Here is an exemplary archive of interviews with musicians who are gone, and who still walk amongst us. Monk Rowe, and some others (who should be canonized) assembled an admirable collection of recordings that preserve big chunks of Americana.
First, familiarize yourself with, oh, for instance, Clark Terry and Joe Williams, if you need to, on wikipedia; then watch these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqISuuiNgyM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOuCvEMZRbo
…finally, seek them out on http://elib.hamilton.edu/hc/hc-main.php?id=col_jaz&c=jaz_a
This is our culture, not Herman’s Hermits or Sam the Sham or John Denver. Learn it and absorb it. It’s still alive, and it will nourish you.
P.S. One could easily lose a weekend at this site; fair warning.
Creative Camerawork 