About This Project
The University of Missouri-Kansas City University Libraries are pleased to present, “Musicians Local 627 and the Mutual Musicians Foundation: the Cradle of Kansas City Jazz,” an Internet Web exhibit chronicling the cultural, social, and historical impact of Kansas City in the development of jazz in America. The Web exhibit features 10 sections with introductory movie montages for the first nine thematic sections, more than 500 unique images, audio selections, and a list of resources. An exhibit guestbook offers visitors an opportunity to record impressions and comments.
The William T. Kemper Foundation awarded $10,000 to the University of Missouri-Kansas City University Libraries to create an Internet web exhibit on the history of Kansas City’s Local 627, the African-American Musicians Union, founded in 1917, and now known as the Mutual Musicians Foundation. The Web exhibit is accessible to anyone around the world interested in the history of jazz in America. The Mutual Musicians Foundation building is a national historic landmark located at 1823 Highland Avenue in the Historic 18th and Vine Jazz District.
The Web exhibit is an exciting venue to present historic information, including photos and sound recordings, on this important Kansas City institution for today’s audiences. The award was granted in May 2004, and was planned to be completed by May 2005 in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Mutual Musicians Foundation, which was originally dedicated on 4 May 1930. The Diamond Anniversary of the MMF will be commemorated on Saturday, 30 April 2005, and the new Web exhibit, “Musicians Local 627 and the Mutual Musicians Foundation: The Cradle of Kansas City Jazz” will be demonstrated for the public during the evening’s celebrations.
The community project partners for this project are the Mutual Musicians Foundation, the William T. Kemper Foundation, Mrs. Betty Crow, and the UMKC University Libraries. The Mutual Musicians Foundation history Web exhibit project documents the vibrant and diverse cultural life of Kansas City, demonstrating that UMKC and the UMKC University Libraries are an essential community partner and resource, a continuing goal of the UMKC Strategic Vision.
Background
The University of Missouri-Kansas City University Libraries are committed to documenting the history of Kansas City and the region by preserving and providing access to rare and uncommon information resources, including published and unpublished documents, sound recordings, photographs, prints, maps, and sheet music. These materials are a resource for education, research, and lifelong learning. Internet Web exhibits are an important method to present the historical collections for wide accessibility for anyone interested in the learning.
The UMKC University Libraries and the Board of the Mutual Musicians Foundation (MMF) have partnered successfully on several projects leading up to the current Web exhibit. These include preservation and digital conversion of the Mutual Musicians Foundation Photograph Collection and the creation of wall displays at the Mutual Musicians Foundation building for the re-dedication in 2003 of the building site at 1823 Highland Avenue as a National Park Service Historic Landmark. The Web exhibit celebrates the 2005 Diamond Anniversary of the union’s move to the building in May, 1930.
Mrs. Betty Crow, board member of the Mutual Musicians Foundation (MMF), approached the UMKC University Libraries with a bold plan to preserve the heritage of the MMF, a vitally important institution in the history of Kansas City and the history of jazz in America. Mrs. Crow and the MMF Board envision the need for a strong MMF presence in the Kansas City community, which will actively promote jazz history, the history of the African-American musicians in Local 627, and actively partner with the exciting developments of the jazz district at 18th and Vine. To this purpose, Albert Pearson, President, and the MMF Board transferred its collection of nearly 700 photographs to the UMKC University Libraries and Mrs. Crow gave a generous personal contribution as seed funding to start the photographic preservation work (September 2003).
The Mutual Musicians Foundation Photograph Collection includes signed portraits of members, coverage of union functions and social events, as well as group photos of the legendary bands of Andy Kirk, Harlan Leonard, Jay McShann, Bennie Moten, Count Basie, George E. Lee, the Blue Devils and other bands that created the internationally recognized Kansas City style of jazz. The collection is held in the Kenneth J. LaBudde Special Collections Department in the UMKC Miller Nichols Library.
Based on enthusiastic support from the UMKC University Libraries and the MMF Board, Mrs. Crow proposed that the University Libraries ask for project support from the William T. Kemper Foundation on behalf of the Mutual Musicians Foundation. Dr. Ted P. Sheldon, then Dean and Director of the UMKC University Libraries, submitted a proposal for the project in December 2003.
