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Burt C. Porter Jazz and Sound Recordings, 1950-1962

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Porter, Burt C.
Title
Burt C. Porter Jazz and Sound Recordings
Dates
1950-1962 (inclusive)
Quantity
136 items, (8 boxes, 128 audio reels)
Collection Number
201201
Summary
This is Burt C. Porter's personal collection of sound recordings on open reel. A majority of the recordings are dated in the early to mid-1950's. The collection includes and recorded television and radio programming, as well as bootleg club recordings. Some of the more unique recordings include jazz artists in Seattle, Cecil Young Quartet and Ernestine Anderson.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Media Archive
University of Washington Libraries Media Archive
University of Washington
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065436051
medialib@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Due to preservation concerns, access to the original items is restricted. For access questions please contact the UW Libraries Media Center.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Burt C. Porter, born near Spokane, WA on June 10, 1916 (Bureau of the Census, 1920), started his own business in Seattle, WA selling electronics in the late 1940s. From notes found in his collection printed on the Burt C. Porter Co. letterhead, as well as from an audio reel of dictation, it was identified that he sold a variety of electronics, but mostly audio recording machines. His business spread from Seattle throughout the greater Pacific Northwest and into Canada. Not only was he selling to individual consumers, but he also worked on deals with larger companies, such as Boeing.While there are reels that reflect his work in the electronics industry, the majority of the collection is based on his hobby in amateur sound recording.

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Content Description

This is Burt C. Porter's personal collection of sound recordings on open reel. A majority of the recordings are dated in the early to mid-1950's. The collection includes recorded television and radio programming, as well as bootleg club recordings. Some of the more unique recordings include jazz artists in Seattle, Cecil Young Quartet and Ernestine Anderson. This collection consists of 128 reels onsite and about 80 reels off-site in a storage facility in Sandpoint. The reels off-site have deteriorated and will likely not be handled or transferred for safety reasons.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Selections from this collection have been digitized, and are available through the UW Libraries Soundcloud page.

Restrictions on Use

Portions or all of this collection may be subject to copyright restrictions.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

The Burt C. Porter Jazz and Sound Recordings were donated to the University of Washington Libraries in 2012 by a family member of Porter. The collection consists of over two hundred open audio reels, most of which were created in the 1950's.

Custodial History

The audio reels were stored in original cases (cardboard) in a barn for a number of decades in western Washington until the time of the donation in 2012.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

  • Box One, Undated

    Container: Box BCP 1

    Contains 17 1/4 inch sound reels

    • Description: Cecil Young

      Cecil Young, Gerald Brashear, Jimmy Rodgers, Trafford Hubert. Race Horse; Black Magic; Small Hotel

      Dates: 1951-03-11
      Container: Reel BCP 01-001
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Cecil Young, Gerald Brashear, Jimmy Rodgers, Trafford Hubert. I Can't Give You Anything But Love (Vocal-Cecil); September in the Rain; Johnson Rag

      Dates: 1951-03-11
      Container: Reel BCP 01-002
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Strike Up The Band; I Got It Bad - Vocal; Symphony Kid

      Dates: 1951-03-11
      Container: Reel BCP 01-003
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Savoy; You Are the Promised Breath of Spring; Fine and Dandy

      Dates: 1951-03-11
      Container: Reel BCP 01-004
    • Description: Cecil Young

      House Rent Party Blues; Lester Leaps About

      Dates: 1951-03-11
      Container: Reel BCP 01-005
    • Description: Cecil Young

      15" p/s- Full-Mono; Deep Purple-Piano Solo; Tennessee Waltz-Piano Solo; Gerald

      Dates: 1951-03-11
      Container: Reel BCP 01-006
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Who Parked the Car; Back in Nagasaki

      Dates: 1951-03-11
      Container: Reel BCP 01-007
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Sweet Georgia Bop; Penthouse Serenade

      Dates: 1951-03-11
      Container: Reel BCP 01-008
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Nights and Day, Dawn and Dusk; Flying Home; Gone With the Wind

      Dates: 1951-03-11
      Container: Reel BCP 01-009
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Cecil--Off To 'Frisco

