The Jazz Institute and the City of Chicago have published Jazzography: A Portrait of the Chicago Jazz Festival at 30, in conjunction with this year’s festival. The book was created as a companion volume to the exhibition currently on display at the city’s Office of Tourism.
During the last week in August of each year since 1979, jazz fans have gathered in Grant Park for the free outdoor Chicago Jazz Festival. Jazzography is a collection of nearly 200 photos, selected by photo editor Jerri Zbiral, which aims to commemorate the Festival’s 30 years of success.
The images that appear in the book were captured by five local photographers-Michael Jackson, Javet Kimble, Marc, Pokempner, Scott Pollard and Jazz Institute of Chicago Executive Director Lauren Deutsch-and feature a number of iconic artists, including Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Muddy Waters, Benny Goodman, Joe Henderson (pictured), Ray Charles Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie and many more. An essay written by jazz critic Howard Mandel precedes the gallery.
Jazz fans should enjoy the intriguing shots. Contributing photographer Jackson explains, “I think that I’ve had a slight privilege because I’ve been able to see it from a couple of vantage points. I am a writer and a musician, as well as a photographer, so I am interested in other elements of music; I am interested in musicians because of their abilities, not their looks, so I isolated those images which show those abilities.”
Jazzography will be available in stores throughout the city, including the Chicago Cultural Center store, as well as online through the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s website, Jazz in Chicago.
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