The VJC Archives: Moving Forward, Appreciating the Past

For over fifty years, VJC has preserved performances of historically significant jazz artists. Founding director Attila Zoller was keenly aware of the importance of his place in the fabric of the jazz lineage. In his collection of reel-to-reel tapes (found digitized within this site), are recordings of him making music with jazz legends such as Joe Chambers, Paul Bley, Lee Konitz, Al Haig, Wilbur Little, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch and Scott LaFaro.

The VJC continues Zoller’s tradition of recognizing that events of historical significance are taking place in our venue on a regular basis. Using the best technology we can afford, we have filmed, recorded and digitally stored hundreds of concerts. 

 

This website is a presentation of the Vermont Jazz Center’s archive materials, divided into four sections:

1) Concert Selections: videos of full compositions recorded live at the VJC. Also includes concert poster images, photos, press releases, links to interviews with headliner artists, set lists and other related materials.

2) Masterclasses: educational materials garnered from the VJC Solo Piano Festivals.

3) Blast from the Past: rare videos of historically significant concerts that took place at the  VJC between 1997 and 2019.

4) Zoller Recordings: digitized unique recordings from the Attila Zoller Collection from 1961-1997.

Highlights from our archives will be refreshed every four months.

This site is designed for music lovers and academics. For access to the entire collection, we welcome you to also visit the Vermont Jazz Center at 72 Cotton Mill Hill in Brattleboro, Vermont (website).

A full list of artists’ names, side-people, and the dates of their performances (most of which have been documented through recordings) can be found here.

If you are interested in assisting financially or as a volunteer, we would love to speak with you. Please contact VJC Director Eugene Uman at eugene@vtjazz.org

(

(above) Joel Ross and Good Vibes performing at the VT Jazz Center, February 2022

Featured Concerts, Series 1 (released May 2026)

Brandee Younger Trio, Jan. 18th, 2025

Etienne Charles & Creole Soul, Sept. 21st, 2024

Joel Ross and Good Vibes, Feb. 19th, 2022

Joel Ross performing at the VT Jazz Center, Brattleboro, Vermont, February 2022
Elio Villafranca. photo by Kasia Idzkowska

Featured Masterclasses, Series 1 (released May 2026)

Elio Villafranca: Music from the Root Up

Kris Davis: Touch and Technique

Blast from the Past, Series 1 (released May 2026)

Gary Smulyan, Jan. 15, 2011

Gary Smulyan (courtesy garysmulyan.com)
Attila Zoller performing at the Vermont Jazz Center

The Attila Zoller Collection

Attila Zoller Founded the Vermont Jazz Center in the early 1970s as a means to fuse his love for jazz music with his visceral love for the outdoors. After establishing himself as Europe’s preeminent jazz guitarist in the ’50s, he emigrated to the New York to work with Chico Hamilton, Herbie Mann, Stan Getz, Benny Goodman, and others. The Zoller Collection of 87 open reel tapes and 57 compact cassettes contains recordings with Zoller and other world-class musicians starting in 1955 and proceeding through Zoller’s death in 1998.