Martin Williams papers, 1945-1992 | Center for Black Music Research

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Collection Overview

Title: Martin Williams papers, 1945-1992

Predominant Dates:1954-1992

ID: 1000/WILLM_1015

Primary Creator: Williams, Martin (1924-1992)

Extent: 7.0 Boxes

Date Acquired: 00/00/1992

Forms of Material: Jazz

Abstract

Papers, 1945-1992, including published articles, unpublished manuscripts, files and correspondence, and music scores of jazz compositions.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Martin Williams preferred to retain his writings in their published form: there are many clipped articles but few manuscript drafts of published materials in his files. Neither did he usually retain correspondence after a project was completed. Nevertheless, the one foot of papers received after his death contains interesting documentation of his dealings with his publishers, and with other critics and scholars. There are also uncompleted and unpublished articles and reviews.

The files were retained in their original order, with their original file headings. In a few cases, materials or files were added or interpolated, and these additions are marked as such. Periodicals are arranged by title and date: in most cases Williams kept only issues containing his writings or issues in which he had some particular interest. The music, consisting mainly of stock arrangements of Jelly Roll Morton tunes, was collected for an intended project on Morton. The last series consists of individual articles by Williams, arranged by periodical title.

Appended is a list of books that were part of the Williams bequest. (His will stipulated that all of his jazz-related materials should come to the CBMR.) The list serves as a record of the jazz books from his library.

Collection Historical Note

Martin Williams was born in Richmond Virginia and educated at the University of Virginia (BA 1948), the University of Pennsylvania (MA 1950) and Columbia University. He was a nationally-known critic, specializing in jazz and American popular culture. He wrote for major jazz periodicals, especially Down Beat, co-founded The Jazz Review and was the author of numerous books on jazz. His book The Jazz Tradition won the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music criticism in 1973. From 1971-1981 he directed the Jazz and American Culture Programs at the Smithsonian Institution, where he compiled two widely-respected collections of recordings, The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, and The Smithsonian Collection of Big Band Jazz. His liner notes for the latter won a Grammy Award.

Biographical Note

Martin Williams was born in Richmond Virginia and educated at the University of Virginia (BA 1948), the University of Pennsylvania (MA 1950) and Columbia University. He was a nationally-known critic, specializing in jazz and American popular culture. He wrote for major jazz periodicals, especially Down Beat, co-founded The Jazz Review and was the author of numerous books on jazz. His book The Jazz Tradition won the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music criticism in 1973. From 1971-1981 he directed the Jazz and American Culture Programs at the Smithsonian Institution, where he compiled two widely-respected collections of recordings, The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, and The Smithsonian Collection of Big Band Jazz. His liner notes for the latter won a Grammy Award.

Administrative Information

Repository: Center for Black Music Research

Access Restrictions: None

Use Restrictions: None

Acquisition Source: Williams, Martin

Separated Materials: The books have been added to the CBMR’s Black Music Research Collection. His sizable collection of recordings, many donated before his death, is shelved separately.

Finding Aid Revision History: Minor edits made to finding aid by Adam Melville, April 19, 2018.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Papers],
[Series 2: Single articles by Martin Williams],
[Series 3: Printed music and manuscripts],
[All]

