{"id":22194,"date":"2016-04-30T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/?p=22194"},"modified":"2022-06-13T06:38:57","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T13:38:57","slug":"history-of-jazz-through-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/history-of-jazz-through-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing Jazz: The Man Who Immortalized the Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today,\u00a0on International Jazz Day,\u00a0we are revisiting\u00a0how\u00a0one photographer captured a history that is more heard than seen.\u00a0Herman Leonard is the American photographer <\/span>known by many<\/span><\/a> as responsible for helping shape the \u201cvisual archetype of the jazz musician.\u201d Leonard\u2019s immense collection of jazz photography is to this day a national\u00a0treasure, not just for the famous faces he\u00a0captured, but for \u201cthe ideals, values, and achievements associated with the mental idea of an accomplished jazz musician,\u201d a notion which K. Heather Pinson terms “the jazz image” in her 2010 book detailing the significance of Leonard\u2019s work. Leonard\u00a0was the first photographer to\u00a0bring images of jazz into an emotional context, going to painstaking efforts\u00a0preserve the feel of performance. So, without further ado, let’s delve a bit deeper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Significance of the Jazz Image<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Louis
Louis Armstrong, Newport Jazz Festival, 1955 by Herman Leonard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We may not think about it often, but Leonard\u2019s images from this time are constantly recycled in our contemporary lives, from album covers to posters of Miles Davis hanging in the practice rooms of music students across the globe. This is why it\u2019s important, every now and then, to revisit their more implicit value.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Miles
Miles Davis, Birdland, New York, 1949 by Herman Leonard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The photos from this time hold tremendous importance as visual reminders of the tense racial and political atmosphere that faced the African-American jazz musician at this historical moment. It\u2019s for this reason that jazz has been such a symbol of the American spirit, as it demonstrated a community fighting to be, quite literally, heard, and overcoming adversity by pushing cultural boundaries and being fearless advocates of individuality and originality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dizzy
Dizzy Gillespie, New York, 1955 by Herman Leonard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But how is it that a photograph can say all of this? And how, technically, did\u00a0Leonard\u00a0achieve this at a time when technologies weren’t nearly what they are today? <\/span><\/p>\n

Photographing the Spirit of Jazz<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Dizzy
Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Gordon, Quincy Jones, E. V. Perry, Carl Warwick, New York, 1955 by Herman Leonard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Pinson’s book, “Leonard\u2019s camera was an old Speed Graphic handheld 4×5. \u00a0His trademark illuminated smoke image saw him wire two strobe lights, one in back and one in front of the musician, to capture the intensity of the exposed light. The slow shutter speed of the camera allowed for longer exposure of images, which is why the film absorbed more light.” Leonard\u2019s painstaking efforts to master the lighting component made him a pioneer in capturing jazz in a way that was more than purely documentary. It was undeniably emotional.<\/p>\n

\"Billy
Billy Holiday, New York, 1949 by Herman Leonard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The smoky, dimly-lit New York City jazz clubs of the time didn\u2019t exactly host the ideal conditions for photographers, particularly in the 40s and 50s when equipment was extremely high maintenance. Leonard recalls having to be picky about which equipment he could afford to bring without being too noticeable, because it was important to him to \u201cpreserve the pure atmosphere of the club as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Louis
Louis Armstrong, Paris, 1960 by Herman Leonard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Leonard credits his photographs\u2019 authenticity to\u00a0the fact that he was not beholden to anyone for their quality: \u201cThere were press photographers who had to light their subjects for easy reproduction on newsprint. I had more freedom, since I was photographing for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sarah
Sarah Vaughn, New York, 1950 by Herman Leonard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His approach was also unconventional in that he captured musicians not just during their sublime solos, but also in their more human moments. The many images of jazz musicians in rehearsals, where we get to peek behind the curtain, is what reaffirms its reputation\u00a0as a music with rough edges, despite the immense skill required to achieve even basic proficiency. Leonard’s jazz photography captured this fun-loving element with incredible savvy. That a music can be both serious and sultry\u00a0is not easy to convey in a photograph, but the attention Leonard paid to rehearsals and post-gig roughhousing helped achieve this.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leonard\u2019s Most Famous Photos Explained<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Ella
Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington & Benny Goodman, New York City, 1948 by Herman Leonard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In an interview with Jazz Wax, Leonard said of this photograph: “I was looking at the total scene. I asked myself, \u2018What am I getting here. I got Ella on the left, with the audience on my right.\u2019 I captured Ella in near-silhouette because that’s all you needed to know instantly who was singing.”<\/p>\n

\"Dizzy
Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker, New York , 1949<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the same interview, Leonard said:\u00a0\u201cThose two [Gillespie and Parker] were amazing. They were kidding around all the time. I shot this one in a corridor at a recording studio, probably in 1947. I don\u2019t know what they were saying\u2026 What I like about the image is the camaraderie. Parker was holding a cigarette in his right hand, and they were kidding around during a break at a recording session.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Leonard passed away in 2010, today his photographs live on all over the world. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. holds more than 130 of his images in its permanent collection.<\/p>\n

How has jazz music made an impression on you over the years? Express yourself in photographs; try to experiment with lighting as Leonard did. Share your photos on PicsArt photo editor<\/a> with the hashtag #Jazz.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

All photos by<\/span><\/i> Herman Leonard\/Courtesy Herman Leonard Photography, LLC<\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today,\u00a0on International Jazz Day,\u00a0we are revisiting\u00a0how\u00a0one photographer captured a history that is more heard than seen.\u00a0Herman Leonard is the American photographer known by many as responsible for helping shape the \u201cvisual archetype of the jazz musician.\u201d Leonard\u2019s immense collection of jazz photography is to this day a national\u00a0treasure, not just for the famous faces he\u00a0captured, … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Seeing Jazz: The Man Who Immortalized the Music”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":24017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_title":"The Iconic Jazz Photography of Herman Leonard","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Herman Leonard is the first photographer to capture the spirit of jazz... but how does one photograph a history that is more heard than 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