JAM: June/July 2000 Issue: Storyville

JAZZ PARTY, A Photo Gallery of Great Jazz Musicians by Al White

Text edited by Jim Shacter; 234 pp., 10"x12", hard cover, indexed; published by August House Publishers, Inc., Little Rock, AR.

The latest book of fine jazz photography, Al White's Jazz Party, A Photo Gallery of Great Jazz Musicians focuses on a significant element in today's jazz scene.

Since the music's earliest days, jazz musicians have attracted the attention of photographers. There is the intrigue of reflected light patterns on an instrument's graceful contours, and the dramatic movement of the players' bodies as they improvise. A typical jazz performance can fulfill a photographer's regard for subject matter and composition, and, lured by these visual elements, they have, for years, preserved priceless glimpses of musicians at work.

A 1902 photo created an image of the seminal New Orleans band led by legendary cornetist, Buddy Bolden. In 1906, an unknown photographer posed Stalebread Lacoume's band at a picnic on the shore of Lake Ponchartrain. Similar photos depict Frankie Dusen's Eagle Band in 1916, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Bix Beiderbecke, and young Louis Armstrong with the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band in Daguerre's Chicago studio in 1922.

Initially, jazz photos appeared only in a few obscure books or specialized magazines, and, later, as illustrations on record jackets. Recently, the publishing industry has astutely recognized jazz photography as a commercially viable subject. Books have appeared covering the works of such noted lens artists as K. Abe, Bill Gottlieb, Lee Tanner, Ray Avery, Lee Friedlander, Milt Hinton, Charles Peterson, and William Claxton. These skilled cameramen each viewed the jazz scene from an individual perspective.

For more than thirty years, Al White has been a familiar figure at a series of unique jazz events. Smiling broadly at a front row table, he unobtrusively snaps his outstanding photos. Viewing through his lens, he awaits a singular instant when an appropriate image occurs. The depth of his perception produces far more than mere gradations of black and white. That scene is visually enhanced by textures and shadows which often appear in his prints.

The illustrative quality of his work is apparent in Jazz Party. Each scene invokes a bright vision of a particular moment during an event known as a "jazz party."

The jazz party format was originated in 1963 by a Colorado businessman, Dick Gibson. He engaged about a dozen prominent musicians, including Teddy Wilson and "Wild Bill" Davison, to perform at a private affair in Aspen, Colorado. Gibson invited friends who shared his love for jazz, and charged them a substantial fee to attend the posh weekend affair.

Based on the success of his initial effort, Gibson presented his party each year and carefully assembled his players to appear in various groupings during the party. As his musical roster expanded, and the annual fee increased, affluent fans traveled from many parts of the country to listen to these great jazz artists.

Enthusiastic entrepreneurs, emulating Gibson's innovative format, soon launched additional parties in various parts of the country. Eventually about 150 similar events were attracting large audiences.

These parties have become a vital source of entertainment for fans and have created additional venues that provide exposure and income for jazz musicians. They have also been an inspiration for Al White, an ardent jazz fan and talented photographer, who attended his first party in 1970.

Musicians are accustomed to enduring frequent camera flashes during their performances, but they seldom see the photographic results. White arrives at each party with a stack of manila envelopes containing his photos from the previous event. During the last 30 years, he has generously distributed hundreds of 8x10 prints to his musician friends.

White's deluxe Photo Gallery, printed on slick quality paper, is very handsomely bound. It includes over 100 facing pages, each with an insightful biography of an individual artist shown in three sepia-toned autographed photos. Since most prints are group shots, the cumulative list of illustrated musicians is quite impressive. Smiling youthful visages will evoke warm memories of several deceased jazz greats. Among them are: Bob Haggart, Vic Dickenson, Bobby Hackett, Pee Wee Erwin, Joe Venuti and Red Norvo.

You will also enjoy seeing Al White's excellent photos of veteran contemporary artists like Ralph Sutton, Johnny Best, Milt Hinton, Jack Lesberg, Bob Wilber, Kenny Davern, Benny Carter, Gerry Wiggins, and scores of others. The younger generation of giants includes Dan Barrett, Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Ken Peplowski, John Allred, Peter Ecklund, Joe Ascione, Randy Sandke, Scott Hamilton, and more. Each photo vividly recalls a thrilling jazz party scene.

Ralph Sutton's biographer, Jim Shacter, collaborated with White on the informative text. Together, they have created a tome worthy of a prominent place on any jazz lover's coffee table.

I attended and reviewed the parties where several of these photos were taken. Substantiating the ancient Chinese proverb, "A picture is worth more than a thousand words," I must confess that Al White captured the action with his photographs much better than my words could ever describe.

Like the music it glorifies, jazz photography is also a vital artform. This book adds further documentation to that fact.

