Marshall Stearns
Encyclopedia
Marshall Winslow Stearns (October 18, 1908, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- December 18, 1966, Key West, Florida
) was an American jazz
critic and musicologist. He was the founder of the Institute of Jazz Studies
.
Stearns played drums in his teens, and attended Harvard University
both for undergraduate and for law school (1929?-1934). Following this he studied medieval English at Yale University
, where he took his Ph.D. in 1942. Stearns taught English at several U.S. colleges, and during this time wrote often about jazz music for magazines such as Variety
, Saturday Review, Down Beat
, Record Changer
, Esquire
, Harper's, Life
, and Musical America
. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship
in 1950, and used the proceeds to finish his 1956 work The Story of Jazz, which became a widely used text, as well as a popular introduction to jazz. He began teaching jazz at New York University
in 1950 and then at Hunter College
from 1951. In 1952, he founded the Institute of Jazz Studies
, which he directed. Later in the 1950s, he was a consultant to the United States State Department, and accompanied Dizzy Gillespie
on a tour of the Middle East
in 1956 sponsored by the office. He taught at the New School for Social Research (1954-56) and the School of Jazz in Lenox, Massachusetts
. He and his second wife, Jean, wrote a second book, Jazz Dance, which was published posthumously in 1968.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
- December 18, 1966, Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
) was an American jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
critic and musicologist. He was the founder of the Institute of Jazz Studies
Institute of Jazz Studies
The Institute of Jazz Studies is the largest and most comprehensive library and archive of jazz and jazz-related materials in the world, located at the Newark campus of Rutgers University.-History:...
.
Stearns played drums in his teens, and attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
both for undergraduate and for law school (1929?-1934). Following this he studied medieval English at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he took his Ph.D. in 1942. Stearns taught English at several U.S. colleges, and during this time wrote often about jazz music for magazines such as Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, Saturday Review, Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
, Record Changer
Record changer
A record changer or autochanger is a device that plays multiple gramophone records in sequence without user intervention. Record changers first appeared in the late 1920s, and were common until the 1980s.-History:...
, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, Harper's, Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, and Musical America
Musical America
Musical America is the oldest American magazine on classical music. Presently it is a website with a weekly online magazine. It is currently published by UBM Global Trade.-History:...
. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
in 1950, and used the proceeds to finish his 1956 work The Story of Jazz, which became a widely used text, as well as a popular introduction to jazz. He began teaching jazz at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1950 and then at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
from 1951. In 1952, he founded the Institute of Jazz Studies
Institute of Jazz Studies
The Institute of Jazz Studies is the largest and most comprehensive library and archive of jazz and jazz-related materials in the world, located at the Newark campus of Rutgers University.-History:...
, which he directed. Later in the 1950s, he was a consultant to the United States State Department, and accompanied Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
on a tour of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
in 1956 sponsored by the office. He taught at the New School for Social Research (1954-56) and the School of Jazz in Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Set in Western Massachusetts, it is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,077 at the 2000 census. Where the town has a border with Stockbridge is the site of Tanglewood, summer...
. He and his second wife, Jean, wrote a second book, Jazz Dance, which was published posthumously in 1968.