New York Jazz Museum photograph collection

1960-1987 [bulk 1961-1977]

The below note was originally written for the finding aid for the New York Jazz Museum records, held in the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture's Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division.

The New York Jazz Museum was founded in 1972 to preserve jazz as an art form and to educate the public about jazz. It developed from the New York Hot Jazz Society, Inc. which was founded in 1967 by Howard E. Fischer who also became the Museum's first executive director.

The Museum documented jazz by collecting records, sheet music, books, periodicals, memorabilia, oral histories and other material, and featured live music, exhibits, films, an audiovisual outline of jazz history called "Jazz Panorama," a touring program, a puppet show, lectures to school children, workshops featuring jazz celebrities, a shop, an information center, and a newsletter entitled "Hot Notes." The Museum closed its doors in 1977 following financial and other difficulties.

In February 1977, the Board of Directors dismissed Howard Fischer, co-founder and director of the Museum, and a lawyer by training, when the Board determined that Fischer had misled the Board in regard to the financial affairs of the Museum. According to an article in the New York Post on February 9, 1977, "Privately the word in the jazz community is that Fischer's personality and methods of operation were so abrasive that they discouraged people from helping the Museum." The Museum faced foreclosure of its mortgage unless $5000 could have been raised by February 14, 1977. To raise the needed funds the Museum held a "Jamathon" consisting of sixty hours of live music. The "Jamathon" raised $13,000 with an additional $5000 donated by the Johnson Wax Foundation; however at this point Fischer sued the Museum for back salary of $32,000. The court ruled that although Fischer had not done his job well, he was still entitled to his salary. Thus the monies raised from the "Jamathon" went to Fischer and, due to the amount needed to pay him, the Museum could not continue to operate. Ann Ruckert, President of the Board of Directors, decided to operate the Museum on a voluntary basis. When Fischer did not receive the total amount owed him he attempted to seize the Museum's collections consisting of its administrative records, phonograph records and other recordings, memorabilia, paintings, musical instruments, and books. Museum personnel removed the material from the building over the weekend. For many years Fischer tried to locate the collections; however, Ann Ruckert was always one step ahead of him and moved them on four separate occasions. Eventually the collections were moved to the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey. By using the Freedom of Information Act, Fischer learned the collections were out of state, but the New York and New Jersey State Attorneys General defended the position of the Board of Directors. In 1987, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the New York Public Library, agreed to pay the claim against the Society/Museum (i.e., the monies owed to Fisher) in return for the assets of the Museum being turned over to the Schomburg Center. With the funds received and the collection protected by the Schomburg Center, the financial case was settled. The Museum was then dissolved.