Blue Notes In Black And White Photography and Jazz

Cawthra, Benjamin

ISBN 10: 0226098753 / ISBN 13: 9780226098753

Published by University of Chicago Press, 2011

About this Item

(w/dj)A clean tightly bound hardcover copy. Unmarked, gently read, showing gentle head and foot wear to the spine and edges of the dust jacket and lightly bumped corners. A really nice copy overall. Read descriptions carefully. Avoid GLASSFROGBOOKS, ERGODOBOOKS, MORE BOOKS, IRISH BOOKSELLERS, PRO QUO/BAYSIDE BOOKS, BOOKSPLEASE, RIA CHRISTIE, DISCOVER BOOKS, BOOKS2ANYWHERE, BOOKS EXPRESS, CHIRON MEDIA! These "Booksellers" have no books of their own. they buy honest booksellers' books, upcharge you and have no idea what the book is really like. Support your local and small bookstore owners! These "Booksellers" have no books of their own. they buy honest booksellers' books, upcharge you and have no idea what the book is really like. Support your local and small bookstore owners!

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Blue Notes In Black And White Photography and Jazz
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0226098753
• ISBN 13: 9780226098753
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Very Good+
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+

About this title

Synopsis

Miles Davis, supremely cool behind his shades. Billie Holiday, eyes closed and head tilted back in full cry. John Coltrane, one hand behind his neck and a finger held pensively to his lips. These iconic images have captivated jazz fans nearly as much as the music has. Jazz photographs are visual landmarks in American history, acting as both a reflection and a vital part of African American culture in a time of immense upheaval, conflict, and celebration. Charting the development of jazz photography from the swing era of the 1930s to the rise of black nationalism in the ’60s, Blue Notes in Black and White is the first of its kind: a fascinating account of the partnership between two of the twentieth century’s most innovative art forms.

 

Benjamin Cawthra introduces us to the great jazz photographers—including Gjon Mili, William Gottlieb, Herman Leonard, Francis Wolff, Roy DeCarava, and William Claxton—and their struggles, hustles, styles, and creative visions. We also meet their legendary subjects, such as Duke Ellington, sweating through a late-night jam session for the troops during World War II, and Dizzy Gillespie, stylish in beret, glasses, and goatee. Cawthra shows us the connections between the photographers, art directors, editors, and record producers who crafted a look for jazz that would sell magazines and albums. And on the other side of the lens, he explores how the musicians shaped their public images to further their own financial and political goals.

 

This mixture of art, commerce, and racial politics resulted in a rich visual legacy that is vividly on display in Blue Notes in Black and White. Beyond illuminating the aesthetic power of these images, Cawthra ultimately shows how jazz and its imagery served a crucial function in the struggle for civil rights, making African Americans proudly, powerfully visible.

About the Author

Benjamin Cawthra is associate professor of history and associate director of the Center for Oral and Public History at California State University, Fullerton.