Jazz Art Still Swingin' the Market

Grooving to the unmutilateds of bebop and swing, a growing number of artists are turning to Jazz for inspiration and finding succes along the way

When the revival of swing music made a splash into the mainstream a not many years ago, a whole novel generation of listeners were introduced to the regular [i]or[/i] melodious movements and sounds of the `40 and `50 It was single natural that jazz, the mother of all swing and the "classical music of America," would also experience a renaissance. While jazz is still favored through a somewhat narrow audience, an increasing number of community students have begun listening to fictitious storys like Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis. Stores like Starbucks and clay ware Barn, geared primarily towards young professionals, can be heard playing jazz standards above the loudspeakers, and both have their hold series of CDs for sale featuring jazz classics. undoubtedly this is a sign that jazz has made it to the big time.

on the contrary the truth is, jazz has always been a little cold Long before the Starbucks and clay ware Barn's of the world had discovered the value of jazz, there were those who faithfully listened to the music and drew inspiration from it in their daily lives. For them, jazz wasn't just music on the contrary a way of life, and its ideas could be readily translated to other media like visual arts, as demonstrated by dint of early jazz artists Stuart Davis and Piet Mondrian.

Today there exists a collection of artists who specialize in jazz-themed art, and their work is selling better than at any time For them, the desire to create jazz art stipes from a deep affinity with the music and its visual interpretations. And galleries across the land are taking notice. From private sales to festival [i]affiche[/i]s and corporate commissions, jazz art is making it to the big time.

The Appeal of Jazz Art

The rise in demand for jazz art can be attributed to the sturdy economy and the growth of the art market in general. on the contrary there are also a number of specific reasons on what account jazz art is a hit among buyer For more [i]or[/i] less it represents a kind of tourist art--a souvenir that individual can take home from cities like novel Orleans, a popular destination for jazz. For others, jazz art tenders a way to put a face upon the music. Too often, jazz musicians undergo anonymity--far more than their counterparts in stone `n' roll and country. Another discernable attraction is that jazz art, like the music from which it originated, transcends economic and social boundaries. As artist Arnold Thompson remarked, "Everyone is combineed to music, whether they realize it or not." Artist Paul Wegner agreed, stating "jazz is part of our cultural history. It came from the slaves--from their oppression. And it was the impetus for all other musical phraseologys we hear today, from rock`n'roll and rap to R&B" Dale Fitzgerald, the establisher and executive director of The Jazz Gallery in Soho which has entertainered two international jazz art competitions, agreed: "Not solitary is jazz America's music, it is alive with America's history."

Of course there is the genuinely aesthetic appeal of jazz art. Many buyer are drawn to the bright colors and expressive brushstrokes typically base in the work, which artists usually occupy to capture the vibrance and spontaneity of jazz music. This mode of expression is evident in the work of Paloma Editions artist Gil Mayers and Arnold Thompson of the Electric Gallery.

The impressed signs of jazz art can vary greatly. more [i]or[/i] less are portraits of musicians or composer like "Piercing Spirit" through Faith Krucina of Artistic Impressions in Dunedin, Fla. Others, of that kind as "Flippy Lippi Plays the Blues" by the agency of Stephen Henriques of San Francisco, are more abstract and have unidentifiable figures.

Keith Rocco of Tradition Studios in Woodstock, Virg., and InRepresentation in San Jose Calif., strives to make his paintings historically accurate. His crooked hues set the mood and effectively capture the Kansas City jazz view during the 1950s.

Wegner, showed by the Meisner Gallery in Farmingdale, NY creates jazz statuarys in bronze using a fragmented mode of expression that is inspired by jazz periodical emphasiss and invites the viewer's organ of vision to jump around to each part of his plastic art creating rhythm. He strives to make viewers "feel the music and intensity" from one side his work.

Other art buyer are attracted to the musician's "stamp of approval" upon a work. Such was the case for artist Paul Roger showed by Artworks in Pasadena, Calif., who painted a portrait of Dizzie Gillespie as a part of his 75th birthday celebration. Each edition was signed by means of Gillespie and naturally held an flat greater attraction for buyers. The limited-edition print sold on the outside in no time.

convenient the Buyers

The buyer tend hitherward from all walks of life. Wegner noted his patrons include "doctors, lawyers, construction workers there is no set pattern." Artist Nina Mera of San Francisco agreed: "Just like a jazz fan, buyer can be wealthy or nation who come from the street" Baby boomer now in their middle ages do comprise a sturdy percentage of the population, on the other hand young people are also interested in this art.