The Jazz Image

“Although there are superb, iconic performance shots here (Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Cootie Williams, Sonny Rollins and many others), it is the sense of privileged intimacy we get from pictures of musicians in moments of repose, contemplation, rehearsal and relaxation that are most revelatory, and often most memorable.” —Jazz Times

The great improvisational American jazz musicians of the mid-20th century inspired a generation of photographers to develop a looser, moodier style of visual expression. That evocative approach is on striking display in The Jazz Image.

Covering six decades of performers—from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to John Coltrane and Miles Davis—this unique collection is as much a comprehensive catalogue of jazz greats as it is a salute to the photographers who captured them. The images here provide a simultaneous look at jazz, photography, and America from 1935 into the 1990s with images of jazz legends such as:

• Charlie Parker
• Sonny Rollins
• Dizzy Gillespie
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Louis Armstrong
• Jon Faddis
• Miles Davis
• John Coltrane
• Wallace Roney
• Charles Mingus
• And more!

Lee Tanner, a leading authority on jazz photography, has selected works—by such noted jazz photographers as Herman Leonard, Bob Willoughby, Milt Hinton, and Bill Claxton—that are iconic, candid, explosive, and intimate.

In 2004, Tanner received the Lona Foote-Bob Parent Award for Excellence in Photography from the Jazz Journalists Association. In 2010, he was presented with the prestigious Lucie Award for Achievement in Documentary. The Lucie Awards are given annually to honor the work of master photographers. His curation makes this one-of-a-kind coffee table book of jazz photography a must-have addition to any jazz aficionado’s library and the perfect gift for any fan.