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Seeing Jazz: Artists and Writers on Jazz
Improvisation, spontaneity, fusion, freedom, innovation. Jazz has always been about more than music, and the ideas and moods of jazz have sent ripples through every branch of the arts. Produced by the Smithsonian, this spectacular compilation is the first to look at both art and literature inspired by jazz. Seeing Jazz showcases the music's riotous liberating influence with over one hundred beautiful images, including paintings, photographs, sculpture, multimedia works, and textile art. Inspired by the rifts and remains of jazz, here are pieces by Romare Bearden, James Phillips, JeanMichel Basquiat, Gjon Mili, Henri Matisse, William Claxton, Stuart Davis, Ann Tanksley, Archibald Motley, Ed Love, Gordon Parks, Man Ray, and many others. More than sixty cool literary selections from some of the twentieth century's hottest writers complement and enrich the arrangement of artworks. With an introduction by Columbia University jazz scholar Robert O'Meally, this exhilarating concert of jazz, art, and literature will enthrall jazz fans, art lovers, and literary hipsters alike.
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1997
29 people want to read
About the author
Smithsonian Institution
3,792 books39 followersFounded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution or simply the Smithsonian is a group of museums, education and research centres created by the United States federal government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge"
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 27, 2017
Wonderful compilation of jazz-related prose (mostly poetry and excerpts from novels), photos, paintings, and various media related to a form of music that is perpetually underrated in terms of mainstream attention and which I love dearly.
July 19, 2008
SEEING JAZZ THROUGH THE EYES OF ARTISTS AND WRITERS WHO CAN
Gorging yourself on the pages of Seeing Jazz is like sitting at a banquet table in the brilliant company of such celebrated creative souls as artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Sam Gilliam, authors Jayne Cortez and John Edgar Wideman, and musicians Clark Terry and Milt Hinton. The thrill of going from one page to the next never ends because these are guests who apparently never tired of fulfilling their destiny to do what they do so extremely well.
As Robert O’Meally notes in the book’s introduction, “Jazz is part of a super-charged cultural continuum in which painters, sculptors, photographers, poets, novelists, and essayists have worked (and played) to capture with their pens and brushes, their wood and paper, and with light the irresistible note and trick and dance of the music.” That particularly astute observation is backed up in Seeing Jazz by more than one hundred works of visual art and more than sixty literary pieces. Edited by Elizabeth Goldson, this spectacular anthology was compiled by Marquette Folley-Cooper, Deborah Macanic, and Janice McNeil. As versatile as the music itself, the range of visual works include photographs of such jazz greats as Billie Holiday and Wynton Marsalis, a wax sculpture of Duke Ellington’s head, and a lithograph by Miguel Covarrubias depicting Harlem Renaissance dancers grooving the Lindy Hop.
The literary treats are no less tantalizing than the visual and serve as perfect accompaniments. These include poetry by Rita Dove, the great Abbey Lincoln, Michael Harper, Bob Kaufman, and Ntozake Shange; excerpts from novels by Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Michael Ondaatje, and Jean-Paul Sartre; and tasty samples from works by James Baldwin, Romare Bearden, Stanley Crouch, and Miles Davis.
Seeing Jazz was published in 1997 by Chronicle Books in association with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and, therefore, is not a new book. Given, however, the recent resurgence of interest in jazz music and culture, it has become one of the better volumes around to help expand one’s understanding and appreciation of this world-celebrated music.
by Author-Poet Aberjhani
author of ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
Gorging yourself on the pages of Seeing Jazz is like sitting at a banquet table in the brilliant company of such celebrated creative souls as artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Sam Gilliam, authors Jayne Cortez and John Edgar Wideman, and musicians Clark Terry and Milt Hinton. The thrill of going from one page to the next never ends because these are guests who apparently never tired of fulfilling their destiny to do what they do so extremely well.
As Robert O’Meally notes in the book’s introduction, “Jazz is part of a super-charged cultural continuum in which painters, sculptors, photographers, poets, novelists, and essayists have worked (and played) to capture with their pens and brushes, their wood and paper, and with light the irresistible note and trick and dance of the music.” That particularly astute observation is backed up in Seeing Jazz by more than one hundred works of visual art and more than sixty literary pieces. Edited by Elizabeth Goldson, this spectacular anthology was compiled by Marquette Folley-Cooper, Deborah Macanic, and Janice McNeil. As versatile as the music itself, the range of visual works include photographs of such jazz greats as Billie Holiday and Wynton Marsalis, a wax sculpture of Duke Ellington’s head, and a lithograph by Miguel Covarrubias depicting Harlem Renaissance dancers grooving the Lindy Hop.
The literary treats are no less tantalizing than the visual and serve as perfect accompaniments. These include poetry by Rita Dove, the great Abbey Lincoln, Michael Harper, Bob Kaufman, and Ntozake Shange; excerpts from novels by Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Michael Ondaatje, and Jean-Paul Sartre; and tasty samples from works by James Baldwin, Romare Bearden, Stanley Crouch, and Miles Davis.
Seeing Jazz was published in 1997 by Chronicle Books in association with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and, therefore, is not a new book. Given, however, the recent resurgence of interest in jazz music and culture, it has become one of the better volumes around to help expand one’s understanding and appreciation of this world-celebrated music.
by Author-Poet Aberjhani
author of ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
July 20, 2021
A great recollection of jazz art and literature. Packed with jazz photographs and art pieces that wouldn't be accessible without extensive research by the Smithsonian Institution, this is a true gem for jazz fans of all kinds. The book introduced many jazz poems, anecdotes, archives & visual representations, broadening the appreciation of this genre with all senses, and deepened my understanding of its history and legacy, not just through documentations of the jazz giants, but also all the men, women & children that made music in their times. This book honors the American history of jazz, till today it has become world music that knows no boundaries and continued to inspire thousands. It would be interesting to learn how this essentially "American" music, many argued, has transformed and localised in other regions, creating a diversified jazz scene.
March 5, 2012
I can remember going to my favourite record store,(back when there were actual record stores), and strolling pass the jazz section. What I noticed first in the jazz section were the diverse and colourful album covers. Modern art seemed to have found it's niche, thus accompanying the eclectic sounds found within those jazz albums.
Going from page to page in this book is very like strolling through the jazz section of a vintage record store. Enjoy the artwork, and read the captions which verbally illustrate the correlation between art-poetry-and music.
All are jazz, and jazz is life.
Going from page to page in this book is very like strolling through the jazz section of a vintage record store. Enjoy the artwork, and read the captions which verbally illustrate the correlation between art-poetry-and music.
All are jazz, and jazz is life.
March 10, 2022
“Sky is everywhere” 4.5/5
October 14, 2012
I love this book. I am a creative person and this book taking a visual art form and relating it to music in the jazz genre makes sense to me. It is something that an individual has to see for themselves to make the connection. It is beautiful in concept and execution. I recommend that all read this book.
April 24, 2010
a great compilation of visual and written works that illuminate the various impressions of jazz. great.
July 22, 2018
Found this book in a second hand Bookshop and I'm happy I picked it up. A very lovely read with copies of art work even more breathtaking then the poetic writing. Will definitely read again, will definitely recommend. I like this book so much I order a second copy online to tear apart and use as art work.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews