Essential jazz photography/cover art books?

[neveronfriday]

Hi everyone,

these past years I snatched up copies of lots of jazz photography books whenever I saw them pop up on eBay, amazon (second hand) or in other places.

I have to admit that I'm not quite as critical as some photography experts on this board, but the following I have enjoyed very much. I have a lot more, but maybe you can also add your recommendations? I might start searching for some I don't have yet and your info might point me towards.

BTW: I bought many second-hand copies at powells.com. Reasonably priced and never disappointed with the quality.

Here we go:

1) Album Covers:

I'm a sucker for album covers and I have a ton of oversized paperback reprints, some of which are:

- Graham Marsh and Glyn Callingham:

1) California Cool. West Coast Cover Art. Featuring Contemporary Records and Pacific Jazz.

2) East Coasting. The Cover Art of New York's Prestige, Riverside and Atlantic Records.

3) The Cover Art of Blue Note Records. Vols. 1 and 2.

All of these are wonderful (some reproductions could have been better because the editors apparently did not hunt down mint copies of the LPs for reproduction; size: about 30cm * 30 cm), but considering the price you can sometimes find these at, it could be an idea to snatch them up, tear them apart, mount and frame your fave reproductions and hang 'em up on the wall. Something I intend to do.

- Alex Steinweiss

1) Jennifer McKnight-Trontz and Alex Steinweiss. For the Record. The Life and Work of Alex Steinweiss, Inventor of the Album Cover. This book is smaller (18cm * 18 cm), but Steinweiss is certainly my fave cover artist. True art.

- Eric Kohler

1) Eric Kohler. In the Groove. Vintage Record Graphics 1940-1960. Wonderful graphics, nice colours - again, true art. (about 24cm * 24cm)

Unfortunately, the book on Verve record covers which was announced last year never materialized and the project was apparently shelved. Does anyone have any more info on this? I would love to get my hands on a book like that.

- Michael Ochs

1) Michael Ochs. 1000 Record Covers. This one was published by Taschen in 1996 (I have no idea if this was a larger hardcover) and reprinted in 2002 (hardcover; 20cm *14cm). A wild ride spanning all musical styles from the 50s to the 90s. Great fun to browse.

2) Photography:

Originally I bought a second-hand copy of a jazz photography book to also tear it up and hang some stuff up on the wall (many books display reproductions in stunning quality rivalling way too expensive photo reprints (but never, of course, reaching that quality)), but I haven't yet found the courage to do so.

Some of my favourites:

1) William Claxton. Jazz Seen. Everyone with a remote interest in the subject will have this wonderful Taschen hardcover from 1999 and it is still readily available, usually at very reasonable prices. I paid under 20 for a copy in near mint condition. A must-have.

2) Frank Driggs & Harris Lewine. 1920 - 1950. Black Beauty, White Heat. A Pictorial History of Classic Jazz. This one is available as a reprint (paperback, I think, and somewhat updated, if memory doesn't fail me, but I went for a second-hand copy of the original hardcover from 1982. For me this one is the cornerstone of my collection, although the reproductions are, due to the nature of this book, not up to the quality standards of, say, books like the above-mentioned Claxton. That's also not the point. What you get is a wealth of information plus a load of vintage photos and poster reproductions that, one year later, I still pull from my shelf again and again. I think it'll take me several years to take in all the info. Highly recommended!

3) Carole Reiff. Nights in Birdland. Jazz Photographs 1954 - 1960. This book has already been talked about elsewhere on this board, but despite the lacklustre reproductions and, in the first edition, careless editing job, Reiff's photographs are some of my favourites. She got very close to the musicians and some of the shots show their subjects in seemingly very private moments. There are so many wonderful photos in this book, it's difficult to single any out. So, I won't. Check out the other thread.

4) Dennis Stock. Jazz Street (? I have a German edition entitled "Jazzwelt"). Published in the 60s, this is another classic and not easy to find cheap. I found one in excellent condition, but it took me over a year to find it at an acceptable price. The reproductions are good (in my edition, "Büchergilde Zürich") and besides some shots being a bit on the grainy side, the photos are great. You can check them out online.

5) Joachim E. Berendt and William Claxton. Jazz Life. Published in Germany in 1961. The German Jazz critic and Claxton went on a "jazz tour" through the States, capturing everything from New Orleans street parades to bebop, jazz festivals, etc. There are some shots which are also in the Claxton (Taschen) above, but to get the complete trip here is just wonderful. The reproductions are good (on cheap and rather thin paper ... meaning inevitable edge browning) and Berendt's notes are captivating.

