NOLA & NYC, here I come!

I am off to New Orleans, LA (on business) and New York, NY (on pleasure) for the next 2 weeks.  I plan to take a lot of photos (as long as my piece of garbage masquerading as a camera cooperates) and will post a few here and there as I find the time.  In the mean time...

William Claxton (1927-2008)

One of my heroes died over the weekend.  If you are reading this weblog, chances are you have seen the work of photographer William Claxton.  If not, go here right now and take a look as his online portfolio.  I think it's what was once termed "the stuff of legends."  To fill in some of the details, the LA Times obit is here.  

I met him a couple of times.  The first time was 1995 or 1996.  I had recently moved into the Hollywood Tower in Hollywood during an eight month attempt to (among other things) live in LA.  I had an office job across town on the Westside and was living a pretty dead-end lifestyle...tired, broke, and busted - commuting every day on LA public transit (a whole 'nother topic).  Anyway, one afternoon I was strolling up the avenue on my lunch break when I saw a rather tall gentleman who looked like an older version of the William Claxton I knew from old photographs.  Needless to say it was the man himself, accompanied by his wife Peggy Moffitt.  I introduced myself, made nervous self-conscious small-talk, and was about to be on my way when Claxton (I never knew him well enough to call him by his nick-name Clax) invited me to an exhibition opening he was having at gallery on La Brea a few days later.  Honestly, it was the first exhibition I had been to.  It was great to see so many of his photos up close and in such high quality.  Of course the empty pockets prevented me from taking home any souvenirs - something I have faint pangs of regret about to this day.

I met him years later - 2005 or so - here in San Francisco.  He was at the Booksmith promoting Taschen's DELUXE edition of his epic Jazz Life (incidentally this is now available as a special edition).  I re-introduced myself and we had a nice but brief conversation.  I think only my wife knows this - but I had a fantasy that I would do a photo session with him some day joining the ranks of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, and Steve McQueen in some small little way...but this was not to be.  Hearing of his death saddens me and thinking about it leaves me with little else to say but...

Farewell William Claxton.  May you rest in peace.

Arts & Architecture (1938-1967)

My buddy Dan (or Grumpy Dan as the wife affectionately calls him) just hipped me to QUITE an online resource for all of us fans of Arts & Architecture magazine. For a good solid chunk of the 20th Century, this journal was a West Coast clearinghouse for all things modern spotlighting nearly all of the greats and just as many who now languish in obscurity. Thanks to Taschen (who really do want you to buy their product - and you should, if you can afford it), there is a wealth of info on this site including excerpted issues in PDF format and art/poster-sized reproductions of some of the amazing covers. It really is worth a few hours of your time. Here is a sample of one of the covers, this one designed by Ray Eames in 1943 or thereabouts.

Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House (2008)

There is certainly no shortage of tragedy in the news today, private and public. Well I just ran across this little item that van der Rohe's domestic meisterwerk was flooded again. I know the human toll is non-existent in this news story, but it really does break my heart in no small way. Those so inclined can make a donation here.

Here is the house looking much as it did after it's 1950 completion:


And here is a photo from Sunday, showing it under 2 feet of water!

The Original Maverick (1957)

Enough with the lies already! You all are making my head spin. EVERYBODY knows the Original Maverick was James Garner. Here is a shot of him with his running mate - erm - co-star Jack Kelly in 1958.

The 49 Mile Scenic Drive (1938)

Ever since I moved to San Francisco in 1989 I have been casually curious about the 49 Mile Scenic Drive signs that appear throughout the City. Well last weekend the wife & I decided to investigate, so after a little bit of 'net research we loaded up the car with Cal Tjader CDs and hit the road - or drive as the case may be. The original route was designed as part of the 1938 Golden Gate International Exposition - a celebration of the then recently opened Golden Gate and Bay Bridges - and led visitors from City Hall throughout the City, over the Bay Bridge, to Treasure Island and the Exposition. The Exposition was not a huge financial success (it was the depression after all), so it was reopened in 1940. One aspect of the Exposition that fascinates me is the contribution of several artists. The photo to the left is of a sculpture titled "Pacfica" done by Robert Stackpole for the initial opening. Perhaps the most well known is a mural created by Diego Rivera for the second run of the fair and currently being curated by City College of San Francisco.

But admittedly what has always fascinated me more is the sign. It was designed by then local graphic artist Rex May in 1955. I wish I knew more about May - most of the online references only point back to the 49 Mile Drive sign. Regardless it is something of a subliminal icon, if there can be such a thing. The drive now is pretty much what is has been since the mid-50s, a tour through the City hitting many of the guidebook essentials. Of course it has changed periodically, but it was interesting to drive along the "official" view of a city I have known for so long. One does need some help to navigate the route, as several signs go missing thanks to vandals or folks looking for a cheap souvenir. That said, we only really got off track 3 times over the course of the 4 hours it took to traverse all 49 miles (yes, we counted them). There were several highlights along the way, but honestly what sticks most in my mind is THAT sign...

George Benson with Guild Guitar (1967)

Photo by Francis Wolff. I just stumbled across this Flickr photostream while shoving my gullet full of lunch (pretty picture, huh?). It's a VERY cool collection of Francis Wolff photography, all in color and all optimized for your computer screen. If you have the second Blue Note photo book published here in the states a few years ago you will be familiar with the images, but nice to see them in this format. Wolff was an integral part of the whole Blue Note thing - although some of the more progressive artists on the label have indicated displeasure with the change in direction of the label after founder Alfred Lion left the fold in 1967. Speaking of which, that is the year of this photo of a very young George Benson taken at Lou Donaldson's "Alligator Boogaloo" LP sessions. He is holding the current musical object of my desire, a blonde Guild archtop replete with a DeArmond 1100 Rhythm Chief pick-up. This photo just makes me want one all that much more...