Jazz Gallery Featured Images

GRIS ET ROUGE: DIX (Gray and Red: TEN)
This photographic collection presents a small but dynamic glimpse into the power, passion and intimacy of live jazz performance. The series is being presented both in recognition of Wil Gray’s ten years in fine art jazz concert photography (2008-2018) and as a tribute to (le) poisson rouge (LPR) in honor of its 10th anniversary as a premiere contemporary performance space in New York City. Though having photographed concerts at numerous locations, the majority of the images in the artist’s collection captured during this decade were primarily from performances held on LPR’s Main Stage or shows produced by “LPR Presents” at major concert halls and clubs in the city.

Established on the site of the historic Village Gate, the founders of LPR have been dedicated to creating a venue that would foster the fusion of popular and artistic cultures in music, dance, theatre and fine art. It plays host to performances from legendary artists including Pharoah Sanders and Dr. Lonnie Smith to virtuoso young lions the likes of Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper and Takuya Kuroda. In committing to welcoming a wide and eclectic array of phenomenal performances from across the jazz spectrum, it is well on the way to establishing a place for itself in the pantheon of venerable New York jazz institutions.

In that same spirit, Wil has attempted to take up the mantle of history’s most acclaimed jazz image-makers like Herman Leonard and Chuck Stewart, endeavoring to visually capture the vibrancy and resurgence of contemporary jazz music. In 2008, Wil was presented an opportunity to photograph a gig for Romainian-born jazz pianist and composer Lucian Ban at the famed Jazz Standard in New York. After capturing subsequent shows for Lucian over the next couple of years, Wil was invited to cover a second major CD release event, this time on the LPR Main Stage. Not only would this provide him the gateway to capturing other incredible jazz performances at LPR, it also resulted in his first ever published image. (John Hébert, Downbeat, Feb. 2011). Since then and for the better part of the last ten years, LPR has provided the platform for him to create quintessential photographs immortalizing new and legendary titans of mainstream jazz in an effort to preserve the legacy and future of this uniquely American art form.