 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
Benny Carter w/Count Basie
Hollywood Bowl, 1961
© William Claxton |
|
[ click to enlarge ] |
|
From rare moments captured during a Hollywood Bowl rehearsal of musical icons Benny Carter
and Count Basie, to touching and intimate images of a young, shirtless Chet Baker in the
sun-drenched window of a beachfront home, Claxton's embrace of both the fullest views and
the most inspired glimpses of American jazz culture has enabled him to document a broad
range of experiences in the lives of the many artists featured in this premiere exhibition of
"William Claxton's Hollywood," as well as numerous others from around the world.
Attempting to define the creative ability of a photographer, painter, filmmaker, or
philosopher to expand our view of the human experience is quite often difficult, at best,
and at times merely creates an interesting sidebar. In his description of the most basic
experience of jazz photography, Claxton simply states, "The international languages of jazz and photography need no special education or sophistication to be enjoyed."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As an unquestionable leader in expanding the definition and experience of jazz photography, it is particularly fitting for Claxton's rich body of images to include such beloved musical innovators as Crosby, Ellington, Sinatra, Carter, Davis, Alpert, Parker, Basie, and many others. In this candid, 1957 photo with Bing Crosby and Bob Scobey, Claxton captures Crosby's return to his earliest jazz roots in a recording session at Hollywood's Radio Recorders that included such landmark jazz standards as "Mack the Knife" and the classic "Whispering" from Paul Whiteman.
His choice to document the actual recording process of Crosby's vocal performance clearly captures the intensity with which each artist in the image is focused on their craft, as well as brings to light the more subtle visual communication taking place between Scobey and the conductor of the session (off-camera). Studio bassist Red Callender can also be seen equally fixed on ensuring the intensity of this now classic performance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
In a similar, visceral context, perhaps no artist is more widely or more reverently known for
their emotional intensity as the legendary Miles Davis. In this 1957 photo of Davis, taken at
Claxton's Hollywood studio, the artist's trademark persona is captured in what, by this period
in an unparalleled career as performer, composer, and musical genius, had now become firmly
established as "the image of cool."
Ten years prior to Claxton's documenting of this timeless image, Davis first arrived in
Hollywood after receiving an offer to join the popular Los Angeles-based swing
orchestra of bandleader Benny Carter. Carter's sophisticated swing performances had long
drawn enthusiastic Hollywood icons such as Lana Turner, Kay Starr, and Mickey Rooney to his
shows, including those featuring the young Miles Davis. It was also during this time that
Davis could be found performing alongside such jazz greats as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and
others, at clubs throughout Los Angeles.
In the years that followed, beginning as early as 1948, Davis soon began seeking new ways to
explore his own creative voice, beyond that of Carter's or any other's, and went on to
produce a series of musical works that would serve to inspire a new West Coast movement
known simply as "cool jazz." Labeled "cool" to emphasize his intentional movement away from
the more widely recognized style of "bebop" that he'd been a central part of for so many
years, Davis's long career would continue to challenge, elevate, and re-define the idiom of
jazz throughout his lifetime.
[ back to top ] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
