KCKCC to Dedicate Ella Fitzgerald Listening Library

Posted on Wednesday, May 08, 2024

Kansas City Kansas Community College is hosting a dedication for the new Ella Fitzgerald Listening Library at 3 p.m. May 14 in Humanities Room 2173-2177.

“The Ella Fitzgerald Listening Lab and Study Lounge is an intimate space for KCKCC music students to listen to tens of thousands of albums (mostly jazz) and have a comfortable place to study,” said Dr. Justin Binek, associate professor of music at KCKCC. “In addition to the library's primary sound system, there are also an additional four listening stations, as well as four study carrels and comfortable furniture.”

The space was funded through a grant from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, while the records and books were donated from various sources including:

• The Kansas City Jazz Alliance, which donated record collections previously belonging to Scott Prebys, Jim Mair, Everette DeVan and William Drybread.
• George Dunmore, who donated a large collection of LPs.
• Justin and Claire Binek, who donated a large collection of CDs.
• John and Bonnie Stafford, who donated a collection of CDs.
• Fran Morris Rosman, executive director of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation and Richard Rosman, chairman of the board of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, who donated a number of books and LPs.

The library also incorporates many books, CDs and LPs that previously were part of the KCKCC Learning Commons’ library collection.

“John Stafford and I have had a dream for a space like this since George Dunmore donated his collection to us back in 2018,” Binek said. “During a conversation with Fran Morris Rosman about the scholarships the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation provides to KCKCC music students, the topic of a listening library came up, and Fran immediately offered to donate funds in exchange for the space being named after Ella Fitzgerald. After identifying a space in the music department, the actual library came together very quickly, and has been in use since the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.”

The dedication will include remarks from KCKCC President Dr. Greg Mosier as well as remarks from Morris Rosman and a performance from the KCKCC Jazz Combo.

“In addition to being a space for our ridiculously hard-working music students to relax, study and listen, we envision this space becoming an important archive,” Binek said. “I’m working on additional donations of albums, books and music to both enrich the space for our students and to make the space a destination for others. The various collections donated include a number of rare albums and test pressings. It is truly special to have this kind of resource at KCKCC.”

 

Category: General

Keywords: music