American Music: Photographs

I got this book for my young son-in-law who is a rock & roll photographer.

The title of this volume can mislead people who don't remember that Annie Leibovitz started out as the lead photographer for Rolling Stone. The result of her life's photographic work with these subjects is portrayed here along with some very fine notes at the end that explain who the subjects are for those you don't know. I liked the notes as much as the photographs. You will, too, unless you have an encyclopedic knowledge of American popular musicians. Those offerings are boosted in value by the essays authored by Patti Smith, Steve Earle, Rosanne Cash, Mos Def, Beck, Ryan Adams, and Annie Leibovitz. The work cries for a companion CD tucked into the back of the book so you could match the music to the images and words. Perhaps it was just too much work to put the permissions together for such a project . . . or the publishers just assumed that we know all the music (I certainly don't). The photography is often breathtaking in capturing musicians who have had a lasting effect on tens of millions of lives. In many cases, you are treated to large, two-page spreads where the center line doesn't interrupt your ability to focus on the image. The printing is very fine in the copy I read, and I hope it is also on yours. Here are a few of my many favorites: Pete Seeger, Clearwater Revival, Croton-on-Hudson, New York, 2001 (color) Fisk Jubilee Singers, New York City, 2003 Eddie Cotton, Jr. with Jan Hobson, Jackson, Mississippi, 2000 Po' Monkey's Lounge, Merigold, Mississippi, 2000 B.B. King, New York City, 2000 Emmylou Harris, Franklin, Tennessee, 2001 Johnny Cash with his grandchildren and daughter, Rosanne Cash, Hiltons, Virginia, 2001 Dolly Parton, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, 2002 Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Odetta, New York City, 2000 Willie Nelson, Spicewood, Texas, 2001 Jungle Room, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, 2001 Duane Eddy and Les Paul, Mahwah, New Jersey, 2000 Aretha Franklin, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, 1993 John Lee Hooker, Los Altos, California, 2000 Willie Foster, Greenville, Mississippi, 2000 Rakim, Eminem, and Dr. Dre, Los Angeles, 2002 Sean "P. Diddy" Combs with sons, Bridgehampton, New York, 1998 Nelly, New York City, 2002 Mary J. Blige, New York City, 1999 Bonnie Raitt, New York City, 2003 Jon Bon Jovi, Rumson, New Jersey, 2000 The White Stripes, New York City, 2003 Iggy Pop, Miami, Florida, 2000 Mike Ness and family, Santa Ana, California, 2003 Ardoin Family, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, 2002 Preservation Hall, New Orleans, 2002 Neville Family, New Orleans, 2002 New Birth Brass Band, New Orleans, 2003 Jazz Funeral for Placide Adams, New Orleans, 2003 Miles Davis, New York City, 1989 Dave Brubeck, Wilton, Connecticut, 2002 Etta James, Riverside, California, 2003 Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon, San Francisco, 2001 Anita O'Day, Los Angeles, 2001 Louis Armstrong, Queens, New York, 1971 Joan Baez, Big Sur, California, 1971 Bob Dylan, Los Angeles, 1977 Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, San Francisco, 1972 Tina Turner, San Francisco, 1971 Ray

If you love the blues, or love photography this is a great book. While not specific to just Blues musicians this book just makes me think of good old delta blues. The prints in this book shine like they were hand printed by Annie herself. Theres a heart and soul driving this book from begining to end. This is a more personal project for Annie Leibovitz and so doenst allway have her studio style inside. That does not mean that each photograph is not amazing for they are, but some are a smaller more candid world that Annie Leibotiz is capturing.

I just saw this exhibit at our MoMA, and the work is outstanding. Some of the images are color, some black and white. There are a number of styles and artists, ranging from the very famous to those unknown outside of their small communities. The point is that these are images of musicians--it's that simple. Sometimes, Liebovitz's work is witty, sometimes it is unflinching in its honest portrayal. There is vulnerability in the subjects of her black and whites because they are so close, often just the face of the subject. To term them "ugly" is simply wrong. It is rare to see behind the artifice of celebrity images and see performers without makeup and with their skin texture and pores visible. Some of the photos are taken in people's homes, or backstage rather than on a set. This lends considerably to the intimacy and honesty that she is trying to convey. If you want shots of your favorite singer looking oh so pretty, go to their PR person. This is a serious body of work from a renowned photographer. It blends both her celebrity work with her own private interests in portrait photography for non-commercial audiences.

Gee. I've never heard that poor aesthetic quality is an essential element of art. I'm not even sure what "poor aesthetic quality" means. But if it describes the heartbreaking, iconic portrait of Johnny Cash and June Carter, then I surely want more of it. These are beautiful, sometimes funny and often emotionally moving pictures in which the subjects collaborate with the artist to present a certain face to the world. Maybe not all the faces are completely honest ones, but they're interesting and beautifully photographed.