Biography of Dorothy Prescott, Benefactor of the New Hampshire Library of Traditional Jazz

Dorothy Ruth Cooke Prescott was born December 30, 1921 and died February 18, 1988. A native of Everett, MA, Dorothy (Dot) Prescott had two sisters and two brothers, and graduated from Everett High School in 1939.

   Dot’s innate interest in music manifested itself fully by the early 1930s, and around 1935 she became acquainted with several people from the Hot Club of Boston. She patronized Upham's Music Store in Malden, Mass. where she eventually met Fred Cox, Bob Osgood, Carol Moeller, and other members of the club. Upon the demise of the Hot Club, this group of friends began meeting in Upham’s basement. They also visited in each other's homes frequently, and played records and studied the soloists so that each became quite knowledgeable by sound and tone as who the individual players were.

   In the 1930s and 1940s, the radio airwaves were rampant with jazz, mostly big band and swing styles. The music was broadcast most hours of the day and night—and Dot faithfully listened to the sounds of the era. Early in World War II, Dot worked for the Navy, first in Washington, D.C. and then in New York City. She especially liked the latter assignment as she was able to see, live, Billie Holiday at the Cafe Society and at several other Manhattan clubs.

   She moved back to Boston around 1944 and reacquainted herself with friends like Jack Mullenix, Emelia Lange, Fran and Fred Cox, the Osgoods, and Deacon Little. Emelia introduced Dot to the Boston Jazz Society, sponsor of the Vinal Rhythm Kings, a group that performed at a place called Huntington Chambers Hall. It was next door to the Copley Terrace. Boston clubs in the mid-to-late 40s were 'alive' with much jazz—the Savoy, the Hi-Hat, Copley Terrace, the Casa Manana, etc.

   Through the Boston Jazz Society, Dot met Sam Prescott. Both ardent jazz enthusiasts and supporters, Dot and Sam had rather formidable record collections, although Sam's was by far the greater at that time. They were married December 26, 1953, and lived in Manchester/Auburn, NH all their married lives.

   The Cox home was a meeting place for all sorts of musicians, jazz critics, and fans. Dot frequented these goings-on and met people such as Nat Hentoff, Johnny Windhurst, George Frazier, and John Field. She developed an unshakable opinion that jazz musicians seldom got a fair shake from club owners and vowed that if she ever presented live music, she would always treat the musicians with the utmost respect. Dot knew a lot about music and had a most critical ear. Her favorite instrument was the piano and one of her earliest favorite musicians was Jess Stacy—she had all of his recordings. She was also a big fan of Mel Powell.

   Dot was self-taught in most areas, with a good working knowledge of classical music, literature (especially English), poetry, and art. She especially loved the movies and classical music. Along with the Coxes, Dot attended classical music concerts featuring the likes of Vladimir Horowitz, Artur Rubinstein, and Rudolf Serkin. In her younger days she was a fair artist, but she never pursued this talent, preferring to devote her time to the other arts.

   Dot’s first love was the ‘traditional’ jazz music played by artists such Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Harry James, and, a particular favorite, Bunny Berigan. She also enjoyed much of Duke Ellington’s music. She tried in later years to broaden her taste in jazz and got so she could tolerate some Dave Brubeck and the Modern Jazz Quartet. Dot didn't care much for vocalists—excepting Billie and Ella—as she felt they mostly got in the way of the musicians.

   Dot could be opinionated and unwavering, traits lending support to her insistence that musicians be treated like the royalty they were; her dedication to the music and her respect for jazz musicians manifested itself in 1978 when she formed the New Hampshire Traditional Library of Jazz (NHLTJ). Initially housed in her home in Auburn, the NHLTJ not only had books, records, and Boston-area memorabilia, it served as a vehicle for maintaining her connections to friends and musicians. Dot operated a jazz ‘salon’, and her good jazz friends like Fred Cox and Bob Osgood, and her sister Betty Hodge, served on the library board of advisers.

   In 1979 Dot collaborated with the university music department, namely professors Dave Seiler and Paul Verrette, to establish the long-running Traditional Jazz Series (now in its 26th year). Dot funded the series, and worked tirelessly with towards fulfilling her promise to showcase musicians from New England and beyond in the proper setting. The series was her brainchild and she did yeoman’s work—she not only helped select the musicians, she produced and distributed the marketing materials, hosted dinners for musicians on concert day, and immersed herself such that no detail was omitted. To risk a cliché, it was a labor of love, and Dorothy became lifetime friends with many of the visiting musicians.

   Dot provided for the continuation of the library and the series beyond her lifetime. In 1985, she entered into an agreement with the University of New Hampshire in which the school would perpetuate the library and its activities. Her will generously endowed the library, and since her death in 1988, the New Hampshire Library of Traditional Jazz has continued to vigorously pursue Dot’s original objectives.

   Musical professionals quite understandably focus on technique, analysis, etc. Dot provided insights from the point of view of the listener, the intended target of the performer. Her opinions were strong and colorfully expressed, but always with a thoughtful dimension which came from loving and reflective attention. And Dot’s standards were high, with a quality of judgment that seemed instinctive; however she could change her mind—but not her principles—for good cause. Those trusted with preserving Dot’s legacy approach the task with humility, respect, and thanks, and the wish that she could still share her wisdom as the decades provide fresh challenges.

   This biography derives primarily from the remembrances of her sister, Betty Hodge, and her dear friend, Fred Cox.

Steve Cooper & Paul Verrette
October 18, 2004

See the contents of the Dorothy Prescott Collection.