William P. Gottlieb

Although he hasn't photographed jazz people in more than 50 years, Bill Gottlieb, in a 1990 Issue of Modern Photography, was called "The Great Jazz Photographer." The New York Times credits Bill with "the flair of a high artist." The New Yorker said, "Gottlieb stopped photographing jazz musicians in 1948. No one has surpassed him yet." Bill first used a camera in 1939 to illustrate his pioneering weekly jazz column, "Swing Sessions", in the Washington Post. He was paid for the writing, not the photography, and since the film, flash bulbs, and cameras (Speed Graphics and Rolleis) were bulky and expensive, he typically made only three or four exposures a session (all taken "onlocation"). So he learned to shoot very carefully. The photography paid off, it enhanced his column, later helped him become an Air Force photo officer in WWII, then clinched an editor's job on Down Beat Magazine (though he was still not paid for his photos). Bill left the jazz scene in 1948 to produce educational filmstrips, eventually as president of University Films/McGraw-Hill. He also wrote and illustrated 16 books, mostly for children. One of his GOLDEN BOOKS, "Laddie the Superdog" sold more than one million copies.

William P. Gottlieb Images:
Billie Holiday