George Shearing Quintet, Image courtesy of Devra Hall Levy
This resource was developed by and can also be accessed on the National Museum of American History's History Explorer website.
Grade Range: 6-12
Resource Type(s): Interactives & Media, Worksheets
Duration: 11 minutes
Date Posted: 4/11/2013
Though not as well-known as figures such as Duke Ellington or Ella Fitzgerald, John Levy made significant contributions to jazz music, both as a bassist and as the first black personal manager in jazz. In this episode of History Explorer, Sarah Coffee interviews Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra Director Ken Kimery about Levy's story and legacy. Ken discusses how he uses John's oral history, available at smithsonianjazz.org, to teach about topics ranging from segregation to prohibition, to finding one's musical "voice." This resource set includes a teachers guide and student worksheet.
