Sherman Jazz Museum

03/26/2026

From 10 years ago this month at the museum. Jim Milan (valve trombone) started this band at the age of 89, and is age 94 in this video. He lived to be 101, and played with this band up until a month before he passed away. He wanted a band that could play the music of Matty Matlock, so he bought some Matlock arrangements and put a band together.

You are never too old to start something you always wanted to do, and Jim Milan is a reminder of that.

Jim Milan--valve trombone
Brian Standridge--trumpet
Ron Puckett--trumpet
Curt Wilson--clarinet
Danny Prado--drums
Tom Reynolds--guitar
Jon Stone--bari sax
Richard Powell--piano
Mark Thomas--trombone
Kyp Green—bass

03/25/2026

Louis Armstrong played this French Selmer from 1948-1953 before giving it to a friend in 1953. That horn surfaced at a Christie’s auction in New York in October of 2020, being sold by the family of the man who was gifted the trumpet by Louis. This photo is from 1951.

That great piece of American musical history is now on display in Sherman, Texas at the Sherman Jazz Museum.

01/30/2026

Amazing that he could do this night after night. His things are only at the Sherman Jazz Museum.

01/17/2026

We had a visit from our friends at the UNT Music Library this past week. We have worked on several projects with them through the years, and our work together continues with amazing things happening in the UNT Digital Library. The people are the best in their field, and it is exciting to see the great work they are doing. It takes a village to preserve Jazz history, with Denton and Sherman leading the way!

12/25/2025

Sherman is the place to be!

EE Times goes inside Texas Instruments' new SM1 fab at Sherman, Texas, at the official opening this month.

11/01/2025

We hosted a group of women last week who have all been friends since high school. They met at University Baptist Church (Fort Worth) in high school, and have had an annual reunion each year. One of their activities this year was to come see the Sherman Jazz Museum. Thanks to Susan Collins for helping to make this happen.

10/15/2025

10/15/2025

The great Randy Lee and his all star band at the museum last Saturday. This is called "Snug Harbor".

Randy Lee--leader/tenor sax
Rodney Booth--flugelhorn
Stefan Karlsson--piano
Ken George--trombone
Chris Clarke--bass
Steve Barnes--drums

10/15/2025

Check out some great music in Sherman.

We hope you are excited for our fall concert THIS Saturday, October 18th! Bring your family and friends for a fun night of beautiful music. 🎵🎺🎟

06/23/2025

The Roy Eldridge estate is on display only at the Sherman Jazz Museum. That’s because the Smithsonian came in second at the auction a few years ago. Sherman has more to see than you thought.

🎺 "I was just trying to outplay anybody!"

As he was quick to acknowledge, trumpeter Roy Eldridge was famously competitive when it came to music. In the early 1930s, whilst playing with Teddy Hill and then Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra, he'd frequently pop up around town, after-hours, to take part in cutting contests* - which he invariably won!

As biographer John Chilton noted in an interview with Jerry Jazz Musician, "he was small in stature but full of battle, like a fighting c**k. If he shared a bandstand with another trumpet player, he would literally try and blow him into the next parish — he couldn’t resist"

[📸 William P. Gottlieb, public domain via Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress]

*A cutting contest is a term rooted in the history of jazz , referring to a competitive musical showdown where musicians take turns performing, often trying to outplay, outshine, or "cut" their opponents. These contests were typically informal and meant to showcase technical skill, creativity, and improvisational prowess.

06/21/2025

https://youtu.be/JdnPzTPuFOc?si=p72ZSXjoG_wbw0xf

Great film about Louis Armstrong, who was one of the greatest to ever live, and to also play a musical instrument. His 1948 French Selmer trumpet is on display only at the Sherman Jazz Museum in Sherman, TX. Open Thursdays 1-5, except August and January.

Jazz musician Louis Armstrong became an ambassador of goodwill around the world.Made by JAK Documentary for The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones on DVD, 200...