Jeremy Rowland, a student in the Bienen School of Music, has been exploring Shorefont Legacy Center’s new collection of materials on Evanstonian and jazz pianist Junior Mance. Shorefront gave Rowland access to Mance’s musical archives as it was being processed in real-time. Photo by Jonah Elkowitz
Jeremy Rowland, a doctoral student at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music, was having trouble finding library archives on local Black jazz musicians for a research project. Then he was introduced to Laurice Bell, executive director of Shorefront Legacy Center in Evanston.
Shorefront, founded more than 25 years ago to collect historical information on the local Black community, had recently received a collection of materials from Gloria Clayborne Mance, the widow of American jazz pianist and composer (and Evanston native) Junior Mance. This gift allowed Rowland rare access to a musical archive being processed in real-time.
We can craft living stories around people in the historical archive to show how they contributed to the communities that are important to them.”
Jeremy Rowland
Rowland’s research on Shorefront’s music collection is one of a dozen historical projects-in-progress to be featured during the April 26 symposium “Activating Local Black History.” Sponsored by Northwestern and Shorefront, the free event will take place this Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Harris Hall, Room 108.
Born in Evanston in 1928, Mance graduated from Evanston Township High School, and then served in the Korean War where he first met and performed with saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, and his brother Nate Adderley, a trumpet player. When Mance returned from service, he formed his own group with bassist Larry Gales and drummer Ben Riley, and the trio went on to perform internationally. Mance collaborated and recorded with musicians such as Gene Ammons, Lester Young, Dinah Washington and Dizzy Gillespie, and had a long career as a music educator at the New School in New York.
In addition to Mance’s recordings and photos, the archive contains some of Junior Mance’s ties, as well as a red turtleneck sweater he wore on his album covers.
The symposium marks the culmination of “Activating Local Black History” a year-long, grant-funded project assembling Northwestern and Evanston Township High School faculty and students, Shorefront staff and other community members to conduct research in Shorefront’s archives, and deepen understanding of Evanston’s Black history.
Jeremy Rowland takes notes on Shorefont’s new collection of materials on Junior Mance, including a collection of ties and suits he wore when performing. Photo by Jonah Elkowitz
Another featured project is a history of Foster Field, a space next to the old Foster School in the historically Black Fifth Ward. Drew Meinecke, a doctoral student in history, studies 20th century urban history with a focus on race and recreational spaces.
He was introduced the Shorefront archives through the Chicago Humanities Initiative Program at the Center for Civic Engagement.
“All of Black Evanston converged on this space, which offered a lot of opportunities for young athletes and for families to go and experience wholesome recreation,” Meinecke said.
Meinecke was surprised to learn about the high-level of athletic opportunities offered at Foster Field, home of local semi-pro baseball team the Evanston Flashers.
“What’s unique about these players is they were homegrown players like William Bay Davis, who graduated from Foster School and was a catcher for the Evanston Flashers in 1950, as well as players such as Charles “Speed” Williams who left the Flashers to join the minor league affiliate of the Kansas City Monarchs,” Meinecke said.
He hopes the history of Foster Field will help people recognize the value of green space as a place to build community.
“What’s really special about Foster Field is the way that all of Black Evanston’s most treasured institutions converged on the space. I came across stories of hospital technicians from Community Hospital, which at the time was the Black hospital in Evanston, who after their shift was over, went to play tennis at Foster Field. There are stories about the Emerson YMCA, which was the Black YMCA in Evanston, creating an athletic program at Foster Field and partnering with Foster Center, and stories of local businesses contributing a speaker system and uniforms to the Flashers. It’s a very supportive network of people,” Meinecke said.
Rowland concurs that community is a throughline in his local historical research.
“One of the things that stands out about the project I worked on, is the ability to add the voices and stories of living musicians like Evanston saxophonist Chris Greene and drummer Frankie Donaldson,” Rowland said.
“I think that is the power that community archives have, that academic archives or academic libraries don’t necessarily get. We can craft living stories around people in the historical archive to show how they contributed to the communities that are important to them.”
