Summary
What happens when you invite as many jazz musicians as you can to pose for a photo in 1950s Harlem? Playful verse and glorious artwork capture an iconic moment for American jazz.
When Esquire magazine planned an issue to salute the American jazz scene in 1958, graphic designer Art Kane pitched a crazy idea: how about gathering a group of beloved jazz musicians and photographing them? He didn't own a good camera, didn't know if any musicians would show up, and insisted on setting up the shoot in front of a Harlem brownstone. Could he pull it off? In a captivating collection of poems, Roxane Orgill steps into the frame of Harlem 1958, bringing to life the musicians' mischief and quirks, their memorable style, and the vivacious atmosphere of a Harlem block full of kids on a hot summer's day. Francis Vallejo's vibrant, detailed, and wonderfully expressive paintings do loving justice to the larger-than-life quality of jazz musicians of the era. Includes bios of several of the fifty-seven musicians, an author's note, sources, a bibliography, and a foldout of Art Kane's famous photograph.
Author Notes
Roxane Orgill is an award-winning writer on music and the author of Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald and Footwork: The Story of Fred and Adele Astaire. She lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York.
Francis Vallejo is an assistant professor of illustration at the College for Creative Studies. This is his first book. He lives in Detroit.
Publisher's Weekly Review
On Aug. 12, 1958, 57 jazz musicians-some legends like Thelonius Monk and Count Basie, some just starting out-gathered on a Harlem stoop for a photograph taken by Art Kane for Esquire magazine. In 21 poems, Orgill (Skit-Skat, Raggedy Cat) drifts between biographical sketches of the musicians, musings on the difficulty of wrangling them into a shot ("musicians/ don't hear/ words of instruction/ only music"), poems about the neighborhood children present, and more. An alphabetical acrostic highlights what they wore ("Regimental/ Striped/ Ties/ Umbrella, unopened"), while "There's a Hole in the Picture" contemplates the absence of Duke Ellington (Orgill even investigated where he actually was that day). When readers eventually open a foldout page to see the photograph, the moment is magic-alive with the presence and skill of the musicians, as well as the promise and potential of the children around them. Beyond being a glorious tribute to these jazz greats, the book is also a phenomenal debut for Vallejo, whose dynamic acrylic and pastel images bring readers into the heart of the action of a day like no other. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Susan Cohen, Writers House. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
On August 12, 1958, fifty-plus jazz musicians, famous and emerging, gathered together in front of a brownstone in Harlem for a group photo shoot. The resulting photograph has become iconic, a single image that captures a generation of stories. Orgill uses this photo as the springboard for a series of twenty-one poems, and Vallejo for a set of personality-rich illustrations. Some focus on individuals (Thelonious Monk, late as usual); some on the event itself (photographer Art Kane trying to herd them all into formation). Two feature musicians who didnt make it into the picture: pianist Willie Smith, who got tired of standing, and Duke Ellington, who was out of town. The poems vary in form and mood from an alphabetical acrostic of clothing to a pantoum in the voice of the young and awestruck drummer Eddie Locke. The rhythms are contagious. Saxophonist Lester Youngs porkpie hat: Roll the crown halfway down all around -- / thats called busting it down. / Turn it over and poke out the pit just a bit, / bringing the lid back home. The words take you back to the photo -- reproduced here as a gatefold spread, and placed in the perfect dramatic spot -- and the excellent list of sources leads you back to the music. An inspiring example of art that arises from the simple question, What did you notice in the picture? Appended with an extensive authors note, biographies of the participants, source notes, and a bibliography. sarah ellis (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* In 1958, Esquire was preparing an issue on American jazz, and graphic designer Art Kane pitched the idea of getting as many jazz greats together as possible for a black-and-white photograph. So far, not much here to grab a young audience, right? But sometimes books, like music, are more than the sum of their hooks. Orgill, who has written about jazz for adults (and Ella Fitzgerald for children) is here paired with artist Vallejo, a welcome newcomer to the world of picture books, and they offer a memorable ode to a time and place, a celebration of music that was both hot and cool, and an endearing snapshot of the men and women who wrote, played, and sang jazz. Kane's photograph, Harlem, 1958, is here immortalized in Orgill's poetry, which swings and sways, and Vallejo's vibrant artwork, which captures not just the players but the mood on 126th Street where the photo shoot took place. That there were kids there on that day, leaning out of windows and grabbing Count Basie's hat, adds a child-friendly dimension. For those who want more, there's an enlightening author's note, short but sturdy biographies of those featured in the poems, a list of related books and films, and a key to the photo with all 57 musicians named.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2016 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-It was a hot August day in 1955 when Art Kane gathered jazz musicians for a photograph for Esquire magazine. He wasn't sure who, if anyone, would show up at the Harlem brownstone he'd chosen for his backdrop. He'd put out the word, and now he could only hold his two cameras and hope. The result was the iconic photograph-Harlem 1958-that features 57 jazz musicians of the time. Count Basie was there, as was Dizzy Gillespie and Willie "the Lion" Smith. In her picture book, author Roxane Orgill dives deep inside that photograph, creating vibrant poems about many of the attendees. In the video, four narrators, male and female, read the text and poetry, capturing its subtlety and rhythm. The poems are enhanced by a close examination of Francis Vallejo's acrylic and pastel paintings, which give homage to the era. In the read-along version, poems dance across the screen, sliding into place like a runner heading home. (Note: in "A Praise Poem for Art Kane," the word praise is misspelled.) When the DVD finally reveals the photograph itself, the reader already knows the players, and its stark beauty is breathtaking. The author includes short biographies for those celebrated in the poems (which includes Duke Ellington, who was not there). VERDICT This is a beautifully done program that will please jazz lovers and, hopefully, inspire a new generation to explore this important part of music -history.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In 21 poems, Orgill introduces Art Kane's iconic 1958 Harlem photograph to young readers, spotlighting many of the 57 jazz musicians pictured. Orgill's introduction provides background. Kane, a rising graphic designer, had a big ideagathering as many jazz musicians as possible, at the tender hour of 10 a.m., for an unpaid photo shoot on 126th Street. The inexperienced Kane borrowed cameras to accomplish his goal. Musicians arrived, socialized, laughedignoring Kane. Free verse evokes the scene: "camera guy's sweeping / jazzmen like bundles / toward number 17 / / no one listens / musicians / don't hear / words of instruction / only music." Some poems riff on appearanceappropriate for this group of fastidious dressers. "How to Make a Porkpie Hat" provides instructions from Lester Young himself, then segues to the saxophonist's iconic sound, "soft as butter." Others muse on the day's events, both documented and imagined. The crowning glory: a gatefold reproduction of Kane's photograph; a key's provided for the musicians' identities. Vallejo's acrylic-and-pastel paintings vividly capture the shoot's vignettes and the skittish excitement of neighborhood kids. Pulling details from a 1995 documentary film and other resources, Orgill and Vallejo offer a dynamic, multifaceted work that deftly juxtaposes biography with praise poem, information with imagination. Teachers, librarians, jazz-loving families: take note. (author's note, thumbnail bios, note on the photograph's influence, source notes, bibliography) (Poetry. 8-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