6) Jan Putfarcken. Jazz Portraits. This small slipcased hardcover (about the size of a CD I, funnily enough, bought in the Staes (powells has this one VERY cheap at the moment) although it was published in Germany. Wonderful head shots of a whole line of great jazz musicians, also a lot of more recent ones (Garbarek, Gurtu, Metheny, etc.). For under $5 this was a real find.

I could write about a lot more about these kinds of books, W. Royal Stokes. Swing Era New York. The Jazz Photographs of Charles Peterson (1994), Milt Hinton a. o. OverTime (1991), Tim Motion. Jazz Portraits. An Eye for the Sound (1995), Lee Tanner. Images of Jazz (1996), Francis Wolff's stuff, but maybe others want to join with some info?

Cheers!

Edited February 27, 2004 by deus62

[street singer]

Great idea for a thread, Dues. Some excellent suggestions, as well. I've got the Blue Note Covers books which are great. I'll have to check out some of the others you suggested.

One that you left out was 'The Blue Note Years: The Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff'. This hardback book can very often be found used from $20-$30. Absolutely essential, IMO! And absolutely stunning...

Edited February 27, 2004 by street singer

[neveronfriday]

One that you left out was 'The Blue Note Years: The Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff'. This hardback book can very often be found used from $20-$30. Absolutely essential, IMO! And absolutely stunning...

Got it, and yes, I left out TONS of stuff. Looking forward to hearing from others regarding their recommendations.

Cheers!

[neveronfriday]

Some Alex Steinweiss covers:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~rabruil/remcovart.html

[neveronfriday]

And this is a great (Flash) exhibition of cover art, starting with Sthe Steinweiss era:

http://www.eisnermuseum.org/_albums/index.html

Click on begin.

[Edit: There used to be a lot more. I think they reduced it. I haven't checked that link for a long time. Not really all that good anymore. Sorry.].

Edited February 27, 2004 by deus62

[sheldonm]

Deus,

Hi, I have most of the books you mention being a photographer myself. Some additional books you may want to search out are:

William Claxton's : "Jazz" (out of print but used copies are available for around $100. and up. This book was a limited release).

William Claxton: "Young Chet"

William Claxton: "Claxography: The Art of Photography" (also out of print but used books are available for 100.00 plus.

Herman Leonard: "The Eye of Jazz" and "Jazz Memories"

William Gottlieb: "The Golden Age of Jazz"

William Minor/Bill Wishner: "Monterey Jazz Festival/40 legendary years".

I have many more that I'll investigate when I get home, but that's what I can think of at this time.

Mark

[sheldonm]

There are actually two books out there of Francis Wolff's photographs, the one mentioned earlier and a newer book that is soft cover only.

Mark

[neveronfriday]

Deus,

Hi, I have most of the books you mention being a photographer myself.  Some additional books you may want to search out are:

William Claxton's : "Jazz" (out of print but used copies are available for around $100. and up.  This book was a limited release).

William Claxton: "Young Chet"

William Claxton: "Claxography: The Art of Photography" (also out of print but used books are available for 100.00 plus.

Herman Leonard:  "The Eye of Jazz" and "Jazz Memories"

William Gottlieb: "The Golden Age of Jazz"

William Minor/Bill Wishner: "Monterey Jazz Festival/40 legendary years".

I have many more that I'll investigate when I get home, but that's what I can think of at this time.

Mark

For people in Europe, the German edition of Claxography (with English text?) is available for Euro 40 from Nieswand Verlag: http://www.nieswandverlag.de/categories.ph...ewindex&catid=1 (3rd from top) (30 x 33 cm) Nieswand also published the Putfarcken above and has lots of really nice stuff available (Karl-Heinz Schmitt. Pieces of Jazz in Black and Colour. 24,5 x 33 cm. 55 colour- and duotones, f. ex.)

Mark, I knew all the ones you listed (and have quite a few), but the Monterey Jazz Festival one I don't think I have come across yet. Sounds interesting. I'll go and check it out ... now. B)

The Leonard limited edition of Jazz Memories is stunning ... but out of my price range. The standard edition I'm looking for used. http://www.hermanleonard.com/limited.htm ($495 ... ouch)

Thanks!

