events produced from 1976 until the present. [More...]
- Dennis Askey Collection
In July 2000, the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives acquired an audio-taped collection of Duke Ellington recordings. The collection consists of 149 (10") reels. Sequenced chronologically and containing some 3,300 selections collected from 570 recording dates, the tapes provide a detailed and comprehensive record of Ellington’s studio, broadcast, concert, club, dance, and private performances from 1924 through 1947, his 78-rpm years. [More...]
- Ernest Dyson Collection
In September 2003, the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives acquired the collection of Ernest Dyson. The collection comprises commercial sound recordings (2,100); a reel-to-reel tape collection that includes recordings of interviews, radio shows, festivals, and competitions. Other archival materials in the collection include books (800), lectures, reviews, concert programs, magazine and newspaper articles/clippings, correspondence, photographs and promotional material. [More...]
- Paul Anthony Collection
In August 2006, the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives acquired a collection of commercial recordings from jazz music specialist and veteran radio broadcaster, Paul Anthony. The collection contains more than 5,100 LP records, almost entirely of American jazz artists of the mid- to late-20th century. [More...]
- Herb and Will Friedwald Collection
In June 2009, the acclaimed author and critic Will Friedwald donated his vast collection of jazz recordings to the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives at the University of the District of Columbia. The collection was started over 50 years ago by his late father, jazz record producer, historian and lawyer Herb Friedwald. It includes approximately 10,000 LP recordings dating from the 1940s through the 1990s that cover jazz from traditional New Orleans style to cutting edge avant-garde experimentalism. [More...]
- W. Royal Stokes Collection
In February 2010, the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives at the University of the District of Columbia acquired a significant collection of recordings (3,500), books (2,000), and periodicals from jazz author, historian, critic, and radio personality W. Royal Stokes, a D.C. native and former writer for
- Other Donors
LP Inventory List
CD Inventory ListAcquisitions Policy
The Archives pursues an acquisitions policy that will increase the research value and utility of its holdings, particularly recordings, photographs, radio broadcast materials, manuscripts and archival materials concerning all aspects of jazz. Of special interest to the archives are materials that document jazz in the Washington, D.C. area, particularly materials that complement existing documentary records in the collections.