''Jazz Information'' was an American non-commercial weekly jazz publication founded as a record collector's sheet in 1939 by Eugene Williams (1918–1948),

Ralph Gleason Ralph Joseph Gleason (March 1, 1917 – June 3, 1975) was an American music critic and columnist. He contributed for many years to the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', was a founding editor of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, and cofounder of the Monterey ...

, Ralph de Toledano, and Jean Rayburn (maiden name; 1918–2009), who married Ralph Gleason in 1940.

History

The first issue, dated September 8, 1939, was a four-page newsletter that was

mimeographed A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called mimeography, and a copy made by the proce ...

late one night in the back room of the Commodore Music Shop in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

at 46 West

52nd Street 52nd Street is a -long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan, New York City. A short section of it was known as the city's center of jazz performance from the 1930s to the 1950s. Jazz center Following the repeal of ...

. In July 1940, ''Jazz Information,'' went from a newsletter to a little magazine format, hip pocket in size with modest typesetting. George Hoefer, Jr. (1909–1967), began the "Safety Valve" column on collecting, collectors, and how collectors annoyed musicians. The publication ran sporadically until November 1941.

Editorial bent

Stephen W Smith, editor of the ''

Hot Record Society Hot Record Society (usually known as H.R.S.) was an American jazz record label, founded in 1937 for the purposes of reissuing out-of-print early Dixieland, hot jazz music. It was founded by Steve Smith. The advisory board included John Hammond (prod ...

Rag'', leaned towards what then was progressive jazz. Eugene Williams, through ''Jazz Information'', leaned towards a New Orleans revivalists bent.

Record label

Jazz Information was a record label distributed by

Commodore Records Commodore Records was an American independent record label known for producing Dixieland jazz and swing. It is also remembered for releasing Billie Holiday's hit " Strange Fruit". History Commodore Records was founded in the spring of 1938 by Mi ...

that produced recordings of Bunk Johnson in 1942. Bill Russell, while gathering material for ''Jazzmen'' in 1938, discovered long forgotten New Orleans trumpeter Bunk Johnson on a farm in

New Iberia, Louisiana New Iberia (french: La Nouvelle-Ibérie; es, Nueva Iberia) is the largest city in and parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Iberia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The city of New Iberia is located approximately southeast of Lafayette, L ...

. In 1942, Russell helped get Johnson a new set of teeth and a new trumpet. And, with Eugene Williams, editor if ''Jazz Information'' in New York; and Dave Stuart (''né'' David Ashford Stuart; 1910–1984), owner of the Jazz Man Record Shop in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, traveled to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and made the first recordings of Bunk Johnson.

Selected articles

* "Zue Robertson: King of the Trombone" (

Zue Robertson Zue (C. Alvin) Robertson (March 7, 1891 – 1943) was an American early jazz musician. He began on trombone in New Orleans, moved to Chicago in 1917, and in the following decade played with leading figures such as Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver. ...

), by William Russell 1 (1940): 3 * "Omer Simeon" ( Omer Simeon), by Herman Rosenberg & Eugene Williams, Vol. 2, No. 1, July 26, 1940, pps. 8–9 * "William Russell" ( Bill Russell), by Ed Nylund, Vol. 2, No. 2, August 9, 1940, pps. 15–16 (earliest known published biography of William Russell) * "Ma Rainey Discography," ( Ma Rainey), by William C. Love, Vol. 2, September 6, 1940, pps. 9–14 (discography) (Love was founder of the

International Association of Jazz Record Collectors The International Association of Jazz Record Collectors (IAJRC) is an international, non-profit organization devoted to the appreciation and preservation of recorded jazz. IAJRC has its own label, IAJRC Records. History IAJRC was founded years a ...

) * "Jimmie Noone" (

Jimmie Noone Jimmie Noone (April 23, 1895 – April 19, 1944) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. After beginning his career in New Orleans, he led Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, a Chicago band that recorded for Vocalion and Decca. Classical ...

), by Wesley Miles Neff (1913–1996) of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Vol 2, October 4, 1940, pps. 6–9, 45 * "Cow Cow Davenport" ( Charles Edward Davenport), by Donald Haynes, Vol. 2, October 25, 1940, pps. 8–10 * "Barney Bigard" (

Barney Bigard Albany Leon "Barney" Bigard (March 3, 1906 – June 27, 1980) was an American jazz clarinetist known for his 15-year tenure with Duke Ellington. He also played tenor saxophone. Biography Bigard was born in New Orleans to Creole parents, Ale ...

), by George Hoefer, Jr. (1909–1967), Vol. 2, November 8, 1940, pps. 7–13 (extensive article plus discography; Hoefer later was associate editor of ''

Jazz & Pop ''Jazz & Pop'' was an American music magazine that operated from 1962 to 1971. It was launched as ''Jazz'' and managed by Pauline Rivelli, with finance provided by Bob Thiele, the producer of jazz artists such as Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Lou ...

