St. Louis Artist Demonstrated His Musical and Photographic Skills at SIUE
Armed with photographs that seemed to come from a “Who’s Who” of jazz musicians and a bevy of knowledge on the players themselves, St. Louis photographer Roscoe Crenshaw demonstrated his chops to a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville audience Tuesday night.
The veteran photographer, journalist, jazz historian, editor, writer and poet presented his wealth of knowledge and artwork to a crowd during SIUE’s Black Studies program at Lovejoy Library’s Friends’ Corner. The event was in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the National Ragtime and Jazz Archive. Prince Wells is director of the Black Studies Program and associate professor in the Department of Music.
“I love jazz,” said Crenshaw. “It’s very innovative and creative, like poetry. Good jazz has surprises in it, and you can’t limit it. There are all kinds of jazz, and it can be as individual as the person playing it.”
Crenshaw has taken photographs of jazz artists in the St. Louis region and across the country for more than 40 years. The prolific digital master brought more than 50 photographs with him.
Some photographs of jazz artists that Crenshaw displayed included:
• Lena Horne, singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer
• Dianne Reeves, jazz singer who has been one of the leading proponents of the genre since the 1980s
• Bobby Watson, saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator
• Russell Gunn, contemporary Neo-bop jazz musician, known primarily for his trumpet playing
• Althea Rene, soul-jazz flautist
• Dexter Gordon, jazz tenor saxophonist
• Ravi Coltrane, post-bop jazz saxophonist and son of John Coltrane
• Ahmad Jamal (Fritz Russell Jones), jazz pianist
Black Studies @ SIUE comprises a field of knowledge that concentrates on African American progress and well-being. In the process of modernizing black studies to address 21st-century challenges, the program seeks to produce useful, culturally distinct, and forward-thinking projects. The program also offers participants opportunities to develop or enhance their intellectual capabilities and problem-solving skills by collaborating on the implementation of research and interactive projects designed to benefit citizens in the region.
Photos:
Crenshaw is pictured with a photo of Diane Reeves.
Crenshaw is also seen with Dexter Gordon, one of the countless photos he’s taken of jazz musicians over the years.
