Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology

Following requests for an update to Martin Williams's Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz (1973), Smithsonian Folkways began the process of selecting music for a new anthology in late 2004. Over fifty acknowledged experts reviewed a list of 2,500 potential tracks and agreed that the set should represent the development of jazz through the 20th century. By March 2005, the Folkways staff had compiled a 300-page document explaining the positive and negative aspects of each potential selection.[1]

Smithsonian Folkways formed a second executive committee of five members in June of the same year. To keep the price low the committee reduced their choices to 110 songs on six CDs. In making their decision, committee members concentrated on the historical impact of the recordings and significance of the musicians, rather than the recordings' commercial success.

After years of deliberation, the committee finalized the selections for the anthology. The committee then contacted more than 30 authors to write articles for the recordings that pertained to their areas of research. Smithsonian Folkways released the anthology on March 29, 2011.

JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology is organized chronologically, covering the history and development of the genre from 1899, the estimated date of composition of "Maple Leaf Rag", to 2003, the date of the latest recording. The book focuses on the individual tracks, describing each recording with two to three pages of liner notes.[2] The executive committee chose, to place certain songs out of chronological arrangement in order to maximize the amount of space utilized on each disc.

The first disc opens with Dick Hyman's recording of "Maple Leaf Rag", a historically informed performance that imitates the precision of ragtime compositions on player pianos at the end of the 19th century. Midway through the set Sidney Bechet’s 1932 interpretation gives a "hot jazz" interpretation of the Rag. The final disc begins with a modern take on "Maple Leaf Rag," the 1976 recording by Anthony Braxton and Muhal Richard Abrams. Producer Richard Burgess notes these consecutive examples of how jazz progressed function as, "the pedagogical moment... A lot of the thinking behind the set was to make it good for jazz history, jazz appreciation courses."[3]

The design for JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology was created by Visual Dialogue, a graphic design company from Boston, Massachusetts. The company used the album cover design from Fred Ramsey’s Jazz series on Folkways Recordings by his wife Amelia as their inspiration[4] modifying both color scheme and graphics to create an updated look and feel for the new product. The final box set consists of a 200-page hardcover text within an etched, plastic slipcover. Six pockets hold CDs in the final pages of the book.[5]

The Anthology includes many photographs by the jazz photographer Herman Leonard.[6]

Time magazine critic Douglas Wolk wrote, "Assembled over seven years, JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology is a 6-disc monolith with a 200-page book of liner notes – the best single introduction to America's first great musical form."[7] In the Washington Post, JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology was recognized as, "a landmark achievement. It is the most important and most comprehensive collection of historical jazz recordings and will be a valuable educational tool for years to come. But the collection reaches beyond the classroom, capturing something of the spirit of America as well."[8]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[9]

• Track Notes Writers: Larry Appelbaum, David Baker, Rob Bamberger, Ed Berger, José Antonio Bowen, Anthony Brown, James Dapogny, Michael Dregni, Digby Fairweather, Will Friedwald, Ted Gioia, John Edward Hasse, Willard Jenkins, Robin D. G. Kelley, Tammy Kernodle, Gene Lees, George E. Lewis, Steven Loza, Jeffrey Magee, John McDonough, Robert O'Meally, Lewis Porter, Bruce Boyd Raeburn, Loren Schoenberg, Gunther Schuller, Alyn Shipton, John Szwed, Jeffrey Taylor, Terry Teachout, and Michael Zilber
• Images: CTS Images, Frank Driggs Collection, Guy Fonck, Andy Freeberg, Institute of Jazz Studies (Rutgers University), Richard Laird, Arturo Sandoval, Duncan Schiedt Collection, Lee Tanner/The Jazz Image, and Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos
• Advisory Panel: Larrel Appelbaum, David Baker, Malcolm Baker, Rob Bamberger, José Antonio Bowen, Michael Brooks, Anthony Brown, Michael Cuscuna, Francis Davis, Raul Fernandez, Will Friedwald, Mark Gridley, Brian Harker, Willey Hill, Willard Jenkins, Orrin Keepnews, Tammy Kernodle, Bill Kirchner, Wolfran Knauer, Allen Lowe, Henry Martin, James McCalla, David Megill, Donald Megill, John Murphy, Peter O'Brien, Tim Owens, and Bob Porter
• Compilation Mastered By: Pete Reiniger
• Text Editing: Carla Borden and Bob Blumenthal
• Fact-checking, Proofreading: Bob Blumenthal, Carla Borden, Richard James Burgess, James Deutsch, John Edward Hasse, Hannah Korn, Dan Morgenstern, Vincent Pelote, Arlene Reiniger, Lauren Shaw, Atesh Sonneborn, J. B. Weilepp
• Project Director: Richard James Burgess
• Production Manager: Mary Monseur
• Production Assistance: Carolyn Kerchof, Darlene Richardson, and J.B. Weilepp
• Photo Research: Caitlin Coad, John Edward Hasse, Tad Lathrop, Mary Monseur, J.B. Weilepp
• Art Direction & Design: Visual Dialogue
• Manufacturing: Tri-Plex Packaging