Edinburgh's Central Library is entering into the festival spirit tonight (Friday 30 July) with the launch of its Edinburgh Jazz Archive.
The archive will celebrate over 60 years of jazz in Edinburgh, a rich history that has seen the rise of stars such as Sandy Brown and Al Fairweather. Sir Sean Connery was also once a member of the Edinburgh Rhythm Club in the late 1940s/ early 1950s, and even acted as a bouncer at the Jazz Band Balls, which were held at Oddfellows Hall on Forrest Road.
The archive and exhibition will feature an extensive range of memorabilia that tracks the unique jazz scene in Edinburgh since the 1940s.
Councillor Ron Cairns, Vice Convenor of the Culture and Leisure Committee, will attend the launch tonight. He said: “It’s a great honour for our Central Library to become the guardians of such an amazing collection of books, records, CDs, posters, photographs and other memorabilia telling the story of the beginnings of jazz in Edinburgh through several decades. The Edinburgh Jazz Archive demonstrates the unique flowering of music that emerged in the city during the 1940s and has continued to this day.”
The launch is to coincide with the beginning of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, an event that has been running for 32 years in the city.
A special part of the archive collection will be dedicated to the Royal High School, which has seen almost 30 performers educated there, reaching both local and international fame.
The exhibition has been compiled by the Edinburgh Jazz Archive Group and is dedicated to the memory of Janol Scott, a jazz record collector and enthusiast who inspired the creation of the project.
Notes to editors
1. The Edinburgh Jazz Archive group now consists of four members – Jim Keppie, Bill Strachan, Drew Landles and Donald ‘Chick’ Murray.
2. Further information on the history of jazz in Edinburgh is available on request. Please contact Alice Robertson, Media team, City of Edinburgh Council. Tel: 0131 529 7471. Email: alice.robertson@edinburgh.gov.uk
3. The Central Library, 9 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh 9 George IV Bridge, EH1 1EG, 0131 242 8000.
