Whitney Balliett papers

Collection

Identifier: 6948

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COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

Notes, drafts, and writings on jazz criticism and biography. Also, letters to Balliett and photographs. The Whitney Balliett collection houses a variety of papers and correspondences from Balliett's career. There are a number of notebooks containing (nearly illegible) notes of various musician's concerts or recordings. There are also items relating to the New Yorker, including a drawing of Buddy Rich by Balliett that appeared in the magazine. Some notable letters include notes from Alice Toklas, John Updike, and Frank Sinatra. Additionally, there are a number of formerly framed items from the wall of Balliett's office.

Dates

1941-2006

Creator

Balliett, Whitney. (Person)

Language of Materials

Collection material in English

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Whitney Balliett was esteemed jazz critic. He graduated from Cornell in 1951, and went on to write for The New Yorker. For nearly 50 years, he contributed to the publication with over 550 articles, and many more unsigned. He is known for his non-technical approach to criticism, using artful adjectives and vivid verbs to frame the music. His writing was more poetry than anything, and reading it, one will find metaphors and synesthetic synopses understandable by even the most uninformed music listener.

Extent

3 cubic feet. (3 cubic feet.)

Additional Description

Abstract

Notes, drafts, and writings on jazz criticism and biography. Also, letters to Balliett and photographs.

Physical Description

Correspondence, photographs, printed material

General

Contact Information:: Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections 2B Carl A. Kroch Library Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-3530 Fax: (607) 255-9524rareref@cornell.edu http://rmc.library.cornell.edu
Compiled by:: Theo Wolf
Date completed:: May 2011
EAD encoding:: Theo Wolf, May 2011
Date modified:: Theo Wolf, May 2011