University of the Pacific Library Receives GRAMMY Foundation Grant to Digitize and Preserve Historic Brubeck Recordings

From a U. of the Pacific Announcement:

Dave Brubeck’s legacy will continue to grow thanks to digital technology and the efforts of the Special Collections staff at the University of the Pacific Library. During the next year, recording experts will meticulously work with the staff of Special Collections to stabilize and digitize 49 highly endangered reel-to-reel tapes of concerts, rehearsals and personal recording sessions by pianist/composer Dave Brubeck that are part of the Brubeck Collection.
[Clip]
The Brubeck Collection was chosen by The GRAMMY Foundation because the tapes offer unique, unreleased documentation of Brubeck’s monumental contributions to jazz. The tapes date from the 1950s to 1980s, and contain unreleased recordings of concert performances, rehearsals, and jam sessions.
This one-year project builds upon the results of a 2010 preservation survey of audio and video tapes in the Brubeck Collection that had been  funded by a GRAMMY Foundation Preservation Planning Grant. The digitization project will be completed in partnership with The Audio Archive, a Bay Area company that specializes in audio transfer and preservation.
“This grant will enable the University Library to preserve and digitize a significant number of unique recordings of Dave Brubeck’ music that are endangered by the inherent instability of the tapes on which they were originally recorded,” said Shan Sutton, associate dean and head of Special Collections at Pacific’s University  Library. “These recordings include a concert and after-hours jam session from Brubeck’s celebrated 1958 tour of Poland, a 1967 jam session with Burmese percussionist Palghat Raghu, and a 1970 concert in Central Park featuring Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan.”

Read the Complete Announcement
Visit the Brubeck Digital Collection
Direct to Brubeck Collection Finding Aid
Visit The Brubeck Institute Web Site

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, Digital Preservation, Funding, Libraries, Preservation, Resources