Over the past several years, the Louisiana Digital Library has assembled a number of online collections that draw on the many archives and institutions from around the state. One such noteworthy collection is the Louisiana State Museum Jazz Collection, which has been assembled here with the kind assistance of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Drawing on the rich musical and cultural heritage of traditional New Orleans jazz, the collection contains close to 700 photographs taken over the past nine decades. Some of the photographic highlights include early portraits of noted trumpeter Al Hirt and a rare photograph of Louis Armstrong’s childhood bedroom. Visitors will want to use the basic keyword search to find specific materials, or they may also elect to browse the images by title. Perhaps the real highlights of the site are the 386 audio files that contain some of the very important (and very obscure) recordings from this golden age of jazz. Visitors will be delighted to listen to the 1919 Rag as performed by Kid Ory and the “hot” version of Alexander’s Ragtime Band, as rendered by Bessie Smith, accompanied by Fletcher Henderson’s Hot 6.
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