The Arnold Shaw Popular Music Research Center published an archive of recorded jazz interviews, masterclasses, and performances prepared by Bill Spilka between the 1970s and the 1990s. Director Jonathan Rhodes Lee (Music) has sorted and published this tape archive of one-of-a-kind items related to more than 90 jazz artists, including Benny Goodman, Harry Goodman, Stan Kenton, Lester Young, and many others. The interviews often took place backstage at venues such as Rockefeller Center or New York’s Roseland Ballroom, catching conversations with musicians when they took breaks during their live sets. The Shaw Center collection joins two sister collections at the NY Public Library and Rutgers University. These recordings make available rare and valuable contributions to the archive of jazz history.

Interviews are streamable from the Shaw Center website, while performances and masterclasses can be listened to by patron request.

Visit the collection.