Digitizing the Aadam Jacobs Collection: Preserving Decades of Chicago Live Music Recordings
By
wise_blood
Front-window bakery material. Catches the eye, delivers the goods.
Summary
The article describes the Aadam Jacobs Collection Project, an initiative to digitize and preserve the extensive live music recordings of Aadam Jacobs, known as the "Chicago taper guy." The project began in earnest a year ago but originated in 2019 after media coverage highlighted the value of Jacobs' collection spanning over three decades of Chicago music history. The team from the Internet Archive's Live Music Archive recognized the cultural significance of preserving these recordings of first-and-only performances, rehearsals, and other unique musical moments for public access.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledA year ago this month, the Aadam Jacobs Collection Project team began converting Aadam Jacobs' audio recordings to digital formats and preparing them for public access.
As audio archivists for the Live Music Archive on the Internet Archive (now 280,000 shows and growing), we immediately understood the value of a collection like Aadam's.
His recordings span more than three decades and capture everything from first-and-only performances by...
The story actually started in 2019, shortly after WBEZ Chicago ran a feature and podcast on Aadam – the 'Chicago taper guy.'
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