Summary
On August 19th, the Jazz Museum in Harlem continues its free bi-weekly series "Honoring Harlem Heroes: Harlem Speaks," with jazz writer [Clarence Atkins]. "Clarence now gets a chance to tell his story," stated Loren Schoenberg, the museum's executive director. "We videotape each guest for our archives so everyone that attends becomes a part of Harlem's jazz history. We're building a steady base of supporters."
Atkins is a walking jazz encyclopedia. Despite a stroke that has impaired his memory, his recall of Harlem and its colorful jazz scene is still quite extraordinary. "Some things you just don't forget, and jazz is one of them," he says. He moved to Harlem in 1942, after graduating from Bethune-Cookman College, where he majored in Literature. "When I came to Harlem I went straight to Minton's; I was obsessed with that place," notes Atkins. "It was my older brother Gary who first visited the city and told me all about Minton's."See the full content of this document
Extract
Clarence Atkins Speaks
In a 1940s film, comedian Jack Benny asked his straight man, chauffeur and butler "Rochester," played by the multi-talented Eddie Anderson, where he was going when he got off the train. Rochester replied, "I'm going to Harlem." ...
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