Scope and Contents The Higginson Collection was gifted to the LaBudde Special Collections Department in August 2009 by Marcia Higginson and Charles Higginson, daughter and son of Fred Higginson. The collection consists of two handwritten documents of great value and historic significance. These one-of-a-kind documents survived from the first recording dates for Kansas City jazz pianist Jay McShann and his band, which included alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, then only 20 years old. The recording session...

Scope and Contents The James F. Condell Collection was gifted to LaBudde Special Collections and Marr Sound Archives by Dr. Yvonne C. Condell, wife of the late Dr. James F. Condell. The collection focuses on Condell’s longtime interest and scholarly pursuits in the field of jazz from 1980-1998, although some items date back to his time in Spain in the early 1970s.Included in the manuscript collection is information on his radio programs, A Little Jazz Music and Condell’s Corner, which aired on KCCM...

Scope and Contents The Jay McShann Collection was gifted to the LaBudde Special Collections Department by the McShann Family in July 2009. Inclusive dates are 1916-2006, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1980-2004. Included are correspondence; contracts; numerous awards; event programs; posters; news clippings; photographs; and miscellaneous ephemera and memorabilia. While the collection lacks personal information about McShann’s childhood and early years in the music business, the collection...

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The collection consists of compact cassettes of live jazz music recorded by Joe Gradinger. Recordings include the Topeka Jazz Workshop, Wichita Jazz Festival, KC Jazz Workshop All Stars, Mid-American Jazz Festival, Denver Jazz Party, and performances by Jay McShann, Milt Abel, Priscilla Bowman, Woody Heman, Dave Brubeck, Zoot Simms, and Marilyn Maye.

Scope and Contents The John B. Tumino Collection was donated to the UMKC Libraries by Robert Tumino in 2005. The collection is small in size but rich in content, especially information related to Kansas City Jazz history.Housed in LaBudde Special Collections, the manuscript materials are contained in 12 folders located in one box and spans 1940-2005. Included are personal correspondence, royalty statements, promotional material, ephemera and news clippings. Of particular interest are the various...

Scope and Contents The John Coon Collection includes personal and professional correspondence, financial documents, business records, programs, handwritten musical parts and commercial sheet music, awards, periodicals, scrapbooks, and photographs related to John Coon, the Coon family, The Coon Agency, the Johnny Coon Orchestra, and the Carleton Coon Blackhawks Orchestra.The collection also includes recordings of the Johnny Coon Orchestra and recordings of and about the Coon-Sanders Original...

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Consists of live performace recordings of jazz musician John Park.

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The Kansas City Jazz Festival Collection was gifted to the UMKC Miller Nichols Library by the Ed Roche family estate after his death in 1997. The collection consists of festival programs for every year between 1964 and 1972, which are housed in LaBudde Special Collections. Also in the collection are live recordings engineered by Roche between the years 1964 and 1971, which are housed in the Marr Sound Archives.

Scope and Contents The Kathe “Kathleen” Kaul Collection was gifted to the UMKC Libraries in January 2014 by Kathe Kaul.Housed in LaBudde Special Collections, the manuscript collection is divided into two series: Radio Broadcasting and Mutual Musicians Foundation (MMF). The first series consists of popular record surveys distributed by local radio stations, including WHB, KUDL, KBEQ, KCMO and KCKN. There are also surveys by Oklahoma-based radio stations KOMA, KWHP and WKY. Also included is various...

Scope and Contents The Kerry Strayer collection was a gift to the University Libraries in October 2016 from Strayer’s wife, Gailyn. The collection is comprised of jazz arrangements for ensembles of varying size and instrumentation, with many pieces arranged by Strayer himself. There are also a handful of original compositions by Strayer, such as “Jeru Blue” and “KAS’s Blues.” In this collection, there are arrangements for the Polycurrents ensemble; jazz quartet, quintet, and sextet; Kerry Strayer and the New...

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Live recordings of performances by Kansas City jazz musicians on cassette tapes.

Scope and Contents The Major N. Clark Smith Collection was gifted to the University of Missouri-Kansas City by Mrs. Robert Lee Groves on April 25, 1973. Housed in the Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections, the collection consists of original and photocopied manuscript music scores and published sheet music composed and/or arranged by Major N. Clark Smith, including Frederick Douglass Funeral March, O’ Lincoln High, Tuskegee Institute March, and Negro Folk Suite. Also included are titles by...