Edited February 27, 2004 by deus62

[street singer]

There are actually two books out there of Francis Wolff's photographs, the one mentioned earlier and a newer book that is soft cover only.

Mark

That softcover has completely different content than the hardcover, correct?

[neveronfriday]

There are actually two books out there of Francis Wolff's photographs, the one mentioned earlier and a newer book that is soft cover only.

Mark

That softcover has completely different content than the hardcover, correct?

If you mean The Blue Note Years: The Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff

(Wolff, Lourie, Cuscuna, Schnider (Contributor)), the hardcover and paperback should have the same contents.

I only have the hardcover, so I can't check.

[Edit: The book entitled Blue Note : Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff seems to be just another release and also identical to the others].

Edited February 27, 2004 by deus62

[brownie]

One essential jazz photo book is 'Jazz Giants', a coffeetable-size book by Japanese photographer K. Abe who selected photos by most of the great ones (Gottlieb, Claxton, Maisel, Charles Stewart and others. This was printed (excellent job) in Japan and published in 1988 by Billboard Publications. 359 photos, 280 pages. Absolutely among the very best. Might be difficult to locate nowadays.

Another favorite is Lee Friedlander 'American Musicians'. Know the book has been discussed on another thread. It's essential too. Out now in paperback but the hardcover (and larger) version is highly recommended. From one of America's greatest living photographer.

And if you can find Esther Bubley's 'Charlie Parker' (Editions Filipacchi), grab it... Masterful book by the uncredited photographer who was hired by Norman Granz to take images of the 1962 gathering of jazz greats for the Jam Session vol. 1 and 2 recording date (the one with Parker, Hodges, Carter, Webster, Phillips, Shavers, etc...). Extraordinary images of an extraordinary session! The hardcover book has 160 pages. It came out in 1995 in France. Hard to find, also.

[Jim R]

I have several of those cover books already mentioned, and also enjoy the Manek Daver books on David Stone Martin. I also enjoy "Images of Jazz" by Lee Tanner, and some of the Claxton, Herman Leonard, K. Abe, etc.

I just tried a Google search for a jpg of the cover of Naoki Mukoda's "Jazzical Moods- Artwork of Excellent Jazz Labels", which is one of my favorites. So far I haven't found an image, but I did come across a site that lists an enormous number of jazz-related books. I'm copying in the section on photography and graphics (this is a database of somebody's collection, thus the notations about purchase locations, etc). The site is at:

http://www.ncpr.org/tenspot/Guy/Jazz%20Books.doc

Jazz Photography and Graphic Arts:

Atkins, Ronald, editor, ALL THAT JAZZ! The Illustrated Story of Jazz Music. EBAY Item #151496306 Fascinating story of the 20th Century's most enduing style of popular music.   Carlton Books 1996ISBN0-76519-953-X.  224 pages including index.   Contains the chapter:  Intro., Evolution of Jazz, Jazz Giants, A-Z  Jazz Players, Milestone Recordings, Jazz Media, Jazz Glossary, Index and Acknowledgements.   Beautiful book with only a little wear on the cover which is creased.  Opens @ $5.00 B&N reprint at $35.00, bids to $10.50.  also EBAY  Item #169424454 opens at $9.99 

Abé ,K., ed., JAZZ GIANTS: A VISUAL RETROSPECTIVE  EBAY Item #156605130 Billboard Publishing, NY 1988. Originally published in Japan by Shinko Music, Tokyo 1986. As New in White Box, 280 pp. 359 illustratiions, 52 in full color. Index of persons, cameo biographies of contributing photographers. 10.5" x 13" black cloth boards. Fine Hardcover in Fine DJ in White Box ISBN: 0823075362. (60 oz) Open @ $60.00 Also EBAY Item #161842416, purchased for $25.00 

Brask, Ole, Photographs Jazz , EBAY Item #162804505 A very large book with over 100 photos of the jazz greats. Foreward written in german. Hardcover in Mint condition.

