Jim Marshall: Jazz Festival

From Thelonius Monk to John Coltrane, Miles Davis to Nina Simone, Jim Marshall's defining photographs of the 1960s jazz scene

Jim Marshall is known as the defining father of music photography and his intimate photographs of the greats of rock & roll, country, folk, blues and jazz are legendary. Renowned for his extraordinary access and ability to capture the perfect moment, his influence is second to none. In 2014, Marshall became the only photographer ever to be honored by the Grammys with a Trustees Award for his life’s work.

Published here for the first time ever are Marshall’s jazz festival photographs from the 1960s, which capture the crowd, the performances and unguarded moments with jazz icons such as Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Ray Charles and many more.

Over 95% of the material in this breathtaking volume has never been seen before. Marshall’s remarkable photographs of the festivals at Newport and Monterey immortalize the unique energy and soul of these celebrations of jazz. Complete access to Marshall’s vast archive has been granted for this book. It includes a foreword by President Bill Clinton and an introduction by renowned jazz writer Nat Hentoff, and is designed by art director Graham Marsh (The Cover Art of Blue Note Records, Hollywood and the Ivy Look). This is the first in a series of books to be published by Reel Art Press in collaboration with the Jim Marshall Archive.

Jim Marshall (1936–2010) was born in Chicago. While still in high school, he purchased his first camera and began documenting musicians and artists in San Francisco. Over a 50-year career he created hundreds of legendary images that came into public consciousness through magazine features, more than 500 album covers and six books: Monterey Pop, Not Fade Away, Proof, Jazz, Trust and Pocket Cash.