-- Floyd Levin

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© Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.






	Search our site:		JAZZ PARTY, A Photo Gallery of Great Jazz Musicians by Al White Text edited by Jim Shacter; 234 pp., 10"x12", hard cover, indexed; published by August House Publishers, Inc., Little Rock, AR. The latest book of fine jazz photography, Al White's Jazz Party, A Photo Gallery of Great Jazz Musicians focuses on a significant element in today's jazz scene. Since the music's earliest days, jazz musicians have attracted the attention of photographers. There is the intrigue of reflected light patterns on an instrument's graceful contours, and the dramatic movement of the players' bodies as they improvise. A typical jazz performance can fulfill a photographer's regard for subject matter and composition, and, lured by these visual elements, they have, for years, preserved priceless glimpses of musicians at work. A 1902 photo created an image of the seminal New Orleans band led by legendary cornetist, Buddy Bolden. In 1906, an unknown photographer posed Stalebread Lacoume's band at a picnic on the shore of Lake Ponchartrain. Similar photos depict Frankie Dusen's Eagle Band in 1916, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Bix Beiderbecke, and young Louis Armstrong with the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band in Daguerre's Chicago studio in 1922. Initially, jazz photos appeared only in a few obscure books or specialized magazines, and, later, as illustrations on record jackets. Recently, the publishing industry has astutely recognized jazz photography as a commercially viable subject. Books have appeared covering the works of such noted lens artists as K. Abe, Bill Gottlieb, Lee Tanner, Ray Avery, Lee Friedlander, Milt Hinton, Charles Peterson, and William Claxton. These skilled cameramen each viewed the jazz scene from an individual perspective. For more than thirty years, Al White has been a familiar figure at a series of unique jazz events. Smiling broadly at a front row table, he unobtrusively snaps his outstanding photos. Viewing through his lens, he awaits a singular instant when an appropriate image occurs. The depth of his perception produces far more than mere gradations of black and white. That scene is visually enhanced by textures and shadows which often appear in his prints. The illustrative quality of his work is apparent in Jazz Party. Each scene invokes a bright vision of a particular moment during an event known as a "jazz party." The jazz party format was originated in 1963 by a Colorado businessman, Dick Gibson. He engaged about a dozen prominent musicians, including Teddy Wilson and "Wild Bill" Davison, to perform at a private affair in Aspen, Colorado. Gibson invited friends who shared his love for jazz, and charged them a substantial fee to attend the posh weekend affair. Based on the success of his initial effort, Gibson presented his party each year and carefully assembled his players to appear in various groupings during the party. As his musical roster expanded, and the annual fee increased, affluent fans traveled from many parts of the country to listen to these great jazz artists. Enthusiastic entrepreneurs, emulating Gibson's innovative format, soon launched additional parties in various parts of the country. Eventually about 150 similar events were attracting large audiences. These parties have become a vital source of entertainment for fans and have created additional venues that provide exposure and income for jazz musicians. They have also been an inspiration for Al White, an ardent jazz fan and talented photographer, who attended his first party in 1970. Musicians are accustomed to enduring frequent camera flashes during their performances, but they seldom see the photographic results. White arrives at each party with a stack of manila envelopes containing his photos from the previous event. During the last 30 years, he has generously distributed hundreds of 8x10 prints to his musician friends. White's deluxe Photo Gallery, printed on slick quality paper, is very handsomely bound. It includes over 100 facing pages, each with an insightful biography of an individual artist shown in three sepia-toned autographed photos. Since most prints are group shots, the cumulative list of illustrated musicians is quite impressive. Smiling youthful visages will evoke warm memories of several deceased jazz greats. Among them are: Bob Haggart, Vic Dickenson, Bobby Hackett, Pee Wee Erwin, Joe Venuti and Red Norvo. You will also enjoy seeing Al White's excellent photos of veteran contemporary artists like Ralph Sutton, Johnny Best, Milt Hinton, Jack Lesberg, Bob Wilber, Kenny Davern, Benny Carter, Gerry Wiggins, and scores of others. The younger generation of giants includes Dan Barrett, Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Ken Peplowski, John Allred, Peter Ecklund, Joe Ascione, Randy Sandke, Scott Hamilton, and more. Each photo vividly recalls a thrilling jazz party scene. Ralph Sutton's biographer, Jim Shacter, collaborated with White on the informative text. Together, they have created a tome worthy of a prominent place on any jazz lover's coffee table. I attended and reviewed the parties where several of these photos were taken. Substantiating the ancient Chinese proverb, "A picture is worth more than a thousand words," I must confess that Al White captured the action with his photographs much better than my words could ever describe. Like the music it glorifies, jazz photography is also a vital artform. This book adds further documentation to that fact. -- Floyd Levin RETURN TO JUNE 2000 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.