Series 1: Papers

Box 1

Item 1: Count Basie. Programs, discography, articles, liner notes, record reviews.
Item 2: Boogie-Woogie album. Liner notes for New World Records' Cuttin' the Boogie (NW 259) by Williams. Includes drafts & proofs. Correspondence and contract with New World Records. Discography.
Item 3: Cassell and Company, Ltd., Publishers: Correspondence and contracts. Contracts, correspondence regarding King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton (part of the "Kings of Jazz" series).
Item 4: Class materials. Handouts on "Aspects of Ellington" and Louis Armstrong.
Item 5: Classic jazz/swing era videos. Materials related to a 1992 video project related to the Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz and The Smithsonian Collection of Big Band Jazz: correspondence, filmographies, budgets, promotional materials. Interesting filmographies: Duke Ellington, classic jazz, big band jazz, "Black Films in the Library of Congress."
Item 6: Bob Crosby. Discography. Correspondence about "Fifty Years of Great Jazz on Victor."
Item 7: Crowell-Collier Press - Diamond Books. Royalty statements, correspondence, contracts, and book reviews related to the following books: Jazz Masters in Transition, Jazz Masters of the Twenties, Jazz Masters of the Thirties, Jazz Masters of the Forties, Jazz Panorama, and Jazz Masters of New Orleans. It also includes drafts "Tatum: Profession: Virtuoso" and "Jazz in New York," and *Geoffrey Marne's "The Kid Ory Story."
Item 8: Down Beat. Originals, typescripts and photocopies of articles, some annotated.
Item 9: Duke Ellington Treasure Show. Correspondence.
Item 10: The Art of Duke Ellington. Printed music, musical analyses and articles by or about Duke.
Item 11: Ellington 1986 concert - narrative/others. Drafts, etc.
Item 12: Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History. Correspondence and drafts of articles on Fletcher Henderson, Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson, Jimmy Blanton, Paul Gonzalves, Bubber Miley, Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong.
Item 13: Hidden in Plain Sight. Correspondence, contracts, some proofs.
Item 14: High Fidelity. Correspondence. Draft: "The Smithsonian Collection: A Continuing Anthology of American Music."
Item 15: Jazz Changes. Book reviews, correspondence (mostly concerning re-publication), contract, drafts.
Item 16: Jazz Heritage - correspondence. Mostly about re-publication; some apparently not related.
Item 17: Jazz Heritage - Misc. Drafts, numerous book reviews, and list: "Errors and typos in Jazz Heritage as of 8/27/85."
Item 18: Jazz Heritage - royalty statements & contracts. Includes some from Jazz Tradition.
Item 19: Jazz in Its Time. Royalty statements (including data from Jazz Heritage and Jazz Tradition), book reviews, correspondence (mostly concerning re-publication), drafts, "list for permissions," contract.
Item 20: Jazz Masters in Transition. Some original articles from Down Beat, Evergreen Review, FM Guide, Stereo Review, American Record Guide, etc., that were used in the book. Correspondence (mostly about reprinting), reviews. Draft of the contents, preface, and several other articles.
Item 21: Jazz Masters of New Orleans. Correspondence 1967-1970, mostly concerning questions and corrections, removed from Williams's copy of the book.
Item 22: Jazz pieces - mostly unused. Printed articles: "The School of Hawkins" (Stereo Review, 7/11/64); "The Novelist As Jazz Critic" (Down Beat, 12/30/65); reviews by Williams on Down Beat and American Record Guide; "Powell, Pianists, and Saxophones" (Stereo Review, 4/29/67); several articles from William's series "Bystander" on Down Beat; "A Note on Louis Armstrong and Jazz Rhythm" (no periodical given); "Bigger Monk" (Stereo Review, 5/16/64); "Jazz: the LP Catalog #13: Whatever Happened to the Clarinet?" ([Evergreen Review?]); "Modern Jazz Pianists" (Down Beat, 10/30/58) "Lux's Boogie" (no periodical given); "Letter on a Jazzman" (no periodical given); and "Those Contemporary Blues" (Stereo Review, 2/15/64). Many printed articles have handwritten corrections and additions. Typescripts: reviews of Bill Evans' Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Ray Charles' At Newport and Soul Brothers (with Milt Jackson). Also a Jelly Roll Morton timeline.
