Apr 8, 2025 1:23 PM
Blue Note Jazz Festival New York Posts 2025 Lineup
Blue Note Entertainment Group has unveiled the lineup for the 14th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York, featuring…
Lee Morgan (left) and Wayne Shorter are two of the musicians depicted in the book Jazz Images by Francis Wolff
(Photo: Francis Wolff)The latest book in Elemental Music’s Jazz Images series features the iconic photos of Francis Wolff (1907–’71).
Like Jazz Images by Jean-Pierre Leloir and Jazz Images by William Claxton—the first two publications in the series—Jazz Images by Francis Wolff is packaged in an 11.5-inch square hardcover edition. The book has 164 pages with more than 150 black-and-white images by the master photographer.
Each image is accompanied by specific information as to the circumstances in which the photo was taken, as well as captions identifying the musicians. The book includes a highly informative introduction by acclaimed writer/historian Ashley Kahn.
Born Jakob Franz Wolff in Berlin, he developed an early enthusiasm for jazz. After working as a commercial photographer in his home town, in 1939, Wolff fled Nazi Germany and settled in New York, where he reconnected with his childhood friend Alfred Lion, co-owner of the Blue Note record label. Eventually, Wolff joined Lion in running the company.
Wolff often shot photos in the environs of recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s fabled studio just outside of the city. Wolff’s ability to remain unobtrusive (despite the use of flash) enabled him to portray artists in the purest moments of making recorded music—whether playing, conversing, writing, listening or even relaxing between takes. That element of spontaneity and immediacy embodies the essence of jazz.
The stunning images contained in the pages of Jazz Images by Francis Wolff vividly illustrate what made Wolff’s work so special. Highlights include a shot of DownBeat Hall of Fame inductee Hank Mobley cradling his horn as he listens to a playback; trumpeter Lee Morgan and tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson playing face-to-face; and drummer Art Blakey squinting as he’s just about to strike the snare drum.
In other dramatic images, John Coltrane leans back in concentration as he coaxes transcendent art from his tenor saxophone; Miles Davis, seated with crossed legs, coolly blows into his trumpet; drummer Elvin Jones’ hand is wrapped around bassist Reggie Workman’s shoulder as they share a laugh; and tenor saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Ike Quebec pore over session notes with Lion.
Nearly 50 years after Wolff’s death, this book could introduce a new audience not only to his incredible visual artistry, but also to the music that these jazz icons recorded. DB
The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York kicks off May 27 with a James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall.
Apr 8, 2025 1:23 PM
Blue Note Entertainment Group has unveiled the lineup for the 14th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York, featuring…
“I’m certainly influenced by Geri Allen,” said Iverson, during a live Blindfold Test at the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival.
Apr 15, 2025 11:44 AM
Between last Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Ethan Iverson performed as part of the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival in…
“At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”
Apr 15, 2025 11:55 AM
DownBeat has a long association with the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, the premiere…
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
Davis was a two-time Grammy winner for liner notes.
Apr 22, 2025 11:50 AM
Francis Davis, an august jazz and cultural critic who won both awards and esteem in print, film and radio, died April…
