Research Catalog

Title

George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian papers, 1908-2013.

Author

Avakian, George.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Ajemian, Anahid.
• Ajemian, Maro.

Description

56.72 linear feet (149 boxes, 6 oversize folders, 1 tube), 1.7 Gigabytes (148 computer files), 222 audio files, 64 video files.

Summary

George Mesrop Avakian (1919-2017) was an American music producer, recording executive, artist manager, writer, and educator best known for his work with artists such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Cage, Alan Hovhaness, Keith Jarrett, Sonny Rollins, his wife Anahid Ajemian, and many other musicians and composers. Violinist Anahid Ajemian (1924-2016) specialized in performing new music as a soloist; with her sister, the pianist Maro Ajemian (1921-1978); and with the Composers String Quartet. The George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian papers (1908-2016) document the careers and lives of the producer and violinist through audio and video recordings; personal and professional correspondence; photographs; scrapbooks; published and unpublished writings and speeches; contracts and other business papers; scores; clippings; programs; awards; posters; and visual art. The bulk of the collection documents George Avakian's career as a recording producer and artist manager, and the artists he worked with.

Subjects

• Composers String Quartet
• Goodman, Benny 1909-1986
• Coleman, Ornette
• Music > United States > 20th century
• Jazz musicians
• Sound recording executives and producers
• African American musicians
• Sound engineers
• Musicians
• Art (fine art)
• Philippines
• Shankar, Ravi, 1920-2012
• RCA Records
• Hiroshima-shi (Japan)
• Clippings (information artifacts)
• New York (N.Y.)
• Warner Bros. Records
• Third stream (Music)
• Sound recording industry
• Posters
• Lloyd, Charles, 1938-
• Jarrett, Keith
• Columbia Records, Inc
• Pacific Jazz Records
• Business records
• Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974
• Davis, Miles
• Hovhaness, Alan, 1911-2000
• Cage, John
• Awards
• World War, 1939-1945 > Pacific Area
• Jazz
• Newport Jazz Festival
• Armstrong, Louis, 1901-1971
• Correspondence
• Brubeck, Dave
• Desmond, Paul, 1924-1977
• Masselos, William
• Rollins, Sonny
• Albums (books)
• Interviews
• Manuscripts (documents)
• Notated music
• Notes (documents)
• Photographic prints
• Contracts
• Speeches
• Sound recordings
• Video Recordings

Genre/Form

• Albums (books).
• Art (fine art)
• Awards.
• Business records.
• Clippings (information artifacts)
• Contracts.
• Correspondence.
• Interviews.
• Manuscripts (documents).
• Notated music.
• Notes (documents).
• Photographic prints.
• Posters.
• Speeches.
• Sound recordings.
• Video Recordings.

Access (note)

• Audio and moving image materials can be used onsite at the Library for the Performing Arts. To request materials, please contact the Music Division.

Terms of Use (note)

• For permission to publish, contact the Chief, Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Source (note)

• Purchased from George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian, 2013. Additions were donated by from Anahid Avakian in 2017.

Language (note)

• Materials are in English, Armenian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and French.

Processing Action (note)

• Processing Information: The following scholars assisted with the identification or description of some audio recordings in this collection: Ricky Riccardi, Loren Schoenberg, George Schuller, Peter Losin, Jan Lohmann, Michael Fitzgerald, Aidan Levy, David Ostwald, and Lewis Porter. Descriptions of some of the Louis Armstrong home recordings were supplied courtesy of the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

Call Number

JPB 14-28

OCLC

900166397

Author

Avakian, George.

Title

George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian papers, 1908-2013.

Restricted Access

Audio and moving image materials can be used onsite at the Library for the Performing Arts. To request materials, please contact the Music Division.

Terms Of Use

For permission to publish, contact the Chief, Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Location of Other Archival Materials

Materials Separated from the Resource: The 78 RPM shellac discs from George Avakian's personal copy of the Decca Chicago Jazz album can be accessed under these call numbers: *LO 10729, *LO 10730, *LO 10731, *LO 10732, *LO 10733, and *LO 10734.

Language

Materials are in English, Armenian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and French.

Processing Action

Processing Information: The following scholars assisted with the identification or description of some audio recordings in this collection: Ricky Riccardi, Loren Schoenberg, George Schuller, Peter Losin, Jan Lohmann, Michael Fitzgerald, Aidan Levy, David Ostwald, and Lewis Porter. Descriptions of some of the Louis Armstrong home recordings were supplied courtesy of the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

Source

Purchased from George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian, 2013. Additions were donated by from Anahid Avakian in 2017.

Connect to:

Request Access to Music & Recorded Sound Division Special Collections material

NYPL Digital Collections

Finding aid

Occupation

Musicians.

Sound engineers.

Added Author

Ajemian, Anahid. contributor.

Ajemian, Maro. contributor.

Research Call Number

JPB 14-28