James Newman
Possibly the James Newman responsible for bringing Dave Brubeck to Oberlin. Excerpt from Jonah Berman, "Brubeck Quartet Returns," The Oberlin Review Online (April 2003) :
"'There definitely was no jazz department in the Conservatory, and no interest in having a jazz department at the time,' James Newman, OC ’55, recalled, who was instrumental in bringing the Dave Brubeck Quartet to Oberlin.Despite the climate on campus, the aspirations of Newman and a few forward-looking students gave way to what would become an important historical event. 'I had met Brubeck in 1951 when I was a student at Stanford,” Newman said. “I would go to the Black Hawk in San Francisco, where he often played, sometimes with a trio, and on Sundays with an octet featuring Paul Desmond. We were trying to arrange some sort of performance at Stanford, which never materialized. After I transferred to Oberlin, the idea of bringing him here came up. I made an arrangement with his booking agent, and by that time he had formed his quartet and was doing some touring. We agreed on a fee, and I was able to arrange for Finney Chapel. An ad hoc group of people borrowed some money to pay the group in advance, and we got one of the piano teachers in the Conservatory to serve as a faculty sponsor. We took some trips to Cleveland to promote the concert, and we put posters around town.' By all accounts, the concert was a hit. 'It was a very exciting event, and as you can tell from the recording, the response was extraordinary,' Newman said."
Notes: Year(s) found in correspondence files: 1983
"'There definitely was no jazz department in the Conservatory, and no interest in having a jazz department at the time,' James Newman, OC ’55, recalled, who was instrumental in bringing the Dave Brubeck Quartet to Oberlin.Despite the climate on campus, the aspirations of Newman and a few forward-looking students gave way to what would become an important historical event. 'I had met Brubeck in 1951 when I was a student at Stanford,” Newman said. “I would go to the Black Hawk in San Francisco, where he often played, sometimes with a trio, and on Sundays with an octet featuring Paul Desmond. We were trying to arrange some sort of performance at Stanford, which never materialized. After I transferred to Oberlin, the idea of bringing him here came up. I made an arrangement with his booking agent, and by that time he had formed his quartet and was doing some touring. We agreed on a fee, and I was able to arrange for Finney Chapel. An ad hoc group of people borrowed some money to pay the group in advance, and we got one of the piano teachers in the Conservatory to serve as a faculty sponsor. We took some trips to Cleveland to promote the concert, and we put posters around town.' By all accounts, the concert was a hit. 'It was a very exciting event, and as you can tell from the recording, the response was extraordinary,' Newman said."
Notes: Year(s) found in correspondence files: 1983