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."
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About the Author
Herman Leonard was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1923. He moved to New York City in 1948 and opened his first studio in Greenwich Village, where he worked for Life, Esquire, and Playboy while recording the jazz scene. In 1989, Leonard settled in New Orleans, living there until Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home, studio, and print collection in 2005. He now lives and works in California. In 2008, Leonard was the recipient of a Lucie award-the photography world's equivalent of the Oscars—for Outstanding Achievement in Portraiture, as well as the Grammy Foundation's first grant award to a photographer.
Reggie Nadelson, journalist and film-maker, is the author of eight novels. Her nonfiction book about Dean Reed, Comrade Rockstar, is being filmed by Tom Hanks and Dreamworks. She divides her time between London and New York.
Leslie Woodhead is a documentary film maker and lifelong jazz fanatic. He made the film Saving Jazz in New Orleans with Herman Leonard.
Reggie Nadelson, journalist and film-maker, is the author of eight novels. Her nonfiction book about Dean Reed, Comrade Rockstar, is being filmed by Tom Hanks and Dreamworks. She divides her time between London and New York.
Leslie Woodhead is a documentary film maker and lifelong jazz fanatic. He made the film Saving Jazz in New Orleans with Herman Leonard.
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18 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Jazz is driven as much by the soul of the people as the music itself. "Jazz" is a collection of black and white photographs from Herman Leonard, famed for his photographs. Taken during the height of the 1950s Jazz period and going forward, Leonard's work captured the soul of Jazz by capturing the performers as they did their life's work and how it stayed with them even as they left the stage. "Jazz" is a fascinating and hard to put down coffee table photography book, a very highly recommended pick.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
No one captured the essence of the seminal jazz scene of the 40's and 50's better than Herman Leonard. Dizzy, Bird, Miles, Rollins, Ella, Duke, Basie, Vaughn, Billie, Dexter - they're all here in magnificent, evocative portraits. The only thing missing from this collection is the smell of the cigarette smoke and the clanking of cocktail glasses emanating from the jazz clubs. Herman Leonard,who passed away last summer, was a true American artist in his own right. We are very fortunate that he compiled this definitive collection of his jazz photography before his passing.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
To actually get a look into the world of the Jazz artist in the 50's, 60's and better, is one thing, but the style in which Leonard delievers it, is another thing entirely. View the book for it's style and one of the most striking things is everyone is smoking. There is commentary about everyone lighting up and puffing way, but it is the moment that he captures. One of the best and most enduring icons is Dexter Gordon relaxing after break, with sax in one hand and cigarette in the other. It is the way the smoke is drifting upward that makes the photo. Great look with two arts merging.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterpieces of Jazz Photography
Sadly, jazz photography is not a part of mainstream American culture today. By jazz photography, I mean photographs of jazz musicians, either playing or in other situations. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Douglas Groothuis
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Art of Jazz- A Beautiful Portrait
The aphorism "a picture is worth a thousand words" is no more true than in the fabled history of jazz. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Greg Michaels
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book, will work perfectly!
We purchased this book as a guest book for a jazz themed party. We are going to have our guests sign in on different pages. Of course, we bought a copy just for us, as well. Read more
Published 20 months ago by T. Satterlee
5.0 out of 5 stars
One Of The Finest Collections of Black and White Photographs On The...
It is VERY important to realize that this book is NOT a text on the history of jazz. It is, instead, a collection of some of the finest black and white photographs ever taken... Read more
Published 21 months ago by W. McIntosh
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have!
A jazz library cannot be complete without "Jazz" by Herman Leonard along with a volume of jazz photographs of Francis Wolff. Each photo tells its own story. Great stuff!
Published on January 25, 2011 by rudybr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jazz master
Bought this book for my musician stepson, and found it hard to wrap it up. It is beautiful, well worth having. In fact I'm going to buy another copy for me.
Published on January 13, 2011 by SouthernTransplant
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great photos - not enough text
I purchased this as a gift for my father. When it arrived, I paged through it and loved the photos. However, I had expected a blurb about the musicians to accompany the photos. Read more
Published on January 13, 2011 by CityGardener
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