Yusuf Salim collection, circa 1982-1987 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
Salim, Yusuf, 1929-2008
Abstract:
Yusuf Salim (1929-2008) was a jazz musician and composer who began his career in Baltimore in the 1940s. He moved to Durham, North Carolina in the 1970s where he taught jazz workshops through the Salaam Cultural Center and hosted a series on WUNC-TV. The collection contains manuscripts of 36 lead sheets for Salim's jazz compositions, a piece of prose by Salim, and a photocopy of an article about him from the Raleigh News and Observer.
Extent:
0.6 Linear Feet (41 items)
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01131

Background

Scope and content:

The Yusuf Salim Collection (chiefly undated, but some dated between 1982 and 1987) has as its focal point manuscripts of 36 lead sheets for Salim's jazz compositions. One additional folder contains a piece of writing by Salim and a photocopy of an article on him from the Raleigh News and Observer from 1987. Acquired as part of the Jazz Archive at Duke University.

Biographical / historical:

Yusuf Salim (aka Joseph Blair) (1929-2008) was born in Baltimore, Maryland and began his musical career there at age 14 as a pianist with the Ken Murray Sextet. Salim was hired at age 17 as the house pianist with the Royal Theatre, where he stayed for seven years with a band headed by Tracy McClair, who had played with the Bama Collegians and Erskine Hawkins. While he worked at the Royal Theatre, he performed with entertainers such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Moms Mabley, and Redd Foxx. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he travelled to New York City with The Bill Swindell Band and performed at the Braddock Bar in Harlem. He also witnessed and participated in jam sessions at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem and Birdland in Manhattan. In 1974, Salim moved to Durham, North Carolina. He opened a club called The Salaam Cultural Center which offered music workshops to train and further the careers of North Carolina jazz musicians, including vocalists Eve Cornelius and Nnenna Freelon. He also hosted a thirteen-part WUNC-TV (PBS) series called "Yusuf and Friends." Salim received the North Carolina Arts Council Jazz Fellowship in 1999. He has written over 53 compositions which have been recorded by Gary Bartz, Mongo Santamaria, Cannonball Adderley, and others.

Acquisition information:
The Yusuf Salim Collection was created from materials in the Paul Jeffrey Papers.
Processing information:

Processed by Zeke Graves, March 2010

Encoded by Zeke Graves, March 2010

Accession is described in this finding aid.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged alphabetically by song title.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Subjects

Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.

Subjects:
Jazz -- 1981-1990
Jazz
Music -- Lead sheets
Music
Jazz musicians
Jazz -- Lead sheets
Format:
Clippings (information artifacts)
Names:
Jazz Archive (Duke University)
Salim, Yusuf, 1929-2008
Salim, Yusuf, 1929-2008

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Yusuf Salim Collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University