A Great Day In Harlem photograph.

[Hardbopjazz]

How many of the musicians in the famous photo can you identify without having to check a source to tell you who is who?

 

[Pim]

 10… out of 39 musicians I actually know. Must say that, after looking up the names, I had 5 ‘damn how could I’ve missed him’ moments. I didn’t recognize Mingus 😵 conclusion: I suck in recognizing my jazz heroes

[soulpope]

In 1996, Gordon Parks photographed survivors who were still alive showing where they were in 1958 for A Great Day In Harlem..Only 2 survive today: Benny Golson and Sonny Rollins (Sonny Rollins is missing in the 1996 photo. He was standing behind Marian McPartland in 1958 but not in 1996.)

[Big Beat Steve]

On 3/26/2024 at 7:31 PM, Hardbopjazz said:

How many of the musicians in the famous photo can you identify without having to check a source to tell you who is who?

 

Interesting project and question. But I dont' think I'm playing. I know I'll be having trouble identifying many of the older African Americans offhand but beyond that ... I bought the book (Art Kane Harlem 1958) when it came out a couple of years ago and have looked at this photo so often in the intervening years that I would probably recognize several that normally would be off the radar. Definitely including the odd men out ... :
https://jazzbuffalo.org/2020/07/22/bill-crump-a-great-day-in-harlems-mystery-man/
https://harlem.org/people/scovillebrown.html

(Oh yes, and among the older ones I would have recognized The Lion, but unfortunately he sneaked out of the picture ... )

Edited March 29, 2024 by Big Beat Steve

[Ken Dryden]

I did interviews with Marian McPartland, Milt Hinton, Gerry Mulligan, Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver, Art Farmer and Benny Golson. 

I had less success being able to see many of them in concert. I saw Marian McPartland numerous times between 1988 and around 2005, I attended five or six jazz parties where Milt Hinton played, saw Sonny Rollins once and Count Basie once. It is the downside of living far from jazz-oriented cities.

One of the treasures I have from Marian McPartland is two copies of this photo with a personal note from her. The first was sent as a postcard and the USPS mangled it, so she sent another, which I had framed with a glass backing in order to view her note.

[medjuck]

I've looked at  this photo so often I think I could  name a large percentage if the photo was enlarged,  but even at this size it's interesting how many people jump out because of their distinctive physiognomy or clothing: Art Farmer, Dizzy,  Monk, Sonny Greer, Prez, Sonny Rollins, Marion McPartland,  Mary Lou Willams, Oscar Pettiford,  Gerry Mulligan, Oscar Pettiford, Pee We Russell, Coleman Hawkins and Rex Stewart (because of his body shape-- and of course he's got his horn).