In the early 1960s, I grew up in New York's Washington Heights with photographer Art Kane's son Jonathan. I was pretty young then, but I still recall Jonathan's dad as a hip, relaxed guy in a photographer's vest, longish hair and large glasses. [Photo of Art Kane by Steven A. Heller]
Art Kane, of course, took the famous "A Great Day in Harlem" photo for Esquire magazine. In August 1958, he called as many jazz musicians as he could and asked them to show up on 126th Street between Park and Fifth Avenues. Fifty-seven musicians in all appeared on August 12 and were assembled on the stairs of a brownstone. Kane took the photo from across the street at around 10 a.m. As you probably know, all of this is beautifully told in the documentary, A Great Day in Harlem, produced by Jean Bach.
Looking at the "Great Day" photo today, one can't help but wonder what might have happened had a producer been summoned and a rehearsal hall rented nearby with recording equipment. Art Kane died in 1995.
At any rate, here's Art Kane's still-remarkable photo followed by an index and a list of all of the musicians photographed. To enlarge, just click once on the images:
And here's the index:
- Hilton Jefferson
- Benny Golson
- Art Farmer
- Wilbur Ware
- Art Blakey
- Chubby Jackson
- Johnny Griffin
- Dickie Wells
- Buck Clayton
- Taft Jordan
- Zutty Singleton
- Red Allen
- Tyree Glenn
- Miff Mole
- Sonny Greer
- Jay C. Higginbotham
- Jimmy Jones
- Charles Mingus
- Jo Jones
- Gene Krupa
- Max Kaminsky
- George Wettling
- Bud Freeman
- Pee Wee Russell
- Ernie Wilkins
- Buster Bailey
- Osie Johnson
- Gigi Gryce
- Hank Jones
- Eddie Locke
- Horace Silver
- Luckey Roberts
- Maxine Sullivan
- Jimmy Rushing
- Joe Thomas
- Scoville Browne
- Stuff Smith
- Bill Crump
- Coleman Hawkins
- Rudy Powell
- Oscar Pettiford
- Sahib Shihab
- Marian McPartland
- Sonny Rollins
- Lawrence Brown
- Mary Lou Williams
- Emmett Berry
- Thelonious Monk
- Vic Dickenson
- Milt Hinton
- Lester Young
- Rex Stewart
- J.C. Heard
- Gerry Mulligan
- Roy Eldridge
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Count Basie
When giants walked the earth -- or at least lounged around, having a good chatty time, on it. You can hear the joking voices now if you look closely at that marvelously spacious photograph.
Posted by: Michael Steinman | May 14, 2012 at 05:59 AM
A great day indeed. "When Generations Gather" would also have been an appropriate title.
Pity that The Duke, BG, Miles and Pops couldn't make it ...
Great further reading on the topic: "The Great Jazz Day" by Charles Graham (2000, Da Capo Press)
Posted by: John Calvin | May 14, 2012 at 08:04 AM
Who is still living from that photograph?
jOhn Cooper the homeless
Posted by: jOhn Cooper | May 14, 2012 at 08:22 PM
Benny Golson, Sonny Rollins and Horace Silver are still alive.
Posted by: Doug Chan | May 14, 2012 at 08:38 PM
also McPartland.
Posted by: Doug Chan | May 14, 2012 at 08:46 PM