Jazz Day

In 1958, when Esquire magazine planned an issue saluting the American jazz scene, graphic designer Art Kane pitched a crazy idea: how about gathering a group of beloved jazz musicians and photographing them in front of a Harlem brownstone? He didn't own a good camera and didn't know if any of the musicians would show up-but, in the end, he pulled it off. In this captivating collection of poems, Roxane Orgill steps into that photograph, bringing to life the musicians' mischief and quirks, their memorable style, and the vivacious atmosphere of a Harlem block full of kids on a hot summer's day. Paired with those poems, Francis Vallejo's vibrant, detailed, and wonderfully expressive paintings do further justice to the larger-than-life jazz musicians from that famous photograph.