1 bid $9.99 (mine) 

Chiswick, Linton, MILESTONES OF JAZZ, A Chronological History of Jazz Music in Photographs, EBAY  188993885

Opens at $9.99 

Ciardiello, Joseph, Like Jazz, EBAY Item #166180938

illustrated by Joseph Ciardiello, poems by John Kruth, published by Spanfeller Press in 1994, hence first edition, but the book's even better than that. This is a wonderful 33 page paperbound book measuring 7" X 11" focusing on well-known jazz artists. A drawn portrait and a poem is provided for each artist, including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Chet Baker, Sun Ra, Billie Holliday and others. Joseph Ciardiello is a portrait artist whose work appears in a wide variety of publications, including The New Yorker, Jazziz, and many others. He employs a black and white pen-and-ink technique in line drawing, sometimes enhanced with color wash, that is superb.He's a master at capturing the essence of a personality, and he specializes in jazz musicians. He was the staff artist at Jazziz for many years. His portraiture is most widely known for gracing the recent Capital CD series of jazz artists. I purchased this for $10.00 

Claxton, William, et al,  Jazz Seen ~  TASCHEN America Llc / May 1999

Our Price: $27.99 

Claxton,William : Jazz West Coast. SIGNED!  EBAY Item #152642033

Artwork of Pacific Jazz Records by William Claxton and Hitoshi Namekata, with text in

English and Japanese. Tokyo: Bijutsu Shuppan-Sha, 1992, second edition, 113/4? x 11 3/4?, 126pp., soft cover with dust jacket in mint condition, this copy is SIGNED by William Claxton. This book is a tribute to the 40th anniversary of the founding of Pacific Jazz Records and is profusely illustrated with color and b&w reproductions including a photographic portfolio by William Claxton. William Claxton?s pictures are like stills

from a dramatic film in the way that the recording session snapshots successfully convey the emotional vibrations of the musicians in ?the midst of a performance.? Claxton?s photographs of the musicians surpass the level of a mere portrait because each photograph represents a single moment of action, captured on film for eternity. 1 bid @ $74.95 

Claxton, William, YOUNG CHET, te Neues Publishing Company, 112 pp., ISBN

382389966X, HB, List $16.95 

 

Daver, Manek, David Stone Martin: Jazz Graphics, Graphic-sha Pub.Co., Tokyo, Japan, First Printing, 1991, PB 

Daver, Manek. JAZZ ALBUM COVERS: The Rare and the Beautiful. Tokyo, Graphic-Sha Publishing Co., Ltd.  1994. OUT OF PRINT 

Deffaa, Chip and Johnsen, John and Johnsen, Andreas, Jazz Veterans; A Portrait Gallery, Hardcover, Sep 1996,Cypress House, ISBN: 1879384280 / List $44.95 

Driggs, Frank and Lewine, Harris and Bacon, Paul, Black Beauty, White Heat; A Pictorial History of Classic Jazz, 1920-1950, Paperback, Apr 1996, Da Capo Press

ISBN: 030680672X  / List $29.95 

 

Friedlander, Lee, The Jazz People of New Orleans, EBAY Item #151715128

text by Whitney Balliett. This hardcover edition with dust jacket published in London by Jonathan Cape. Looks to be a 1st edition copyright 1992. Book is in excellent shape. Mint shape. Clean and barely used. Photos are of the current state of jazz and its peoples in

New Orleans, La. Photos are mostly portraits in homes, clubs, at funerals and on the street. A mood is captured, however. Close to 100 black & white photos in the Lee Friedlander style. Seemingly random shots but with an artistic composition that states these weren't random shots.  Sold for 21.50 bid, Also Item EBAY #160493989, opened at $34.95 Pantheon Books, New York, © 1992, Stated First American Edition, 120 pages,  9"  x 11.25", Hardback with Dust Jacket,Red Cloth, Title Embossed on Front Cover, Gilt on Spine.  Average price: $36.71 9/18/99 

 

Friedman, Carol, THE JAZZ PICTURES, EBAY Item #146508524

LENA HORNE, BOBBY SHORT AND OTHER LEGENDARY JAZZ MUSICIANS ARE PHOTOGRAPHED BY CAROL FRIEDMAN IN THIS BEAUTIFULLY PRODUCED HARD-TO-FIND BOOK. 202 BLK&WHITE PLATES. STUNNING!

