Table of Contents

Introduction by Roy DeCarava * 196 black and white photographs by DeCarava interspersed with DeCarava's poetry

About the Author

Born in 1919, Roy DeCarava is a life-long New Yorker. Though he was trained in painting and printmaking, in the late 1940s his interests moved toward photography. In 1950 Edward Steichen, in his role as Director of the Photography Department of the Museum of Art in New York purchased two DeCarava prints for the MoMA collection - the photographer's first sale. In 1952 he became the first African-American photographer to be awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for his work. Early recognition of DeCarava came for The Sweet Flypaper of Life, a 1955 book on Harlem life with his pictures accompanied by text by Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes (1902-1967). That same year, DeCarava's work was included in the groundbreaking photography exhibition "The Family of Man," mounted by MoMA, and then shown at 88 venues in 37 countries between 1955-1965. In 1956 he concentrated his photography on jazz musicians - an extended series that was exhibited from January 19-March 20, 1983 at The Studio Museum of Harlem in a show entitled "The Sound I Saw: The Jazz Photographs of Roy DeCarava." (Other than the title and an overlap of a few images, the exhibition and its journal-like catalogue, have little in common with this book.) The exhibition subsequently traveled to Port Washington and Syracuse, New York. From 1968-75, DeCarava worked under contract to Sports Illustrated. In 1975 he began teaching photography at Hunter College, where he is currently Distinguished Professor of Art of the City University of New York.

Reviews

'One of the most captivating and influential books from the last five years.' (Photo District News)

'DeCarava created this extraordinary book in 1962 in an attempt to produce "the printed form of jazz." And he succeeds.' (Guardian)

'A poignant tribute to Harlem's energy during the late 1950s and early 1960s. This is a stunning, emotive and vibrant account of America's musical reaissance period.' (Pride)