DJ Ryan Swift

All photos this week were taken by the man in the middle, the amazing (and self-taught!) William P. Gottlieb.  Check out the rest of the collection in the Flickr Commons if you haven’t already, it’s truly amazing.

There are more photos to come, this set has only scratched the surface:

The first 200 images in this set show the photos published alongside the photographer’s personal recollections in his book, The Golden Age of Jazz. We’ll add more photos each month until all 1,600 are in Flickr, with thanks to our Music Division for contributing such dramatic images.

Above:

[Portrait of Jimmie Lunceford, William P. Gottlieb, and Gene Krupa, Washington, D.C., ca. 1940] (LOC)

Gottlieb, Delia Potofsky, photographer.

1 negative : b&w ; 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 in.

[Portrait of Hot Lips Page, Sidney Bechet, Freddie Moore, and Lloyd Phillips, Jimmy Ryan’s (Club), New York, N.Y., ca. June 1947] (LOC)

Gottlieb, William P., 1917-, photographer.

1 negative : b&w ; 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 in.

[Portrait of Jonah Jones and Cab Calloway, Columbia studio, New York, N.Y., ca. Mar. 1947] (LOC)

Gottlieb, William P., 1917-, photographer.

1 negative : b&w ; 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 in.

Caption from Down Beat: [from article] Thrown in for good measure, more than timeliness, is the picture of Jonah Jones. The mysterious [h]and under Jonah’s trumpet belongs to his boss, Cab Calloway.

[Portrait of Cozy Cole, New York, N.Y.(?), ca. Sept. 1946] (LOC)

Gottlieb, William P., 1917-, photographer.

1 negative : b&w ; 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 in.

Caption from Down Beat: After his long “single” with “Carmen Jones,” Cozy has decided he’s forever done with working as a drummer in somebody’s band…even his own. He’s currently trying to sell a package that features a dance troupe, his solo drumming and his handsomely violent visage. He’ll peddle the item in clubs and theaters.

[Portrait of Roy Eldridge, Spotlite (Club), New York, N.Y., ca. Nov. 1946] (LOC)

Gottlieb, William P., 1917-, photographer.

1 negative : b&w ; 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 in.

[Portrait of Jimmy Rushing, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., ca. Oct. 1946] (LOC)

Gottlieb, William P., 1917-, photographer.

1 negative : b&w ; 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 in.

Caption from Down Beat: Jimmie is still using the same gravel pit to strain his dulcet tones. And I love it. His boss, Basie, and Rushing have been cooking up plans for Jimmie to go out on his own. But Jimmie just can’t convince himself that this is the time to take that flyer.