      Dates: 1951-07-19
      Container: Reel BCP 01-010
    • Description: Cecil and Ernestine

      15" Mono - Cecil Young/Ernestine; Sept Song; Camels are Coming; Ema Sumac-908 Club; Somebody Got To Go

      Dates: 1951-05-30
      Container: Reel BCP 01-011
    • Description: Cecil Young

      M-15"; Cecil Young Quartette; Theme Song; Savoy; Piano Pastels; Norm Bobrow-Announce

      Dates: 1951-06-10
      Container: Reel BCP 01-012
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Cecil Young Quartette; Formula X-9; Sweet Georgia Bop; Oooh Diga Gow; I'm In the Mood for Love

      Dates: 1951-06-10
      Container: Reel BCP 01-013
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Cecil Young Quartette; Flying Home; Too Marvelous For Words; Who Parked the Car

      Dates: 1951-06-10
      Container: Reel BCP 01-014
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Cecil Young Quartet; Going to Shanghai-3:47; I Get Ideas-3:12; Old Man River-3:20

      Dates: 1951-11-12
      Container: Reel BCP 01-015
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Cecil Young Quartet; E Flat B Flat-3:20; Further Out X-1:53; Passing Fancy X-3:00; Get Out of Town-3:12

      Dates: 1951-11-12
      Container: Reel BCP 01-016
    • Description: Cecil Young

      Cecil Young Quartette; Streamliner Club; Dancing In The Dark; Out Waltz; ?

      Dates: 1954-02-24
      Container: Reel BCP 01-017
  • Box Two, Undated

    Container: Box BCP 2

    Contains 15 1/4 inch sound reels

    • Description: Santa Monica Beethoven

      Santa Monica Beethoven Piano Concerts #2 1st Movement; Arthur Lange Conductor

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-001
    • Description: Santa Monica Mendelssohn

      Santa Monica; 1st Movement Mendelssohn Seventh Symphony; 2nd Movement (illegible)

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-002
    • Description: Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, and the Gonzaga Glee Club

      RCA Sauter-Finnegan; 7 1/2" Recording Speed

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-003
    • Description: Whitman College Choir

      Whitman College Choir; We Wish You a Merry CHristmas; I heard the Bells on Christmas Day; ?; Glorious in Excelcis Deo; The First Noel; While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks; ?; Jingle Bells; Silent Night; Bing Crosby; I Had a Dream; The Old Ox Road; Were You There--(Gonzaga Glee Club)

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-004
    • Description: Frank Sinatra TV Show

      Frank Sinatra T.V. Show; Guest: Bing Crosby; Dean Martin; Mitzi Gaynor; Jimmie Durante; Music Direction by Nelson Riddle; Recorded on MDVICORDER

      Dates: 1959-10-19
      Container: Reel BCP 02-005
    • Description: Dinah Washington

      Dinah Washington-Carnegie Hall; Tell Me Why; Wheel of Fortune; Blues; Blow Top Blues; Time Out For Tears

      Dates: 1952
      Container: Reel BCP 02-006
    • Description: John Kirby and His Orchestra

      John Kirby and his Orchestra; Charles Shivers-Trumpet; Buster Bailey-Clarinet; Russell Procofie-Alto Sax; Billy Kyle-Piano; John Kirby-Bass; O'Neil Spencer-Drums.; 1. Anitra's Dances-Serenade-Opus 5-Nocturne-Fronto Ceuler-(illegible)-Milumba-Double Fath-Blues Polyle-Beethoven RIffs On.; 2. Stanley Black and his Orchestra; Rhumba tamba-Linola-Chilena-Adioes etc.; 2. Joe Bushkin with Rhythm Acc.

