Jazz Seen

This new collection of work by legendary jazz photographer Claxton includes 250 black-and-white photographs documenting the history of jazz over the last 50 years. The oversized volume features a preface (in English, German, and French) by L.A.-based jazz critic Don Heckman, a longtime friend of Claxton who explores the photographer's unique symbiosis with the jazz world. Claxton's candid, crytalline images usher the viewer into the smoky clubs, studio sessions, behind-the-scenes moments, and scenes of life on the road that comprise the musicians' lives. His career has been linked with jazz so closely that many players consider him an extra band member: his use of the camera as an instrument was the inspiration for Shorty Rogers's composition "Clicking with Clax." Claxton's photographs clock the evolution of jazz and distill its essence and spirit, making this an important tribute and historical document, while the images stand on their own.