The Philadelphia Jazz Legacy Project is a collaborative initiative aimed at preserving and sharing Philadelphia’s rich jazz history. The organization was formed in 2018-2019 as a cooperative effort between five major Philadelphia jazz organizations in the city Jazz Bridge, the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts, the Painted Bride Art Center, Jazz Philadelphia, and the Ars Nova Workshop. Our primary goal was to establish a Philly Jazz Archives to collect, preserve, and share the city’s extensive jazz legacy, and the archive is now currently living at the Charles L. Blockson Collection at Temple University. The core focus of the project is to identify and preserve personal papers, memorabilia, and other archival materials documenting the city’s jazz history, taking a collective and inclusive approach that involves representatives from the entire jazz community. We survey and collect contributions from fans, musicians, photographers, club owners, writers, and jazz families across the metro region to help build a comprehensive history.

Philadelphia has been home to many influential jazz figures, including Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, and Sun Ra, marking the city as a significant jazz center and training ground for musicians over the 20th century. Currently we have the collections of organist Jimmy McGriff, drummer Charlie Rice, saxophonist Robert “Bootsie” Barnes, and bassist Jymie Merritt.

The organization maintains this website, which serves as a central hub for information about Philadelphia’s jazz history and our ongoing preservation efforts. We also have a YouTube channel and a Facebook page to further engage with the public with life history interviews of past and present Philadelphia jazz musicians and other important members of the community.

The Philadelphia Jazz Legacy Project represents a crucial effort to document and preserve an important part of American musical heritage, ensuring that Philadelphia’s contributions to jazz remain accessible for future generations.