May 5 — June 24, 2007 at the FAC MODERN

The MODERN continues its focus on photographers and music with the celebrated portraits of jazz legends of the 1930s and 1940s captured by revered Washington Post photographer, William Gottlieb. The exhibition showcases over 70 photographs including jazz greats Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Charlie “Bird” Parker.

Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Charlie Parker all epitomize one of the paramount eras in music history— the jazz scene from the late 1930s to the 1940s. Against the dire backdrop of the Great Depression and the Second World War, musical styles such as swing and bebop captured a sentiment of optimism and hope. The exhibition Portraits from the Golden Age of Jazz: Photographs by William P. Gottlieb documents this remarkable era through enigmatic and revealing photographs by jazz devotee and photographer William P. Gottlieb.

While working in the advertising department for The Washington Post right after college, Gottlieb convinced the newspaper editor to let him write a weekly jazz column. Due to budgetary constraints he could not use a staff photographer. The rest, as they say…is history. Gottlieb bought a camera and took his own photographs to illustrate his articles. Since camera equipment and flashbulbs were so expensive, he would take only a few photographs per session. Photographs meant to merely document stories became exceptional works of art. Gottlieb was able to capture the character and individuality of incredibly gifted musical personalities. He told visual stories that exemplify a slice of American cultural life. These photographs are history and art, and they allow us a peek into an extraordinary time.

Listen to the music of Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and other musicians featured in the exhibit on CDs available in the FAC MODERN Museum Shop, plus, the book, “Golden Age of Jazz,” signed by the photographer; the acclaimed Ken Burns book and CD from his documentary, Jazz; and other unique jazz offerings.

Visit the amazing jazz section of your local Independent Records now with seven Colorado locations.

Gottlieb was not taking pictures; he was photographing music...
-Whitney Balliett, The New Yorker