Laurdine Kenneth (Pat) Patrick, Jr. papers, 1927-2012

Collection

Identifier: BCA-044

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Laurdine Kenneth (Pat) Patrick, Jr. Collection was donated to Berklee College of Music in August 2009, by the family of Pat Patrick, for the purpose of research and study of Black music and culture. The Patrick, Jr. papers consist of personal materials, music scores, photographs, and ephemera.

Dates

Creation: 1927-2012

Creator

Patrick, Pat (Laurdine Kenneth Pat) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research by appointment. Advance notice is required for access because materials are stored offsite.

The majority of audiovisual recordings have not been transferred. Patrons may view an item’s original container and/or carrier, but the original recordings are not available for playback due to preservation concerns. Patrons may request access to viewing/listening copies via onsite appointment, however recordings on obsolete formats may not be available. Contact Archives staff for further information.

Some files are restricted and require advance approval by the Berklee Archives' Associate Director. Other restrictions may apply; please see series description for additional information.

Biographical / Historical

Pat Patrick (1939-1991) was a jazz musician, composer, and arranger who played the saxophone and other reeds. He was best known for his more than 40-year association with jazz composer, bandleader, musician, and philosopher Sun Ra. He accompanied Ra's Arkestra on several overseas tours and was one of the musicians on Ra's albums Live in Egypt 1 and Live at Montreux. Patrick also played with Mongo Santamaria, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Thelonious Monk, among others, and was a founding member The Baritone Saxophone Retinue in the 1970s. He was also an eduactor, teaching at State University of New York at Old Westbury in the 1980s.

Extent

13 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The personal papers of American saxophonist, composer, and educator Laurdine Kenneth “Pat” Patrick, Jr. (1929-1991). Patrick’s papers include published and unpublished compositions and arrangements, teaching materials, correspondence, clippings, programs, and photographs that reflect Patrick’s career as a musician with Sun Ra’s Arkestra, a theatrical composer, and the leader of the Baritone Saxophone Retinue.

Arrangement

The Laurdine Kenneth (Pat) Patrick, Jr. papers are arranged in seven series: Personal Papers, Leads and Scores, The Baritone Saxophone Retinue, Plays, Magazines and Songbooks, Photographs, and Audiovisual Materials.

Series 1, Personal Papers: This series consists of the personal papers of Pat Patrick, including family correspondence, school report cards, writings by Patrick on the Baritone Saxophone Retinue and other music topics of the day, a handwritten family genealogy, Patrick's resume, royalty statements, passports, and newspaper clippings. This series is arranged chronologically

Series 2, Leads and Scores: This series contains music scores, including lead sheets and arrangements of Patrick's own compositions, and lead sheets or parts of works by other composers. There is an Ellington item, the clarinet part for "The Mooche," with a note by Patrick that Ellingon himself wrote out the part for him from memory. There are also parts for particular groups or bands. This series is arranged alphabetically by song title.

Series 3, The Baritone Saxophone Retinue: This series contains scores for the Baritone Saxophone Retinue, a jazz band founded by Patrick in the 1970s, which consisted of six to ten baritone saxophones backed up by a rhythm section. There are scores for eight baritone saxophones, one piano, and one bass. This series is arranged by instrument number.

Series 4, Plays: This series contains scripts for theatrical productions by Amiri Baraka, Wole Soyinka, Ed Bullins, and J.E. Gains, for which Patrick wrote the music. This series is arranged chronologically.

Series 5, Magazines and Songbooks: This series contains miscellaneous magazines and songbooks. It is arranged chronologically.

Series 6, Photographs: This series contains several hundred photographs and negatives, including studio shots and performance photos of Patrick, snapshots taken by Patrick on family occasions and while on tour, and photographs of Patrick with Thelonious Monk, the Baritone Saxophone Retinue, and Clark Terry. This series is arranged chronologically.

Series 7, Audiovisual Materials: This series contains audio cassette, reel-to-reel, and VHS tapes of Patrick's recordings with, among others, the Baritone Saxophone Retinue, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. This series is arranged chronologically.

Custodial History

The initial donation of the Laurdine Kenneth (Pat) Patrick, Jr. Collection to Berklee from the Patrick family was orchestrated in 2009 (prior to the formation of Berklee Archives) by Krystal Banfield. The collection was housed in Berklee's Africana Studies Center until 2017, when it was formally transferred to Berklee Archives.