Jazz in New York City, 1940s

     Jazz was a momentous change to history in many cities. New York, however, had the biggest effect. The Jazz Age was marked by the uprising of jazz music, which became a new expressive form that really reflected social developments during the 1940s. Older musicians saw this new genre as weird notes, while the younger ones embraced and were touched by this new sound.  

Someone who saw jazz as a new era, William Gottlieb, captured this time period’s evolution of music. He purchased his own camera and became a photographer, capturing jazz in New York. Gottlieb captured images of many jazz musicians and became part of his most popular photography series. Here is some of his work: 

1. June Christy  

Portrait of June Christy, 1947 (Photo by William Gottlieb)

June Christy was an American singer, known for her smooth silky voice and her work in the cool jazz genre. She began in the Stan Kenton Orchestra, which later broke up in 1948. Christy then pursued a solo career in 1954, debuting with her best-known album, “Something Cool”.   

2. Stan Kenton and Eddie Safranski  

Stan Kenton (front left) and Eddie Safranski (back right) ,1947 (Photo by William Gottlieb)

Stan Kenton was an American jazz artist. He was a pianist, composer, arranger, and a band leader. In the 1940s, Kenton formed his first orchestra, The Stan Kenton Orchestra. Eddie Safranski was an American jazz double bassist, composer and arranger, same as Kenton. Safranski worked with Kenton and they both worked on many songs together.   

3. Jimmy Crawford 

Jimmy Crawford (back left) in New York, 1946 (Photo by William Gottlieb)

Jimmy Crawford was an impactful drummer in the band, The Jimmie Lunceford, for about 14 years from 1928-1942. He was known for playing with a strong, solid pulsation, and was the unique trademark for Lunceford. Crawford even recorded with many notable artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.

 

4. Nellie Lutcher  

Portrait of Nellie Lutcher in New York, 1946. (Photo by William Gottlieb)

Nellie Lutcher was an American R&B/Jazz singer and pianist. The late 1940’s was when she gained more popularity. She had a recognizable singing voice, having diction and exaggerated pronunciation. Lutcher even wrote many of her songs and unlike many other African American artists during this time, she retained the valuable publishing rights of the songs.  

5. Louis Armstrong  

Portrait of Louis Armstrong, Aquarium, New York in July 1946. (Photo by William Gottlieb)

Louis Armstrong was an American trumpeter, composer, vocalist and is among the most influential jazz figures. Armstrong was best known for his intense rhythmic swing, which involves accented upbeats, upbeat to downbeat slurring and complementary relations within rhythmic patterns. As he got popular, his singing voice also got a lot of recognition, becoming masterful at scat singing.