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Overview and Finding Aid of The Brubeck Collection
The creation of the Brubeck Collection Finding Aid and the conversion of selected audio to a digital format were supported in whole or in part with funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
Moscow program, 1987
Search
Search keywords in the PDF files across all series and subseries of the Brubeck Collection Finding Aid.
Papers
- Business Correspondence (detailed PDF inventory) consists of letters to and from the Brubecks and agents, promoters, record executives, and attorneys.
- Business Papers (detailed PDF inventory) includes contracts, bills, receipts, and cashbooks that document Brubeck’s tours and the business side of his career.
- Personal Correspondence (detailed PDF inventory) contains letters to and from the Brubecks and friends, colleagues, and fans. Includes letters from figures such as Louis Armstrong, Chick Corea, Elton John, Clint Eastwood, and Bill Clinton. (selected list of those who wrote to the Brubecks)
- Biographical Materials (detailed PDF inventory) includes interviews, clippings, and writings by Brubeck and others on his career and accomplishments in jazz and classical music.
- Clippings consist primarily of reviews of Brubeck performances, but also include jazz polls and clippings collected by Brubeck on friends such as Paul Desmond, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington.
Detailed PDF inventories are available for each subseries:
- Concert Programs (detailed PDF inventory) cover performances from throughout Brubeck’s career, dating to a 1934 school show. Includes programs from all of his major premiers as well as many foreign tours.
- Promotional Materials (detailed PDF inventory) contains posters, flyers, news releases, and other documents publicizing Brubeck’s music and concerts.
- Memorabilia (detailed PDF inventory) includes a broad range of items such as awards, certificates, souvenirs, and artwork.
Monterey Jazz Festival, 1961
Photographs
Contains thousands of photographs that visually document Brubeck’s bands
and career. Includes extensive images of notable tours such as a 1958 State Department
sponsored tour of Europe and Asia, and the ground breaking 1987 tour of the Soviet Union.
Visit the online photo gallery.
Detailed PDF inventories are available for each decade:
Lullaby, c.1941
Musical Scores, Sketches, and Parts
Includes original manuscripts, copyists’ scores, and published version of jazz and
classical compositions by Brubeck and others. Detailed PDF inventories are available for each subseries:
Audio Materials
Consists of commercial recordings and unreleased recordings of Brubeck concerts, studio sessions, interviews, and performances of Brubeck works by other musicians. Detailed PDF inventories are available for each subseries. The collection also includes selected audio recordings transferred to CD through an LSTA grant.
Video and Film Materials
Includes videotapes of concert performances dating to 1959, as well as television interviews and documentaries, television soundtracks (Mr. Broadway, 1964) and film appearances (All Night Long, 1961).
