When, in 1997, writer, scholar, and archivist Sam Stephenson serendipitously came across audio tapes, photographs and other documents involving jazz musicians congregating in photographer W. Eugene Smith's Manhattan loft in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he was surprised as anyone. The wall of cartons had been unopened since before Smith's death in 1978. Stephenson and his cohorts spent several years studying the documents, including tapes in which one can hear jazz musicians conversing, brainstorming and playing in a relaxed, informal setting. Now, there is an exhibition of selected materials from these archives at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, as well as a book that contains a narrative of the project and some of Smith's multitude of photographs taken at or from the loft.
AAJ Contributor Victor L. Schermer spoke with Stephenson about his unexpected discovery, what it says about the evolution of jazz in New York and the remarkable work of photographer W. Eugene Smith, and the ultimate unfolding and unveiling of The Jazz Loft Project.
Check out Sam Stephenson: A “Loft-y" Vision of Jazz at AAJ today!
For more information contact All About Jazz.
