Felix Grant | |
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 Felix Grant andLuiz Bonfá, 1972 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Felix E. Grant |
| Born | (1918-12-22)December 22, 1918 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 12, 1993(1993-10-12) (aged 74) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz,Bossa Nova |
| Occupation | Radio presenter |
| Years active | 1945–1993 |
Felix Grant (December 22, 1918 – October 12, 1993) was aradio presenter who specialized in playingjazz music during his long career inWashington, D.C. (1945 to 1993), primarily at radio stationWMAL.
Recognized for his distinctive voice, sophisticated style, and personal connection to many of the twentieth century's jazz greats, he was known for his many on-air interviews of prominent jazz musicians. Felix Grant is credited as the person who introducedBrazilian music—and especiallyBossa Nova—to the United States in the 1960s.[1]
Grant was responsible for discoveringDuke Ellington's birthplace at 2129 Ward Place, N.W. in Washington. Although the original house had been demolished, Grant began efforts to mark the location in 1987. On the anniversary of Ellington's birth in 1989, a bronze plaque was placed on the building now occupying the site, with Ellington's sonMercer in attendance at the dedication ceremony.
Grant was also responsible for renaming Western High School as Duke Ellington High School (now,the Duke Ellington School of the Arts) and for renaming the Calvert Street Bridge as theDuke Ellington Bridge in 1974.
In 1964 Felix Grant was awarded theOrder of the Southern Cross (the highest civilian honor the Brazilian government can bestow upon a foreigner) in recognition of his broadcasting efforts in behalf of Brazilian music and musicians. He also received honors from theCity of Washington, including plaques, proclamations, and the designation of a "Felix Grant Day" in 1985. A radio music library at theUniversity of Jamaica was named for him. He was chairman of the Brazilian-American Cultural Institute and president of Partners of Brasília. He established a scholarship fund under his name at theUniversity of the District of Columbia to the benefit of jazz music students.
The Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives are maintained by theUniversity of the District of Columbia's Jazz Studies Program within the university library. The majority of the holdings consist of approx. 45,000LP albums, 10,000CDs,reel-to-reel tapes,audio cassettes, 45s, and 78s which were donated to the university by Grant. Books, periodicals, photographs, and other paper materials complement the sound recordings. Notable subjects covered within the holdings of the collection are:
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