The Milken Archive of Jewish Music is a collection of material about the history ofJewish music in theUnited States. It contains roughly 700 recorded musical works, 800 hours of oral histories, 50,000 photographs and historical documents, an extensive collection of program notes and essays, and thousands of hours of video footage documenting recording sessions, interviews, and live performances.
The Archive was founded in 1990 by businessmanLowell Milken, with the stated mission to "document, preserve, and disseminate the vast body of music that pertains to the American Jewish experience."[1] It was originally established as the Milken Family Archive of 20th Century American Jewish Music, with composerMichael Isaacson as its artistic director[2] In 1993,Neil W. Levin of theJewish Theological Seminary of America became the artistic director[3] and the Archive became known as the Milken Archive of American Jewish music. Between 2003 and 2006, it released a series of 50 CDs on theNaxos label,[4] which have sold nearly 300,000 copies. In 2005, producerDavid Frost was awarded theGrammy Award for Producer of the Year, Classical,[5] for five of the albums in this series. At present, the Archive's website serves as the primary vehicle for the Archive’s music, and the access point for its other media. The material is organized into 20 thematic groups.
In its remembrance ofDave Brubeck after his December 5, 2012, passing,PBS Newshour featured footage of theDave Brubeck Quartet playing "Take Five" at a 2007 Milken Archive concert and recording session in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Milken Archive footage ofDave Brubeck was featured in the documentaryDave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way directed byClint Eastwood that aired on December 6, 2010, on Turner Classic Movies.[6]
In September 2010, Milken Archive artistic director Neil Levin was featured on televisions stations across the United States in the documentary18 Voices Sing Kol Nidre[7] discussing theKol Nidre, a declaration recited or sung in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on everyYom Kippur.
On May 26, 2010, the NPR programAll Things Considered[8] featured Milken Archive music[9] in its broadcast about clarinetistDavid Krakauer, "Abraham Inc.: Klezmer with a funky hip hop beat."
The Milken Archive's collection is organized according to the following 20 thematic groups, known as volumes. As of May 2013, the Archive released 16 of the 20 volumes.
The Milken Archive has recorded or licensed music by the following composers:
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
34°01′04″N118°29′50″W / 34.0178°N 118.4972°W /34.0178; -118.4972
