Jazz Devil

The coolest of posters are often those that depict the legends of jazz. Images of Billie Holiday, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and the like. Images of sultry, smoky jazz clubs. Images that depict a groovy, in the truest sense of the word, place that was both physical and metaphorical. Like watching saint & sinner gods & angels laid back in a dark but cosey heaven in their tuxedos and gowns listening to the tonal sounds of, well, saints and sinners pouring forth souls of lament and joy.

The real world of jazz was like any other real world, but of course, with jazz. But these black and white images captured that myth that is the spirit of jazz. But what makes these images more groovy is that it showed the twist within the myth. Look at these images. The twist in the myth is that it's not a myth, what you see here is the real spirit of jazz.

Many and most of the best of these images were created by photographer Herman Leonard. I only just found out he passed away on August 14th. I'm sure I could write more about him and his achievments, which went well beyond simply jazz and the jazz age, but I think his own images of that time says it all well enough.

Thank you, Mr. Herman Leonard