Blue notes in black and white : photography and jazz
(Book)

Jazz and the photography that chronicled it came of age as accessible art forms between the two world wars, the period before the growing popularity of television and rhythm and blues, observes historian Cawthra. A network of musicians, record companies, and photographers nurtured the music through the 1920s, the Great Depression, Prohibition, and into the civil rights era and rising black nationalism. Cawthra brings a deep appreciation for jazz and the photography that captured the ecstasy of the music and performing and the disappointments felt by black musicians subject to race discrimination and personal demons. He explores the portrayal of jazz in the American culture and the behind-the-scenes moments in the lives of the musicians. He highlights jazz icons, including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins, along with the great photographers who followed the musicians' careers, including Gjon Mili, Roy DeCarava, and William Claxton, as they shared love for the music and witness to the changes in the American cultural scene. Wonderful photographs enhance this exploration of the nexus between jazz and photography.--Bush, Vanessa Copyright 2010 Booklist

Cawthra (history, California State Univ.) has assembled a brilliant study of the complex relationships among jazz, photography, racial identity, racial politics, and definitions of black masculinity. The title's double meaning is evidenced by Cawthra's emphasis on black-and-white photographs and his deconstruction of the racial dynamics of the work of jazz photographers from the swing era through the postbop and cool jazz eras. The book includes 65 half-tone photographs; however, Cawthra dissects the work of Gjon Mili, William Gottlieb, Herman Leonard, William Claxton, Francis Wolff, Roy DeCarava, and other photographers beyond those whose work is reproduced here. The research is top-notch, and the explanations are clear and in-depth. VERDICT This title will appeal to jazz and photography fans as well as students of American studies, jazz studies, and photography. It is a must-have for anyone seriously interested in the politics and sociology of jazz and how it was perceived from the 1930s through the 1960s.-James E. Perone, Univ. of Mount Union, Alliance, OH (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Jazz and the photography that chronicled it came of age "as accessible art forms" between the two world wars, the period before the growing popularity of television and rhythm and blues, observes historian Cawthra. A network of musicians, record companies, and photographers nurtured the music through the 1920s, the Great Depression, Prohibition, and into the civil rights era and rising black nationalism. Cawthra brings a deep appreciation for jazz and the photography that captured the ecstasy of the music and performing and the disappointments felt by black musicians subject to race discrimination and personal demons. He explores the portrayal of jazz in the American culture and the behind-the-scenes moments in the lives of the musicians. He highlights jazz icons, including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins, along with the great photographers who followed the musicians' careers, including Gjon Mili, Roy DeCarava, and William Claxton, as they shared love for the music and witness to the changes in the American cultural scene. Wonderful photographs enhance this exploration of the nexus between jazz and photography. Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.

Cawthra (history, California State Univ.) has assembled a brilliant study of the complex relationships among jazz, photography, racial identity, racial politics, and definitions of black masculinity. The title's double meaning is evidenced by Cawthra's emphasis on black-and-white photographs and his deconstruction of the racial dynamics of the work of jazz photographers from the swing era through the postbop and cool jazz eras. The book includes 65 half-tone photographs; however, Cawthra dissects the work of Gjon Mili, William Gottlieb, Herman Leonard, William Claxton, Francis Wolff, Roy DeCarava, and other photographers beyond those whose work is reproduced here. The research is top-notch, and the explanations are clear and in-depth. VERDICT This title will appeal to jazz and photography fans as well as students of American studies, jazz studies, and photography. It is a must-have for anyone seriously interested in the politics and sociology of jazz and how it was perceived from the 1930s through the 1960s.—James E. Perone, Univ. of Mount Union, Alliance, OH