Correspondence for James E. Adams
Item
-
Title
-
Correspondence for James E. Adams
-
Description
-
This letter was sent to the Meet The Composter/New Residencies group at 2112 Broadway, Suite 505 in New York City, NY by Artistic Manager and President of The Philadelphia Clef Club of the Performing Arts, Inc. James E. Adams on October 15, 1992.
-
In the letter, James “Jimmy” E. Adams (1908-1998) shares that the Philadelphia Clef Club of the Performing Arts, Inc. “seeks to commission Byard Lancaster to arrange, rehearse and conduct three original compositions” with their youth orchestra “under the directorship of Lovett Hines.” Lovett Hines was the creator of the PCC Jazz Education Program beginning in 1985 (Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts 2025). He provides the ages of the youth, the titles of the compositions, and the purpose of the programming, including the teaching of modern concepts by Lancaster called “Modern Concepts for Survival of the Jazz Artists into the Twenty First Century.” Adams shares that the work from this collaboration will “become part of a book for Philadelphia jazz schools,” including “information on proper big band musicianship and mannerism along with a history of big bands, focusing on Philadelphia’s rich tradition.” The second page of the letter contains a one-page short biography of Adams, including his journey prior to arriving in Philadelphia. He notes that he is, amongst other positions, the reedman and arranger of two orchestras, President of Local 273, AFM, and organizer, president, and artistic manager of The Philadelphia Clef Club.
Byard Lancaster (August 6, 1942-August 23, 2012) of Germantown reached international talent both alone and with Sun Ra’s Arkestra and others, with a style described by the New York Times as “a hard, bright sound influenced by Coltrane… and a much more measured, melodic and almost folklike way of playing” (Ratliff 2012).
The Philadelphia Clef Club (PCC) was founded in 1966 and was “crucial to the growth of a thriving jazz scene in Philadelphia” (Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts 2025). This club was organized in response to the reality that “the city’s African American musicians struggled for political, economic and cultural recognition” (Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts 2025). It “originated as a social unit of Local 274 of the American Federation of Musicians,” started by Black musicians in 1935 (Hunter 1998). Members included John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, and more (Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts). Its reconstruction in 1995 at Broad and Fitzwater Streets in Philadelphia was “the first facility ever constructed specifically as a jazz institution” (Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts 2025).
-
(Original Location) Map to 1114 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA
-
The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts’ website
-
Contributor
-
Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection
-
Rights
-
This material is subject to copyright law and is made available for private study, scholarship, and research purposes only. For access to the original or a high resolution reproduction, and for permission to publish, please contact Temple University Libraries, the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection (blockson@temple.edu; 215-204-6632).
-
Identifier
-
150
-
Language
-
eng
-
Extent
-
2
-
Place
-
New York, NY
-
Subject
-
African American musicians
-
Music education
-
African American jazz musicians
-
Philadelphia (Pa.)
-
Philadelphia Clef Club of the Performing Arts
-
Date Created
-
October 15, 1992
