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 They will find here some unusual items hitherto unpublished or currently not available.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publishers, record producers and writers will find a jazz photo gallery offering a variety of photos, most of them unpublished, available for private and commercial purposes, either to serve as a great individual decoration of a collector's music room or for informative illustration of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.