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A jazz townMuseum exhibit tells story of music in ElmhurstBy Susan Dibblesdi bble@d a ily herald, comIt's easy to identify the real jazz fanatics when they visit Elmhurst Historical Museum’s new exhibit, Elmhurst Jazz: A Celebration of an American Art Form in Elmhurst.”They're the ones who stand by Louis Armstrong’s trumpet and want to get their picture taken, said Lance Tawzer, curator of exhibits.Yes, Satchmo's trumpet is there, along with Benny Goodman's clarinet and a host of other information and artifacts relating to the evolution of jazz and its relationship to... Elmhurst?Yes, Elmhurst. Although most people might not immediately associate die leafy community with jazz, the city has quite a few connections to the most original of American music forms, Tawzer said.Take, for instance, DownBeat magazine, a leader in jazz journalism diat is read by fans in more than 100 countries around the globe. Celebrating its 75th anniversary diisyear, DownBeat has been published for the past 20 years in Elmhurst.Ihe magazine had a hand in getting die Elmhurst College Jazz Festival started. Back in 1967 when DownBeat was still published in Chicago, it put out a call for colleges and universities to unite in a national jazz festival.Elmhurst College answered that challenge and became the Midwest site for the festival in 1968. When the national festival was discontinued in 1973, the college held its own Elmhurst College Jazz Festival and continues the event today, drawing big names in die business as well as college jazz bands from around the country.Those two elements provided die foundation for the exhibit, Tawzer said.They (DownBeat editors) were having their 75th anniversary and we thought diere was more to die story ,” he said. The more we peeled diat onion, the more connections we found.”The exhibit telling the story of those connections is on display through Sunday, May 24, and is accompanied by several workshops and lectures on jazz.DownBeat publisher Frank Alkyer will be at a reception for the exhibit from 5 to 7 p.m. ihursday, April 23. Ihe museum worked closely with DownBeat in tracking down sources and pulling together information on jazz.We pointed them to sources for artifacts. They went out and got them, Alkyer said. “For a jazz fan, these are holy grail.”The Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens, N.Y., loaned Armstrong’s trumpet, a DownBeat award he received and photos of him in Chicago.Louis Armstrong really started his career in Chicago, Tawzer said.Benny Goodman, a native Chicagoan who would have lieen 100 this year, has an even stron-ger connection. One of his daughters loaned his clarinet, a bow tie and some of his Ixxiks.The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History sent posters for April as JazzA Benny Goodman clarinet, left, is among the artifacts in the “Elmhurst Jazz: A Celebration of an American Art Form in Elmhurst” exhibit.DAN IF. 1. W H ITK/dwAite(« dailvheraU1 .coml( I Kl KS V OF F 1 M H t RSI UISIOKICAI Ml SKI MDownBeat magazine has featured all the jazz legends, including Louis Armstrong.Appreciation Month that are given to every visitor.Tawzer still marvels at the support die museum received from jazz institutions and aficionados who wanted the story told.People were really wanting to get the material out,” he said. “Ihe world of jazz is quite an interesting group. It’s people who have a real passion for what they are working on.The exhibit is part of die museum’s efforts to upgrade the quality of its temporary exhibits and reach a broader audience, said Tawzer, who was hired last October to do just that.“It’s the most comprehensive in-house produced exhibit that’s been done here, he said.Ihe exhibit isn’t just for jazz insiders — not by a long shot.It’s a good introduction to jazz. It’s a good introduction to jazz in Chicago,” Alkyer said.Wall boards give short biographies of jazz musicians and list some of their most well-known works such as Duke Ellington’s “Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.”Jazz styles are identified and described, and a glossary defines jazz terms such as in “boogieman” (jazz critic). A “Tools of the Trade” display features musical instruments used in playing jazz.“They weren’t rock stars. These people really were sort of like blue-collar workers. Ihe instruments were their tools,” Tawzer said.Jazz music emanates from a display on the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival. Tawzer himself was the student manager for the jazz festival’s 25th anniversary while attending Elmhurst College in 1992.The festival and die college's jazz program are going strong today, said Doug Beach, director of jazz studies at Elmhurst College.“There is a strong jazz presence in tiiis town, Beach said. “We’re excited that the museum was interested enough in what was going on to put tiiis exhiMt together.” \
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Arlington Heights Daily Herald Suburban Chicago
Arlington Heights, Illinois, US
Wed, Apr 08, 2009
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