Bill Pierce
Well-known
Here’s a clip from a press release that may interest some of you. There are some good people who put a lot of effort into this. It’s a very worthwhile project that you can check out this weekend.
“FilmBuff will release THE JAZZ LOFT ACCORDING TO W. EUGENE SMITH on all major On Demand platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu, on Friday, October 7.
The film, a follow-up to Sara Fishko's Jazz Loft Radio Series, as well as author Sam Stephenson's book, The Jazz Loft Project, brings hundreds of photographs by LIFE Magazine photographer W. Eugene Smith to the screen for the first time, as well as some of the 4,000 hours of audio he recorded. "We're still not sure exactly what Gene Smith was trying to create in the loft," said Fishko. "But he did remarkable work there, and his pictures by the tens of thousands and stacks and stacks of audio tape reels tell us things about community, music-making, obsession and art that we couldn't learn in any other way."
The film was written, produced and directed by Sara Fishko, edited by Jonathan J. Johnson and photographed by Tom Hurwitz, ASC. Producers include Calvin Skaggs for Lumiere Productions and Sam Stephenson.”
“FilmBuff will release THE JAZZ LOFT ACCORDING TO W. EUGENE SMITH on all major On Demand platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu, on Friday, October 7.
The film, a follow-up to Sara Fishko's Jazz Loft Radio Series, as well as author Sam Stephenson's book, The Jazz Loft Project, brings hundreds of photographs by LIFE Magazine photographer W. Eugene Smith to the screen for the first time, as well as some of the 4,000 hours of audio he recorded. "We're still not sure exactly what Gene Smith was trying to create in the loft," said Fishko. "But he did remarkable work there, and his pictures by the tens of thousands and stacks and stacks of audio tape reels tell us things about community, music-making, obsession and art that we couldn't learn in any other way."
The film was written, produced and directed by Sara Fishko, edited by Jonathan J. Johnson and photographed by Tom Hurwitz, ASC. Producers include Calvin Skaggs for Lumiere Productions and Sam Stephenson.”
Dogman
Veteran
Interesting. I'll have to check into this. I was just thumbing through the Roy DeCarava Retrospective earlier today and enjoying his photos of the period's jazzmen. Great stuff.
xayraa33
rangefinder user and fancier
W Eugene Smith was the reincarnated Paul Gauguin for the rest of the 20th century.
MCTuomey
Veteran
ha, exquisitely put!
no one framed sound or light in such an uncompromising way
thank you bill
quadtones
Established
I've been hoping to hear some of these tapes, especially combined with the images from the sessions. Thanks, so much, for the heads up.
Chuck Albertson
Well-known
I saw a review of the film in the Times a couple of weeks ago, and went looking for when it might show up in a theatre (I don't bother with the streamers). Good news is, it will be screened in Seattle at the NW Film Forum on October 26. Bad news (for me) is that I'm on a flight out of town that evening! Hope it is released on DVD.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I saw the exhibition "Jazz Loft" at Lincoln Center years ago. It disturbed me. I could not get around why a celebrated photographer of such fame and reputation abandoned his family and lived in near destitute conditions.
I presented this disturbance to Louis Mendez in conversation. In the late 50's Louis was very young but he had the opportunity to hang out with Gene during that time of the Jazz Loft.
Louis explained to me that Gene became disturbed because the work he did involving Pittsburg was rejected. I did some more research and discovered that Gene kinda got blacklisted because he wanted/demanded editorial control over his work. On one hand Gene threw away his career and his life, but on the other hand he had his freedom.
Anyways W.Eugene Smith was a great shooter and a great printer. I find this downturn very sad, and it still disturbs me.
Cal
I presented this disturbance to Louis Mendez in conversation. In the late 50's Louis was very young but he had the opportunity to hang out with Gene during that time of the Jazz Loft.
Louis explained to me that Gene became disturbed because the work he did involving Pittsburg was rejected. I did some more research and discovered that Gene kinda got blacklisted because he wanted/demanded editorial control over his work. On one hand Gene threw away his career and his life, but on the other hand he had his freedom.
Anyways W.Eugene Smith was a great shooter and a great printer. I find this downturn very sad, and it still disturbs me.
Cal
lawrence
Veteran
al1966
Feed Your Head
Its a pity these can't be put up online for people to hear, isn't there some US government library of this sort of thing? This sounds well exciting though look forward to seeing it and enjoying some fine new to me audio recordings.
willie_901
Veteran
Why on earth would the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund trustees give Smith's intellectual property away for free?
Timmyjoe
Veteran
Downloading from iTunes, looking forward to watching. Thanks Bill.
oftheherd
Veteran
Just saw this. Thanks for the information. W. Eugene Smith has been a favorite of mine since I really got into photography in the mid-70s.
MCTuomey
Veteran
well said, cal. i think his heart simply broke from others' insensitivity toward the beauty he saw, heard, and recorded.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Mike,
My heart aches.
Gene to me is a photographer's photographer. He was a master of image capture (shooting), used all kinds of cameras, and was highly regarded as a printer.
I can totally understand the fascination with control he had. The missing piece was editorial control. It is maddening.
I kinda understand. That is why I work a day job so at least I can control what I do with photography.
Cal
Jamie Pillers
Skeptic
Can anyone recommend good books of Smith's photographs?
MCTuomey
Veteran
jamie, apart from some individual photos and his essays, i think the only one is The Big Book, published a few years ago in a very limited printing, but i'm not sure.
MCTuomey
Veteran
cal, appreciate the insight. anyone capable of the range from his war photos to minamata to the one of his children emerging from the woods, of somehow knowing the value of capturing the sessions at the jazz loft (4000 hrs of tape!), and what he sacrificed to make them all, wasn't made for this world. i hope he rests in a peace as profound as the pain he must have felt while he lived. we're so fortunate he worked among us.
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
Yes -- what you said.
Bill: Gene and Minor White were two of the primary inspirations that propelled me into photography. The common gestalt of these two giants touched my core.
jim_jm
Well-known
Jamie - a good comprehensive overview of his work is "W. Eugene Smith Photographs 1934-1975" by Mora and Hill. A fairly big book with some text, but a lot of photos.
A smaller book, but also very good, is Aperture's book on Smith. There are also some other good books out there if you look on Amazon.
If you want a thorough biography of his life, I'd recommend "W. Eugene Smith - Shadow and Substance" - a very good read.
If you like Gene's style of B/W photography and printing, I'd also recommend looking into Dave Heath, who recently passed away. He was a bit younger than Gene, but was highly influenced by him. I'm just reading "Multitude, Solitude" now. Beautiful reproductions of his prints.
Jamie Pillers
Skeptic
Jim and MC, thanks for the book recommendations. The only Smith book I have now is the "Dream Street... Pittsburg Project". I'll look around for some of your recommended's. And Jim, I also have the Dave Heath book... beautiful!