The aesthetics of human expression in any cultural context and medium has been a lifelong interest of mine. Naturally, then, my formal educational background is in cultural anthropology and art. I have worked in preparations and administration at various art and natural history museums in the Midwest and West and have produced my own jazz and blues radio shows at WHPK-FM (Chicago) and at KGNU-FM (Boulder, CO).
These days I am working as a full-time independent photographer with subjects as varied as Arizona/Mexico borderland cowboys and avant-garde jazz. My work has been published throughout the world. I am self-taught in the sense that I've never taken courses in photography, but, of course, many are those who have given generously of their time and expertise.
The photographs appearing in the All About Jazz gallery were shot during rehearsals and live performances at the Mat Bevel Institute in Tucson, Arizona (http://www.matbevel.com ). My goal is to capture the intimate mood and intense drama of these world-class musicians in their element, while being minimally intrusive. Therefore, I disdain the use of flash and work quietly with available light only, preferring that the musicians forget I'm there.
The concerts are produced by Zeitgeist ("spirit of the times"), an organization devoted to showcasing the best of improvising artists who are extending the boundaries of the evolving jazz tradition (http://www.matbevel.com/zeitgeist.html ). I have been the staff photographer for that organization over the past five years.
A Short History of Zeitgeist
By Steve Hahn
In the beginning… some musicians got together and tried to decide what to play. “How about a blues?” one suggested. “What about a rag?” asked another. “Let’s try a two-step,” somebody offered. The rhythm section laid down the groove – 1,2…1,2 while the clarinet, cornet and trombone danced lines around each other, prodding, responding, supporting, emerging and receding in the contrapuntal texture. The form enclosed the music as the music revealed the form. Everyone knew what to play and when to play it – individuals joining in a communal creation. But one form was hardly enough - the form mutated and proliferated: Harlem pianists eradicated the band with two-fisted stride; others expanded the ensemble and began to riff on the rhythm with horn sections; hipsters, tired of pleasing dancers, invented complicated harmonic inventions based on popular songs; ever voracious, others embraced tangos, waltzes, cha-chas, sambas and other foreign imports, striving to keep the music fresh. The form was a comfort but it was also a straightjacket. The chord changes dictated the harmonic content; the popular song form enslaved the soloist to the 8-bar chorus, which standard increment - not to exceed 27, the standing world record – became the default unit of creativity; custom declared that once the unison theme was stated soloists were to wait their turn, making a show of leaving the bandstand to smoke cigarettes while feigning indifference; saxophones and trumpets carried the heavy load, trombones and vibes occasionally guested, accordions, bassoons and glockenspiels needed not apply. Amidst the conformity a restless insurgency was born, chafing at the accepted conventions. Cecil, Ornette, Trane, Sun Ra made a universe all their own and cared not whether anyone followed. A younger generation was inspired to yet further radicalism. Form was the enemy, form must be annihilated! They played without plan, anarchically, chaotically, pure sound, pure energy, pure expression.
Freejazzascensionavantgardeoctoberrevolutionantijazz?!!! Collectives convened, manifestos were written, critics howled, fans despaired. Lines were drawn in the sand – you’re either with us or against us! The battle raged…until one day a wearied malcontent spied a beckoning glint on the other side of the abyss. What’s it like over there he wondered and, curiosity growing, leaped over the chasm to arrive in a pleasant and harmonious land. It turned out that on the far side of NO FORM was… form. Not the formulaic form of the olden days but a new, personal form - flexible, expansive, contingent, adaptable. A form to serve rather than be served. Musicians who had disdainfully rejected the received forms of the past happily pursued expression within the new forms, forms of their own making. Freedom and structure co-existed, without contradiction. Since 1996 Zeitgeist has provided a for(u)m for such musical investigations. Artists presented have included Steve Lacy, Roswell Rudd, Ray Anderson, Ellery Eskelin, Rob Blakeslee, Tony Malaby, Joe McPhee, Larry Ochs, Paul Plimley, Evan Parker, Rob Brown, Art Lande, Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, Gerry Hemingway, Fred Ho, Andrew Cyrille, Dom Minasi, Odean Pope, Ron Miles, David Murray, Vinny Golia, Michael Vlatkovich, Joe Fonda, Gebhard Ullmann, Tim Berne, George Schuller and so on.
All photos copyright © Steven Johnson.
All Rights Reserved.
Photo of Steven Johnson by Tim Fuller.
