Resources

The following links are University of Connecticut resources that offer important and critical materials to research related to various forms of music, from original recordings, ephemera, interviews with artists, photographs, scholarly articles, the alternative press and more.

The Samuel and Ann Charters Archives of Blues and Vernacular African American Musical Culture:

Despite its primary emphasis on the blues and ragtime, the Samuel and Ann Charters Archives spans the entire 20th century, beginning with African-American spirituals and the ragtime of Scott Joplin and other early composers, and ending with Snoop Doggy Dogg and the rappers of the late 20th century. The Archives holds thousands of hours of recorded music on LP, 45 rpm and 78 rpm records, compact discs, audio cassettes, and reel-to-reel tapes. Though some records date back to the 1920s, the compact discs in the collection include both recent and reissued material. Most of these recordings are commercial, and the Archives holds a complete catalog of music produced by the Arhoolie label, courtesy of label owner, Chris Strachwitz. The artists included in the Charters Archives range from the most famous blues performers such as B.B. King and Robert Johnson, to obscure ragtime musicians. Many of the ragtime recordings are from concerts, conventions, and meetings hosted by the Maple Leaf Club.

Fred Ho Papers:

Collection contains essays, articles, poetry, music, commentaries, critical reviews, speeches, video recordings and musical recordings written, performed and collected by Fred Ho [Musician, composer, writer, and activist]. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Ho composed several music theater pieces and released seven albums. In 1995, he co-edited Sounding Off! Music as Subversion/ Resistance/Revolution, the 1996 winner of the American Book Award. His compositions combine free jazz with traditional Chinese folk music, resulting in award-winning, revolutionary music. In addition to gaining recognition for the products of his work, Ho has garnered several prestigious awards which support the process of composing music, including two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, a 1989 and 1994 New York Foundation for the Arts Music Composition Fellowship, and the 1988 Distinguished Artist Lifetime Achievement Award given by the 17th Annual Black Music Conference at the University of Massachusetts.

Jazz Studies in the School of Fine Arts:

UConn’s bachelor of arts degree in music with an emphasis in jazz studies offers a balance of instruction between jazz and traditional styles so as to equip students for successful musical careers in a world that increasingly demands flexibility and versatility. Renowned guest jazz artists appear at UConn annually, offering clinics and performing with the UConn Jazz Ensemble, student combos, jazz faculty ensembles, and as performers at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts.

Campus Student Organizations:

Professional Associations and Academic Resources: