When Not Performing - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1455617563 ISBN 13: 9781455617562

Publisher: Pelican Publishing, 2012

Synopsis

An intimate glimpse into the musical world of New Orleans.

There is no dispute that New Orleans is a city defined by its musicians. These revealing portraits of musicians are taken in the places that define them when not on stage. Each portrait is accompanied by a profile compiled from private conversations with the artist, eloquently demonstrating how entwined their lives and talents have become. Included are such well known personalities as Jeremy Davenport, Charmaine Neville, and Clarence "Frogman" Henry.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

"If you want them to hear, play loud. If you want them to listen, play soft."
-Doc Cheatham (1905-97), trumpeter

New Orleans is, at its heart, a place defined by its musicians-those men and women shaped and bound by their love of the ever-changing sounds and culture of the city. These revealing portraits of New Orleans performers provide a provocative and intimate glimpse into the musical pulse of the city. They are captured in locations of their own choosing, places that define and inspire them as individuals. Often elusive as smoke, once captured their images are both haunting and familiar. David G. Spielman followed these talented artists through the neighborhoods, backstreets, and bars, using little more than a Leica camera. Printed as duotones, the emotional images speak without shouting. Fred Lyon listened to the performers and engaged them in conversation, drawing meaning and understanding from their often complex tales of hardship, triumph, and family. Their stories allow the viewer to connect with each specific portrait and location.

Among those captured in image and word are Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Sr., Jeremy Davenport, Fats Domino, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Dr. John, Ellis Marsalis, Frank Minyard, Charmaine Neville, Albinas Prizgintas, Katey Red, Paul Sanchez, Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, and Johnny Vidacovich, along with many other performers from across the musical landscape of New Orleans. This book will become a treasured friend, a go-to list for music fans exploring the beat of the city. Ample space frames each image, allowing the pages to serve as a collector's album to chronicle the vibrant soundtrack of New Orleans.

David G. Spielman is a well-known photographer and writer who has lived and worked in New Orleans since the 1970s. His long and successful career has included assignments on six of the seven continents and across America for corporate, industrial, and editorial assignments. Working quickly and simply is Spielman's hallmark. His philosophy is not to overproduce or alter the staging of the shoot to ensure the reality and honesty of the image; too much equipment and too many people alter the connection and bond between subject and photographer. Two recent projects of major significance include Southern Writers, a collection of authors photographed in their workspaces, and Katrinaville Chronicles, a photo essay and first-person account of life during and after Hurricane Katrina. Spielman calls New Orleans home.

Fred Lyon has been a devoted student of the city's music since the 1980s. Lyon conducted graduate research at Rollins College, where he wrote Cultural Resiliency: Music and the Rebirth of New Orleans. He has degrees from Duke University and the University of Virginia. He is a regular contributor to Swampland, a Web site dedicated to Southern music and culture, with frequent columns on life in New Orleans, its clubs, its personalities, and its musical scene. Lyon lives in New Orleans, a city that continues to fascinate him.

From the Back Cover:

"When people become known for a certain thing, be it athletes, business leaders, political leaders, or entertainers-the public has a difficult time imagining them out of the context or their expertise. David Spielman does a superb and important job of reminding us that these talented musicians are in the end people too-people with the same hopes, fears, dreams, and nightmares that we all have."
- James Carville and Mary Matalin, political consultants and New Orleans residents

"Our music and our culture have always been New Orleans' greatest exports, and this book shows you why. Through intimate portraits, David Spielman gives a unique, behind-the-scenes look at some of our city's greatest performers. With each picture comes a new story of a musician, beyond the stage, and in their natural element. It's a diverse collection that makes me proud to know these artists call New Orleans home."
-Mayor Mitch Landrieu, City of New Orleans

"Here in New Orleans, music is the fabric woven into our everyday lives; it is everywhere, all the time. We watch our musicians grow up, grow old, and even die. They teach the young and leave a legacy behind for all of us. They are a part of our extended families, entertaining us at . . . high school graduations . . . weddings . . . festivals . . . and more. They live among us as family members and neighbors and share our good times, our food, our culture, and our love. . . .

We [Spielman and Lyon] knew we couldn't write the anthology of New Orleans music, as the book would have to be a tome. Plus, the music and its musicians are like our food: always changing. So our goal was to provide a window to look through, showing the tone, tenor, and diversity of what New Orleans has to offer and helping to educate and stimulate interest in one of our greatest assets."
-David Spielman, from the Photographer's Notes

About this edition

• Publisher: Pelican Publishing
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1455617563
• ISBN 13: 9781455617562
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160