Art Kane. Harlem 1958

ART KANE. HARLEM 1958 honors a pivotal moment in American history through the work of one of its most celebrated photographic voices. ART KANE. HARLEM 1958 marks the 60th anniversary of one of the most celebrated images in American history. Now commonly known as A Great Day in Harlem, the famous shot of 57 jazz musicians gathered outside a brownstone in New York is one of the most imitated images in popular culture, by one of the world's greatest photographers. ART KANE. HARLEM 1958 is a visual history of an iconic image including, for the first time, virtually every single frame from the historic shoot. With original text by Art Kane, forewords by Quincy Jones, the legendary Benny Golson, who appears in the photo, and an introduction by Kane's son, musician and photographer Jonathan Kane, the 168-page hardback volume is the story behind the shot. "I came up with the idea of getting as many musicians together in one place as we could. It would be sort of a graduation photo or class picture of all the jazz musicians. After I thought about it some more I decided they should get together in Harlem. After all, that's where jazz started when it came to New York." Art Kane. 57 jazz musicians, from the unknown to the world famous, duly assembled at the unlikely hour of 10am at 7 East 126th Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues. The group would include Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Thelonius Monk, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie - whose hat was repeatedly stolen by local kids until Kane surrendered and put them in the shot, too.