Home » Jazz Articles » Book Review » Seeing Jazz: Artists and Writers on Jazz
Seeing Jazz: Artists and Writers on Jazz
Foreword by Clark Terry Afterword by Milt Hinton
Chronicle Books, 1997
0-8118-1732-6
Jazz has always been about more than just music. It is an attitude. A spirit. A lifestyle. And probably more than any other musical genre, it has inspired artistic creativity in non-musical forms. Many of the twentieth century's leading writers, poets, photographers, painters, and sculptors have been strongly and directly influenced by the freedom, energy, and vitality of jazz.
"Seeing Jazz" is an ambitious effort to bring together some of the most compelling examples of jazz-inspired art in these various media. The book, which also serves as a catalog for a traveling museum exhibit produced by the Smithsonian Institution, wisely does not attempt to be encyclopedic and opts for eclecticism over didacticism. The more than 100 full-color and black & white illustrations represent a wide variety of artistic styles and include familiar works by such giants of modern art as Mondrian, Matisse, and Man Ray, as well as lesser-known works by more recent artists like Romare Bearden and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Noted jazz photographers like Gordon Parks, William Gottlieb, Herman Leonard, and Milt Hinton provide some of the book's most moving images: a beaming Duke Ellington in the front row of a nightclub, digging Ella; Addison and Art Farmer on a hot evening rehearsing in their boxer shorts; an impossibly cool and dapper Dexter Gordon relaxing in tuxedo and fedora; a still life of Louis Armstrong's horn case.
These pictures stand alongside the words of writers like Langston Hughes, Jean-Paul Sartre, Toni Morrison, and Ralph Ellison, as well as reminiscences by dozens of musicians and critics. Some personal favorites among many are Count Basie and F. Scott Fitzgerald, respectively, on Kansas City and Paris in the '20s, Jack Kerouac on bebop, Billy Taylor on Jelly Roll Morton, Smokey Robinson on Sarah Vaughan, and Diz on Bird. Also included are the poetry of John Coltrane and Abbey Lincoln, and the haunting lyrics of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life."
This attractive and enlightening collection certainly makes the case for the interplay and mutual influence of jazz and the literary and visual arts. Here are artists responding to jazz without musical instruments, capturing the essence of the music in words and images, and providing ample proof that you don't have to be a musician to swing.
home - mission statement - submit articles - help wanted - awards
All material copyright © 1996-2000 All About Jazz and contributing writers. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Contact Us
< Previous
The Man That Was Mingus
Comments
Tags
For the Love of Jazz
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
Giveaway
Days remaining: 11
