"In The Groove: Jazz Portraits by Herman Leonard"

One of my favorite exhibitions now on view at the National Portrait Gallery is “In the Groove: Jazz Portraits by Herman Leonard.” Leonard’s photographs bring some of the greatest names in jazz to life—Nat “King” Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Louis Armstrong, Charlie “Bird” Parker, Billie Holiday—depicting them singing and playing music in smoke-filled clubs in New York City. The exhibition is drawn from the photographic portfolio of gelatin silver prints created by Leonard beginning in 1948. The portfolio was collected by Ann M. Shumard, the museums senior curator of photographs, who wrote the accompanying texts. Here is her exhibition label for the photograph of Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990):

A consummate vocal artist, Sarah Vaughan moved effortlessly between the worlds of jazz and pop music. Following her debut with Earl Hines’s orchestra (1943), Vaughan joined Billy Eckstine’s pioneering band, where she was profoundly influenced by its stellar roster of jazz and bop innovators, including Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. She remained with Eckstine for a year and worked briefly with John Kirby’s ensemble before launching her highly successful solo career in 1946. The supple contralto and remarkable range showcased on Vaughan’s first hit, “Tenderly” (1947), won her legions of fans. Peers such as Ella Fitzgerald called her the world’s “greatest singing talent,” and the readers of DownBeat magazine voted her the best female singer for six consecutive years (1947–52). When Vaughan performed at Carnegie Hall in 1957, New York Times music critic John S. Wilson observed, “She has what may well be the finest voice ever applied to jazz.”

Leonard enjoyed knowing Vaughan, and observed that “every performance was full of improvised surprises. Natural, relaxed, full of fun, she was a delight to be around and to photograph.”

If you are in the vicinity of the museum, please come in and explore Herman Leonard’s evocation of that midcentury world of jazz. It’s a perfect gift for jazz-lovers and a great introduction for those wanting to learn more. The exhibition is on view through February 20, 2017.