Artist Statement

I began photographing jazz musicians in 1987, hoping to create a visual record of these talented artists and to help preserve Kansas City’s tradition as one of the great incubators of this unique American art form.

I’d been listening, watching and talking to those in the local jazz scene for several years. They were very open to passing along their knowledge and traditions with anyone who shared their love of this kind of music. I wanted to capture some of that feeling before it slipped away, lost to the ages.

Players like Rusty Tucker, Speedy Huggins, Milt Abel and Pearl Thurston had a certain sound. When they were on, there was nothing like it anywhere. While at an intimate club like The Phoenix, I would think “this is what it must have been like in the 1930s!”

I’d seen a lot of photographs of jazz musicians; mostly shot in the poorly lit clubs where they played, resulting in pictures that were difficult for the viewer and unfair to the musicians. I wanted to document in a different way, bringing some of my own sensibilities while creating a higher quality image with a more stylistic approach.  (Read more)