Smithsonian's John Edward Hasse: Ella Fitzgerald, First Lady of Song
John Edward Hasse
John Edward Hasse, distinguished scholar, author, and curator of the Ella Fitzgerald Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, provides insights into Fitzgerald's music, personality, and extraordinary journey from shy orphan to beloved world celebrity. This clinic, hosted by Michael Mason, features rare video footage of Fitzgerald with Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington. Hasse will share anecdotes of meeting Fitzgerald at the Smithsonian and securing her archives for the museum.
Hasse is the longtime curator of American music at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and founder of National Jazz Appreciation Month. His books include Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington and Discover Jazz, and he is coproducer of Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology. He is the 2017–2018 Herb Alpert Scholar in Residence at Berklee's Professional Education Division.