A Great Day in Harlem or Harlem 1958 is a black-and-white photograph of 57 jazz musicians in Harlem, New York, taken by freelance photographer Art Kane for Esquire magazine on August 12, 1958.[1] The idea for the photo came from Esquire's art director, Robert Benton, rather than Kane.[2] However, after being given the commission, it seems the latter was responsible for choosing the location for the shoot.[3] The subjects are shown at 17 East 126th Street,[a] between Fifth and Madison Avenue, where police had temporarily blocked off traffic. Published as the centerfold of the January 1959 ("Golden Age of Jazz") issue of Esquire,[4] the image was captured with a Hasselblad camera, and earned Kane his first Art Directors Club of New York gold medal for photography.[3][5] It has been called "the most iconic photograph in jazz history".[6]
The scene portrayed is something of an anachronism, as by 1957 Harlem was no longer the "hotbed" of jazz it had been in the 1940s, and had "forfeited its place in sun" to 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan.[7] Many musicians who were formerly resident in the area had already moved to middle-class parts of New York, or did so shortly thereafter.[8] Kane himself was not that certain who would turn up on the day, as Esquire staff had merely issued a general invitation through the local musicians' union, recording studios, music writers, and nightclub owners.[9]
In 2018, a book was published to mark the 60th anniversary of the event, with forewords by Quincy Jones and Benny Golson,[b] and an introduction by Kane's son, Jonathan.[11]
Following the death of Benny Golson in September 2024, Sonny Rollins is the last living adult musician featured in the photograph.[12]
- ^ "Marian McPartland – A Great Day in Harlem". Clarehansson.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
- ^ Levenson, Jeff (February 11, 1995). "Film Tells Story Behind Photo Of That 'Great Day In Harlem'" (PDF). Billboard. New York. p. 46. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c Myers, Marc (November 2, 2018). "A Great Day in Harlem, Revisited". Wall Street Journal. New York. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ Kane, Art (January 1, 1959). "A Great Day in Harlem". Esquire. New York City. pp. 98–99. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ Poppy, John (1975). Art Kane, The Persuasive Image: How a Portraitist and Story Teller Illuminates Our Changing Culture. Masters of Contemporary Photography. Los Angeles: Alskog / Thomas Y. Crowell Company. pp. 40–41. ISBN 0690007841. OCLC 1150967383. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Scott, Ron (August 19, 2021). "Donald Harrison, Banana Pudding, Art Kane Place". New York Amsterdam News. Vol. 122, no. 33. p. 21.
- ^ Reich, Howard (May 7, 1995). "On the Count of Three, Say 'Jazz': One Day in Harlem in 1958, a Photographer and His Subjects Made Beautiful Music Together". Chicago Tribune. ProQuest 283968809. Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Gill, Jonathan (2011). Harlem: The Four Hundred Year History from Dutch Village to Capital of Black America. New York: Grove Press. p. 363. ISBN 9780802119100. OCLC 881685845. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Orgill, Roxane (2016). Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763669546. OCLC 1302075202 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ John, McDonough (2018). "Herding Cats: Harlem 1958" (PDF). DownBeat. Vol. 85, no. 12. Elmhurst, IL: Maher Publications. p. 93. ISSN 0012-5768. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ Art Kane. Harlem 1958: The 60th Anniversary Edition (Trade ed.). New York: Wall of Sound Editions. 2018. ISBN 9788894366624.
- ^ Alkyer, Frank (September 23, 2024). "In Memoriam: Benny Golson, 1929–2024". DownBeat. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
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