Friday, February 19, 2010

A Great Day in Harlem

A Great Day in Harlem is an iconic group portrait of 57 jazz musicians by Art Kane. Iconic is an adjective that has been long associated with this photo to the point of being a cliche, but it is [to some of us] a touchpoint in the history of the music I - and many like me - love. Here is the photo for reference:

I personally own two, one of which hangs in my living room and the other a spare.

Here is a full list of the musicians in the photo, including the drummers, of course.

In addition to the photo, which is available for purchase by clicking Harlem Jazz Portrait ~ A Great Day In Harlem ~ Art Kane Photo ~ 24x35, you can also purchase or pay-per-view the documentary that describes how the photo came to be, as well as interviews with many of the 57 musicians who were captured on film that day: Great Day in Harlem

There is also a book, The Great Jazz Day, that is ideal for fanatics such as myself, and even a t-shirt (see Jazz Portrait T-Shirt ~ A Great Day In Harlem ~ Photographer Art Kane ~ Hanes Pre-Shrunk Cotton ~ Size L) for the the truly faithful.

Back to the video, here is a short clip that gives a taste of what's inside:

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