John Abbott '81 returned to Hamilton on February 15 to present a lecture on his work as a jazz photographer. Although Abbott primarily does freelance photography work for major corporations and magazines, he has achieved great success while combining two of his true passions, jazz and photography. He has taken pictures of famous jazz musicians for magazines and CD releases, calling this his "jazz photography." Some of Abbott's work is currently featured as part of the Emerson jazz photography exhibit titled "The Music Stand: Jazz as a Unifying Social Force." The exhibit will run through April 10 in the Emerson Gallery.
Abbott wanted to make the lecture as informal as possible, letting the "pictures do the talking." As an avid jazz fan and a photographer, he assured his audience that he would discuss whatever they were interested in, the music behind the pictures or the pictures themselves.
Beginning with a picture of the great "bebop" jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie, Abbott presented a slideshow of his jazz photography work. Among Abbott's other subjects were Jimmy Scott, Cassandra Wilson, Christian McBride, Miles Davis, Dennis Wallace and Ray Charles. Abbott demonstrated the wide range of his work, including live on-stage shots to studio shots, colored pictures to black and white photographs, and digital shots versus "archaic" film. He also described the versatility of certain methods of photography and certain photograph devices.
Abbott took time to elaborate on each picture, describing the mood, the film used, and the music that inspired the shot, and answering any questions from audience members.
Jazz photography, according to Abbott, captured the "things that happen on stage or in a studio that do not have anything to do with the music;" rather the pictures capture the essence of each musician. "Photography is about the moment. You can see the love...for what they do, for what they've done, and for who they are," he explained while showing some group shots. "The camera truly acts as a buffer" so that you can capture the true person, Abbott said. "The camera allows you to get into places you normally can't get into. People want to be photographed."
Although Abbot majored in psychology at Hamilton, he took great interest in music and studio art while at student on the Hill. After graduating from Hamilton in 1981, Abbott enrolled in the School for Visual Arts for photography; in 1986, he went out on his own to do freelance photography work. Abbott admitted that although he was not a great musician that jazz was in him, as many of his immediate family members have pursued careers in music.
A reception in the Emerson Gallery followed the presentation.
"The Music Stand: Jazz as a Unifying Social Force" is a collaboration between the Jazz Archive of Hamilton, the Emerson Art Gallery, and the College's Music Department, and depicts through art and video the positive social role played by jazz in American society. The lecture was sponsored by the Jazz Archive and the Emerson Gallery.
-- by Emily Lemanczyk '05
