Jazz erupted onto the American music landscape in the 1900s, evolving rapidly and spreading internationally like wildfire. Les McCann, an American soul jazz musician whose first major album Swiss Movement was a huge Billboard pop chart success, always had a 35mm camera close at hand to capture candids of dozens of jazz artists, both on stage and off. This never-before-seen treasure trove of images provides a unique insider's perspective into the world of jazz and is collected here in Invitation to Openness: The Jazz & Soul Photography of Les McCann 1960-1980.
Curated by Pat Thomas and Alan Abrahams, Invitation to Openness includes a foreword by A. Scott Galloway, an interview with McCann, and plenty of additional commentary, footnotes, and captions besides. We've included the full foreword, the first two pages of Thomas' interview, and a half dozen examples of McCann's photography in our 19-page downloadable excerpt.
Read the full excerpt here (perhaps with Swiss Movement playing in the background?), then head on over to the book page to pre-order this beautiful, oversized coffeetable art book. Invitation to Openness is due out by March, so look for more previews in the coming weeks!
