PHOTOGRAPHY REVIEW : Laguna Show Captures Flavor of ‘40s Jazz Musicians

An exhibit in Laguna Beach of Bradley Smith’s photographs of jazz musicians consists of only 14 images, just enough to give you a taste. Still, they work well together, capturing the style, the mood and the flavor of jazz in the ‘40s. Looking at them, you can almost feel the beat of the music.

Shot primarily for Life magazine, the photographs are divided into four groups: “New York,” “At Home,” “New Orleans Marching Bands” and “Night Clubbin’.” Most of the shots are 16-by-20 black and whites (at $300 each); two prints, “New Orleans Riverboats” and “Baby Dolls,” are 30-by-40, at $600 each.

“Papa Celestin & Grandson” is certainly the pick of the litter, a poignant portrait of a black youngster on a front porch in New Orleans, reacting to the magical sound of Oscar (Papa) Celestin’s trumpet.

Bradley’s style throughout the exhibit is documentary-like: There are no lights, no studio; the photographer is telling a story. The three-picture “New Orleans Marching Bands” series gives you a real feel for the streets. The best of these is “Goin’ Out,” which shows a band playing a hymn en route to a funeral.

The print quality, though, lacks a rich scale of tone. These pictures are quite stark and leave the subjects looking a little drab.

The photographs most likely to gain your attention first are those shot in New York of Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Lionel Hampton, which do a fine job capturing the artists and their nightclub environments.

An unusual aspect of this “New York” series are the contact prints affixed to the lower right corner of the works. They give the viewer a closer look at the actual snap of the photograph, before there was any darkroom manipulation such as cropping.

(The most remarkable aspect of the entire exhibit, however, well may be its location: Laguna Beach is home to more than 75 art galleries but photography definitely takes a back seat there. Exhibits are few and far between, so when one comes along, you had better look fast.)

Other subjects of the exhibit include Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter, Art Tatum, Count Basie and Lizzie Miles. Smith, a 77-year-old New Orleans native who lives in La Jolla, prints his own work. These are signed, limited editions.

Photographs by Bradley Smith are on display through April 18 at the Elan Gallery, 1145 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. Open daily, except Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Information: (714) 494-1902.

Robert Lachman is chief photographer for the Orange County Edition of The Times.