A short lifetime ago, I was subletting an apartment from a friend of mine and Eddie Locke was our upstairs neighbor. I knew him just to say "hello" to, as he had taught my sublet friend drums as a kid, and was neighborhood/playground friends with his mother. Eddie was one of the musicians in that famous Art Kane photo "A Great Day in Harlem" that graced so many college dorm room walls (at least among my friends). You can see a scan of that photo here:
1958 - A Great Day in Harlem
Eddie is in the first row standing, third from the left. Anyway, we were talking one day, and Eddie agreed to sit for some quick portraits. Out came the Hasselblad. These were my favorites of the day:
You can read about Eddie on Wikipedia, but it won't capture how warm he was, or how generous with his time. It was always a pleasure to run into him, in that neighborhood sort of way. So: this was my brush with jazz greatness.
Viewing the pictures from my current vantage point, there are things I would have done differently. I'd have gotten in a bit closer, and I definitely would have made sure that Eddie's hands were visible on all the shots. Seriously? You are going to make a photo of a jazz drummer and allow his hands to drift out of the frame? Younger self: what were you thinking?!!? Still I prize the pictures and they remind me of a good afternoon.