Smithsonian Jazzes Up Collection with Donations from Miles and Monk

By I Apr. 10, 2006

The families of Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk donated objects and manuscripts from the legendary careers of the jazz pioneers and photographer Herman Leonard donated jazz photographs to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in a special ceremony today that kicks off the 2006 Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) celebration.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of JAM’s founding as an annual event that pays tribute to jazz while raising awareness of this living art form. Throughout the month of April, the museum will present jazz and its history through performances, dance, film, programs and displays.

“As a truly American form of music, jazz has played and continues to play an important role in American and music history,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History. “Through the museum’s Jazz Appreciation Month activities, we will highlight jazz and its significant history, while exposing audiences to this significant piece of American culture.”

Donations from the Davis family include a Versace suit that Davis wore during the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1991; a sheaf of parts for “Summertime,” a collaboration with Gil Evans based on George Gershwin’s “Porgy & Bess”; and an electronic wind instrument used by Davis.

Donations from the Monk family include one of Monk’s iconic skull caps; a handwritten manuscript for “Four in One,” which was first recorded in 1951; and other articles of clothing, including a jacket, vest, and ties worn by Monk.

Leonard’s donation consists of 20 black-and-white photographs, which include images of Louis Armstrong, Holiday, Gillespie, Lena Horne, and Tony Bennett.

The donated items will join the museum’s collection of memorabilia from other jazz musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw and Ellington. Several are on display in “Miles and Monk: New Jazz Acquisitions,” 2nd floor west. The Smithsonian operates the world’s most comprehensive set of jazz programs. Jazz Appreciation Month, which coincides with the April birthdays of jazz giants Ellington, Fitzgerald, Tito Puente and Herbie Hancock, will be commemorated with numerous events. A complete schedule of JAM performances, lectures and displays is available at http://americanhistory.si.edu.

Additionally, schools, colleges, libraries, museums, concert halls and public broadcasters have been encouraged to mark the occasion with programs of their own. The museum has distributed 250,000 posters free of charge this year to educators and schools, libraries, and radio stations. In celebrating JAM, the museum joins with a diverse group of organizations, institutions, associations and federal agencies that have provided financial and in-kind support, as well as organizing programs and outreach of their own.