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The audiovisual materials in this collection consists of many live recordings of renown jazz musicians playing in the Kansas City area and surrounding region, including Jay McShann, Pat Metheney, Clark Terry, Zoot Simms, Woody Herman, Barney Kessel, and Ella Fitzgerald, among other legends. The collection also consists of jazz festival recordings, including the Mid-America Jazz Festival, Wichita Jazz Festival, Jazz Olympics, and the Kansas City Women's Jazz Festival.

Scope and Contents Original Project Images: Photo Thumbnails (Wall Photos and Individual Prints #1-181) (PDF) Original Project Images: Photo Descriptions (Wall and #1-181) (PDF) ...

Scope and Contents The Norman Saks Collection was donated by Saks to LaBudde Special Collections in the summer of 2014. The expansive nature of this collection is a reflection of Mr. Saks’ dedication to all aspects of Jazz music. A series of personal documents feature Saks ’correspondences as well as research materialsspecifically related to jazz artists, including: newspaper clippings, interviews, and artist contracts. Includedwith this series is a copy of The Charlie Parker Discography, completed by Saks,...

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Contains recordings of of jazz performances, including Kerry Strayer, Kim Park, and Kansas City 7.

Scope and Contents Photos in UMKC Digital Special CollectionsThe collection consists of 65 black-and-white photographs related to the entertainment complex formerly at Linwood and Main in Kansas City, Missouri. Included are architectural renderings of the proposed development; interior and exterior shots; bandleaders and musicians, most notably Pla-Mor band director Chic Scoggin and his orchestra; as well as other...

Scope and Contents The Priscilla Bowman Collection was gifted to LaBudde Special Collections in May 2012 by her daughter, Marcia Bowman Hunt. Additional material was gifted in October 2012. The collection, broken down into four series, consists of material related to the Kansas City-born jazz and rhythm-and-blues singer. The first series, Print Music, contains manuscript and published sheet music, a songbook, and lyrics sheets and notebooks compiled by Bowman. The Publicity series houses event programs and...

Scope and Contents The Robert Brookmeyer Collection consists of manuscript scores and copies of manuscript scores created for performance by jazz ensembles. The vast majority of the material was either composed or arranged by Robert Brookmeyer, although there are five arrangements by jazz musician and composer Bill Holman. The manuscripts date from 1958 to 1982 with the majority having been created between the years 1979-1982.The collection is arranged in three series: Jazz Ensemble Compositions,...

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The collection consists of DVDs, VHS Tapes, and U-matic tapes of Ruth's Music Corner, a public access television program hosted by Ruth Rhoden from 1988-1996. The collection contains many interviews and recordings of live performances by Kansas City jazz musicians. Other recordings include live performances and raw footage from Kansas City Alive, where Ruth had her own jazz-oriented segment, which evolved into Ruth’s Music Corner.

Scope and Contents Sheet Music Collection Finding Aid (PDF).Sheet music from the Kansas City, World War I and World War II imprint collections is temporarily unavailable through Digital Special Collections. If you'd like to request any titles, please contact SpecialCollections@umkc.edu. The Sheet Music...

Scope and Contents The Steve Miller Collection was a gift to the University Libraries in September 2011. Materials date from 1951-2012, with the majority of non-musical materials originating from the 1980s and 1990s. The impressive bulk of this collection can be found in the music manuscripts. Contained are over one thousand pieces of music, including pieces that are original arrangements and pieces that were performed by Miller’s ensembles.Most non-musical items in the collection give a wide...

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The Stuart MacKay Collection was gifted to the LaBudde Department of Special Collections in May 2010. The collection consists primarily of jazz and classical music arrangements by John Saunders for MacKay’s woodwind quintet and band. These manuscripts are undated and unpublished. Included also are copies of two published MacKay compositions, fake books, bassoon and woodwind scores, a theory textbook, and some promotional material and personal papers. Inclusive dates are 1938-1986.

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The collection consists of raw video recordings of interviews and live performances of Kansas City jazz and blues musicians that were used to create the 2011 documentary "Kansas City Jazz & Blues: Past, Present & Future", produced and directed by Sue Vicory.

Scope and Contents The Vic Damon Collection was donated to LaBudde Special Collections by his son, George Damon, in the 1990s.The manuscripts collection consists of the handwritten logbook kept by Damon documenting recording sessions produced by his Kansas City studio; related correspondence and notes; 17 photographs; and a trophy awarded by Cash Box for the success of the 1948 song My Happiness, produced by Damon. Mounted captions used for a Vic Damon exhibit previously on display in the UMKC Miller...