The UMKC University Libraries are a logical choice for the Local 627-Mutual Musicians Foundation Web exhibit because of the strength of its holdings in Kansas City history from the LaBudde Special Collections Department and the Marr Sound Archives. The University Libraries have a proven track record in creating innovative local history websites and exhibits. The digital projects include: “Club Kaycee: The History of Kansas City Jazz” (an initial partnership with the KC Star newspaper); “Kansas City – Paris of the Plains: The Jazz Age in Kansas City, 1920–1940”; “The Brush Creek Follies”; and “Voices of World War II: Experiences From the Front and at Home – KMBC Radio,” featuring speeches, contemporary news broadcasts, and popular music in a partnership with the Truman Presidential Museum and Library and the Missouri State Library via an LSTA federal grant. All of these digital projects include full-length audio recordings, graphics, and text. The sound recordings for these projects are from the collections of the Marr Sound Archives in the Miller Nichols Library. All of these digital library projects can be accessed from the University Libraries Website address at www.umkc.edu/lib.
UMKC University Libraries staff working on the Mutual Musicians Foundation Web exhibit include (in alphabetical order): Marilyn Carbonell, Assistant Director for Collection Development; Chuck Haddix, Marr Sound Archives Specialist; and Robert C. Ray, Special Collections Librarian. Dr. Joan FitzPatrick Dean, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor, UMKC Department of English, is the Interim Dean of the University Libraries.
Project Acknowledgements
Special thanks are due to the partners, the institutions, and the many participants that made this project possible. We are grateful for their commitment and generosity to partner with the University Libraries of the University of Missouri-Kansas City to preserve and share the history of jazz in Kansas City centered on the members of Musicians Local 627 and the Mutual Musicians Foundation.
Partners
- The William T. Kemper Foundation, Michael D. Fields, Executive Director
- Mutual Musicians Foundation Board, Albert Pearson, Board President
- University of Missouri-Kansas City, University Libraries
- Betty Crow, Mutual Musicians Foundation Board Officer
Project Staff
- Writing, Research, Selection of Materials:
- Chuck Haddix, Marr Sound Archives Specialist, Special Collections Department, and co-author with Frank Driggs of Kansas City Jazz: from Ragtime to Bebop, Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Technical Coordination, Photographic Preservation and Reformatting, Digital Files:
- Robert C. Ray, Special Collection Librarian, Special Collections Department
- Website Designer:
- Jason Adams, jasonadamsdesigns.com
- Project Management and Proposal Writing:
- Marilyn Carbonell, Assistant Director for Collection Development, UMKC Libraries
University of Missouri-Kansas City Staff
- University Libraries
- Dr. Joan FitzPatrick, Interim Dean of Libraries
- Dr. Ted P. Sheldon, Retired Dean of Libraries
- Jennifer Eigsti, Assistant Director for Administrative Affairs
- Mike Harrell, Manager, Network Services, LTO
- Bruce Sherwood, Special Collections Library Assistant
- Kelly McEniry, Marr Sound Archives Library Assistant
- Scott Middleton, Marr Sound Archives Sound Engineer
- Maksat Altiyev, Special Collections Student Assistant
- University Communications
- Andrew Goodenow, Manager, Electronic Communications
Collections and Resources
Most of the materials in this Web exhibit are drawn from the following sources:
- Kenneth J. LaBudde Special Collections Department, UMKC University Libraries
- Mutual Musicians Foundation Photograph Collection
- Dave E. Dexter, Jr. Photograph Collection
- Marr Sound Archives, Special Collections Department, UMKC University Libraries
- Frank Driggs, Jazz Historian
- Kansas City Museum Association
- Western Historical Manuscripts Collection of Kansas City
- James Fraher, Photograph, “The Tradition Jams On!”
How This Project Was Created
Jason Adams, jasonadamsdesigns.com, designed and constructed the Web exhibit with the project staff. All pages were built with a combination of XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The website is designed to be accessible to screen-readers. The main web browsers supported by the website includes current, standards-compliant versions of Mozilla, Internet Explorer and Safari. The animated features introducing thematic sections were designed and built with Macromedia Flash. Audio selections are provided in a RealAudio format. Visitors to the website will need to have a media player compatible with the RealAudio format installed to hear the audio selections. Both the Flash Player and RealPlayer are freely available for most operating systems.
Copyright
This site is intended for educational use. Materials on this site may not be reproduced without written permission. Permission and possible fees may be required from the copyright owners independently of the Libraries. It is the researcher’s obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Libraries’ collections. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. For information about copyright, privacy, and publication rights contact the Kenneth J. LaBudde Special Collections Department.