Martin Bookspan interviews jazz composer and pianist John Lewis. Lewis talks about his background as a musician, about his motivation, career and life. He discusses the beginnig of the Modern Jazz Quartet, creator and musical director of which he has been since it became a permanent group in 1951, and was formally incorporated in 1952. He talks about his work with Dizzy Gillespie and other jazzmen. He also reminiscences about his years in Paris. He speaks about his music written for films such as Odds against tomorrow (1959). At the end of the interview he talks about his plans for the future. During the interview excerpts from his Three little feelings (Second movement), Vendôme, from the film Odds against tomorrow, In memoriam, and Midsömmer (1957) are played.
Content types:
Sounds
Extent:
1 recording
Repository/Collector:
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
Mostly recordings of music/talk related programs but including important news stories. Also have major studio sarchives of WABC-AM in New York City, WNEW-AM New York City, and others
Martin Bookspan interviews American contemporary classical music composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher Leon Kirchner. Kirchner talks about both of his careers: as a teacher and as a composer; about his students; about the performers he used to work with such as violinists Michael Spivakowsky and Isaac Stern; and about electronic tape music. The composer speaks about music by Arnold Schoenberg that influenced him, and he has composed a large quantity of music which is stylistically tied to the works of Schoenberg. He talks about his opera Lily (based on Saul Bellow's Henderson, the Rain King). The composer also discusses each of the following works, excerpts of which are then played during the interview: Music for orchestra (1970), Sonata concertante (for violin and piano, first movement) (1952), Quartet no. 3 (for strings and electronic tape).
Content types:
Sounds
Extent:
1 recording
Repository/Collector:
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
Interviews and live concerts by local and national bands, several commercial music recordings, selected Pacifica programming. Date range = 1950s-70s, with additional material from 80s + 90s