Jazz

by Herman Leonard

Since the 1950s, Herman Leonard's photographs of jazz musicians have been crucial in shaping the image of the music and the world in which it was created. Leonard's friendships with jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis gave him rare access to the innovators who made modern jazz and the places in which they made it. Leonard took his camera into the smoky clubs and after-hours sessions, to backstage parties and musicians' apartments, to build an incomparable visual record of one of the twentieth century's most significant art forms. His luminous images of Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and many others, both in performance and "off duty," are at once supreme examples of the photographer's art and a unique record of a musical revolution. For this definitive collection of his work, Leonard has retrieved scores of previously unseen photographs, published here for the first time, alongside his most famous and widely recognized images. Accompanied by an essay exploring the stories behind the pictures, and an interview with Leonard revealing his techniques, Jazz captures and preserves the glory days of the music that has been called "the sound of surprise."

Genres: Music, Photography

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 26, 2010

Reviews

[Alicialeeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful delight of a book. I love all the photos and Im so happy to own a copy because I love to go back and look through it over and over again. Its also helped me get to know all the greats!

[Clayton Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure delight.

[Hank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only about ten pages of text and more a coffee table but still good. A must if you're very interested in the jazz of the forties and fifties.

[Doctor Sax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, this collection is the holy grail of Jazz photography. Herman Leonard captures the genius of Jazz better than anyone in the history of the art form.