RIT Modern Jazz Society constitution

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: RITArc-0216

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of one copy of the constitution of the RIT Modern Jazz Society. The constitution documents the purpose of the Society, defines membership requirements and officer duties, organization of elections and committees, and funding.

Dates

Creation: circa 1957

Creator

Rochester Institute of Technology. Modern Jazz Society (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

It appears the Rochester Institute of Technology's (RIT) Modern Jazz Society was formed around 1955, but it is unclear how long it lasted (at least until 1962). According to the group's constitution, the purpose of the club was to "promote the principles of friendship and brotherhood among students at the Rochester Institute of Technology and among the general public, by fostering and encouraging an understanding, appreciation, and interest in jazz musicians and jazz music and all its aspects."

The club sponsored its first name act on October 31, 1957, with a concert by the Ron Collier Quintet in the Ritter-Clark gym. By the early 1960s, the club had sponsored campus concerts by Oscar Peterson, J.J. Johnson, Chico Hamilton, Art Blakely, and Maynard Ferguson.