Ed van der Elsken: Jazz

109 black & white plates

Originally published in 1959, Jazz has become one of the most collectible photography books from the mid-twentieth century. Like William Claxton’s Jazzlife and Dennis Stock’s Jazz Street, Van Der Elsken’s entry in the niche of jazz photography was published just prior to the moment when rock’n’roll cemented its place as the popular music of choice for young people. This book is perhaps the most successful of numerous attempts to capture photographically the essence of jazz because it is more than just a succession of musicians’ portraits, or even a documentary record of performance, but a book that visually echoes the music itself. Other photographers, perhaps closer to the jazz community, have made books on the subject, but Van Der Elsken’s is the work of an authentic jazz fan and a maker of authentic photobooks.