"The photographs of William Claxton define the essence of cool." -
Jason Ankeny (AllMusic) "Claxton's innovative choices and airy
style, which he called 'jazz for your eyes', worked sublimely to
document and promote the rise of trumpeter and singer Chet Baker,
especially." - Howard Mandel Born in Pasadena, California,
photographer William Claxton (1927-2008) is best known for his
dozens of splendid portraits of jazz stars (especially those of
Chet Baker, of whom he made the first professional photos) and
Hollywood stars (such as his friend Steve McQueen). In 1952, while
shooting Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker at the Haig Club, he met
Richard Bock, founder of Pacific Jazz, who quickly hired him as art
director and house photographer. During his time at the label,
Claxton snapped and designed album covers at a rate of roughly one
per week, in the process establishing the visual identity of the
West Coast jazz movement. Where previous jazz photographers
captured their subjects in the dark, smoky environs of nightclubs,
Claxton capitalised on the sun and surf of southern California,
posing artists in unorthodox outdoor settings to represent a new
era in the music's continued evolution. Claxton's images graced the
covers of numerous music albums, and his work regularly appeared in
such magazines as Life, Paris Match and Vogue. Claxton wrote 13
books, held dozens of exhibitions of his photographs around the
world, and won numerous photography awards. This book presents a
selection of more than 150 superb images by the great photographer.
Among the multiple artists portrayed are Louis Armstrong, Chet
Baker, Art Blakey, Clifford Brown, Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles,
Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Stan Getz,
Billie Holiday, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Charles Mingus, Thelonious
Monk, Wes Montgomery, Lee Morgan, Art Pepper, Sonny Rollins, Dinah
Washington, and Muddy Waters. Text in English, with an introduction
in English, French and Spanish.
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• Hardcover