urn:taro:utexas.hrc.00233 Ross Russell: A Preliminary Inventory of an Addition to His Papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Text converted by SPI Content Sciences Inc., July 2003. Finding aid written in English. Ross Russell Addition to His Papers 1970s-1999 11 boxes (4.62 linear feet) Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin Russell, Ross, 1909-2000 This addition includes working papers, reserach files, personal and professional correspondence, resumes, chronology, and other biographical material prepared by Russell. Also present are papers relating to Russell's father and wife, property and financial records, personal photographs, travel diaries, and World War II documents. Of particular interest are more than eighty rolls of jazz negatives. Acquisition:

Purchase, 2002 (Reg. no. 14989)

 Access:

Open for research

 Processed by:

Liz Murray, 2003

 Scope and Contents

This addition to the papers of jazz historian Ross Russell contains material remaining in his estate following his death in January 2000. As with previously received Russell material, this collection was prepared for shipment by La Jolla book dealer Laurence McGilvery whose descriptive notes are found throughout. The bulk of the material consists of Russell's project files covering a variety of subjects from notes and sketches for fiction to jazz topics. Although much of the material is undated, it appears that these files were in use during the last years of Russell's life. Russell's folder descriptions are retained and the folders are arranged alphabetically.

The materials are organized in three series: Series I. Working Papers and Research Files; Series II. Correspondence, 1980-1999; and Series III. Personal.

Russell was working on a book The Bebop Era at the time of his death. Materials relating to this project are found in Series I. Also of special interest are more than eighty rolls of jazz negatives taken primarily between 1967-1971 in settings such as Disneyland, San Diego, and at the Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals. Contact prints, with a descriptive listing derived from Russell's numbered negative sleeves, have been prepared by the HRC to facilitate viewing and identification of these images. While the contact prints are available for patron use, the corresponding negatives are restricted. This series also includes information on Russell's biography of Charlie Parker Bird Lives!

The personal and professional correspondence in Series II reflects Russell's wide interests and activities. Correspondents include writer Prudence Crowther, biographer Albert Goldman, music librarian and blues archivist Edward Komara, and Tony Williams of Spotlite Records.

Series III contains resume, chronology, and other biographical material prepared by Russell for different purposes. Also present are papers relating to Russell's father and wife, property and financial records, personal photographs, travel diaries from 1982-1995, and World War II documents.

 Ross Russell Papers (addition)--Folder List I. Working Papers and Research Files 1 1 A. B. Blues (After Bird Blues), music manuscript by Joe Albany 1 2 The Al Haig project 1 3 The Bebop Era, notes on book idea, 1989 1 4 Benedetti, Dean; The Dean Benedetti Story 1 5 Big bands, lists 1 6 Bird, litigation 1 7 Bird, screenplay by RR, 1977 Bird Lives! 1 8 Quartet Books 1 9-10 Reviews, 1973 1 11 Blue Note 1 12 Books, Edward R. Hamilton bookseller 1 13 Cadillac Slim, idea for a novel 1 14 Characters 1 15 Collecting Hot: 70 Years of It, notes 1 16 Collectors' items for auction 1 17 Colloquialisms; notes on Jim Deal 2 1 Dial Classics, lists 2 2 Door to Door: Collecting in the 1930s, RR's presentation at 1994 IAJRC meeting 2 3 European labels--Barclay 2 4 Freda, notes for fiction 2 5 Gray, Martin; Blues for Bird, poem, 1997 2 6 Jazz articles, jazz anthology--lists 2 7 Jazz by Mail 2 8 Jazz miscellaneous 2 9 "Jelly Roll" Morton, score 2 10 Keynote--Lim, Hammond, Keepnews 2 11 L.A. atlas, street maps used for Raymond Chandler biography 2 12 Leadbelly 2 13 Liners--Dial, Toshiba 2 14 Louis Armstrong bus trip, notes 3 1 Miscellaneous 3 2 Names 3 3 Notes re jazz musicians and record industry 3 3 Photography--RR's jazz negatives sleeves Photography--contact prints from jazz negatives 4 1 List; photocopies of negative sleeves 4 2 #468-565 4 3 #569-579 4 4 #580-590 4 5 #621-649 4 6 #650-673 4 7 #674-683 4 8 #684-694 4 9 #695-713 4 10 Dial Press PR; Ross Russell; Misc. Ellington; photos used in Jazz Style in Kansas City; Apollo Theatre in Harlem; and others 4 11-21 Negatives (RESTRICTED) 5 1 Photography specifications, especially Rodinol developer 5 2 Picaros, notes for novel 5 3 Pulps, typescript Recording 5 4 Joe Albany 5 5 Contracts, rights, titles 5 6-8 Martial Solal 6 1 Spectra 6 2 Spotlite masters 6 3 Reviews 6 4-5 Ross Russell Collection, description 6 6 Russell, Bill 6 7 Russell, Sanders, poetry 6 8 Saga--plot line 6 9 Savoy 6 10 Social novel 6 11 Solo Art, Dan Qualey 6 12 Tales of the Jazz Age 6 13 Toshiba, Tony Williams 6 14 Univ. of Texas at Austin, Symposium, 1992 6 15 Westwood, fiction II. Correspondence, 1980-1999 7 1 Crowther, Prudence 7 2 Daver, Manek 7 3 Fraser, Susan 7 4 Gardner, Mark 7 5-7 Goldman, Albert 7 8 Graz 7 9-10 IAJRC, 1994-96 7 11 Klett, Shirley 7 12-14 Komara, Edward 7 15 Leake, George 8 1-3 Parque, Steve 8 4 Poston, Ken 8 5-6 Russell, Mary Webster, and RR's letters from South Africa, 1980 8 7 Snyder, John L. 8 8 Stearns, Jean 8 9 Williams, Tony 8 10 Vail, Ken 9 1-3 Miscellaneous, 1991-1999 9 4 Personal, 1985-1988 III. Personal 9 5-6 Autobiography 9 7 Biographical 9 8 Biographical data and proposal-- The Bebop Era 9 9-10 Chronology 9 11 Resume 10 1-2 Borrego Spring property 10 3 Documents--Mary Webster Russell's will, RR's passports, marriage certificate, etc. 10 4 Neuhuber, Robert, RR's physician 10 5 Photograph album 10 6-7 Photographs, personal 11 1-3 Russell, R.M. Travel, Europe 11 4 1982 11 5 1983 11 6 1984 11 7 1986 11 8 1987 11 9 1989 11 10 1990 11 11 1992 11 12 1995 11 13 Royal Bank of Austria 11 14 World War II documents and 1942 Life magazine article by RR