Starts @ 9.99 no bids 

Gavin, James, Art of Jazz Photography: Claxography,Hardcover, 132 Pages, Nieswand-Verlag, April 1996, ISBN: 3926048670 / List $75.00 

Gelly, Dave, The Giants of Jazz, EBAY Item #168663578 Sold at $5.99

Wonderful caricatures of British artist David Smith aka ?Weef?, 143 pages published by Schirmer Books, New York , also EBAY 187066460, opens at $5.00 

Hinton, Milt and David G. Berger, Bass Line, The Stories and Photographs of Milt Hinton, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1988. HB 

Hinton, Milt, David G. Berger, Holly Maxson, OVERTIME,  EBAY Item #148933613, Pomegranate Art Books, San Francisco, 1991, 1st PB, edition. A soft cover copy of "Overtime - the Jazz Photographs of Milt Hinton" is 164 pages and was copyrighted in 1991. From the dust jacket: "Milt Hinton shows, through his photos, the age-old axiom that people, despite oppression, will live their lives with a joy, a dignity above and beyond the confines of their oppression."  (I purchased this earlier from another seller, it started here at $4.99 one bid, List @ $34.95 

Jones, M., Jazz photo album: a history of jazz in pictures, London, British Yearbooks, 1947. (Kennington) 

Keepnews, Orrin and Bill Grauer, Jr., A Pictorial History of Jazz, New ed., Crown EBAY ?,  Publishers, Inc., New York, 2nd ed., 1966, HB/DJ, original ed. 1955, original price $7.95

Purchased from Charles Brown  

Also Keepnews, Orrin and Bill Grauer, Jr.. Pictorial History of Jazz, A. New York; Crown, 1971, 2nd edit.,3rd printing, new revised, 297 pgs.  $12.95 (bookcrazy.com)

Also London, Hale, 1956 / and London, Spring Books, 1968. (Kennington) 

 

Kohler, Eric, In The Groove: Vintage Record Graphics, 1940-1960, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1999, gift from Carrie Berard, list @ $18.95. 

 

Oliphant, Dave, ed., The bebop revolution in words and music / with an introduction by Lawn, Richard , [Austin, Tex.] : Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, c1994, 227 p. : ill., music, ports. ; 26 cm/

Note: Papers and discussion from a symposium held in conjunction with an exhibition, with a description of the exhibition "On display from 20 April through 18 September 1992, 'The Bebop Revolution in Words and Music' was ... mounted by the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center to showcase the wealth of jazz-related materials in its archive of ... Ross Russell."--p. 27 ?Originally published as Vol. 24, Nos. 1/2 of The Library Chronicle of The University of Texas at Austin"--verso of title page                   Includes bibliographical references. 

Lees, Gene and John Reeves, Jazz Lives: 100 Portraits in Jazz, Stewart House, PB ed. 1994 also Hardcover, Published: Oct 1992, ISBN: 189556512X  OOP 

Marsh, Graham, et al, Blue Note : The Album Cover Art / Chronicle Books / September 1991 / Our Price: $19.96 : List @ $24.95 

Marsh, Graham, et al, Blue Note II : The Album Cover Art / Chronicle Books / September 1997 / Our Price: $19.96 : List @ $24.95 

Marsh, Graham and Glyn Callingham, California Cool, Chronicle Books, San Francisco,1992, List @ $24.95 

Marsh, Graham and Glyn Callingham, New York Hot, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1993, List @ $24.95 

Motion, Tim, Jazz Portraits: An Eye For The Sound, Images of Jazz and Jazz Musicians, Smithmark Publishers, 1995, HB 

Mukoda, Naoki and Satoh, Hideki. JAZZICAL MOODS: Artwork Of Excellent Jazz Labels. Tokyo, Bijitsu  Shuppan-Sha, 1993.OUT OF PRINT 

Putfarcken, Jan, 100 Jazz Photographs,  EBAY Item #149606537

Printed by Verlag: Germany, (1994). Oblong 12mo (5 x 5 1/2 inches), blue cloth, slipcase, unpaged. Illustrated with 100 fine B&W photographs of the Jazz Greats. With brief essay by Mike Zwerin. 1 bid @ 9.99, ends 8/24/99, also EBAY 188656111 

Shadwick ,Keith,  Jazz Legends Of Style. Chartwell 1998. 352 pages. 9 1/2 x 12 1/4. Contains loads of color & B & W photos. Over 300 artists are covered with pertinent details and fascinating anecdotes detailing each one. Hardbound 

Shadwick, Keith, The Illustrated Story of Jazz, EBAY 189869464

181 pp., opens at $19.99 

 

