Jazz Street - Dennis Stock

[jeffcrom]

Accompanying Louis Armstrong in my living room this evening is a strong glass of spirits and Dennis Stock's Jazz Street. This book came out in 1960, and it's my favorite book of jazz photographs. It has a beautiful symmetry - the first photo is of Punch Miller, trumpet under his arm, walking home through the French Quarter in the wee hours of the morning. The last picture is of Bill Crow dragging his bass across Times Square at dawn after his gig. I think my favorite photo in between is the picture of Allen Eager in his apartment. Eager had a different background than many jazz musicians - he came from money. He stands holding his saxophone, is in a finely tailored suit, with the high ceilings and beautiful furnishings and artwork that most jazz musicians would never see behind him.

I found this book in a used book store almost 30 years ago, and it has been a great source of pleasure ever since.

[Chuck Nessa]

Nice indeed.

[BillF]

Used to be a great favorite of mine, but I haven't seen a copy for decades!

[marcello]

I'll have to find a copy someday.

Thanks for the heads up.

[jazztrain]

It's a wonderful book. I also found a copy at a reasonable price in a used book store, probably 20 or 25 years ago. I lent it to a friend, and it never came back. It took quite a while to come up with another copy. I'll have to take it out this weekend and enjoy it once again. Thanks for bringing it up.

Accompanying Louis Armstrong in my living room this evening is a strong glass of spirits and Dennis Stock's Jazz Street. This book came out in 1960, and it's my favorite book of jazz photographs. It has a beautiful symmetry - the first photo is of Punch Miller, trumpet under his arm, walking home through the French Quarter in the wee hours of the morning. The last picture is of Bill Crow dragging his bass across Times Square at dawn after his gig. I think my favorite photo in between is the picture of Allen Eager in his apartment. Eager had a different background than many jazz musicians - he came from money. He stands holding his saxophone, is in a finely tailored suit, with the high ceilings and beautiful furnishings and artwork that most jazz musicians would never see behind him.

I found this book in a used book store almost 30 years ago, and it has been a great source of pleasure ever since.

[sheldonm]

I found an original copy of this on ebay a couple years ago...bid more on it but won it for 12 bucks. Everyone else must have been naping. Stock is a very good photographer! Always liked that shot of Crow and his bass...use it as a screen saver.

m

[Chuck Nessa]

Bought the book in 1961/2 and still have it. The cover is torn but intact. I'm an old fart.

Nice shots of Pee Wee and Billie with their respective pooches.

[Harold_Z]

Bought the book in 1961/2 and still have it. The cover is torn but intact. I'm an old fart.

Nice shots of Pee Wee and Billie with their respective pooches.

I bought it back then too. Talk about old farts .....I fart dust.

I like those shots too. Also I like the shot of Mousie Alexander in Condon's (I saw him there) , the shot of Bill Crow on times square in the early morning, etc.

[brownie]

Dennis Stock is well represented in this selection of jazz photos from the Magnum agency:

All That Jazz

Another outstanding Dennis Stock image:

Saxophonist on bed

Obviously nobody at Magnum could identify this jazz musician

[paul secor]

Dennis Stock is well represented in this selection of jazz photos from the Magnum agency:

All That Jazz

Another outstanding Dennis Stock image:

Saxophonist on bed

Obviously nobody at Magnum could identify this jazz musician

Shame on Magnum.

[Big Beat Steve]

I bought the French-language edition edited and printed in Switzerland (for circulation over a good deal of Europe, it seems) for a fairly reasonable price on a Swedish (of all places...) jazz online site in the early 2000s. A very nice book indeed. More copies of it circulate here at various online antique booksellers but at quite a handsome price.

Seems like everybody is fairly aware of the collectors' value of this book these days ... Even a copy I saw at one of the "bouquiniste" streetside antique book stalls at the "Rive gauche" in Paris not long after buying my copy had a price tag that was higher than what I had previously paid from a professional online seller!

[Chuck Nessa]

I bought the French-language edition edited and printed in Switzerland (for circulation over a good deal of Europe, it seems) for a fairly reasonable price on a Swedish (of all places...) jazz online site in the early 2000s. A very nice book indeed. More copies of it circulate here at various online antique booksellers but at quite a handsome price.

My first edition is a combo - photos printed in Switzerland, text in the US.

[JamesAHarrod]

I also recently pulled this book off the shelf and savored each and every photo via a slow page by page perusal. My copy used to belong to Ray Avery. Picked it up from Arthur Newman who handled the sales of many of Ray's books for his daughter after his passing. I rank Stock's work right up there with the best of Gottlieb, Herman and Claxton.

Jim

[sheldonm]

Dennis Stock is well represented in this selection of jazz photos from the Magnum agency:

All That Jazz

Another outstanding Dennis Stock image:

Saxophonist on bed

Obviously nobody at Magnum could identify this jazz musician

...well, he is a pretty minor name in jazz!

[sheldonm]

I also recently pulled this book off the shelf and savored each and every photo via a slow page by page perusal. My copy used to belong to Ray Avery. Picked it up from Arthur Newman who handled the sales of many of Ray's books for his daughter after his passing. I rank Stock's work right up there with the best of Gottlieb, Herman and Claxton.

Jim

I know Arthur....ran into him many times in LA at the LA Jazz Institute Big Band events....bought a few books from him; nice guy.

m

[bakeostrin]

I bought the French-language edition edited and printed in Switzerland (for circulation over a good deal of Europe, it seems) for a fairly reasonable price on a Swedish (of all places...) jazz online site in the early 2000s. A very nice book indeed. More copies of it circulate here at various online antique booksellers but at quite a handsome price.

Seems like everybody is fairly aware of the collectors' value of this book these days ... Even a copy I saw at one of the "bouquiniste" streetside antique book stalls at the "Rive gauche" in Paris not long after buying my copy had a price tag that was higher than what I had previously paid from a professional online seller!

True, but with exceptions. Every once in a while you can find one at a good price, particularly if you will trade off condition (although it would be tough to find online for say, $5-10). There are German, Swiss, French, Dutch and British editions of this book. Dutch edition features Billie Holiday on the dust jacket; German, Swiss and French feature Armstrong (only the German edition has a dustjacket; others are illustrated boards).

I also recently pulled this book off the shelf and savored each and every photo via a slow page by page perusal. My copy used to belong to Ray Avery. Picked it up from Arthur Newman who handled the sales of many of Ray's books for his daughter after his passing. I rank Stock's work right up there with the best of Gottlieb, Herman and Claxton.

Jim

Add Jean Pierre Leloir, Burt Goldblatt and Lee Friedlander to that list (there are others of course); Stock is one of the best. Also nice to see you Jim; I remember buying jazz cd's from the UC Irvine bookstore through you. You had great taste in ordering jazz cd's.

Arthur is a very giving man. He is very generous with his knowledge of jazz books. For a while he knew them all.

[JamesAHarrod]

Add Jean Pierre Leloir, Burt Goldblatt and Lee Friedlander to that list (there are others of course); Stock is one of the best. Also nice to see you Jim; I remember buying jazz cd's from the UC Irvine bookstore through you. You had great taste in ordering jazz cd's.