rainerJazz
is a website dedicated to the history of jazz and its research. It is open to
everybody who
has an interest in jazz and all its aspects, covering the period from
prehistory and the early days of jazz until today.
rainerJazz
is intended to be a tool of information, of exchange and of work for jazz
historians, collectors, critics, writers, discographers, publishers and
all other people who are interested in jazz but may not have the
resources available. Last but not least rainerJazz
is supposed to be a source of entertainment for those who are looking
for visual or aural pleasure. They will find here some unusual items
hitherto unpublished or currently not available.
Therefore, rainerJazz
offers a broad spectrum of different features related to the world of
jazz. The novice or beginner in jazz will find articles on musicians and
the music covering basic information, which is well-known to the
dedicated jazz fan, who in turn will find special features on more
specific topics not covered by the reference works available for him at
home or in his library. For the discographer, a record archive of
individual issued records is offered presententig pictures and thus
information on the exact details and the design of what is printed on
the label of an issued record.
It is intended to
establish a chat room called Discographical Forum, where researchers can
discuss all discographical matters of interest, the results of which
will be available in a Discographical Archive.
The
collector, who wishes to dispose of his records or is interested
to aquire what others have for disposal will find an auction service.
Collectors, publishers, record producers and writers will find a jazz
photo gallery offering a variety of photos, most of them unpublished,
available for private and commercial purposes, either to serve as a
great individual decoration of a collector's music room or for
informative illustration of a press article or for the design of a
record sleeve.
Other features offered
include a jazz journal archive (arrangements will be made to make full
issues of now defunct journals available on-line), links to other jazz
web-sites all ver the world (we do not compete but co-operate), and
information on jazz clubs and jazz bands of all styles.
Of course, the resources
of rainerJazz
are limited to what is available for its authors from their collections
and what is contributed by its visitors. In the beginning, this is not
too much, and many of the features described are still under
construction. Therefore, contributions in every respect are
solicited from everyone, who is able to do so. As (with very few
exceptions related to property issues) the information from this site is
free without charge to everyone visiting, rainerJazz can thus be made
the nucleus of a world-wide comprehensive information system on jazz,
its musicians, history and recordings.
We know very well, that
many huge collections of documents, memorabilias and records exist in
the vaults of collectors, companies and public institutions and much
know-how in the minds of researchers. It is the goal of this
installation to make at least a small, and maybe growing, part of this
information permanently available to everybody in the world, who has an
interest, and to establish a common basis and meeting point for this
knowledge.
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