Jane Jarvis Jazz Invitational Button: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This button is from the Jane Jarvis Jazz Invitational festival in Tampa, Florida, in 1995. It is a made of white paper with black and red printing covered with a clear film, on a round two-piece metal button with a pin back. The button is printed:

First Annual Jane Jarvis Jazz INVITATIONAL Tampa, Florida November 3,4,5 1995 6

Jane Jarvis (1915-2010) was an American jazz pianist, also known for her work as the organist for the New York Mets and as programming executive for Muzak. In 1978, Jarvis pursued a career in jazz, performing with Helen Humes, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, and Milt Hinton. In 1994 she became a member of the group, The Statesmen of Jazz, appearing in the video Statesmen of Jazz filmed that same year. In 1995 Jarvis was honored by the inauguration of the Jane Jarvis Invitational Jazz Festival in Tampa, Florida.

Floyd Levin (1922-2007) was a Los Angeles textile manufacturer who turned his passion for jazz into a second career as an influential jazz journalist and historian. His numerous reviews, profiles, and articles were published in magazines such as Down Beat, Jazz Journal International, Metronome, and American Rag. He also authored Classic Jazz: A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians. Items in this collection (2011.3086) were acquired from Levin’s attendance at Jazz Festivals, conferences, and other music events.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1995
• user: Levin, Floyd
• Object Name: button
• Physical Description: ink (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 3 1/8 in; x 7.9375 cm
• place made: United States: Florida, Tampa
• ID Number: 2011.3086.075
• nonaccession number: 2011.3086
• catalog number: 2011.3086.075
• Credit Line: Gift of Lucille Levin
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.