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© Mosaic Images
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The contact sheet of Francis Wolff images taken at John Coltrane’s Blue Train session of September 15, 1957 at Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack, New Jersey studio with Lee Morgan and Kenny Drew
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…..In addition to setting the gold standard for jazz compilations since its inception in 1982, Mosaic Records owns a treasure trove of classic jazz photography taken by Blue Note Records co-founder Francis Wolff. This collection – some 20,000 photographs in all – consists of many of the most storied sessions in jazz recording history, featuring artists like Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Horace Silver, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jackie McLean and, well, you get the idea…
…..Many of these photographs are now available on the Mosaic website, and it is important to note that, over the years, according to Mosaic owner Michael Cuscuna, only about of 200 of them have been on Blue Note covers or in the pages of publications like Downbeat over the years. So, this is an incredible site to wander through.
…..In addition to the photos, Cuscuna announced this week that Mosaic is now making available prints of entire contact sheets (3 strips of 4 negatives) “showing the photographer’s thought process and the progression of shots that lead to his final best image.”
…..The contact sheets are from important Blue Note sessions by Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Dexter Gordon, Grant Green, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter and Horace Silver, with more to follow. Some actually bear designer Reid Miles’s original crop marks.
…..To tour the entire photo collection, and for more information, visit the Mosaic Images web site by clicking here.
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© Mosaic Images
The contact sheet of Miles Davis’s Quartet session of March 6, 1954 with Horace Silver, Art Blakey and visitor Clifford Brown at Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack, New Jersey studio.
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© Mosaic Images
The contact sheet of Francis Wolff images taken at Sonny Rollins’s Volume II session of April 4, 1957 with J.J. Johnson and Horace Silver at Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack, New Jersey studio
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Listen to John Coltrane play “I’m Old Fashioned” from the September 15, 1957 Blue Train session
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Listen to Miles Davis play “Lazy Susan” from the March 6, 1954 Blue Note session known as Volume II
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Listen to Sonny Rollins play “Reflections” from the April 4, 1957 session titled Vol. 2
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Mosaic Images Website
Click here to read the Jerry Jazz Musician interview with Michael Cuscuna about the Francis Wolff photo collection
Click here to read the Jerry Jazz Musician interview with Michael Cuscuna about his career as an executive in record business
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