Phil Elwood Papers, 1952-2005

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Summary

Creators:
Elwood, Phil
Abstract:
The Phil Elwood Papers offers a unique view into the San Francisco Bay Area entertainment scene. Philip "Phil" Elwood (1926-2006) was a music journalist and radio broadcaster. From 1952-1996, Elwood had a weekly jazz program on Berkeley's KPFA radio station called Jazz Archives, making him among the first to broadcast jazz on FM radio. Alongside this program, in 1965, Elwood joined the San Francisco Examiner as a critic. Elwood reviewed all manner of performances in the area, including concerts, cabaret shows, live events, and theatrical productions among others. He continued his career at the San Francisco Chronicle after the two papers merged in 2000 and retired in 2002. Following his retirement, he continued to play an active role with the San Francisco Bay Area jazz community. This collection primarily contains materials related to his work at the San Francisco Examiner with some materials related to his work at KPFA. Also included in this collection are publications and program books regarding jazz performance and its role in the San Francisco Bay area musical landscape. The collection has been organized into the following series: Alphabetical Files and Working Documents; Lecture Notes, Lists, and Other Documents; Collected Publications; Photographic Materials; and Audio Materials.
Extent:
26.0 Linear feet 26 document boxes
Language:
and All materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Folder Title], Phil Elwood Papers, Museum of Performance + Design.

Background

Scope and content:

The Phil Elwood Papers offers a unique view into the San Francisco Bay Area entertainment scene. Through his dual roles as a radio broadcaster for KPFA and a journalist for the San Francisco Examiner and later the San Francisco Chronicle, Elwood reviewed all manner of performances in the area, including concerts, cabaret shows, live events, theatrical productions among others. Also included are publications and program books regarding jazz performance and its role in the San Francisco Bay area musical landscape. The collection has been organized into the following series: Alphabetical Files and Working Documents; Lecture Notes, Lists, and Other Documents; Collected Publications; Photographic Materials; and Audio Materials.

The Alphabetical Files and Working Documents series contains documents resulting from Elwood's work at KPFA radio for his program Jazz Archives and his works as a journalist. Materials included are articles and drafts written by Elwood, notes taken at various events he attended, correspondence, and other materials collected by and/or sent to Elwood due to his dual roles as radio broadcaster and music journalist. Collected materials include items such as press kits, event programs, biographical sketches, and other related documents. Materials in this series are arranged in alphabetical order by artist name, group, event, and/or genre and then in chronological order if applicable. This series comprises the bulk of this collection.

The Lecture Notes, Lists, and Other Documents series includes materials related to various lectures and presentations done by Elwood, either as part of an event or part of his work as a teacher. Also included are press materials regarding the special tribute concert "Salute to Phil Elwood", where he won the Beacon Award in 2002. This series also contains address lists for various individuals affiliated with Elwood and/or organizations he participated with. Access to these lists are restricted due to the detailed level of contact information.

The Collected Publications series includes magazines, newsletters, music catalogs, and other music/jazz related publications collected by Elwood either because of his affiliation with various organizations, sent to him as part of his work, or personal interest.

The Photographic Materials series includes photographs collected by or sent to Phil Elwood as part of his work. The bulk of the materials are photographic prints with eight 35mm mounted slides. Majority of the images are publicity photographs of various musicians and musical groups.

The Audio Materials series consists of vinyl records collected by Elwood, likely sent to him as part of his work at KPFA.

Biographical / historical:

Philip "Phil" Elwood was born on March 19, 1926, in Berkeley, California. His father was a professor of agriculture at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB). As a teenager, he was introduced to jazz music by photographer Dorothea Lange which prompted his lifelong love of the genre and the building of his large jazz record collection.

Elwood's love of jazz became a part of his career. From 1952-1996, Elwood had a weekly jazz program on Berkeley's KPFA radio station called Jazz Archives, making him among the first to broadcast jazz on FM radio. Alongside this program, in 1965, Elwood joined the San Francisco Examiner as a critic. He covered jazz, rock, blues, comedy, and cabaret shows, among others. He continued his career at the San Francisco Chronicle after the two papers merged in 2000 and retired in 2002. Following his retirement, he continued to write for the web site JazzWest.com. Over the course of his career, Elwood also wrote liners notes for several albums. Educated at UCB and at Stanford University, Elwood also shared his love of jazz with students as a teacher at Albany High School, Laney College and as part of the UCB Extension. Elwood was also actively involved in the jazz community, serving as Director of the San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation and on the advisory board for the first Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958, an annual event still active as of the publication of this finding aid.

In 2002, he received the Beacon Award from the San Francisco Jazz Festival and was the subject of a tribute concert, A Salute to Phil Elwood.

A lifelong Berkeley resident, Elwood passed away from heart failure on January 10, 2006.

Acquisition information:
This collection was donated by Benjamin Elwood on March 21, 2006.
Arrangement:
This collection has been organized in the following series:
  1. Alphabetical Files and Working Documents
  2. Lecture Notes, Lists, and Other Documents
  3. Collected Publications
  4. Photographic Materials
  5. Audio Materials
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research. Address lists with extensive contact information for other individuals is restricted.

Terms of access:

Museum of Performance + Design holds property rights. Copyright of all original works by Phil Elwood belong to his heirs. Copyright of photographs and collected materials belong to their respective creators.

Preferred citation:

[Folder Title], Phil Elwood Papers, Museum of Performance + Design.

Location of this collection:
2200 Jerrold Avenue
Suite T
San Francisco, CA 94124, US
Contact:
4157413531
info@mpdsf.org
Website