December 1, 2009

Play By Ear: Sung/Unsung

by two.one.five Staff

Like ten-gallon hats and the comedic stylings of Jerry Lewis, jazz is a quintessentially American art form that is, perhaps, more fully appreciated outside the U.S. Fortunately, one American-born aficionado of the genre, David Bartolomi, also happens to be a world-class photographer. In 2000, "horrified" by the grandstanding style of performance he saw on "American Idol," he got the idea to shoot a book of portraits of living jazz musicians, a collection that now includes more than 60 artists.

What was your original concept for the project?
I wanted to show that an artist at any age could still have life inside them. When I was little, my father would take me to the basement and sing along with his jazz records. I was spellbound the way he used his voice to convey his feelings for the artists and me. He planted the seeds of jazz; this project is the harvest.

What was your criteria for inclusion?
I wanted artists who made a contribution to the history of jazz all their own. I had to go listen to them in person and experience them live. That was crucial. If they didn’t move me, or I didn’t feel a connection, I usually didn’t include them.

What is your methodology?
It is all instinct and trust. Nothing is set up. It's like live theater or jazz improvisation. I want to shoot what jazz is, not what jazz was. The clichéd smoky club photos were how record companies sold jazz to the public, but jazz comes from the individual and their life experiences. My photos strip all the artifice away. I tell the artist to wear what best represents them. The goal was to capture how they really are in their lives. If they wanted me to shoot them in a bathrobe sipping coffee, I’d do it.

Tony Bennett

Are You Havin' Any Fun-Tony Bennett by 215mag