I.H. Smalley Collection:
An Inventory of his Records at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library
Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator | Smalley, Jr., Isaah H. | |
| Title | I.H. Smalley Collection | |
| Inclusive Date | 1928 to 1975 | |
| Identification | MSS 349 | |
| Extent | .5 lin. ft.: 1 doc. boxes, 2 cassette tapes | |
| Language | Materials are in English. | |
| Repository | Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library | |
Biographical Note
I. H. “Ike” Smalley (1915 to 1991) began his musical career playing clarinet in the Antioch Baptist Church orchestra. Within a short time his older brother sent him a saxophone indicative of the musical interest of his family. From that time, Mr. Smalley played the saxophone exclusively.
Being a native Houstonian, Mr. Smalley was dedicated to the jazz cultivated by the city. He was noted as saying that jazz is a part of Houston, and in Houston there will always be a demand to listen to jazz. In this environment Mr. Smalley’s unique sound had developed by the 1940s. He remained true to this style throughout his career.
The first professional venues he played were in Houston and included the El Dorado on Elgin and Dallas in Houston’s 4th Ward. He was part of the house band for the club for eight years. His principal influence was Johnnie Hodges of Duke Ellington’s band.
Mr. Smalley offered a practical and authoritative voice to younger musicians during his time by advising them to join the local union and to obtain a second job. He believed this was the safer route to a comfortable existence and lived his own life accordingly. In his later years he continued with his music while working at the Houston Public Library as a groundskeeper. He was a continual member of Houston’s Local 699; the union in that region for musicians. For pleasure he traveled and played with his contemporaries; noting L. D. Macintosh and Arnett Cobb in Los Angeles.
I. H. Smalley remained in Houston until his death in 1991.
Scope and Contents
The material in the I.H. Smalley Collection chronicles the beginning of Mr. Smalley's life and his musical career. The collection consists of two comprehensive taped interviews of Mr. Smalley over the course of two meetings between 1975 and 1976. The interviews are completely transcribed to 15 and 16 (respectively) pages of text. The remaining materials are promotional clippings and reviews, 41 photographs and a radio interview that is also transcribed aired on KUHF.
Arrangement | ||
| Materials in the I. H. Smalley Collection are arranged by item type or format. All photographs are described at the item level. | ||
| The oral history tapes are housed with the Oral History Collection OH 170.1 and OH 170.2, separate from MSS 349, the I.H. Smalley Collection | ||
| Series 1: Oral History Interviews | ||
| Series 2: Clippings, Awards, Promotional Materials | ||
| Series 3: Photographs | ||
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
None.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish or reproduce materials from the I.H. Smalley Collection must be obtained from the Houston Metropolitan Research Center or the appropriate copyright holder.
Index Terms | ||
| Subjects | ||
| Jazz musicians--Texas--Houston | ||
| Saxophonists | ||
| African Americans--Texas | ||
| Musicians--Texas--Houston | ||
| Subjects (Organizations) | ||
| Milton Larkin Orchestra (Musical group) | ||
| El Dorado Club (Houston, Tex.) | ||
| Houston Public Library | ||
| Subjects (Persons) | ||
| Smalley, Jr., Isaah H. | ||
Related Material
|
MSS 322 Arnett Cobb Collection MSS 252 Milton Larkin Collection MSS 403 Illinois Jacquet Collection MSS 442 Herb Brochstein Collection MSS 390 Campbell Tolbert Collection |
||
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
I.H. Smalley Collection. MSS 349. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library.
Acquisition Information
Donated by: Mattie Williams, April 25, 1991 and Sammie Jackson, June 27, 1991. Interviews given by I.H. Smalley, June 9, 1975 and February 17, 1976.
Processing Information
Processed by: Charles Stephenson, May 11, 2007. Biographical Note written by Tammy Jordan.
Detailed Description