)'' * "Little Mitch" ( George Mitchell), by Wesley Miles Neff (1913–1996), Vol. 2, No. 16, November 1941, pps. 31–32 * "A History of ''Jazz Information"''
transcript
, by Eugene Williams, Vol. 2, November 1941, pps. 93–101 : New Orleans Clarinet series * "New Orleans Clarinets: 2 – Edmond Hall" ( Edmond Hall), by Herman Rosenberg & Eugene Williams, Vol. 2, No. 2, August 9, 1940 * "New Orleans Clarinets: 7 – Sidney Bechet" ( Sidney Bechet), by Mary Evelyn Karoley ''(née'' Mary Frances Mellon; 1908–1993), Vol. 2, No. 8, December 6, 1940 : Possible related articles * ''Jazzways,'' George Sigmund Rosenthal (1922–1967) & Frank Zachary ''(né'' Frank Zaharija; 1914–2015) (eds.) (© 21 January 1946; Jazzways,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

) (more than 100 photos by Skippy Adelman,

Bernice Abbott Berenice Alice Abbott (July 17, 1898 – December 9, 1991) was an American photographer best known for her portraits of between-the-wars 20th century cultural figures, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and ...

, and Sargent John Marsh; 1916–2003) :::

: Jazzways (1946); , :::

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

: Greenberg (1946, 1947); :::

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

: Musicians Press Ltd. (1947); , ::: (Greenberg, Publisher, founded in 1924 by Jacob Walter Greenberg; 1894–1974; & David Benjamin Greenberg; 1892–1968; sold to

Chilton Book Company Chilton Company (AKA Chilton Printing Co., Chilton Publishing Co., Chilton Book Co. and Chilton Research Services) is a former publishing company, most famous for its trade magazines, and automotive manuals. It also provided conference and market ...

in 1958) : Contributors : Vol. 1 :: "Report From Abroad," by

Albert McCarthy Albert J. McCarthy (1920 – 3 November 1987 London) was an English jazz and blues discographer, critic, historian, and editor. McCarthy began listening to jazz in his teens, and edited publications of the Jazz Sociological Society in the 1940s. ...

:: "Jazz begins," by

Rudi Blesh Rudolph Pickett Blesh (January 21, 1899 – August 25, 1985) was an American jazz critic and enthusiast. Biography Blesh studied at Dartmouth College and held jobs writing jazz reviews for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' and the '' New York ...

:: "Three Horns, Four Rhythm," by Dale Curran :: "Going Down State Street," by Frederic Ramsey, Jr. :: "Portrait of a Jazzman,"

Art Hodes Arthur W. Hodes (November 14, 1904 – March 4, 1993), was a Russian Empire-born American jazz and blues pianist. He is regarded by many critics as the greatest white blues pianist. Biography Hodes was born in Mykolaiv, in present-day Ukrain ...

:: "Benny Goodman," by Alexander King :: "Swing," by Frank Stacy, p. 49 :: "Lionel Hampton, by Peter Fischer :: "New Orleans Today," by Eugene Williams & Julius "Skippy" Adelman (photographer) (note: Adelman, who later gave up photography, is still considered among the finest jazz photographers) :: "Discollecting," by Frederic Ramsey, Jr. : Vol. 2 :: "Jazz begins," by

:: "Old Photographs" :: "Going Down State Street," by Frederic Ramsey, Jr. :: "Condon Mob" :: "Hot Royalty" :: "Benny Goodman," by Alexander King :: "Lionel Hampton, by Peter Fischer :: "Swing," by Frank Stacy (Stacy was, in the early 1940s, the New York editor for ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'') :: "New Orleans Today," by Eugene Williams & Julius "Skippy" Adelman (born around 1924) (photographer) (note: Adelman, who later gave up photography, is still considered among the finest jazz photographers) Philadelphia jazz journalist Nels Nelson wrote in 1985 that Adelman was among the greatest jazz photographers in the world. In 1990, Nelson wrote that renowned jazz photographer " illGottlieb ranks second only to the elusive Skippy Adelman in his capacity for capturing the moment." :: "Discollecting," by Frederic Ramsey, Jr. :: "Collector's Items" :: "One for the Money" :: "Two for the Show" :: "Concerto for Woody" :: "Portrait of a Jazzman," by

(Hodes launched ''The Jazz Record'' in February 1943, which ran for 60 issues that ended November 1947) :: "Three Brass, Four Rhythm," by Dale Curran, p. 24

Selected discography

: Artists re-issued by Jazz Information *

Freddie Keppard Freddie Keppard (sometimes rendered as Freddy Keppard; February 27, 1890 – July 15, 1933) was an American jazz cornetist who once held the title of "King" in the New Orleans jazz scene. This title was previously held by Buddy Bolden and suc ...

