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Berklee Oral History Project interview collection, 1998-present

 Collection
Identifier: BCA-011

Scope and Contents

In 1998, the Stan Getz Library at Berklee College of Music established an oral history program devoted to documenting the lives of musicians who have made significant contributions to the music world as well as the Berklee College of Music community. The oral history project aims to chronicle the rich and diverse history of Berklee and Boston music from those who have lived, shaped and defined it. The interviewees discuss their time spent at Berklee College of Music; their performances in and around Boston; and their experiences learning and playing music. Topics include jazz history, the Boston Jazz community, musical education, the early development of the Berklee College of Music. The collection includes born-digital audio visual recordings of interviews conducted by the Berklee Oral History Project. Also included are transcripts of all of the interviews and biographical sketches for some of the interviewees.

Dates

  • Creation: 1998-present
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 2005 - 2020

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Access to this collection is provided online here. See individual interview records for direct links to streaming video.

Historical note

The Berklee Oral History Project (BOHP) began as a Stan Getz Library initiative in August 1998, relaunching in 2005 after a brief hiatus. With the exception of the first three interviews (conducted by Library staff members) and the occasional panel, the vast majority of interviews have been carried out by journalist and Berklee College of Music faculty member Fred Bouchard. Bouchard holds a B.A. from Boston College and is currently an associate professor in Berklee's department of liberal arts. He has written for publications such as Down Beat, Jazz Times, All About Jazz, the Boston Herald, the Boston Phoenix, the Boston Globe, the Patriot Ledger, and Jazz Journal International.

Extent

120 interviews

2 Cubic Feet (99 MiniDV tapes, 1 VHS tape, 62 DVDs, 17 Blu-rays)

TBD Gigabytes (digital files (.mp4) ; transcriptions (.pdf))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection comprises the audiovisual recordings and associated transcripts of interviews conducted by the Berklee Oral History Project, an ongoing program first launched in 1998 to chronicle the rich and diverse history of Berklee and the Boston music scene from those who have lived, shaped and defined it. Interviews are made available online to the public here.

Arrangement

The interviews are arranged chronologically in the approximate order recorded. Biographical notes have been provided per individual featured; in some cases an individual was interviewed more than once and in others more than one person was interviewed simultaneously in a single session.

Processing note

Finding aid created and encoded in Spring 2014 by Audrey Abrams, Simmons GSLIS intern, under the supervision of Sofia Becerra-Licha, college archivist.

Related Names

Subject

Subjects

Record Groups

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Berklee Oral History Project interview collection, 1998-present
Status
Under Revision
Author
Audrey Abrams, Simmons GSLIS intern (2014); Revisions by Ashley Gray (Processing Archivist) and Michaela Glover (Simmons SLIS intern) (2022-2023)
Date
2014/02/11
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Sponsor
The initial processing of this collection and the creation of this finding aid were completed with support from a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Revision Statements

  • 2022-2023: Revisions by Ashley Gray (Processing Archivist) and Michaela Glover (Simmons SLIS intern) to update collection contents and expand description

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Berklee Archives Repository

http://archives.berklee.edu
Contact:
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston St
Boston MA 02215 USA
617-747-8001

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