© -Steven
Cerra , copyright protected; all rights reserved.
"I loved the people I
photographed, so I made myself as available, yet as discreet as possible,"
he said. "I never wanted to be a paparazzi. I wanted them to forget my
presence so I could catch those little unexpected moments."
- Jean-Pierre Leloir
As a photographer,
Jean-Pierre Leloir was celebrated for his pictures of Jazz and Rock stars
[primarily] of the 1950’s and 1960’s.
I can’t imagine
the World of Jazz without the images of it taken by the great Jazz
photographers: William Gottlieb, Francis Wolff, Herman Leonard, Chuck Stewart,
William Claxton, Ray Avery and Jean-Pierre Leloir, among many others.
Jean-Paul Leloir’s
photographs often found the musicians at ease; relaxing backstage, or in their
dressing rooms; sharing an anecdote with one another; tuning their instruments
while in a state of reflection.
There’s a lot to
think about when bringing Jazz to life “in performance.” What tunes to play?
What keys and tempos to play them in? What is the order of the solos and how
many choruses should each soloist take? If the venue is in a foreign country, should
an effort be made at an introduction in French, or German or Italian?
I suppose that one
of the keys to greatness in any art form is the ability [gift?] to develop a
unique perspective on it, in other words, to be able to represent it from a
different viewpoint.
The subtitle of
this piece – “I’m Beginning to See the
Light” - is intended to conjure up
that huzzah instant when with the click of Leloir’s camera shutter, the
artistic moment is created.
I’m Beginning to See the Light is also the title of a tune that has
assumed a place as a standard among Jazz musicians. While working on this piece
about Jean-Pierre Leloir, I happened to be listening to Bob Brookmeyer’s
arrangement of this song on his last recording – Standards – as performed
by the New Art Orchestra featuring vocalist Fay Claassen. Hence the subtitle.
I also thought the
juxtaposition of the title of a feature about a Jazz photographer and a tune
entitled I’m Beginning to See the Light was
reflective of a particular flash of
brilliance on my part.
So much so that I
combined Brookmeyer’s arrangement of I’m
Beginning to See the Light with a montage of Jean-Pierre Leloir’s images to
form the video the closes this piece.
The following is
largely taken from an obituary that appeared in the March 28, 2011 edition of The Independent.
© -The
Independent, copyright protected; all rights reserved.
“Outside his
native France Paris
These have
featured on countless releases and reissues, been widely published and
exhibited and demonstrate Leloir's amazing ability to immortalize performers
and to capture candid moments in the dressing rooms and the corridors of the
legendary Paris
"I loved the
people I photographed, so I made myself as available, yet as discreet as
possible," he said. "I never wanted to be a paparazzi. I wanted them
to forget my presence so I could catch those little unexpected moments."
In France
"It was a
real scoop. By sheer luck, I was the only photographer there that day. I never
thought the photo would become as famous," he said of the image originally
published on the cover of Rock & Folk,
the music monthly he helped launch with the journalist Philippe Koechlin in
1966, first as a supplement to Jazz Hot,
then as a stand-alone publication.
Born in Paris Paris
He also documented
the golden age of chanson and the "yéyé" era and shot memorable
studio and concert photographs of Edith Piaf, Johnny Hallyday, and Yves
Montand, among many others. He seemed to have a special empathy with visiting
blues, rock and soul musicians from the US and the UK and photographed the
likes of Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling
Stones and Frank Zappa (Leloir's striking black and white portrait of the
guitarist in 1976 is included in the Best of Zappa compilation Strictly
Commercial). He also covered the Isle of Wight festival in 1969 and the
Orange rock festival, a landmark event in France
Leloir also
photographed plays and exhibitions, including Jean Vilar's productions for the
Théâtre National Populaire. He enjoyed snapping street life in the US France
The mustachioed
Leloir smoked a pipe and had the phlegmatic demeanor of a British gentleman. He
knew how to put his subjects at ease in the more formal environment of a
studio, playing Vivaldi in the background to help Brel relax, for instance.
"His moustache is so fascinating that you end up staring at it and
forgetting all about the camera," the Belgian singer said of the
photographer, who became a lifelong friend and took most of the pictures that
adorned the covers of his records.
The many books of
Leloir's work include Brel Par Leloir (2008), Johnny
Sixties, a collection of his Hallyday photos (2009), Instants
De Grâce and Portraits Jazz.
In the mid-1990s,
Leloir lost the use of his right eye, which restricted his opportunities. Last
January, he was made Chevalier de L'Ordre Des Arts et des Lettres and used the
occasion to lecture the culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand about the rights
of photographers in the digital age. "It was a great honor, the cherry on
a beautiful cake," he nevertheless said of the ceremony, where he met up
with the American jazz double bassist Ron Carter, whom he had photographed
several times, and who was also honored that day. "That's what I call the
lottery of life," Leloir mused about a life that had been full of such
coincidences.”
Jean-Pierre
Leloir, photographer: born Paris 27 June 1931 ; married (two daughters); died Paris 20 December 2010 .”
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