Ornette Coleman by Jimmy Katz
Since we were talking about Ornette Coleman the other day, here's the best picture of him I know of. Photographer Jimmy Katz is well known for his photography of jazz musicians—he won the Award for Excellence in Photography from the Jazz Journalists Association in both 2006 and 2011.
He tells me it's not even his favorite shot from the session, which was done in Ornette's apartment in front of some of his art in 2005. Jimmy likes this 4x5 even more:
"I think of it as Ornette exploring the universe before the rest of us," Jimmy says with a smile. "Which he did."
Jimmy Katz, born in New York City, studied photography with John McKee at Bowdoin College. He and his wife Dena, originally from Moscow, have been collaborating on photographic projects in New York City in the music field since 1991, and have done over 500 recording projects and 175 magazine covers. Here's his website.
Naturally, like most photographers of musicians, he's a fan too. "I explain to people that Ornette was so influential as an artist that when he accepted the MacArthur genius award he actually validated them...There was no way anybody could validate him!"
Mike
(Thanks to Jimmy)
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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Rob de Loe: "The first one is OK. The second one is simply superb!"
James Weekes: "I have seen, probably, over a hundred different pictures of Ornette Coleman, and every one has been a wonderful one. He takes light at the same level as Paris."
Thanks for the link to Jimmy's website. Loved his books on Salt Lake and World of Wonders. Almost time to put them on the Christmas list!
Posted by: huw Morgan | Tuesday, 16 October 2018 at 04:08 PM
Kats ... Kets .... in Belgium we have the famous Jimmy Kets ... http://www.jimmykets.be
Posted by: Guy Claessens | Tuesday, 16 October 2018 at 05:24 PM
You know way more about jazz than I ever will, but I've listened to some, and I believe in the sincerity of Ornette Coleman and the people he worked with, and the other jazz musicians influenced by him (and by the earlier jazz musicians who developed be-bop.) I also think that these guys are largely responsible for the decline of jazz as an art form. Jazz and other roots-based/folk-based music have, IMHO, one real imperative: to make women dance. Way back when, women wanted to dance to Bach and Mozart and did; and the modern version of concerts -- sit in the seats and listen -- has done much in my opinion to hurry along the decline of symphony orchestras. When music is not fun, when it mostly is attuned to an aesthetic theory, when you have to sit upright in your seat and not move or snore, then it's in trouble. I doubt that few people would argue with the idea that jazz is in desperate trouble. IMHO.
Posted by: John Camp | Tuesday, 16 October 2018 at 06:00 PM
At last, a post about images, and on one of my favourite topics - jazz photography! While the Jacob's coat of many colours in the first image would be hard to do justice to in B&W, the second image "validates" my view that B&W photography was invented specifically for jazz. It suits the mood. And yes, Ornette is an acquired taste, but like Thelonius Monk for example, who was also not always accessible, there's no denying their influence. You exert influence from out on the edges, not from being in the centre.
Posted by: Brian Stewart | Tuesday, 16 October 2018 at 06:35 PM
"You exert influence from out on the edges, not from being in the centre."
Very true. Nobody broke new ground by following the herd.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, 17 October 2018 at 06:04 AM
What can I add? Again, John Camp gets it totally right.
Jazz, for me and my friends during the 50s, was about dancing, smokey rooms, girls and excitement. So was rock'n' roll until the time when it became a matter of buying expensive seats in a concert hall, and remaining seated at a Chuck Berry show. As depressing, to wait in hope as he refused to come out and do an encore, making me think of all those LPs of his I'd bought through the years. Would five minutes more have made him a poorer man?
Art, money; they always end up screwing each other to death.
Rob
Posted by: Rob Campbell | Wednesday, 17 October 2018 at 10:13 AM
A little off topic but nonetheless interesting:
https://www.google.be/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/lens/great-day-in-harlem-art-kane-jazz.amp.html
Best Regards,
ACG
Posted by: Aaron C Greenman | Sunday, 21 October 2018 at 02:54 AM