Guide to the Charles Bryant Frederick Weeks Papers 1922-2004


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Table of Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Descriptive Summary
• Information on Use
• Access
• Citation
• Biographical Note
• Scope Note
• Related Resources
• Subject Headings
• INVENTORY
• Series I: Professional
• Series II: Jazz Institute of Chicago
• Series III: Chicago Jazz
• Series IV: Drums and Percussion
• Series V: Audio-Visual

Acknowledgments

The Charles Bryant Frederick Weeks Collection was processed and preserved as part of the "Uncovering New Chicago Archives Project," funded with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Descriptive Summary

Information on Use

Access

Series V, Audio-Visual, does not include access copies for part or all of the material in this series. Researchers will need to consult with staff before requesting material from this series.

The remainder of the collection is open for research.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Weeks, Charles Bryant Frederick. Papers, [Box#, Folder#], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Biographical Note

Charles Bryant Frederick "Charlie" Weeks was born June 15, 1937 in Chicago and played jazz in the Northwestern University High School Band and the Northwestern University Band. Weeks attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where he studied jazz drums with Joe Porcaro and graduated with an English degree in 1959.

After graduating, Weeks began a career as a banker at National Boulevard Bank of Chicago, performing music in his spare time. He joined the Chicago Federation of Musicians in 1961. Weeks played in Chicago clubs such as the London House, Basin Street, the Plugged Nickel, and the Hideaway, as well as performing with groups such as the Tom Herrick Orchestra, the Riverboat Ramblers, and the 85th Division Reserve Band.

As one of the founding members of the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1979, Weeks helped obtain initial funding from the City Arts Program and the Music Performance Trust Fund of the American Federation of Musicians. Weeks was president of the Jazz Institute of Chicago from 1980-1982 and 1999-2004. After retiring from banking, Weeks led a band, the Weeks Hornblowers, in private engagements.

Weeks died November 2, 2004.

Scope Note

The Charles Bryant Frederick Weeks Collection is arranged into five series: Series I, Professional; Series II, Jazz Institute of Chicago; Series III, Chicago Jazz; Series IV, Drums and Percussion; and Series V, Audio-Visual. The collection includes ephemera from events and organizations in Chicago, administrative records for the Jazz Institute of Chicago, correspondence, catalogs, method book, audio material, articles, photographs, and a scrapbook. The collection documents Weeks' professional life and involvement in Chicago jazz, jazz events, and organizations in Chicago, particularly the Jazz Institute of Chicago.

Series I, Professional, contains material about Weeks' performing career. A biography highlights Weeks' musical career. There is a review of a compact disc that Weeks played on, which was recorded in a Chicago suburb. The correspondence is mostly about Weeks' performances. There is also an inventory of personal recordings, including many performances from the Chicago Jazz Festival.

Series II, Jazz Institute of Chicago, contains administrative records, correspondence, newspapers clippings, and other ephemera pertaining to the operation of the Jazz Institute of Chicago. The administrative records contain minutes from board meetings, correspondence between board members, calendars, budgets, financial reports, and balance sheets. There are also administrative records, articles, and correspondence about the Chicago Jazz Archive at the University of Chicago. See Series III for additional material on the Jazz Institute of Chicago. See Series II for additional material on the Jazz Institute of Chicago.

Series III, Chicago Jazz, has fliers, brochures, advertisements, concert programs, and other ephemera of jazz events and organizations based in Chicago, including the Chicago Jazz Festival and the Jazz Institute of Chicago. There are newspaper and magazine articles about musicians, jazz, and Chicago. Most articles are from Chicago area newspapers, but also The New York Times, The New Yorker, Jazztimes, and The New Republic. See Series V for photographs of events. Also included is a collection of quotes from a webpage about Lennie Tristano, a blind jazz pianist and Chicago native.

Series IV, Drums and Percussion, contains articles, catalogs, and music. There are method books and exercises for drums and percussion. There is also information about cymbals, including set-up patterns, history, and types of cymbals.

Series V, Audio-Visual, has two compact discs, an audio cassette, photographs, slides, and a scrapbook. The photographs and slides are of various Chicago jazz events. There scrapbook documents Weeks' playing career and contains photographs, postcards, event announcements, and business cards.

Related Resources

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/select.html

Jazz Subject Files

University of Chicago Library. Chicago Jazz Archive

Subject Headings

• Weeks, Charles Bryant Frederick
• Jazz Institute of Chicago
• Jazz
• Jazz -- Illinois -- Chicago
• Jazz Festivals
• Jazz Musicians -- United States
• University of Chicago. Chicago Jazz Archive

INVENTORY