The Genius of Herman Leonard

The Genius of Herman Leonard

May 11, 2008 First Published:May 12, 2008

Herman Leonard’s first New York show in 20 years got underway last week at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in SoHo. It’s open to the public every day until June 1, and anyone with a taste for classic jazz, gorgeous black-and-white photography, or both should take a look. If you don’t know Leonard’s name, you probably know him by his work. He has taken some of the most iconic shots of Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Dexter Gordon, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk—the list goes on. There are, or were, half-a-dozen great jazz photographers covering the same era of the late 1940s through early ‘60s, but Leonard was the genre’s Cartier-Bresson—a genius at capturing the “decisive moment,” when the essence of the man or woman and the music are revealed. Monk at Minton’s Playhouse, one hand on his chain, contemplative, the other hitting just the right-wrong note on the piano (you can almost hear it). Blakey beaming with delight as he bangs out a solo on his trapset. Sinatra, back to the camera, singing before the kliegs, and still, somehow, his very tone comes through. Leonard (who, at 85, is still hearty and good-humored) also captured the human side of jazz: Parker and Gillespie cracking laughs during a studio break; Ellington and Strayhorn sharing a cigarette break; Miles, late in life, fixated on an oil painting; Dexter, in perhaps Leonard’s most famous shot, sitting with his tenor and blowing more smoke than one would have thought human lungs could hold. The lighting is dreamy but not at all soft; these pictures are amazingly sharp, printed on gelatin silver. They’re signed and for sale. I own one of his prints (the Parker-Gillespie, from 1949). A jazz critic gets paid in Leonard photos for one of his regular columns. They are sources of endless pleasure, and they’re probably as safe an investment as any in the art world.

Music For Organ, Brass and Timpani on Sonoma

Forums
The Great Beyond
Submitted by dcstep on

I've been listening to this wonderful SACD in two-channel this afternoon. If you look over at Acoustic Sounds at http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=15380 you'll see some very mixed reviews.

Of course, if you don't like brass and organ,then don't even think about this, but if you do, this is one of the greatest examples of the genre that I've ever heard.

John Atkinson and USB DACs

Forums
General Rants 'n' Raves
Submitted by stevennsimon on

Hi
There's a raft of new USB DACs, some of which don't even have optical inputs. The latest I saw was the Nuforce Icon, but there are now a lot of others in all price ranges, eg, Wavelength.

Why invoke JA's name? Because he and others (Hi FI News, for example) whose judgments are very reliable say that USB isn't very good as a DAC connector.

So, anyone out there know whether the USB issues JA has identified have now been resolved? Or should I hold off buying a USB DAC?

Thanks for your interest,
S

The only GOOD analog is TAPE

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General Rants 'n' Raves
Submitted by CECE on

None of that diamond tips polishing vinyl Open ree-reel is analog best. I do in fact have an open reel-reel Philips deck, in prime shape, time to plug in again? Still cumbersome etc. Some time ago i did replace all teh drive belts, non audio grade since they did come from MCMelectronics.com They even have a nice measuring jig when you are looking for drive belts. They got em all, for everything. And CHEAP. www.tapeproject.com

New speakers recommendation.

Forums
The Entry Level
Submitted by Kizuka on

Hi

I'm in the market for a new mixer and good speakers for my turntables. To date i've been running them on a pair of reasonable computer speakers I had lying around. I've decided it's time to invest in some quality audio equipment to enrich the listening experience.

I'm completely new to audio hardware and speakers and i'm a little dizzy from all the manufacturers I see advertised.

Day at the DUP's

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General Rants 'n' Raves
Submitted by bifcake on

As most of you know, I have issued a challenge to DUP to essentially put up or shut up when it comes to his talk about watts and large drivers and cables and cheap electronics by hosting a meet and allowing the stereophile forum members to judge for themselves the sonic fruits of DUP's labor. DUP has risen to the challenge (sort of) by inviting me for a visit. I asked him if I could bring my buddy who owns the DCS stack, and Focal Nova Utopia Be speakers to come along. DUP said yes, I called my friend and we were on our way to the nether lands of Jersey.

What The World Needs Now

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General Rants 'n' Raves
Submitted by jdm56 on

What I would like to see is full function two-channel pre's, integrated's and receivers that give away nothing in terms of functionality, to state of the art A/V receivers. Give me bass management, remote tone controls, auto/manual EQ, and the latest connectivity options. Build in wireless network connectivity and built-in streaming comparable to Squeezebox and Roku. Basically, what I'm saying is why can't we have A/V receivers and pre/pro's that are just 2-channel? With or w/o video capability?

speaker switch

Forums
The Entry Level
Submitted by dixondd on

I have a NAD amp that doesn't have a/b speaker options. I know want to be able to utilize outdoor speakers but i don't want to have to connect/reconnect between indoor and outdoor speakers. Is there a simple box that I can run my speakers through that will accomplish this? How will this "box" effect audio quality?

Any product recommendations are welcome. Thanks for your help.

Affordable upgrade phono preamp

Forums
The Entry Level
Submitted by scarpi on

OK, I've been rediscovering my vinyl collection and loving my new Music Hall mmf 5.1 turntable with Goldring 1012x cartridge. Now I have another question that I could use some expert advice on. My phono preamp is a Parasound pph-100. It cost about $150 a few years ago. If I were to buy a new phono preamp for about $600, will I hear a noticable improvment? I've been told yes by the store I bought my turntable from. I'm thinking about the Simaudio Moon LP3 or a Pro-ject tube model. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance,
Don in Phoenix

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