      Dates: 1952-05-27
      Container: Reel BCP 02-007
    • Description: Capitol

      Jones Jenne, Paul Weston; Kitten on the Keys; Finigus Carr; Nobles June; Paul Weston; If I KNew You Were Coming-Benny Strong; Does the Spearmint Lose Its Flavor-Benny Strong

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-008
    • Description: Capitol

      Spaghetti Rag-Ray Anthony; Down the Lane-Stafford Mac Race; Maria from Bahia-Cherry Reyes; Open Door-Jo Stafford; Panama-Paul Weston

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-009
    • Description: Multiple

      I. Mary Ann McCall; Paul Smith Quartet; II. Gerry Mulligan (PJLP-2); Lee Konitz; Dave Brubeck (3-5-alt but (illegible) on one side)

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-010
    • Description: Jimmy Lyons

      Jimmy Lyons-San Francisco; Bewitched-Mel Torme, Sax, Piano; Someone to Watch Over Me, Piano; Body and Soul, Sax; Sleepytime Gal; Piano, Sax, Trombone, Sax, Piano

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-011
    • Description: Unknown

      Page Cavanaugh Trio; Dixieland Jazz Band

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-012
    • Description: Unknown

      4TS-7-1/2"--Side I; 1. Gene Krupa/Buddy Rich-JAPT-1952

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-013
    • Description: Unknown

      Practice Session

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-014
    • Description: Dr King

      Dr King

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 02-015
  • Box 3, Undated

    Container: Box BCP 3

    Contains 9 1/4 inch sound reels

    • Description: Alice Hall Quartette

      Alice Hall Quartette; A The A Train 2:30; B Jazz Me Blues 2:00; C Petite Watte 2:03; D Tennesses Schmaltz 2:57; E Perdido 2:37; F Where or When 2:55

      Dates: 1951-10-21
      Container: Reel BCP 03-001
    • Description: Alice Hall Quartette

      Alice Hall Quartette; A Makin Whooppee 2:16; B Just You Just Me 2:17; C Polka 2:09; D Brazil 2:15; E Dream a Little Dream of Me 2:47; F How High the Moon 2:33

      Dates: 1951-10-21
      Container: Reel BCP 03-002
    • Description: Alice Hall Quartette

      Alice Hall Quartette; A You Stepped Out of a Dream 2:17; B Big Noise From Winztka 4:43

      Dates: 1951-10-21
      Container: Reel BCP 03-003
    • Description: McPartland

      McPartland #1; Sweet Georgia Brown; Jazztown Ball

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 03-004
    • Description: McPartland

      McPartland; Embrace Me; When the Saintsl (Left channel very low vol.)

      Dates: Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 03-005
    • Description: Woody Herman

      Woody Herman-Carnegie Hall; Perdido; Early Autumn; Bijou

      Dates: 1952-Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 03-006
    • Description: Woody Herman

      Woody Herman-Carnegie Hall; Third Man Theme-Chubby Jackson; Drum Solo

      Dates: 1952-Unknown
      Container: Reel BCP 03-007
    • Description: Woody Herman

      Woody Herman; Sidney Bechet; Summertime; Royal Garden Blues

      Dates: 1953-11-14
      Container: Reel BCP 03-008
  • Box 4, Undated

    Container: Box BCP 4

    Contains 10 1/4 inch sound reels

    • Description: Jazz at the Philharmonic

      Jazz at the Phil 1952; 15 IPS Full Track Mono; Oscar Peterson; Buddy De Franco; Ray Brown; Buddy Rich; Herb Ellis; Paper Moon; Summer Time*; Huckle Buck; Air Mail Special; Great!

      Dates: 1952
      Container: Reel BCP 04-001
    • Description: Jazz at the Philharmonic

      Jazz at the Phil-1951; 15" p/s-Full-Mono; Fast Number; Solos by: Roy Eldridge; Dizzy Gilespie (great duet at end); Drum Solo-Buddy Rich; (Play only for real jazz listeners)

      Dates: 1951
      Container: Reel BCP 04-002
    • Description: Ernestine Anderson

      Ernestine Anderson; Fine and Dandy; So Long; Sunny Side of the Street

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 04-003
    • Description: Shearing

      BN 11/51; Shearing-Ernestine Anderson; Sunny Side; Them Their Eyes; #112 Summertime; Them Their Eyes (x) up-tempo, better!; Lover Man

      Dates: 1951-11
      Container: Reel BCP 04-004
    • Description: Ernestine Anderson