Smith, Michael P. and Sandmel, Ben, New Orleans Jazz Fest; A Pictorial History,

Hardcover, Mar 1991, Pelican Publishing Company, ISBN: 0882898108  / List $22.95 

Smithsonian Institution Travel and Terry, Clark and Hinton, Milt, Seeing Jazz; Artists and Writers on Jazz, Hardcover,Oct 1997,Chronicle Books,ISBN: 0811811808

List $35.00 also Paperback,Oct 1997,Chronicle Books, ISBN: 0811817326  List $22.95 

Sol, Ydo , Faces of Jazz , EBAY Item #162273426

Neiswand Verlag,  Hardcover (Oversized, B&W photos, text in German)

Reserve met at $20.00  bird@access1.net

                   

Stewart, Chuck and Paul Carter Harrison,  Jazz Files, reprint (1991) DaCapo, PB, list @ $17.95, orig.ed.1985, Little-Brown, Boston. 

Stock, Dennis, Jazz Street,  EBAY (Item #151468819) a photographic exploration into the world of jazz by Dennis Stock. with text by Nat Hentoff. Doubleday. N.Y.,  1960. 1st ed. near fine in dust wrapper with some creasing, rubbing, tears and tape reinforcement, 2 bids @ 25.49 also London, Deutsch, 1960, also London, Jazz Book Club, 1961. (Kennington) also EBAY 188777697, bound upside down, no dj, opens at $5.00 

Stokes, W. Royal and Peterson, Don and Dance, Stanley, Swing Era New York; The Jazz Photographs of Charles Peterson, Hardcover, Aug 1994,Temple University Press

ISBN: 1566392276 / List $49.95  also Paperback, Apr 1996, ISBN: 1566394643 / List $24.95  also EBAY #180399576, sold for $18.50 

Tanner, Lee, Images of Jazz With CDROM, Compact Disc, Jan 1999, Friedman Fairfax Publishers, ISBN: 1567997201  List $32.50 

Ullman, Michael, 1945- , Jazz lives : portraits in words and pictures /Washington, D.C. : New Republic Books, 1980/244 p. : ports. ; 22 cm/Discography: p. 231-244 

Vail, Ken, ed., Jazz Milestones, A Pictorial Chronicle of Jazz, 1900-1990, 1993, Castle Communications. Also Paperback, Apr 1997, Omnibus Press, ISBN: 1860740502

List $24.95 

Williams, Richard, JAZZ-A Photographic Documentary  EBAY Item #144875595

Crescent Books. NY, 1994, Large format book filled with high quality photos of jazz greats 144p., Armstrong-Ellington-C.Parker-Mingus- Monk-Pres-M.Davis-Coltrane many many more 30p intro/appreciation of jazz $3.50 S/H, closed at 9.00  (no bids)

Used @ $46.00 Bigalow Books, also EBAY Item #174053418, open at $22.00 

Williams, Richard, Miles Davis: The Man In The Green Shirt, Henry Holt, HB, List @ $40.00, 1st ed., 1993 

Wolff, Francis, et al, The Blue Note Years : The Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff

Cuscuna, Michael and Hancock, Herbie and Schnider, Hardcover,Oct 1995, Rizzoli

ISBN: 0847819124 List $65 

[BruceH]

Man, and I thought I had a lot of jazz photo and album cover books! I haven't even seen the Blue Note volume 2 book, or knew about it! What's wrong with me??

(Well, at least I've got the original hardcover of Black Beauty, White Heat.)

Edited February 27, 2004 by BruceH

[neveronfriday]

Man, and I thought I had a lot of jazz photo and album cover books! I haven't even seen the Blue Note volume 2 book, or knew about it! What's wrong with me??

(Well, at least I've got the original hardcover of Black Beauty, White Heat.)

I completely bombed out on blindfold test #7.

How about we get together, get wasted and cry into our beers?

Then ... back to shopping.

(That hardcover is quite something, isn't it?)

[sheldonm]

The second book of Blue Note photographs has different photographs from the hardback (these are two different books, not an updated, revised book), many of the Wolff photographs are in color! I forgot about the Lee Friedlander book as well as the K. Abe book which are both very good; The Abe book is basically a "greatest hits" of jazz photographs and has photographs by many, many photographers, including K.Abe himself. I picked up the Friedlander book used in mint condition for about 35.00 (including shipping) a while back, this one won't dissapoint. The Herman Leonard book entitled "Jazz Memories" can be bought new for $125.00. The special copy Deus refers to above has a photograph with it, which is worth it if you can swing the cash. I have a set of 12 original Herman Leonard photographs that I purchased years ago and they are wonderful!

