Ever since I came across this photo in a bar somewhere, I've been fascinated by "A Great Day in Harlem", both in terms of the story behind it as well as the composition of the photo itself. A Great Day In Harlem Art Kane ... "And I turned to the picture and said, 'boy, that's a great picture.' Art Kane's first photo assignment for Esquire magazine in 1958 must have been his own personal Everest. Sixty years ago this month, Esquire magazine released its "Golden Age of Jazz" issue featuring a picture showing 57 legendary jazz musicians gathered in front of a Harlem townhouse in 1958. He had spread word that he hoped to take a picture for a special edition of Esquire magazine commemorating the golden age of jazz. In 1994, Jean Bach released "A Great Day in Harlem," a documentary that tells the story behind the photograph through interviews with many of the jazz artists in the picture. And like all magazines, you keep it for a while and I finally threw it in the trash." A Great Day in Harlem Black art matters. Still, while I was aware of the picture, I knew nothing of its deep history until three years later when former radio producer Jean Bach directed the Academy Award nominated documentary A Great Day in Harlem.Chronicling the day that the photograph was shot, she incorporated archival photos and Super 8 footage that had been shot by bassist Milton Hilton’s wife, Mona. A great day in Harlem photograph Summer 1958: Number 27 in our series of the 50 key events in the history of dance music Brownie box camera used to take the picture, 'A Great Day in Harlem'. Same goes for Steve Frankfurt. Link to the Jean Bach documentary of the shoot, online sales of the photo originally published in Esquire magazine. Get 50+ jazz musicians in one place at one time, stand across the street, point and shoot. name. Without a doubt, it’s the most famous jazz artists picture of all time. . The day, deemed by XXL magazine “The Greatest Day In Hip-Hop History,” was built around a tribute to Art Kane’s 1958 photograph, “A Great Day In Harlem.” A great day in Harlem News After watching “A great day in Harlem”, an interesting documentary about the famous picture that portraits many of the great Jazz musicians in New York in the late 50’s, I started a modest quest to find that same location where the event took place. MARTIN: As for the photo, Sonny Rollins watched over the years as that picture of "A Great Day In Harlem" became an important part of music history. All the more reason to leave this article where it is, I guess, though I believe the explanation ought to be incorporated. The Picture Worth 1,000 Riffs / `A Great Day in Harlem' tells story of legendary jazz photo JESSE HAMLIN, Chronicle Staff Writer July 12, 1995 Updated: Feb. 4, 2012 11:52 a.m. Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, this great tenor saxophonist went on the road with Mamie Smith’s Jazz Hounds in 1922 while still in his teens. 'Sisters' visits the world-famous Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, ... As tourists pause to take pictures or read placards, Lawson points to items and describes them with an easy, conversational expertise. It got together great artists and great performances, and it is a great archive of … Now commonly known as A Great Day in Harlem , the famous shot of 57 jazz musicians gathered outside a brownstone in New York is one of the most imitated images in popular culture, by one of the world’s greatest photographers. The 168-page book includes essays by Jonathan Kane, the late photographer’s son and archive executor; saxophonist Benny Golson, one of the photo’s two surviving jazz musicians; and an oral history by Art Kane from the 1994 documentary. A Great Day In Harlem is the correct name not just for the picture, or the film, but for the era. Color: Black and White Type: Archival Digital Print Edition: 16x20 (100), 30x40 (7), 50x75 (3) Signed: Estate Stamped. It was a Summer day in New York City, 1958. The Picture--A Great Day in Harlem—Honoring Jazz Artists Everywhere. Morrison Hotel Gallery Prints. Jean Bach does the seemingly impossible with "A Great Day in Harlem. Browse 1,863 a great night in harlem stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Click on Art Kane's August 1958 photograph of 57 jazz musicians for names of those pictured, or browse by timeline, instrument, or style. 7 Art Kane recorded a remarkable moment in jazz history - a gathering in Harlem of all the greatest livirigjazz musicians, 57 of them, plus one club owner. ), to the extent that The New York Times referred to the original photo as "A Great Day in Harlem." A Great Day In Harlem was one of Art Kane's proudest accomplishments. Click on musician to visit wiki page. Art Kane, a freelance photographer working for Esquire magazine, took the picture around 10 a.m. on August 12 in the summer of 1958. It captures a time when artists knew each other, respected each other, and celebrated their achievements. The photograph, which appeared in Esquire’s January 1959 issue and became the focus of an Oscar-nominated documentary, “A Great Day in Harlem,” … There were fifty-seven great jazz musicians who gathered together on the steps of a Harlem brownstone early in the morning one day … Narrated by Quincy Jones, this "irresistible" (Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times), Academy Award-nominated documentary examines the fascinating lives of the musicians who showed up that day to make history. Now a new book reveals the story behind the … The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences has had its share of problems relating to documentaries in the past few years, which makes its recent decision to scrap the documentary-short category—causing more films to compete for fewer nominations—all the more ponderous. Narrated by Quincy Jones , this documentary tells the story of that historic photograph, taken for Esquire magazine, and the jazz world that it captured. A Great Day in Harlem. The documentary was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary in 1995. A young photographer paced nervously in front of a Harlem brownstone. "A Great Day in Harlem" gets inside the picture, the movie camera zeroing in on many of the musicians as bits of Bach's interviews and comments by the musicians fill the sound track. Hawkins, Coleman. [1] As his photograph—commonly referred to as “A Great Day in Harlem”—ingrained itself in our collective memory, countless “Great Day” homages were created to record other historic gatherings: A Great Day in Hollywood, . But the organization occasionally gets it right, as it did by nominating 1994's A Great Day In Harlem for … A Great Day in Harlem, 1958 by Art Kane. To commemorate the photo’s 60th anniversary, Wall of Sound Editions will publish “Art Kane: Harlem 1958” on Nov. 12. It became known as "A Great Day in Harlem." There is one hilarious exchange between Benny Golson and Horace Silver, but it is the moving affirmation by Art Farmer towards the end of the film which stands out, going some way to explaining not only the enduring appeal of Art Kane's photograph, but also the magic of jazz itself. Since the Harlem Renaissance, the neighborhood had been a notable center of the uniquely American sound of jazz. She makes a 40-year-old B&W photograph come alive. Explore {{searchView.params.phrase}} by color family {{familyColorButtonText(colorFamily.name)}} Everyone is a valedictorian in “Jazz Portrait – Harlem, New York, 1958” by Art Kane, the iconic, class reunion-style photo of 58 of the greatest jazz musicians. “A Great Day in Harlem” dives into the story behind the picture in detail, incorporating the priceless, joy-infused Super-8 footage that Mona Hinton, Milt’s wife, shot during the session. HARLEM 1958 marks the 60th anniversary of one of the most celebrated images in American history. nce a work of art becomes famous or successful - or both, like the 1958 jazz photograph "A Great Day in Harlem" - a curious tug of war often develops. A Great Day in Harlem or Harlem 1958 is a 1958 black and white group portrait of 57 notable jazz musicians photographed on a street in Harlem, New York City. Sure, no problem. The photo has remained an important object in the study of the history of jazz. In August of 1958, in front of a Harlem brownstone, first-time photographer Art Kane assembled 57 of the greatest jazz stars of all time and snapped a picture that would live forever. Shortly after the Big Picture was made, Gryce left jazz performing and worked primarily as a teacher.