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Posted by: Pat Padua
Next Friday the Music Division will release another batch of images from the William P. Gottlieb Collection to Flickr Commons. What makes this particular selection of images special, and a little more poignant, at least for me, can be found outside the image. If you look closely at the edges of the color images in …
Posted in: Jazz, Special Collections
Posted by: Larry Appelbaum
William P. Gottlieb (1917-2006) is one of the most celebrated jazz photographers. His iconic images documenting the great stylists and innovators in American jazz and popular music have been studied and reproduced for generations, and his collection of photographs is one of the Library’s great treasures. The Music Division is now pleased to announce the …
Posted in: African American History, Composers, Digital Collections, Jazz, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Larry Appelbaum
Pianist, composer Dr. Billy Taylor did so many things so well for so long, it’s hard to believe he’s now gone. Taylor grew up in Washington D.C. and told me a story about being 11 years old and seeing his hero Fats Waller at the Lincoln Theater. He waited around backstage to say how much …
Posted in: In Memoriam, Jazz, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
One year ago today, In the Muse launched with Meet the Music Division, a post that interviewed several staff members about their personal experience with Beatlemania. Since then, we’ve brought you news of Music Division events, including our world-renowned concert programs. We’ve highlighted a wide variety of treasures from the collection – from old maestros like Bach …
Posted in: Composers, Sheet Music, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Free tickets will be available on Saturday evening, December 4, for the Country Music Association Songwriters Series featuring Little Big Town. The plantinum-selling vocal quartet is fresh off a wonderful performance at the CMA Christmas show, and will be joined at the Coolidge by songwriters Brett James (“Jesus, Take the Wheel,” recorded by Carrie Underwood; “When …
Posted in: Concerts and Events, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The Library of Congress just hosted the first of a new lecture series organized in conjunction with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the contemporary art arm of the Smithsonian Institution. Artist Maira Kalman spoke about, And the Pursuit of Happiness, an illustrated book that documents the author’s visit to Washington DC for the inauguration of …
Posted in: Musicians, Sheet Music, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Today we release another one hundred images from the William P. Gottlieb Collection to Flickr Commons. This week’s selection offers iconic photos of the trumpet legend Louis Armstrong, clarinet player Sidney Bechet, composer Leonard Bernstein, and vocalist June Christy. And, as is often the case, there is something unexpected in the mix. This week’s surprise is a series of …
Posted in: Film Music, Jazz, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Every other Friday the Music Division releases a batch of photos from the William P. Gottlieb Collection to Flickr Commons. This week’s release includes portraits of musical legends like Frank Sinatra, Billy Strayhorn, Sarah Vaughan, and Billy Taylor, whose collection resides in the Music Division. You can also view a gathering of Smiths, including violinist Stuff, alto …
Posted in: Composers, Jazz, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
In the Muse recently put out a call to Music Division staff in search of ghost stories, and while nobody would tell me outright that they felt an unexplained cold spot on the Coolidge Auditorium stage, or that sounds of the Stradivarius would emerge mysteriously from an empty hall, the age and history of this …
Posted in: Holidays