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In August of 1958, 57 top-flight jazz musicians gathered on the steps and the sidewalk of a brownstone on East 126th Street in Harlem to pose for freelance photographer Art Kane.
The assembly included Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Gene Krupa, Marian McPartland and dozens of other music-making giants. It was a “Who’s Who” of jazz. The photo, called “A Great Day in Harlem,” stands as a powerful photograph and as a vital, vibrant slice of jazz history.
On Sept. 13, San Antonio jazz musicians gathered on the steps and sidewalk of the Liberty Bar in the King William Historic District, to pose for photographer Stephen McDowell. (http://photography.strangeware.com/).
The photo will pay tribute to those giants of jazz who gathered in Harlem more than 50 years ago while honoring, saluting and preserving for posterity the images of the musicians responsible for the deep, rich and varied strains of jazz that enrich the daily soundtrack of San Antonio. It promises to be “A Great Day in S.A.”
Among those taking part in the photo is NVC's very own Katchie Cartwright of the Music faculty. Not only is Katchie a jazz musician, she oversees the A-JAM jazz mentorship program, a group of jazz students from Alamo Colleges, and is a radio host of jazz station, KRTU. Katchie coordinated the event, with Katie McKee of the Liberty Bar, and a little help from her friends.
To read more about the Sept. 13 photo, see the Rivard Report at this link.
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