By Suzi Price

Belgian born, Jos Knaepen, more commonly referred to as "The Jazzman," became interested in jazz at the age of seventeen, after purchasing his first LPs of Django Reinhart and Sidney Bechet in 1961. By the time he was 18, he was a regular attendee at the infamous Comblain La Tour where many jazz giants performed during their European tours. It was also during this period that his interest in photography began.

Not having the money to purchase sophisticated photo equipment, it took several years of dedicated saving to be able to call himself a serious photographer. His professional photographic career began in the early seventies after landing a job as a photo-journalist with Het Nieuwsblad, one of the largest newspapers in Belgium.

His interest in jazz also blossomed during these years and it was during the seventies when pirate radio was popping up all over Belgium. Jos began moonlighting as a DJ with his first radio show, Radio North Sea on Thursday nights from 8 to 10 p.m. "Pirate radio was really a wild thing in those days," said Jos. "Broadcasting from a van, we had to go from one place to another in order not to get caught. Between my photo assignments and radio show, I was always on the move."

Jos' photographic work continued during the early 1980s and his award-winning action photography was exhibited regularly throughout Belgium. By 1985, his professional photography career took a hiatus until 1990 when he began again, this time limiting his photography strictly to jazz, one of the great loves of his life.

Jos continues as a jazz DJ in Belgium and his stunning jazz photography can be seen on display at many jazz venues, in publications throughout Belgium and published worldwide on the Internet. His photos capture the real spirit of jazz, but go far deeper than simple photographic talent. It is the heart and soul of a 25-year jazz DJ, combined with the gift of vision, that captures a moment in time in the world of jazz.