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Catalog Data

Collection Creator:
Garland, Ed  Search this
Armstrong, Louis, 1901-1971  Search this
Morton, Jelly Roll, 1890-1941  Search this
Darensbourg, Joe, 1906-1985  Search this
Davison, Bill  Search this
Blake, Eubie (James Herbert), 1883-1983  Search this
Wilson, Buster  Search this
Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this
Collection Collector:
Levin, Floyd, 1922-2007  Search this
Collection Donor:
Levin, Lucille  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1880 - 2010
undated
Scope and Content Note:
This subseries is the single largest portion of the collection. While the majority of these materials consist of photographs, (many inscribed to or taken with Floyd and Lucille Levin), newspaper articles, reviews, concert programs, and other materials useful for research are also within this subseries. There are general marketing materials; photographic negatives, slides and transparencies; correspondence of all kinds; biographical accounts and even personal documents such as copies of birth and death certificates of jazz artists. Other ephemera, some of which is three-dimensional, includes photocopies of record covers, memorabilia from jazz concerts and events, and the personal belongings of such legendary artists as "Barney" (Albany Leon) Bigard, Louis Armstrong and "Duke" (Edward Kennedy) Ellington. This subseries also reflects the longstanding personal relationships Floyd Levin formed with many of the artists found in the collection, among them, "Barney" (Albany Leon) Bigard; Louis Armstrong; Joe Darensbourg; "Wild" Bill Davis and his wife, Anne Stewart Davis; "Montudie" (Edward Bertram) Garland and "Rosy" (James) McHargue. Personal correspondence, photographs and ephemera from private events demonstrate the dynamic social activities the Levins enjoyed within the jazz scene. Those artists with whom Levin was personally acquainted are also some of the best represented within this series, along with other notable jazz musicians and composers such as "Jelly Roll" (Ferdinand Lemott) Morton, Milt Hinton, and "Duke" (Edward Kennedy) Ellington. While Levin's collection is also remarkable in that it documents lesser-known jazz artists, particularly in and around California, it suffers from a significant lack of information on female jazz musicians. Materials on such influential artists as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, and Bessie Smith, among others, are much more limited. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by artist or band name, followed by a collection of photographs of artists for which Levin had minimal materials, arranged by the first letter of their last name or band name. Following these are photographs and negatives of unidentified artists, and photographs and slides which feature multiple musicians.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Only reference copies of audiovisual materials may be used.
Collection Rights:
Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Floyd Levin Jazz Reference Collection, 1880-2010, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1222, Subseries 5.1
See more items in:
Floyd Levin Jazz Reference Collection
Floyd Levin Jazz Reference Collection / Series 5: Artists Files
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep82bb2c3f2-f5eb-443a-88d9-e6b8d90dedc4
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1222-ref22