Bill Crump: A Great Day in Harlem's “Mystery Man” - by Steve Siegel, Jazz Profiles

[Elmo]

The most iconic group photograph in the history of jazz, entitled “A Great Day in Harlem" was taken on August 12, 1958 in front of a brownstone at 17 East 126^th St. The photographer was Art Kane who was on assignment from Esquire Magazine. The image was to become the centerpiece of the January 1959 “Golden Age of Jazz " issue.  The “cast” for the picture included 57 jazz musicians, 56 of whom were either legends, soon-to- be legends or men and women with at least rather thick jazz resumes. The 57^th musician was one decidedly non-legendary mystery man, a talented, yet journeyman musician who, decades after the image was taken, was still unknown to most jazz experts viewing the photo...

https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2020/07/bill-crump-great-day-in-harlems-mystery.html?m=1

Edited 5 hours ago by Elmo

[medjuck]

Great story. I've always been impressed that the editors of Esquire understood that they were living in a Golden Age.