Item 23: Jazz Review. Correspondence.
Item 24: The Jazz Tradition - correspondence. Includes photocopy of a handwritten letter to Oxford University Press from Louis Armstrong.
Item 25: The Jazz Tradition - misc. Book reviews, including drafts.
Item 26: The Jazz Tradition - royalty statements & contracts.
Item 27: The Jazz Tradition 3. Research notes and materials, drafts, contracts, and correspondence about the third edition of The Jazz Tradition.
Item 28: Kennedy Center. Correspondence, advertisements, program notes (incl. drafts), and contracts about the Terrace Theater concert series at the Kennedy Center, featuring the music of Jelly Roll Morton (10/13/90), Duke Ellington (12/1/90 & 2/2/91), and Thelonious Monk (3/23/91). Also biographical material on the performers, incl. the Great American Music Ensemble, James Dapogny's Chicago Jazz Band, Ronnie Wells, Mark Tucker, and Buck Hill.
Item 29: Kennedy Center, 1991-92. Program notes (incl. drafts), correspondence, notes, etc. about new Terrace Theater concerts, featuring the music of Louis Armstrong (11/30/91), Charlie Parker (2/22/92), and Duke (3/21/92).
Item 30: Kennedy Center 1992-93. Drafts of program notes and research notes for a planned series of concerts between October '92 and May '93.
Item 31: Lectures. Drafts, contracts, research notes, and correspondence dated between 1989 and 1992.
Item 32: Metronome - pieces & reviews. Drafts for articles that appeared during 1961. Also: "Early MJQ: An Appreciation," "The MJQ Stays Home," and "Rediscoveries --On Records Anyway."
Item 33: Modern Jazz Quartet - Savoy. Research material for a projected compilation of early MJQ on Savoy.
Item 34: Monk lyrics. Several drafts (incl. handwritten) of lyrics by Joe Goldberg, Martin Williams, Margo Guryan, Bill Loughborough, and Leroi Jones to tunes by Thelonious Monk.
Item 35: Jelly Roll Morton concert. Concert review and program drafts of a June 28, 1988 concert in New York's Town Hall featuring Morton's music.
Item 36: The New Republic. Correspondence, mostly about television critiquing.
Item 37: New York Times - jazz. Clippings, 1968-1970. Topics include: Coleman Hawkins, Modern Jazz Quartet, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Ray Charles, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, jazz violin, Miles Davis, boogie woogie, Bill Evans, Ornette Coleman, AACM, etc.
Item 38: [Joe "King" Oliver] Discographical notes and correspondence removed from King Joe Oliver, by Walter C. Allen and Brian A.L. Rust, [Belleville, N.J.: Walter C. Allen] c1955. Jazz Monographs No. 1, October 1955, Numbered copy 96.
Item 39: Oxford University Press - letters. Correspondence, drafts, contract, royalty statements for The Jazz Tradition and The Art of Jazz.
Item 40: Pantheon Books. Correspondence, reviews, promotional materials, contract, royalty statements on Where's the Melody?
Item 41: Pieces awaiting publication. (Originally labeled: "Pieces awaiting pub. (Destroy as they appear).") Contains: "What Kind of Composer Was Thelonious Monk?", a review of Philip Furia's Poets of Tin Pan Alley, "Duke Ellington, American Composer," and some correspondence.
Item 42: Resumes (new). Articles about Williams by Gary Giddins, Bruce Vanderbort, and Richard Harrington; resumes from 1991.
Item 43: Time-Life Records. Materials related to The Swing Era: Correspondence, research materials, drafts on Fletcher Henderson and Jimmy Lunceford. "Master List of Swing Era titles." Promotional poster and letter.
Item 44: The Washington Post. Clippings & drafts of articles on the popular arts (particularly comics), 1972-1974.
Item 45: Alec Wilder project. Clippings, notes, correspondence about a project for New World Records.

Series 2: Single articles by Martin Williams

Box 2

Item 1: Various dated
Item 2: Various undated
Item 3: Saturday Review (Includes cover of magazine; 1957-1969)
Item 4: American Record Guide (Includes cover): 1958-1962; 1966; 1969-1970
Item 5: Liner notes for Jelly Roll Morton (The Library of Congress recordings vols. 1-12).
Item 6: Discographies

Series 3: Printed music and manuscripts

Box 3

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Papers],
[Series 2: Single articles by Martin Williams],
[Series 3: Printed music and manuscripts],
[All]