Jazz, Giants, and Journeys

With a camera as his backstage pass, Herman Leonard has photographed the giants of jazz in their golden age, movie stars on set and on their travels to exotic places, the fashion world of Paris in the 1960s, and the inner sanctums of his beloved New Orleans. His friendships with the jazz greats allowed him to vividly capture the magical moments of the Harlem and Paris jazz clubs in the 1940s and 50s, using his unique command of cinematic lighting to capture the essence of the time. His colourful life and travels enabled him to document the lives of the cultural icons of his day, with such rare images as Marilyn Monroe on an elephant in the circus to Albert Einstein at his desk. This exquisite book is the first full treatment of this extraordinary life and distinctive body of work, giving Leonard’s photographs the artistic recognition that they deserve.