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Ella Fitzgerald - Sings Sweet Songs for Swingers
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Archival material, personal items and memorabilia from Ella's long career may be viewed at the following institutions*
Right after Ella passed away in 1996, I did the archival work on her estate, and I discovered an awful lot of wonderful things from her stellar career, many of which were donated to museums and universities across America. Below, you'll find a list of some of the places that are proud to have Ella's memorabilia. But remember, museums rotate their exhibits, so please call first if you are planning to visit.
Both the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress were recipients of items from Ella's long career. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (where Ella's archives are housed) is currently closed for renovation, but keep checking their website for updates, as they are planning a traveling jazz-themed show, www.smithsonian.edu.
Ella's personal musical arrangements are at the Library of Congress and can be viewed with advanced permission, please contact the Music Department, their website is www.loc.gov.
The Rose Museum at Carnegie Hall displays a few well-chosen items from Ella's many performances on that historic stage, visit www.carnegiehall.org for more information.
Dan Morgenstern, the Jazz Genius at the Institute for Jazz Studies probably knows more about jazz than just about anyone else. They have one of Ella's performance gowns from her Pablo years and tons of information about Ella and her fellow jazz greats. www.newarkwww.rutgers.edu/IJS.
Did you know that Ella collected cookbooks? After she died, we packed up twelve large cartons and shipped them to the Schlesinger Library on the Radcliffe campus at Harvard University. Stop in while you are in the Boston area and cook one of Ella's favorites for dinner! www.radcliffe.edu/schles.
Next time you're in the KC area, take a break from eating barbeque and go visit the terrific American Jazz Museum over at 18th and Vine. It shares a building with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Last time I was there, probably in 2005, the Ella exhibit was up and it was great! It's also a terrific place to catch live music in the evening. www.americanjazzmuseum.org.
.where Ella lived for so many years.. Here, in my native city, her presence is still felt at the following outstanding institutions:
UCLA's Schoenburg Library houses Ella's published sheet music in their comprehensive collection, www.library.ucla.edu/music
The California African-American Museum in Exhibition Park (near USC) has a fine collection of Ella Fitzgerald memorabilia, www.caamuseum.org
The Beverly Hills Public Library has a small collection of Ella's cookbooks, and in most of them, you can read her scribbled comments on the recipes! www.beverlyhills.org
*Please be aware that museums rotate their exhibits and collections, so it's always a good idea to call ahead to make sure that the items you wish to see will be on display
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