Thursday, February 23, 2017

Jazz Pictures

Where: National Portrait Gallery

When: through February 20, 2017

Herman Leonard, a protege of Yousef Karsh, took his considerable photographic talents to New York jazz clubs and made them come alive for those who could not visit them.  If you can't smell the smoke, taste the cocktails and hear the music, then that's your failure of imagination.

Perhaps the most interesting portrait is one of Lester Young; it's a still life of a hat, some music and cigarette smoke - very intriguing.

The thing that struck me was how many of these talented musicians died young; it adds an air of melancholy to the show.

Verdict: A fine way for the Portrait Gallery to celebrate the opening of the African American museum.

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