The jazz image : seeing music through Herman Leonard's photography /

Providing a thorough analysis of work by Leonard (1923-2010), this engaging study illustrates the development of an archetypal image associated with jazz and jazz musicians--the ubiquitous black-and-white photo--as distinctively introspective. Pinson (communication and media arts, Robert Morris Univ.) asserts that "as the receiving ears have dwindled in number since jazz reigned supreme as popular dance music, the visual representation of jazz has become more important in communicating its meaning." She notes that jazz and photography are inextricably linked by a common bond: both have struggled for recognition over the years and been overshadowed by more "classical" trends in music and the visual arts. The author critiques Leonard's photographs, and those of others, in terms of such issues as race, gender, and social class. She also provides a time line of Leonard's life, a list of his numerous exhibitions, and an extensive bibliography. This is a timely offering, an homage published in the year of Leonard's death. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. D. J. Schmalenberger McNally Smith College of Music