(

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

) *

Ollie Powers Ollie is a given name and a nickname, often as a shortened form of Oliver, Olive, Olympia, Olga or Olivia. Variants include Olie, Oli, Oly and Olly. People Given name * Ollie Marie Adams (1925–1998), American gospel and R&B singer * Ollie ...

(

Claxtonola Claxtonola was a jazz record label founded in 1918 by the Brenard Manufacturing Company in Iowa City, Iowa. It reissued Paramount, Black Swan, and Gennett Records masters on the Claxtonola and National labels. The label closed in 1925. The company a ...

) * Leola B. Wilson (

) *

Trixie Smith Trixie is a shortened form of the given names Beatrix or Beatrice (given name), Beatrice or Patricia or adopted as a nickname or used as a given name. Trixie may refer to: People * Trixie Friganza (1870–1955), American vaudeville performer a ...

(

) *

Red Onion Jazz Babies The Red Onion Jazz Babies was an early supergroup of the Jazz Age. Among its members were Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Lil Hardin Lillian Hardin Armstrong (née Hardin; February 3, 1898 – August 27, 1971) was an American jazz pianist, co ...

(

Gennett Gennett (pronounced "jennett") was an American record company and label in Richmond, Indiana, United States, which flourished in the 1920s. Gennett produced some of the earliest recordings by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and Hoa ...

) * Bunk Johnson (Purist) * * Bunny Berigan (unissued, Vocalion, Columbia) *

Frank Froeba Frank Froeba or Froba (August 1907, New Orleans - February 16, 1981, Miami) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Froeba held jobs in the bands of Johnny Wiggs and John Tobin while still in his teens. He played with Johnny de Droit in New ...

(unissued, Vocalion) *

Don Albert ''For the architect, see Don Albert & Partners.'' Albert Dominique, better known as Don Albert (August 5, 1908, New Orleans – January 1980, San Antonio, Texas) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader. Albert's uncle was Natty Dominique. ...

( Vocalion) * Boots and His Buddies ( Bluebird) * Carolina Cotton Pickers ( Vocalion) *

Ernie Fields Ernest Lawrence Fields (August 28, 1904 – May 11, 1997)Laprarie, Michael Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' (accessed May 14, 2010). was an American trombonist, pianist, arranger and bandleader. He first became known for leadin ...

( Vocalion) *

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

( Storyville) * Joe Newman ( Metronome) *

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

(Ingo) : Artists produced by Jazz Information * Bunk Johnson

Personnel

Magazine staff

* 1939–1941: Eugene Williams, publisher, graduated from Columbia College in 1939 * 1939–1940:

, associate editor, co-founded ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' in 1967 * Ralph de Toledano * Herman Rosenberg * George Hoefer ''(né'' Elmer George Hoefer, Jr.; 1909–1967) – born in Laramie, raised in

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...

with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from UNC Chapel Hill – Hoefer went on to become a prolific jazz historian. From 1959 to 1961, he was the New York editor for ''

'' for which he had a column, "The Hot Box."

Magazine tag line

: "The weekly magazine," September 19, 1939, to June 14, 1940

Library access

* * * * Re-publications * * (

microfilm Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either photographic film, films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the origin ...

)

Online transcriptions, current and archived

: Archived ''via''

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

(transcript incorrectly identifies this as Vol. 21)
(transcript incorrectly identifies this as January 12, 1939, Vol. I, No. 21)

Bibliography

Annotations

Notes

Books, journals, magazines, and papers

* . * Retrieved May 18, 2019 – via

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

; .

* ; ; . * ; ; (paperback); . * * . * ; ; . * (publication); (article); (article). *

Retrieved May 18, 2019 – via – jazz forum site that was active for 16 years, through January 2019, registered to and maintained by Jesse Miner, a San Francisco area chef and jazz history enthusiast. The forum boards were closed in January 2019, but much of its content, as of May 2022, is accessible. The 23 links to transcripts of ''Jazz Information'' on a former website of the late Joseph Elbert Shepherd (1926–2021) of

Sterling, Virginia Sterling, Virginia, refers most specifically to a census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population of the CDP as of the 2010 United States Census was 27,822. The CDP boundaries are confined to a relatively s ...

https://www.swingdjs.com/viewtopic.php?t=1488
, have been archived by

News media

* (US Newsstream database). * (US Newsstream database). {{Authority control 1939 establishments in the United States Classical music record labels Jazz record labels New Jersey record labels Mail-order retailers Defunct record labels of the United States