Mark

[BruceH]

I completely bombed out on blindfold test #7.

How about we get together, get wasted and cry into our beers?

Then ... back to shopping.

(That hardcover is quite something, isn't it?)

Sounds good to me!

Yeah, that hardcover is great----and I don't know anyone who has it, so it's helping to keep my beer tear-free.

[neveronfriday]

[...] I have a set of 12 original Herman Leonard photographs that I purchased years ago and they are wonderful!

Mark

*envy*

I guess my postcard set doesn't compare?

Cheers!

[neveronfriday]

Sounds good to me!

Yeah, that hardcover is great----and I don't know anyone who has it, so it's helping to keep my beer tear-free.

Yeah, I got hooked again for over an hour (the "Europe 1919-1950 section) after I posted the first entry in this thread. Getting that hardcover in mint condition from Powells for under $30 was like Christmas.

Currently (this is not an invitation to start a flame war), what's stopping me from crying into my beer is Ken Burns' "Jazz" volume. Am really enjoying it again (for the umpteenth time). And, I'm having a gin tonic anyways, so crying into that would be sacrilege. Comparable to leaving out the lime. A gin without lime is like a girl without, err, you know.

The Perfect Gin Tonic

4-5 Schweppes Tonic Water Ice Cubes (see Note)

3 ounces gin (I recommend Plymouth Gin)

4 ounces Schweppes Tonic Water

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Lime wedge for garnish

1. Place the ice cubes in a tall, narrow, chilled glass (the cubes should come near the top.) Add the gin, then the tonic water, then the lime juice, stirring well. Garnish with lime wedge, and serve immediately.

Note: To make the ice cubes, simply fill an empty ice cube tray with Schweppes Tonic Water, and let the cubes freeze. It takes just a few hours. Covered well, the cubes will remain fresh-tasting in the freezer for at least a few weeks.

[by courtesy of the Food Network]

Edited February 27, 2004 by deus62

[sheldonm]

uuuuuuummmmmm.....gin and tonic . I have been interested in photography since I was a kid and have been doing it professionally for 28 years. I have been photographing jazz musicians for the past twelve or so. Since photography (and jazz...and baseball) is really my passion, I couldn't really pass on the Herman Leonard prints. I also have several by Francis Wolff, one by William Claxton and one by William Gottlieb (my first original jazz photograph, given to me by my girlfirend 11 years ago). The same print (Miles and Bird) sells for about 4 times what she paid for it. The postcard book is cool B) , I'm just into original photographs.

[neveronfriday]

I could never afford those photographs I would like to have, but there is one I would buy if I had the money and if it was available.

It was taken by Charles Peterson and shows Zutty Singleton keeping time for an HRS session of Pee Wee Russell's Rhythmakers on August 31, 1938.

Most of you would probably laugh because there are so many great other photos out there to be had (or not had), but being a drummer myself, that one single photo embodies everything I like about jazz. It's a very subjective thing.

I can't scan it in (I hate to bend the hell out of my books) and can't find it on the Net, but here they are at least ... Charles Peterson, Zutty and Louis.

[neveronfriday]

Ah, what the hell ... I scanned it. Zutty:

[neveronfriday]

In order, if I had the money, I would add these by Dennis Stock (these come from an online site and are much too dark, unfortunately):

If a good reproduction was available, I would probably move the last one (Mulligan) up to place two. It radiates a wonderful atmosphere.

Edited February 27, 2004 by deus62

[sheldonm]

I think Zutty needs to pull those pants up a little higher .

[brownie]

There is also a jazz photo book that should be interesting: 'Jazz in Black and White', the Photographs of Duncan Schiedt'.

This is being published this month by the Indiana University Press.

Schiedt has taken quite a number of famous jazz images.

Anyone seen the book yet?

[sheldonm]

That's right Brownie, I just ran into Duncan a few weeks ago at a record collector's convention. He only had 2 or 3 copies of his new book as it hadn't been released yet, but did sign one for me. The book was printed in Japan and looks very nice. I do some work for the Indy Jazz Fest and the American Pianist Association, Duncan helped me out with some vintage images, nice guy!

Mark