Jan Granlie: My Favorite Things - Jazz Photos 2004-2014

My Favorite Things—Jazz Photos 2004 -2014
Jan Granlie
182
Jazz og Sånn
2014

Norwegian photographer, writer and editor Jan Granilie has an intimate and through knowledge of the history and almost everyone that is involved in the Nordic and European jazz scenes. He edited the Norwegian jazz magazine Jazznytt for several years and is now the editor of the jazz website Salt Peanuts. Granlie wrote countless reviews on albums, gigs and European festivals and photographed almost any gig that he attended. Or, as he summarized the experience so far, in his characteristic humor: "it took, 44,282 pictures, 3,980 musicians, 1,164 bottles of excellent wine, 995 bands, 223 trains and planes, 159 deals, 106 airports, 101 jazz festivals, 96 hotel rooms, 10 years, 4 objectives, 3 cameras, 1 photographer and a lot of help from a lot of good friends to make this book!"

Granlie's deep love of the music, his intimate friendship with the musicians and his sharp eye transform this beautiful collection of photos into a series of short, insightful stories about music. Moreover, the photos explore the defining moment when music is much more than a sonic and visual experience but a profound, moving experience that suggests a new perspectives on art, life and even love.

Granlie gifts as a sensitive photographer are praised by Slovenian photographer Žiga Koritnik, Italian jazz journalist Luca Vitali (who recently published a book on Norwegian jazz, Il Suono Del Nord and writer and colleague Johan Hauknes. All describe Granlie's manner of capturing the right moment in a suggestive composition of light and shadow.

And this book offers many such rare moments. The compassionate, full of love photos of pianist Misha Mengelberg; the restless, gigantic energy of the power trio The Thing; the total commitment—being in the moment—of double bass players Arild Andersen and Nina de Heney to the music; the simple, intoxicating joy of watching the Jaga Jazzist ensemble; the deep, meditative power of music in the photo of pianist Andreas Ulvo; and the reverent photo of the iconic figure of saxophone titan Sonny Rollins.

Granlie clearly loves to seize the uncompromising, intense moments of powerful free jazz masters as reed players Ken Vandermark with Peter Brötzmann or Joe McPhee, drummers Raymond Strid and Paal Nilssen-Love. He captures these musicians when their faces tell the story of how personal passion, energy and imagination is channeled through music into a higher form of inspiration and knowledge.

Highly recommended.