      Ernestine-Stealing Time

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 04-005
    • Description: Unknown

      Porter; Ernestine - Sweden; Yak; Les- "Harris in for Porter"

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 04-006
    • Description: Band of America

      Band of America; 15"; M-80

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 04-007
    • Description: Unknown

      #4; Ballad Session; Roy Eldridge-Body and Soul; Ben Webster-Tenderly; Bill Harris-Imagination; Flip Phillips-I'll Never be the Same; Oscar Peterson Trio (Roy Brown - Herb Ellis); Just One of Those Things; The Continental; Autumn in N.Y.; It's Almost Like Being in Love; ?Serenade?; Surry-Frin“ge-Fast-Fast-Fast

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 04-008
    • Description: Spokane Symphony

      Spokane Symphony-15" p.p.s-S

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 04-009
    • Description: Spokane Symphony

      Spokane Symphony

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 04-010
  • Box 5, Undated

    Container: Box BCP 5

    • Description: Don Shirley
      Dates: 1954-04-23
      Container: Reel BCP 05-001
    • Description: Don Shirley
      Dates: 1954-04-23
      Container: Reel BCP 05-002
    • Description: Don Shirley
      Dates: 1954-04-23
      Container: Reel BCP 05-003
    • Description: Don Shirley
      Dates: 1953-04-23
      Container: Reel BCP 05-004
    • Description: Don Shirley

      "Rachmaninoff-Piano Concerto" and "Moonlight in Vermont" are labelled in red as "ERASED"

      Dates: 1954-02-24
      Container: Reel BCP 05-005
    • Description: Don Shirley
      Dates: 1954-05-24
      Container: Reel BCP 05-006
  • Box 6, Undated

    Container: Box BCP 5

    • Description: Stokowsky Detroit Symphony

      "Tocata and Fugue in D"; Bach; Stokowsky Detroit Symphony

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-001
    • Description: Stokowsky Detroit Symphony

      "Tchaikovsky 5th 1-Andante"; Stokowsky Detroit

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-002
    • Description: Stokowsky Detroit Symphony

      Time 1:52 to 2:26 PM; Archibald Varey 2:06;(On Reel) Wagner; WOtan's Farewell; Magic Fire Music Part 1; Stokowsky Detroit

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-003
    • Description: Stokowsky Detroit Symphony

      Tchaikovsky 5th; 4-Finale-Allegro Vivace; Stokowski Detroit

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-004
    • Description: Stan Kenton

      Stan Kenton-Blue Note; Rumba; Stardust; September Song

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-005
    • Description: Stan Kenton

      "Wild Jive"; "Artistry in Bolevo"; "Stella By Starlight"; Stan Kenton

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-006
    • Description: Stan Kenton

      "Laura"; Stan Kenton

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-007
    • Description: Seattle Symphony

      Seattle Symphony; Director-Manuel Rosenthal; Symphony in G Major-George Bizet; 1. Allegro Vivo; 2. Adagio; Oboe Solo-Norman Benno

      Dates: 1950-12-01
      Container: Reel BCP 06-008
    • Description: No Title

      "Latin American Symphonette"; 3rd. Movement Tango (and illegible)

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-009
    • Description: No Title

      "Latin American Symphony" 1st Movement; 1st Movement "Rhumba"; 2nd Movement "Tango"

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-010
    • Description: Roy Neusch

      Pines of Rome

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-011
    • Description: No Title

      Labor

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-012
    • Description: No Title

      "Serenade for Harp and Strings"

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-013
    • Description: No Title

      "Conga"

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-014
    • Description: No Title

      "Romeo and Juliet"

      Dates: Undated
      Container: Reel BCP 06-015
  • Description: Box 7

    Contains 29 1/4 inch sound reels

    Dates: Undated
    Container: Box BCP 7
  • Description: Box 8

    Contains 27 1/4 inch sound reels

    Dates: Undated
    Container: Box BCP 8

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Jazz
  • Radio
  • Sound recordings

Personal Names

  • Anderson, Ernestine
  • Hall, Alice
  • Herman, Woody

Corporate Names

  • Cecil Young Quartet

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)
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