PRESERVATION MISSION UNVEILS IMPORTANT LOS ANGELES PHOTO COLLECTION February 28, 2004 Los Angeles --- The Center for Jazz Arts, a newly-founded California 501(c)(3) committed to preserving the rich legacy of American jazz culture throughout various fields of the visual and literary arts, has discovered one of the largest privately-held collections of photographs depicting life in the African-American community of Los Angeles from the 1920s through the 1950s. Originally assembled by Los Angeles attorney Walter L. Gordon, and currently being held in trust by Judge William C. Beverly (retired), this important Los Angeles collection contains more than five-hundred black-and-white photographs of the social and entertainment life of a community that flourished during one of the most conflicted times in American and world history. The select entertainment- and music-themed images of the collection represent important records of the lives of such figures as Louis Armstrong, Noble Sissle, Billie Holiday, Dorothy Dandridge, Cab Calloway, Nat "King" Cole, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, and numerous others, as well as document a wide variety of important local venues from Los Angeles history. As one of the most important instruments of social memory, photography is an art form able to illuminate every detail of the human experience, and the assembled works represent an invaluable chronicle of both personal and public moments from early- to mid- twentieth-century Los Angeles. With many of Walter Gordon's photos containing themes falling well-outside of the CJA's primary focus on the fields of jazz history and culture, the Center for Jazz Arts is assisting in the securing of an appropriate repository for the entire collection to be preserved. The CJA is currently working with the collectors to locate a leading local institution able to make these important images available for both scholarly access and public viewing. Additional information can be obtained by contacting either the CJA or Judge William C. Beverly, Jr.. William C. Beverly, Jr. Eighth & Wall, Inc. (310) 541-1690 eighthandwall@aol.com About the CJA: Established in 2004, the Center for Jazz Arts is an international institution devoted to the study and advancement of American jazz culture throughout the visual, literary, and classical arts, around the world. Through its primary operations in Los Angeles, it is building a prominent new platform of engagement for students, artists, educators, and the broader public, from every generation. For more information contact: Public Relations Center for Jazz Arts (866) 950-5200 info@centerforjazzarts.com [ back to top ]