Welcome to the Herb Pomeroy Collection preview site!

This website is a small sample of the rich content that lies within the Herb Pomeroy Jazz Collection. Explore and enjoy this introduction, as we work towards providing rich online access to as much of the collection as possible.

The collection is available for use in the Distinctive Collections Reading Room. It will be of interest to musicians, jazz historians, current students and faculty, and MIT alums.

Who is Herb Pomeroy?

Herb Pomeroy (1930-2007) is an influential figure in jazz who was a renowned trumpet player, bandleader, and educator. Duke Ellington once described him as “one of America’s jazz treasures.”

Pomeroy was known as an ambassador for jazz both in this country and throughout the world. Most of his teaching took place at the Berklee College of Music and MIT, where he inspired generations of students who still remember his positive influence on their lives.

What’s in the collection?

The Herb Pomeroy Jazz Collection contains a wide variety of materials documenting Pomeroy’s teaching and performing careers, including: scores, photographs, correspondence, teaching materials, professional memorabilia, news clippings, hundreds of audio recordings, and a number of videos.

Acknowledgement

We gratefully acknowledge the generosity of the Pomeroy family and many other individuals in bringing this collection to MIT and making it accessible.