Herman Leonard dies.

[B. Goren.]

Sad news: Herman Leonard, the great photographer, dies at 87.

Among his famous images:

[tranemonk]

More bad news after bad news....

[Dave James]

But his images will live forever. Easily the most iconic of all jazz photography. Thanks for the memories, Mr. Leonard..

[B. Goren.]

More bad news after bad news....

Bad news usually come in bundles.

[ValerieB]

i am so very sorry to hear this news but not surprised. he made an enormous contribution to this world and there are a lot of grateful people.

[medjuck]

He was still working until fairly recently. I know he did a portrait of Sharon Robinson (L. Cohen back-up singer) this year. Best present I ever got was a portfolio of his called "In Remembrance".

[J.A.W.]

Sad news. Loved his photos.

[Michael Weiss]

That sucks. In addition to being a world class photographer he was a great guy.

[ValerieB]

That sucks. In addition to being a world class photographer he was a great guy.

you are so right, Michael. a living legend but also a very special human being who had great compassion.

[ajf67]

What a great contribution he made. Sad to hear of his passing.

[Dave James]

The ABC Sunday World News ran a story about Leonard's passing at the end of tonight's broadcast. They showed a few of of his photographs and played some real jazz in the background.

[RDK]

Very sad news. Heard about this earlier from a friend on FB who knows him. Glad to hear he made the evening news.

Edited August 16, 2010 by RDK

[sidewinder]

RIP. More sad news - but what a great, great photographer. Remember seeing him 'in action' in front of the stage at Lincoln Center. The loss of his home and many prints in the hurricane was also tragic. Impressive the way he dealt with that (covered in a TV documentary shown over here).

Edited August 16, 2010 by sidewinder

[king ubu]

r.i.p. - love his photos, and yes, they will stay!

[Claude Schlouch]

I knew him thanks to my close friend Francis Paudras (another one who left us). A very great man and photographer!

RIP

[jostber]

Sad to hear this, R.I.P. A master photographer with a great legacy that has been important for jazz.

[brownie]

This is devastating news

One of the very last one of a breed that is slowly disappearing.

And yes he was a great person. I had the privilege of meeting him when he was in Paris working for Berclay Records.

My favorite photo (but there are hundreds more of fabulous Herman Leonard images!)

[catesta]

A very talented man.

RIP, Mr. Leonard.

[mikeweil]

To me, he was the greatest of them all - RIP and a million thanks for those evocative images.

... this one in particular ...

[Denis]

Terrible sad news. As a young man reading books about jazz with many of his iconic pictures, I kept dreaming about all of these magical

places. Birdland, The Royal Roost ...

Denis

[medjuck]

To me, he was the greatest of them all - RIP and a million thanks for those evocative images.

... this one in particular ...

I keep looking for a hat like that. Most porkpie hats seem to have narrow brims.

[Big Beat Steve]

Yes, very sad news. RIP.

His photographs are among the very greatest in jazz photography, although I admit I'd really have a VERY hard time deciding overall whether I'd prefer Herman Leonard or Bill Gottlieb (probably depends on the mood I am in).

[Mark Stryker]

To me, he was the greatest of them all - RIP and a million thanks for those evocative images.

... this one in particular ...

I keep looking for a hat like that. Most porkpie hats seem to have narrow brims.

Getting tired of the parade of depressing news. Never met him but was told by many that he was a very sweet and classy guy and, of course, a brilliant photographer with such a sharp eye not only for personality but theater, governed by impeccable taste and sensitivity to jazz. William Gottlieb was really more about "capturing the moment" as a journalist, though his finest images ascended to the level of art in terms of defining personality and formal composition. But Leonard was an artist fundamentally, making portraits with a sharp eye not ony for personality but theater and drama and creating compositions that mixed myth and metaphor, including, of course, his trademark back-lit cigarette smoke. I'm very proud to own a large format Leonard photograph of Thelonious Monk (the familiar shot looking through the open piano as he's composing, pen in right hand, cigarette in left hand) that my wife bought me as a wedding present from a Chicago gallery 19 years ago.

On the issue of the search for a porkpie hat with a wide brim, you almost surely need to go custom. I recommend Optimo Hats in Chicago. Graham and his team make some of the best hats in the country. It's not cheap (understatement), but you can get exactly what you want and the quality is second-to-none. Checking the website I see this model that would seem to be in the ballpark, though you can specify any brim size you want. http://www.optimohats.com/felt/flattop/

Edited August 17, 2010 by Mark Stryker

[brownie]

I am aware that a book of his photos is scheduled for publication by the end of his years but I did not realize until today that his second book, the superb 'Jazz Memories', came out in France only (1995, Editions Filipacchi) and seems to have not been published elsewhere.

It's even better than his first book of photos 'L'Oeil du Jazz' (1985, Editions Filipacchi). That one went through several printings and was published in the USA.

'Jazz Memories' seems to command high prices at Amazon.com!

[sidewinder]

Great little Herman Leonard audio/visual tribute here on the BBC news website.

Herman Leonard Tribute

I'm pretty sure somewhere I've got some photos which include the man in action at Lincoln Centre, taking photos.