Herman Leonard, photographer of jazz greats, dies
August 16, 2010 Times Picayune
Submitted by N.O.V.A.


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Herman Leonard, a photographer who created some of the most famous images of such jazz greats as Louis
Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and others, died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
Mr. Leonard, 87, lived in New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina struck and destroyed much of his collection.

Mr. Leonard was best known for his smoky, backlit portraits of jazz artists in New York, Paris and London,
many of which graced the covers of numerous jazz albums. He was born and raised in Allentown, Pa. When he
was 9, he became enthralled with photography when he saw an image being developed in his brother's darkroom.

He attended Ohio University in Athens, which offered a degree in photography. He left college to serve with
the Army from 1943 to 1945, serving with the 13th Mountain Medical Battalion as an anesthetist. He returned
to college after the war and graduated in 1947.

Mr. Leonard apprenticed under the master portrait photographer, Yousuf Karsh. After a year, Karsh encouraged
Leonard to break out on his own.

In 1948, he moved to New York and became involved with the jazz scene there, making agreements with club
owners to photograph rehearsals in exchange for photographs for their marquees. Mr. Leonard said his aim was
"to create a visual diary of what I heard, to make people see the way the music sounded."

Quincy Jones, the musician and composer, once said that Mr. Leonard's images "are documents of historic
significance, cataloguing the development of one of the greatest art forms in American history..."

"When people think of Jazz, their mental picture is likely one of Herman's."

Subjects of Mr. Leonard's photographs include Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie.

In 1980, Mr. Leonard moved to the island of Ibiza, where he remained until 1987. In 1985 he released his
first book, "The Eye of Jazz." In 1988, the first exhibition of Leonard's jazz photographs was held in
London. His first U.S. show premiered the next year.

Mr. Leonard moved to New Orleans in 1992, immersing himself in the city's jazz scene. He released his second
book, "Jazz Memories," in 1995.

Mr. Leonard's home and studio were damaged in Hurricane Katrina and his archive of over 8,000 prints were
lost in the flood. Fortunately, his negatives had been housed at The Ogden Museum of Southern Art and
escaped damage.

Mr. Leonard moved to Los Angeles and rebuilt his life and business there.

He is survived by two sons, Michael and David Leonard; two daughters, Valerie and Shana Leonard; and six
grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.